Sermon from August 22, 2004

Over the past half century, four major works of art have focused on the biblical character, Mary Magdalene. In 1955 the Greek writer, Nikos Kazantzakis, wrote The Last Temptation of Christ in which, “at his execution, Jesus is tempted by an alluring image of a peaceful and pleasant life with Mary Magdelene (sic) to try to get him to refuse the sacrifice he must make” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095497/). He resisted the temptation. In 1988 Martin Scorsese made a film based on that book. It opened to furious opposition by Christians and lukewarm reviews by movie critics.

In 1969 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice released their first musical theater blockbuster, Jesus Christ, Superstar. Mary Magdalene was presented as having carnal desires toward Jesus. She expressed them memorably in her song, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” Unfortunately, Webber and Rice made the mistake of insinuating that Mary Magdalene had been a prostitute before Jesus set her free. As we shall see, the Bible nowhere says that.

Finally, of course is Dan Brown’s best seller, The Da Vinci Code, in which Mary Magdalene became Jesus’ wife and the mother of His children, and whose bloodline extends into 21st century Paris. The Holy Grail, instead of being the chalice from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, as people have thought for centuries, was in reality Mary Magdalene; and the holy contents of that human chalice were the bloodline of Jesus.

Whatever you think of these artistic achievements, they have made us aware of Mary Magdalene. Why it should please the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth that it should be thus I don’t know for sure. But it seems to me that one of the gains of all this for the Church is heightened interest in a part of the Gospel that we were missing.

So, with a warm heart and a renewed appreciation for our heritage I want us to look together at this remarkable person. What follows is a reflection on Mary Magdalene in four parts. Let’s begin with Mary Magdalene as a member of Jesus’ entourage

Mary Magdalene as a Member of Jesus’ Entourage – Luke 8:1-3
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Be patient with these verses; they tell us important information about Mary Magdalene.

For example, it is here we learn where Mary Magdalene’s loyalty to Jesus came from. She is one of the women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases . . . from her seven demons had come out. If you have ever suffered or known someone who suffered mental illness or a disfiguring injury, you know how awkward that can be socially, not only for the person that suffers but also for those who love them.

Suppose someone could repair the disfigurement or restore mental soundness by a touch or gesture, how would you feel toward that savior? I put it just that way so that we can invest Luke’s rather matter-of-fact description with some of the emotional power that Jesus unleashed when He cured Mary Magdalene of seven evil spirits. And of course you have noticed that she wasn’t alone in this blessing. Jesus had done the same for Susanna and Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household, who could tell stories of life in the palace, and, Luke says, many others.

Here is a second piece of information about Mary Magdalene and that company of grateful and loyal women. Verse three says that these women were helping to support them (Jesus and the twelve disciples) out of their own means. Some traditions have drawn the conclusion from this that Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman. She may have been. She may also have been a woman of meager means, who pooled resources with the other women to free Jesus and His men in proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The poor can be profoundly and surprisingly generous.

Luke communicates one more piece of information about Mary Magdalene. Verse one says that Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women. Gratitude, loyalty and generosity found support in the energy of those women, as they kept up with the men and followed them from place to place.

I cannot imagine Christian ministry without the profound contribution of women. I remember with gratitude my mother, who prayed with me in boyhood night after night. I remember Mrs. Stokes and Mrs. Kirkham, who taught me to memorize scripture. I remember Mrs. Crowe, who listened to my self-absorbed stories as a teenager.

The most decisive event in the last decade at BVBC was the Promise Keepers event of May, 1995. The deacons pursued that opportunity upon the encouragement of Jane Gerlach, our Children’s Director at the time. My wife, who developed the ministry of assimilation and communication, helped hundreds of people feel at home in the last dozen years. And what can I say of Ruth and Evelyn and Jollie and Brenda and Dianna and Jean and Jan and Joan and Loretta and Debbie and Becky and Susan and Angela and Sandra and I’ll run out of breath before I run out of names.

And every congregation is full of such women without whom ministry would become unbearable, and Mary Magdalene stands at the head of the class of such servants. I could say of you women what I said of Mary Magdalene, that she and her companions kept up with the men and followed them from place to place. And we have cause to believe they did it for the duration of Christ’s ministry.

Mary Magdalene at the Cross – Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; John 19:25
I say that, because we find her and them with Jesus at the end of the journey. Look with me at Matthew 27:55-56. The death of Jesus had just taken place. Matthew writes that many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. Again, be patient with these verses; they tell us important information about Mary Magdalene.

Once again, many women were there at the cross. Forgive me for a cheap shot here. Our culture at one time uncritically referred to women dismissively as the weaker sex. In whatever sense it may be true that a woman is weaker than a man, it needs to be balanced by the sight of those brave women looking at one of the more brutal instances of man’s inhumanity to man. My hunch is that they were watching from a distance because soldiers kept them at a distance. But we know from John 19:25-27 that when permission was given, Jesus’ mother did not shrink from the awful act of drawing near to her Suffering Son.

Matthew also tells us at the end of verse 55 that the women had continued to do in Judea what they had done in Galilee and in between: they continued to care for his needs. To their gratitude, loyalty, generosity and energy we should add both courage and that tenacity that is particularly characteristic of women.

Matthew also reports many women present at the crucifixion of Jesus, and, like Luke, identifies several women by name. However, only Mary Magdalene from Luke’s list found her name in Matthew’s list. Why did her name endure in the consciousness of the gospel writers, when the names of other women faded? It seems she must have distinguished herself in some memorable ways.

Perhaps Nikos Kazantzakis, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Martin Scorcese and Dan Brown did her an injustice in the way they brought her to our attention; but we owe them good language for having forced us to look more closely at a remarkable woman and at a band of remarkable women, who gathered around Jesus and stayed with Him till the end.

Mary Magdalene as Jesus Is Laid to Rest – Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47
Actually, some of them, Mary Magdalene among them, stayed there past the end. Look down the page at Matthew 27:61. As Jesus was being laid to rest in Joseph’s borrowed tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. The other Mary was probably the mother of James and Joses, mentioned in verse 56. Others were content to call it a day, when the announcement was made that Jesus was dead. Not the two Marys.

They follow Joseph of Arimathea and the humble cortege to the garden tomb and, having wept till they had no more tears to shed, they watched as the central person in their lives was laid to rest and secured by the giant stone. There is an old saying: Men don’t like to make trouble for other people; women like to take trouble for other people. The two Marys were not satisfied with Jesus’ last rites. Joseph had been brave enough to request of Pilate the body of Jesus and generous enough to donate his own tomb. But, just like a man, he forgot the little things that help bring closure to grief.

Mark 16:1 tells us what Mary Magdalene and others had in mind. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene (there she is, right at the head of the list again), Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

To their gratitude, loyalty, generosity, energy, tenacity and courage we should now add attention to detail. If some man had said to Mary Magdalene, “What are you doing that for?” I suspect she might have shot back, “You just don’t get it, do you? Why don’t you go do something important.” It was a matter of respect, a matter of propriety and affection. It didn’t matter that no one else cared or would ask or would remember or would join them. It was the right thing to do.

Mary Magdalene Alone with Jesus after the Resurrection – John 20:11-18
Not always, but now and again, great things come to those who mind the ordinary things of life. Those three women, off on their thankless mission at daybreak, stepped into the memory of the human race for all time. They found themselves at the right place at the right time. All four gospels make the women the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and Mary Magdalene is always there. And in the Gospel of John Mary Magdalene emerges from the shadows and becomes a heroine of the faith. We do well to read her story in John 20:10-18.

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. One more time, be patient with these verses; they tell us important information about Mary Magdalene.

First, she wept. Men do not as a rule cry often or much. Women do, and thank God for their tears in a world that is often short on pity.

Second, she wasn’t impressed with the two angels. I wonder if women as a rule are more comfortable with the paranormal than men. She hardly noticed them.

Third, she didn’t recognize Jesus. Even after He spoke to her, she thought He was the gardener. The absence of His body from where she expected it may have pushed her to distraction. She had to know His resting place.

Fourth, His voice dismissed her grief and near hysteria. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Maybe we will only truly know Him, when we hear Him call us by name.

Fifth, John’s narrative tantalizes us without satisfying us. Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." Did she embrace Him, attempt to embrace Him, fall at His feet and clutch His garment? Any such touch would be true to human nature, suddenly and joyfully set free from overwhelming grief.

Sixth, He gave her a mission. “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” From the task of delivering spices to a cemetery, she delivers good news to Adam’s helpless race.

Seventh, she is the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “I have seen the Lord." If the rest of the ancient world found women incompetent to bear witness in a court of law, God found it appropriate for a woman to bear witness to His glory.

The Pastoral Center of Gravity
Dear Dan Brown, good book. I couldn’t put it down. I thought a lot of your ideas were goofy, and the ending was a let down. I wish you would reconsider the Bible’s witness to Mary Magdalene. I believe it helps to achieve one of your goals: to honor and elevate women. Jesus did that much better than the Gnostics. He did that much better than your book. But thanks for turning the Church’s attention to Mary Magdalene. She has helped us see what Jesus Christ has done for women. We won’t forget. Sincerely. Bo