Mary Magdalene

Many women were at the foot of the Cross; Mary, mother of Jesus, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene (John 19:25), Mary, the mother of James the younger and of Joses (Mark 15:40) and Salome, mother of James and John (Matthew 27:55) were all there.

The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene was from Galilee, probably from the village of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The gospel writer Luke tells us that on Jesus’ Galilean mission, Jesus and the disciples were accompanied by several women, including Mary Magdalene. But what is so special about Mary?

Mary Magdalene had been bound by seven evil spirits! (Luke 8:1-3). But when she met Jesus, He liberated her and she was no longer under the control of the evil spirits. We see Mary serving Him wholeheartedly. It was her expression of the love and devotion she had for Jesus. It flowed out of a thankful heart! Mary was present at the crucifixion and death of Jesus. She appears in each of the four Gospel accounts of the last hours of Jesus. But strangely, we do not read about the presence of other disciples except John! Mary Magdalene was faithful to the end.

The Bible says in John 20:1, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark … …”. On that Easter morning, Mary was the first person to witness the resurrection of Jesus, a world-changing event. Jesus did not reject her because she had been earlier possessed by seven demons. She was commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus Himself to be the carrier of the good news of the Gospel. Jesus said, “… go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father …” (John 20:17).

It is not just Mary Magdalene. Each of us has stories to tell too; stories of deliverance; stories of forgiveness and stories of restoration. All because of the mercy and grace of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Testimony of a changed life is always one of the greatest proofs of Christianity!

My friend, the question that is facing us today is, are we truly thankful to our Lord and Saviour; thankful enough to serve Him till the end with all our heart, soul and mind.

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 3rd April 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 4th April 2018

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