Mary Magdalene: From Tormented Demoniac to Faithful Disciple

This article was first published in Spanish at Coalición por le Evangelio, in French at TPSG, and in English at TGC Canada.

From the earliest days of Church History, misunderstandings have abounded about the identity of Mary of Magdala. She has been mistaken for the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11); for the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet (Lk 7:36-50); for Mary of Bethany, who also anointed Jesus’ feet (Mk. 14:3–9; Mt. 26:6–13; Jn 12:1–8); for the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:1-42); and for Jesus’ wife (the non-canonical gnostic Gospel of Phillip).  

Some of the confusion surrounding Mary Magdalene’s identity has been due to how common her name was. Mary, or Miriam in Hebrew/Aramaic, was the most common name for a woman in Jesus’ day. (Simon, incidentally, was the most common man’s name). In fact, one quarter of all Jewish women at the time bore the name Mary. In the New Testament alone we meet at least six.

 

And in the confusion, Mary has been unfairly labeled a sexually immoral woman. Yet a closer examination of her life as presented in the gospels demonstrates that she was an irreproachable, loyal, generous woman of faith, and a leader among the women of Jesus’ entourage. 

Mary the Demoniac

Another reason for the confusion is related to the nature of the Magdalene’s condition prior to her conversion. We first meet Mary in Luke 8, where she is described as “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (v. 2). Many have inferred a great deal from this one statement. 

 

In today’s day and age, we view demonic activity in the life of individuals as the result of sinful choices on their part. But if we examine Jesus’ and the disciples’ treatment of demoniacs, we discover that they did not view them as evil or as accomplices of the evil one, but rather as diseased, as victims of an alien power. Mary was, therefore, “a healed invalid, not a social derelict.”[i] Had this been understood, this beloved disciple would not have been so easily confounded with a prostitute.[ii]

Who was Mary Magdalene?

Let’s consider in context what else Luke tells us about her.

 

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8:1-3)

 

1.     Her Name

Unlike many women cited in the New Testament, she is identified by her place of origin (Magdala, a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee), rather than her husband or son. This likely indicates that she had neither and therefore could control her own property.[iii]

2.     Her Many Companions

The text tells us of “women who had been healed” (v. 2). Luke singles out three of these women for specific mention, but he indicates that Jesus selected “many others” (v. 3) to be part of his entourage.^[iv] Among them were women for whom he had demonstrated extraordinary healing power and compassion. For a rabbi to travel with women was uncommon, but Jesus was not bound by the cultural norms of his day. As members of his traveling team of disciples, they received instruction at his feet along with the Apostles and other male disciples. Could it be that the women were also among the 70 whom Jesus sent out shortly after this account, in Luke 10:1-23. 

3.     Her Wealth 

Mary, Joanna, Susanna, and “many others” (v. 3) “provided for them out of their means” (v. 3). How remarkable that Jesus not only allowed wealthy women to travel with him, but he allowed himself and his disciples to depend upon them.  

Mary the Disciple

Mary of Magdala appears next in the final week of the life of our Lord. She had travelled to Jerusalem with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. This is evident from her description among the women at the feet of the cross in Mark 15:40-41.

 

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

 

The word translated “ministered” in Mark 15 is the same Greek word translated “provided for” in Luke 8, and it is the term from which we derive the word deacon/deaconess. According to one commentator, Mary and the other women had a continual presence in Christ’s itinerant work:

 

Their “following and ministering to [Jesus]” from “Galilee … to Jerusalem” encompasses the duration of his ministry. The imperfect tenses of both verbs in Greek indicate not occasional or sporadic accompaniment and service, but the continued presence and service of Jesus throughout his ministry. These and “many other women” have done what Mark throughout his Gospel has defined as discipleship: following and serving Jesus.^[v]

 

And just as Peter emerges as the leader among the Apostles, with his name always at the top of the list, Mary of Magdala seems to hold a similar position among with women of Jesus’ entourage, her name appearing first (in the Synoptic gospels) among the women named. This suggests that Mary was held in high esteem in the early church.[vi]

Mary the Bereaved

Mary Magdalene’s love for Jesus was evident in her enduring presence during his passion. All the men of Jesus’ entourage save John (Jn. 19:25-27) had fled, the final one being Peter, last seen at our Lord’s trial before the Sanhedrin (Mk. 14:53-72). But she and Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome remained, looking on from a distance (Mk. 14:40-41). John’s account of the women at the cross includes the mother of Jesus, his mother’s sister, and Mary the wife of Clopas (Jn. 19:25). That makes at least six women identified by name, but there were many more, as seen in Luke 23:27.

 

27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.

 

Mary and her bereaved companions could have dispersed once Jesus breathed his last (Mk. 15:37). But when Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus and laid him in a tomb, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses followed in order to see where their Lord had been buried (Mk. 15:42-47) in order to return after the sabbath had ended and anoint him properly. 

Mary the Unlikely Eyewitness

According to Jewish rabbinical law, a woman's testimony was not admissible in court. This was because women were believed to be gullible, naïve, and even hysterical by nature. If the evangelists had wanted to change their post-resurrection stories to make them more believable, they would have done so, in order to win over as many people as possible. But they chose not to. For in his sovereignty, God had chosen Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James the Younger, Salome, Joanna, “and the other women with them” (Lk. 24:10) to be discover the empty tomb, to hear the announcement from the heavenly messengers, and to bear witness to his resurrection to the disciples (Mt. 27:61-28:8, Mk. 16:1-8, Lk. 24:1-11, Jn. 20:1-17). 

 

John’s account, focusses particularly on Mary, adding that she remained at the tomb weeping after Peter and John had left (Jn. 20:1-10). Jesus met her there, and when she recognized the voice of her beloved Rabbi, she clung to him. Jesus asked her not to, but instead commissioned her to take the good news of his resurrection to the rest of the disciples (Jn. 20:16-17). Jesus thus chose her for two special purposes that day: to be the first to see the risen Lord, and to be the one to carry this glorious news to his disciples. It is for this reason that Thomas Aquinas called her an “apostle to the apostles.” 

Let Us Cling to Jesus

We would all agree that Jesus, not Mary, is the hero of our story. But just as Hebrews 11 gives us a snapshot of Old Testament saints whose faith we are invited to emulate, so the New Testament has graced us with the account of the devotion of Mary Magdalene. May her life of faith inspire us to cling to Jesus even as she did. And may her commission be ours as well, to take the glorious Gospel of our risen Lord to those who need to hear it most.

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[i] Louis Matthews Sweet, “Mary,” ed. James Orr et al., The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 2003–2004.

[ii] Tertullian, On Modesty 11, identifies the woman in Luke 7:36–50 with the one in Matt. 26:6–13. Gregory the Great identifies the sinful woman with Mary Magdalene (Zahn 1920: 330–32 n. 33 lists the ancient texts). Ephraem the Syrian (On the Sinful Woman; On Our Lord 47) equates Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the woman of Luke 7—taking the error one step further. (Darrell L. Bock, Luke: 1:1–9:50, vol. 1, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994), 713.)

[iii]  Beverly Roberts Gaventa, “Mary,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 864.

[iv] Darrell L. Bock, Luke: 1:1–9:50, vol. 1, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994), 713.

[v] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 486.

[vi] Beverly Roberts Gaventa, “Mary,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 864–865.