“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.” (Luke 8:1-3) NKJV “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.” --Mark 16:9-11 (NKJV)
Mary Magdalene. The name has a rather unusual ring. Actually this lady was one of several Marys mentioned in the New Testament who were close to Jesus and followed Him, listening to His teachings and observing His miracles. One, of course, was Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus. Another was Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus whose home in Bethany was a favorite place for Jesus to stop on his journeys. Another was Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses and Salome. She seems to be from Galilee and followed Jesus in some of his itinerary. Another Mary, wife of Clopas, mentioned in the cited scripture above, witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion. She may be the same Mary who was the mother of James, Joses and Salome. And then there was Mary, mother of John Mark, who owned the house in Jerusalem where the first followers of Jesus met after His ascension.
We don’t know much about demon possession in our age. Oh, yes! We are prone to say, in a judgmental way, that “someone has a demon” because of erratic behavior or troubled mind. But in the culture in which Jesus lived and ministered, demon possession—and casting out demons—was a common practice. Evidences of demon possession in the New Testament were inability to speak—at least coherently and with sensibility; deafness; blindness; almost inhuman strength; convulsions; foaming at the mouth. Demon possession is sometimes listed with other symptoms of diseases such as pain, epilepsy and paralysis. Oftentimes, demon-possession was manifested in outbursts of Satanic power that possessed people to oppose what Jesus was doing.
Which of these were a part of Mary’s demon-possession and illness, we do not know. Both Mark and Luke say she was demon-possessed and was made whole. That is the important thing to notice: She who was sick was made whole through the power of Jesus’ presence in her life. From was from Magdala, a town from which she got her name. This village was a fishing town on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major trade route went through the town. Maybe before Mary of Magdala was healed, she went through the streets screaming and in great distress, not a lady-like action by any means. Mary must have had some means of income, for Mark tells that she was part of the inner circle who followed Jesus and was one of his supporters, “giving of her substance.”
The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) give slightly different accounts of the resurrection morning. But among the first there was definitely Mary Magdalene. She, with “the other Mary,” and Salome were first to the tomb to seek to anoint Jesus, but He had already arisen from the dead. Maybe Mary Magdalene lingered behind, because the Lord himself appeared to her and asked her to go and tell the disciples that He had risen from the dead.
Can’t you imagine how thrilled Mary was to have this good news to tell—even if the disciples did not believe her? Maybe they thought she was possessed again—was having hallucinations. For had she not been “touched in the head” before? But Mary was telling the news, bearing the good tidings. And when Jesus made several appearances in post-resurrection meetings, they knew Mary Magdalene had been telling what she knew to be fact: “Jesus is risen!” Let us look beyond the cross to the resurrection and victory! He is risen, Hallelujah!
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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