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Reflections

Women Who Walked With Jesus

Part 2

As we approach Easter, let’s meet some women who walked with Jesus to the Cross and empty tomb, and finally to the Upper Room. Each of them has a message for us in our personal walk with the Lord.

Mary of Magdala - A Life Changed By the Power of God

The scriptural vignettes of Mary of Magdala are fewer than those of Mary of Nazareth. Luke introduces her briefly in chapter 8; we do not see her again until we approach the Cross. All gospel writers give pictures of her at the tomb.

Who was Mary of Magdala before she met Jesus? We know very little except she was bound by demonic power. Was she the sinful woman of Luke 7? The Bible does not say so, though music and fiction writers have implied that she was.

What was her age? We do not know, only that she was able to join the women who traveled with Jesus. What was her socio-economic status? We do not know, only that the women who walked with Jesus ministered to the wandering group of their own means.

What we do know from the first picture of Mary of Magdala is that she had a powerful conversion experience that changed her life. All other accounts show her expressing gratitude for her deliverance.

Luke introduces her this way:

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. (Luke 8:1–3, NIV).

This short vignette of Mary of Magdala teaches so much about conversion. Deliverance for Mary meant a complete change of circumstances. She did not remain in Magdala, but followed the crowd that followed Jesus.

Many of us have seen people have a real experience with the Lord, but they go back to the old crowd and their sinful ways. The conversion experience does not change their way of life. Jesus illustrated this response to the gospel with the parable of the seed on rocky soil that quickly dies because it does not have roots.

Mary’s deliverance resulted in a commitment of her life—including both her time and money—to following the Lord. Luke does not mention the women again until he begins narrating events at the cross in Luke 23. The implication, however, is that these women were there all through the gospel narrative.

So we are not surprised to see this cluster of women lingering at the Cross, long after the disciples were gone. The women carefully watched Jesus being taken down, and observed His burial place. They were continuing to do what they had been doing all along—ministering to the needs of the Lord.

Compassion now drives them to prepare spices for the burial and bring them to the tomb early in the morning following the Sabbath. It would be their last act of ministering to the needs of Jesus.

The intensity of Mary’s compassion for the Lord is seen as she lingers at the tomb, and in this time of lingering, the risen Lord appears. Because of Mary’s commitment and compassion, she is the first to see Him and the first to share the good news of His resurrection with the disciples.

Mary reveals her relationship to the Lord in the titles she uses to address Him. To the one she supposed was the gardener she refers to Jesus as “Lord,” a formal word for one in supreme authority. When she recognizes Jesus she addresses Him as “Rabboni,” a title one would use for a highly respected teacher. Jesus was truly her Lord and Master.

Though the Bible does not identify Mary Magdalene as the woman of Luke 7, she illustrates the principle of that chapter: “her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Mary Magdalene forever stands as an example of one whose conversion resulted in commitment to following Jesus and compassionate service to Him and His disciples.

Points to Ponder:

Some are delivered out of a sinful life as was Mary Magdalene; others are kept from that kind of life. Both are spectacular deliverances from the death of sin and should produce great gratitude for the restoration to life in Christ.

How has your conversion experience affected your life? Has your gratitude for salvation resulted in commitment and compassionate service to the Master?

Has the Lord appeared to you in times of quiet lingering? We all can have the privilege of sharing in Mary’s joy at seeing the risen Christ.

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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