Apr. 16, 2009
Mary Magdalene -- John 20
Introduction
Story of Mary Margaret Delaney told as readers' theater. Created from "Unveiling Mary Magdalene" by Liz Curtis Higgs, Waterbrook Press, 2001.
Text: John 20:1-2, 10-18 (NIV)
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes,
11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 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."
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 "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."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17 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.' "
18 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.
I. What do we know about Mary Magdalene?
A. Jesus cast 7 demons out of her.
B. Supported Jesus financially.
1. Luke 8:1-3
1 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,
2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
3 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.
C. Almost always listed first in gospel accounts
1. Indicates she was a leader among the women.
Marie-Madeleine by Quentin Metsys (1465/66-1530), Musée du Louvre.
See pic at http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/Quentin-Metsys-Marie-Madeleine.jpg
D. Left home to follow Jesus with the other women and the 12 disciples.
1. She had been set free. She followed Jesus. She was not going to let Him out of her sight. He had saved her and given her a reason for living. It wasn’t a job or a ministerial appointment. It was a commitment.
2. Freedom to leave Magdala and follow Jesus.
a. Perhaps she was middle-aged or widowed.
b. No Biblical or historical evidence she was a harlot. That idea originated with Pope Gregory the Great (591 A.D.). He lumped together 3 different women -- 1) the “sinful woman” of Luke 7; 2) Mary of Bethany of John 11-12; and 3) Mary Magdalene.
1. That idea was perpetuated by religious artwork, the “Bible of the illiterate.” That is what you see in the painting on the screen. Mary Magdalene is depicted with the alabaster jar, which is incorrect, although it is a lovely painting from the 15th century. In the middle ages, art was what movies are for us today -- something that both reflects culture and also shapes it.
E. From Magdala
See map of ancient Israel at http://scriptures.lds.org/en/biblemaps/11
1. 1 of 9 cities on western shore of Sea of Galilee. About 3 miles north of Tiberias.
2. Over 15,000 people, a small city.
3. Fishing was a big industry in Magdala. The Greek name of Magdala was a word that meant “pickling place.” Magdala had excellent pickling places. The pickled fish of Galilee were known throughout the Roman and Greek world. Large quantities were taken up to Jerusalem at the times of the yearly feasts, because of the great multitudes. Barrels were also transported around the Mediterranean.
4. Known for shipbuilding, dyes, wool factories, and harlotry.
5. Magdala had hippodrome for entertainment. A hippodrome was a stadium comparable to football stadiums today. Chariot races were popular. Bloody battles with wild animals. Think “gladiator.”
6. Jesus most likely visited here. Mark 8:10 reads,
10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. "Dalmanutha" was Magdala.
F. Previously possessed by 7 demons (Luke 8:2)
2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
1. What does demon-possession look like?
a. Supernatural knowledge
1. Luke 4:33-34
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,
34 "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
a. This took place in Capernaum. Madmen of this sort are . . . prone to crimes of horror and bloodshed.” This man was probably well-known in Capernaum. Why was he in the synagogue? Why not?
b. Joke
Q - Where does an 800 lb. gorilla sit in church?
A - Anywhere he wants to.
Q - Where does a murdering demoniac sit in church?
A - Anywhere he wants.
c. Knew who Jesus was. He had supernatural knowledge, unknown to ordinary men.
2. Acts 16:16-17
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
a. This girl also had supernatural knowledge.
3. In both accounts, the knowledge was correct, but their antics were disruptive, and prevented people from believing and trusting in Christ.
b. Obsession with death
1. Luke 8:26-27
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
2. Mark 5:5 tells us he cut himself with stones.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
a. Demons love destruction. This man was unable to resist the demon’s command to cut, cut, . . .
c. Superhuman strength
1. Luke 8:29
29 . . . Many times it (the evil spirit) had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
2. In the fictional story at the beginning of this message, Mary Margaret had some of these same traits. She was obsessed with death and had an inability to stop herself from injuring herself.
3. Mary had been possessed with 7 demons. Not just one . . . seven.
a. Biblically, seven is a number signifying spiritual perfection, or spiritual totality. The picture painted is someone completely and totally possessed by evil spirits in body and mind. Poor Mary.
b, Additionally, there appears to be 7 major categories of sins, or evil spirits, in the world. Consider these.
1. Fear and rejection
2. Immorality
3. Heaviness (depression)
4. Lying
5. Chronic infirmities
6. Addictions
7. Pride
Poor Mary. Rejected, afraid, looking for love in all the wrong places, depressed, lying to hide her true self from others, chronically ill, addicted to anything to ease the pain, and yet proud, unable to receive instruction.
4. I John 3:8b
8 . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
a. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus cast out 7 demons from Mary Magdalene. He set her free.
II. Mary loved Jesus. Evidenced by:
A. Followed Jesus in His earthly ministry.
B. Supported Jesus financially.
C. Followed Jesus to the cross.
1. She, and the other women, were beyond courageous to be there. The “Romans did not hesitate to inflict the same death on relatives or followers of an enemy of the state.”
2. Irish poet, Eaton Barrett, wrote these lines about Mary Magdalene:
“She, while apostles shrank, could danger brave,
Last at his cross, and earliest at his grave.”
D. She brought spices to the tomb.
1. . . . being seen near “the grave of an enemy of the state was just as risky as being found (near) the cross.” Mary Magdalene was courageous to even go to the tomb.
2. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already anointed Jesus with 75 lbs. of myrrh and aloes.
a. 75 lbs. -- amount for a royal burial. Perfect for the King of Kings.
b. Why would Mary Magdalene and the other women want to anoint Jesus more?
1. It was their offering. They needed to pay their last respects. They needed to give Him a proper burial.
III. Desperation
A. Jesus was everything to Mary Magdalene -- her teacher, savior, brother, friend. The fact that His dead body was missing pushed her over the edge.
1. John 20:10
10 Then the disciples (John and Peter) went back to their homes,
The tomb was empty, but the disciples did not understand. Their actions said, “Well, there’s nothing we can do.”
2. John 20:11a
11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.
Mary’s actions say, “but there has to be something we can do.” It was a problem that had to be fixed.
3. John 20:12
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 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."
Mary shows no fear when speaking with the angels. She is too full of grief to be afraid. She could not go on without Him.
4. John 20:15
15 "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."
She is distraught, but taking charge of the situation. She is going to find Jesus. She will ask for help, for information from a total stranger (gardener), to solve the problem.
B. Jesus met her. Jesus appeared to her first.
1. Jesus was not concerned with making sure He appeared first to the most reliable witnesses. His first concern was comforting a person who was distraught.
a. Mary was a former demon-possessed person. Who knows what crazy things she did?
b. Female witnesses were not convincing in either Roman or Jewish courts. A woman’s words in a court of law were never trusted and had to be validated by two men. So, there was never a reason for a woman to testify.
Deut. 17:6
6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
c. Origen, a patriarch of the 3rd century church, complained that Mary Magdalene was a “wholly unsuitable first witness.”
Conclusion
A. Mary Magdalene
1. Formerly demon-possessed
2. Set free by Christ
3. Totally committed to her Lord Jesus
4. When she was distraught, Christ came to her and comforted her.
5. She became the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
B. Jesus will do the same for people today. When you see people who constantly make bad decisions, or who have addictions, pray for them and point them to Jesus. Jesus came to set the captives free.
Story of Mary Margaret Delaney told as readers' theater. Created from "Unveiling Mary Magdalene" by Liz Curtis Higgs, Waterbrook Press, 2001.
Text: John 20:1-2, 10-18 (NIV)
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes,
11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 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."
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 "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."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17 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.' "
18 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.
I. What do we know about Mary Magdalene?
A. Jesus cast 7 demons out of her.
B. Supported Jesus financially.
1. Luke 8:1-3
1 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,
2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
3 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.
C. Almost always listed first in gospel accounts
1. Indicates she was a leader among the women.
Marie-Madeleine by Quentin Metsys (1465/66-1530), Musée du Louvre.
See pic at http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/Quentin-Metsys-Marie-Madeleine.jpg
D. Left home to follow Jesus with the other women and the 12 disciples.
1. She had been set free. She followed Jesus. She was not going to let Him out of her sight. He had saved her and given her a reason for living. It wasn’t a job or a ministerial appointment. It was a commitment.
2. Freedom to leave Magdala and follow Jesus.
a. Perhaps she was middle-aged or widowed.
b. No Biblical or historical evidence she was a harlot. That idea originated with Pope Gregory the Great (591 A.D.). He lumped together 3 different women -- 1) the “sinful woman” of Luke 7; 2) Mary of Bethany of John 11-12; and 3) Mary Magdalene.
1. That idea was perpetuated by religious artwork, the “Bible of the illiterate.” That is what you see in the painting on the screen. Mary Magdalene is depicted with the alabaster jar, which is incorrect, although it is a lovely painting from the 15th century. In the middle ages, art was what movies are for us today -- something that both reflects culture and also shapes it.
E. From Magdala
See map of ancient Israel at http://scriptures.lds.org/en/biblemaps/11
1. 1 of 9 cities on western shore of Sea of Galilee. About 3 miles north of Tiberias.
2. Over 15,000 people, a small city.
3. Fishing was a big industry in Magdala. The Greek name of Magdala was a word that meant “pickling place.” Magdala had excellent pickling places. The pickled fish of Galilee were known throughout the Roman and Greek world. Large quantities were taken up to Jerusalem at the times of the yearly feasts, because of the great multitudes. Barrels were also transported around the Mediterranean.
4. Known for shipbuilding, dyes, wool factories, and harlotry.
5. Magdala had hippodrome for entertainment. A hippodrome was a stadium comparable to football stadiums today. Chariot races were popular. Bloody battles with wild animals. Think “gladiator.”
6. Jesus most likely visited here. Mark 8:10 reads,
10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. "Dalmanutha" was Magdala.
F. Previously possessed by 7 demons (Luke 8:2)
2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
1. What does demon-possession look like?
a. Supernatural knowledge
1. Luke 4:33-34
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,
34 "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
a. This took place in Capernaum. Madmen of this sort are . . . prone to crimes of horror and bloodshed.” This man was probably well-known in Capernaum. Why was he in the synagogue? Why not?
b. Joke
Q - Where does an 800 lb. gorilla sit in church?
A - Anywhere he wants to.
Q - Where does a murdering demoniac sit in church?
A - Anywhere he wants.
c. Knew who Jesus was. He had supernatural knowledge, unknown to ordinary men.
2. Acts 16:16-17
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
a. This girl also had supernatural knowledge.
3. In both accounts, the knowledge was correct, but their antics were disruptive, and prevented people from believing and trusting in Christ.
b. Obsession with death
1. Luke 8:26-27
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
2. Mark 5:5 tells us he cut himself with stones.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
a. Demons love destruction. This man was unable to resist the demon’s command to cut, cut, . . .
c. Superhuman strength
1. Luke 8:29
29 . . . Many times it (the evil spirit) had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
2. In the fictional story at the beginning of this message, Mary Margaret had some of these same traits. She was obsessed with death and had an inability to stop herself from injuring herself.
3. Mary had been possessed with 7 demons. Not just one . . . seven.
a. Biblically, seven is a number signifying spiritual perfection, or spiritual totality. The picture painted is someone completely and totally possessed by evil spirits in body and mind. Poor Mary.
b, Additionally, there appears to be 7 major categories of sins, or evil spirits, in the world. Consider these.
1. Fear and rejection
2. Immorality
3. Heaviness (depression)
4. Lying
5. Chronic infirmities
6. Addictions
7. Pride
Poor Mary. Rejected, afraid, looking for love in all the wrong places, depressed, lying to hide her true self from others, chronically ill, addicted to anything to ease the pain, and yet proud, unable to receive instruction.
4. I John 3:8b
8 . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
a. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus cast out 7 demons from Mary Magdalene. He set her free.
II. Mary loved Jesus. Evidenced by:
A. Followed Jesus in His earthly ministry.
B. Supported Jesus financially.
C. Followed Jesus to the cross.
1. She, and the other women, were beyond courageous to be there. The “Romans did not hesitate to inflict the same death on relatives or followers of an enemy of the state.”
2. Irish poet, Eaton Barrett, wrote these lines about Mary Magdalene:
“She, while apostles shrank, could danger brave,
Last at his cross, and earliest at his grave.”
D. She brought spices to the tomb.
1. . . . being seen near “the grave of an enemy of the state was just as risky as being found (near) the cross.” Mary Magdalene was courageous to even go to the tomb.
2. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already anointed Jesus with 75 lbs. of myrrh and aloes.
a. 75 lbs. -- amount for a royal burial. Perfect for the King of Kings.
b. Why would Mary Magdalene and the other women want to anoint Jesus more?
1. It was their offering. They needed to pay their last respects. They needed to give Him a proper burial.
III. Desperation
A. Jesus was everything to Mary Magdalene -- her teacher, savior, brother, friend. The fact that His dead body was missing pushed her over the edge.
1. John 20:10
10 Then the disciples (John and Peter) went back to their homes,
The tomb was empty, but the disciples did not understand. Their actions said, “Well, there’s nothing we can do.”
2. John 20:11a
11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.
Mary’s actions say, “but there has to be something we can do.” It was a problem that had to be fixed.
3. John 20:12
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 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."
Mary shows no fear when speaking with the angels. She is too full of grief to be afraid. She could not go on without Him.
4. John 20:15
15 "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."
She is distraught, but taking charge of the situation. She is going to find Jesus. She will ask for help, for information from a total stranger (gardener), to solve the problem.
B. Jesus met her. Jesus appeared to her first.
1. Jesus was not concerned with making sure He appeared first to the most reliable witnesses. His first concern was comforting a person who was distraught.
a. Mary was a former demon-possessed person. Who knows what crazy things she did?
b. Female witnesses were not convincing in either Roman or Jewish courts. A woman’s words in a court of law were never trusted and had to be validated by two men. So, there was never a reason for a woman to testify.
Deut. 17:6
6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
c. Origen, a patriarch of the 3rd century church, complained that Mary Magdalene was a “wholly unsuitable first witness.”
Conclusion
A. Mary Magdalene
1. Formerly demon-possessed
2. Set free by Christ
3. Totally committed to her Lord Jesus
4. When she was distraught, Christ came to her and comforted her.
5. She became the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
B. Jesus will do the same for people today. When you see people who constantly make bad decisions, or who have addictions, pray for them and point them to Jesus. Jesus came to set the captives free.