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Women of the Bible- Mary Magdalene

  1. Mary Magdalene
    1. Mary, from the city of Magdala. The Roman army destroyed this city which was as a wealthy city.
    2. Who she was not:
      1. Luke 7:36-50- Many assume that this is Mary Magdalene but the text never indicates that. Pushing the issue becomes one of opinion.
        1. “Traditionally, Mary Magdalene has been mistakenly associated with the sinful woman in Luke 7:37-39. However, careful study of the text does not support this connection.” Rose Publishing
        2. “We should also point out that no scripture supports the popular idea that the sinful woman in the Luke 7 story was Mary Magdalene.” David Roper
      2. John 8:1-11- Some have taught that this was Mary—but again there is not textual evidence or even a hint in scripture that this was the same lady.
  2. Luke 8:1-3
    1. Side note: Luke has more references to the women in the ministry of Jesus than any other gospel.
    2. How is the reader introduced to Mary?
    3. What do we learn about Mary from this passage?
      1. She was with Jesus during portions of his ministry
      2. She was healed by Jesus of seven demons
      3. She helped financially in the ministry of Christ
        1. Some have taken this information along with the status of her home town to argue that she was a wealthy woman. Is this a required conclusion to the text?
  3. John 19:25
    1. Where is Mary standing? What do we learn about Mary from this scene?
  4. Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40
    1. Later on, where is Mary standing? Why the difference?
      1. It does not necessarily indicate any fear on her part as it may be the Romans would not allow them to be near the cross.
    2. What does the text reveal about Mary?
      1. She ministered. What does that mean?
      2. What does it reveal about Mary?
  5. Matthew 27:57-61, Mk 15:47, Luke 23:55-56
    1. Why is Mt 27:61 significant?
    2. Why do you think Mary stays? It is interesting to think about the scene—how long did she stay?
    3. According to Luke, how do the women spend Friday night? Saturday?
    4. What do we learn about Mary from this scene?
      1. She did not want to let go of him- following him to the grave
      2. She followed the commandment to rest on Sabbath
  6. Mary comes to the tomb- Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-2
    1. What is her purpose in coming to the tombs? (Mk 16:1, Lk 24:1) Was she unhappy with the work of Joseph and Nicodemus?
      1. What does this reveal about Mary?
        1. She wanted Jesus properly cared for as she prepare spices
    2. What time of day did Mary go to the tomb? Why does she go to the tomb so early? (Mt “toward the dawn”, Mk “very early… when the sun had risen”, Lk “at early dawn”, Jn “early, while it was still dark”)
      1. She had been waiting and preparing to complete the task of burial. She was not able to do it because of the Sabbath and Passover timing so as soon as it was legal and would be getting light outside soon, she left.
    3. What were they discussing as they approached the tomb? (Mk 16:3)
    4. How does she respond when she finds the tomb empty? (Jn 20:2)
  7. Mary returns to the tomb- John 20:11-18 (Mark 16:9-11- Jesus’ first appearance was to Mary)
    1. After Peter and John leave, Mary stays.
    2. What is she doing? Why does she stay?
    3. “No Jewish writer would have invented the story that the first witnesses to the resurrection were women, for in the Hebrew culture women were not highly valued as witnesses in court cases.” WJ
    4. What does she do after seeing the Lord? She went and told
    5. What is revealed about her from her response?
  8. What lessons can we learn from her?
    1. She was a financial contributor to the cause of Christ (Lk 8:3)
    2. She was bold (Jn 19:25)
    3. She loved very Jesus very much
      “These precious women, who had ministered to the Lord in Galilee did not abandon Him at His death. They were the last at His cross and the first at His tomb. At least two were witnesses of His death, his burial, and His resurrection.” Roper
    4. She was a hard worker (preparing spices. Delivering them early)
    5. She was faithful in doing what scripture/Jesus told her to do.