But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
– John 20:11-18
A Wholly Troubled Life. What is the portrait of Mary (Magdalene) that comes to your mind? Do you know anything about her? Do you think you know anything about her? The latter may be more true than the former; we should at least acknowledge this. The Bible explicitly tells us almost nothing about Mary, other than she was present when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:56), that she was the first to see Jesus alive (John 20), and that Jesus had cast seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). She is sometimes conflated into the narrative of Luke 7:36-39 because the woman anointing Jesus’ feet is said to be “a sinner,” obviously someone of poor reputation. To be responsible readers of the Bible, we should admit that we are told next to nothing about Mary’s life, other than what is mentioned above and, by virtue of her biblical moniker, she must have come from the fishing village of Magdala along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. At the same time, we cannot overlook the reality that, of all the people touched by and associated with Jesus, her name is one of the few mentioned. There must be something about her the gospel writers don’t want us to forget.
Conclusions have been reached about Mary that I’m not willing to pursue here. The reasons for that simply are that, in pursuing them, it seems to me that the pursuit takes us too far into the realm of speculation based on questionable evidence and creative reasoning. Instead I want to allow the portrait of Mary we have from scripture to point us toward truths that are biblically supported and applicable to all of us. To that end, let’s consider the interesting comment shared with us from Luke 8 (also Mark 16:9), that Jesus has cast seven demons from Mary. What exactly could that mean? Images of a modern horror film might come to mind, which even at the risk of the theatrics involved may contain an element of truth in the spiritual conflict of good and evil. As you might guess, there are multiple interpretations on what the number seven means regarding Mary’s demon possession. If the number has any significance beyond its simple and clear meaning, I would commend what I think is the most likely interpretation that seven was considered a number of wholeness. As such, Mary was described as someone wholly afflicted by the influence of sin. This is not to suggest that Mary was somehow a more wicked sinner than anyone else. Nevertheless, we do get a picture of one who suffered with what we might often call a troubled life.
The particulars of this are not revealed to us, not even suggested. We cannot in good conscience conclude that Mary was sexually immoral, that she was a violent criminal, that she maliciously planned evil toward others, or displayed any other particular manifestation of the sin condition. Not that she wouldn’t have been capable of these things, but simply that we are not told these things are true. Without Jesus working in her life, she most certainly would have been capable of these things. Am I being unkind toward Mary in saying this? I don’t think so. Why? Because I could say the same about myself or anyone else. The lyrics of an old song come to mind as I think about this. Let’s see if you can recall them and fill in the blanks.
I was sinking _____ in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very ______ stained within, sinking to rise no more.
Sin IS the Deep End. If you were raised in an old country church, you probably recall this song. What are the missing words? Deep. Deeply. The adjective and adverb give us clarity on our condition. This is crucial, because truth is important even if it is not comfortable. Using the images offered in these songs lyrics, consider how we might want to think of ourselves regarding sin. “I was sinking, but thankfully it was only in a wading pool where I could touch bottom and rise on my own two feet.” Or, “Yes, my garment was stained, but it was pretty small and inconspicuous. No one will really notice it there.” If we were being honest and real about our sin problem, we would come in line with the song lyrics. “I had a ship anchor tied around my neck and was tossed into the ocean depths.” Or, “My garment was soiled so badly that it was unrecognizable, unfit even to be used as a rag.”
Do you think I’m exaggerating? If so, please know that I am trying to reflect the message of the Bible. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6a). And as to whether we are all capable, the Bible seems to be consistent in saying that we are. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) or living according to the flesh (Romans 8) are conditions the Bible attributes broadly to all people. Our challenge in accepting this is driven by at least three factors. First, we live in a culture where we reinforce the notion that we are good people. Self-esteem is driven into our heads from the culture. Second, if we do allow ourselves to consider our sinfulness (we prefer the term mistakes), we do so in comparison with other people. We feel less convicted when we can point to others who have sinned more atrociously than we have. And lastly, we just don’t want to think of ourselves as sinners—especially bad ones.
Mary: the Model of Human Need. Seven demons. This is how Mary’s condition is described. We are certainly invited to read the text in a plain, straightforward manner. The questions we will then ask will be wondering what kinds of demons they were. In the gospels, demons are described as causing muteness, blindness, convulsions, and manic behavior. We might be curious as to whether Mary suffered any of these. If not, what seven effects of the demons did she suffer? Knowing the implicit meaning of seven when we find it in scripture, it is reasonable for us to simply say that Mary is depicted as suffering the full extent of evil working in her life. As such, Mary becomes the model for why Jesus came into the world. Jesus came to save sinners, to break the power of sin and evil at work in our hearts. Mary stands as representative of the perfect patient for the Great Physician. She was wholly afflicted, and she met a Savior who heals wholly. This was good news for Mary. It is good news for us as well.
All-Sufficient Grace. There are factors that can undermine our assurance of salvation, one of the primary ones being the doubt that Jesus could forgive us fully for our sin. The attitude often presents itself in a way that demonstrates confidence in Christ’s ability or willingness to forgive others. The problem comes when we try to apply such grace to ourselves. Somehow we can convince ourselves that there is a limit to how much Jesus is willing to forgive. Such an attitude is understandable. After all, much of our attitude toward life is based on a merit-mindset where “we get what we deserve.” This is the beautiful thing about the Christian message. In Christ, we don’t get what we do deserve, and we do get what we don’t deserve. How often do we arrive in a situation where someone says of another, “He deserves a little grace,” as though the person has built up a credit balance and, in a time of lacking, is allowed to draw from the balance of good behavior in order to cover a shortcoming. Even this is a response to merit, not an action of grace.
Radical Grace Produces Extravagant Love. What do you think happens in the heart of someone like Mary once they experience the radical heart-healing that comes through Jesus? For Mary, and for countless others since, such graces produces a love that completely consumes a person. Mary, again, seems to model this kind of love for Jesus.
There is an account recorded in Luke 7:36-50 where Jesus is dining in the home of a Pharisee. While there, a “woman of the city, who was a sinner,” came at the feet of Jesus. Out of obvious gratitude, she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them away with her hair. We are not told that this woman is Mary, though many have come to that conclusion. We look at this scene, not to say who the woman was, but to see the Pharisee’s reaction and Jesus’ subsequent response. The Pharisee was critical; as a man of God, Jesus should not allow such a woman to approach him. Jesus, however, put things in perspective by telling a parable. “‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’” This is exactly what Jesus wanted the Pharisee to understand. Perhaps the Pharisee had lived a more admirable life than this unnamed woman. It seems clear, though, that the outpouring of her love was much more pleasing to Jesus than what the heart of the Pharisee was offering.
When we have been healed by the radical grace of Jesus, the love we can experience is nothing short of worshipful. We are hard-pressed to find another character in the gospel accounts who demonstrates more devotion to Jesus than Mary Magdalene. I believe this is why we see her lingering at the tomb on resurrection day. Others came, saw, and left. Mary lingered. The pain she felt at Jesus’ death was proportionate to the joy she felt through Jesus’ life. And this is why, in my opinion, it is difficult for us to comprehend what she felt the moment she recognized Jesus by the empty tomb. Hardly has there been a heart so consumed with worship than Mary’s heart in that moment.
This begs the question for us. How extravagant is our love for Jesus? How deeply are we moved to worship Jesus unhindered? I want to love Jesus like Mary loved Jesus. If I fall short of that, it must mean that I have ceased to comprehend the magnitude of grace Jesus makes available to me. That is something I don’t think Mary ever lost. I think it is why she stands in the gospels as one of the central figures among Jesus’ followers. With God’s help, may our love for Jesus be as extravagant as hers.
The Winding Path 