Today is the Christian Feast Day of Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus Christ during His ministry on earth.
Mary was a Jewish woman who, according to the Bible, was a disciple of Christ, traveled to hear Him speak, witnessed His crucifixion, burial, and was one of the first people to see Him when He arose from the dead that first Easter Morning, and is listed as the first person to announce His resurrection.
She is mentioned more times in the gospels than most of the apostles; her name comes UP 12 times. Magdalene was not her last name, it was the name of the area or town, Magdala, from whence she hailed.
Luke tells us she helped support the ministry of Jesus out of her own funds; she was probably an affluent woman, if not a wealthy one.
Luke goes on to tell us that she had seven demons driven from her; Mark’s Gospel reiterates the fact, so she had a past.
There is much confusion about that past.
The Church of the Middle Ages confused things a tad when she was mixed UP with Mary of Bethany and an unnamed “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus’ feet. This led folks to assume she was a fallen woman; i.e. a prostitute.
Fancified tales from the Church in Western Europe tell exaggerated versions of her wealth, beauty, and a trip to the South of France.
During the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter Reformation, the status of Mary Magdalene was a hot topic.
Apparently, Transubstantiation, Indulgences, and heresy weren’t enough to fight about, the Monks, Priests, Preachers, and Popes had to drag poor Mary into the mess.
During this time, the Catholic Church used Mary as a symbol of penance.
It wasn’t until 1969 that Pope Paul VI corrected the Mary of Bethany v. Mary Magdalene mystery as the sinful woman when he removed it from the General Roman Calendar.
The rumor that she had been a prostitute persisted, however.
In the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, she’s a saint, and today is her day.
But, what do we really know about Mary?
Scholars accept the fact that she was a real historical figure. She left no epistles for us to peruse, no letters to friends, and I suppose her cell phone was lost on that trip to the Rivera.
The Apostle Paul doesn’t mention her, so she may have passed on prior to his conversion. She may even have been a martyr.
All we really know about her comes from the Books of the Bible written in the first century.
The confusion as to which Mary she really was is simple. Mary was the most common name for Jewish women in Jesus’ day, and there are seven Marys who impacted the life of Christ.
As Jesus’ ministry brought greater freedom and liberation to women than they previously had in the Levant, Mary was free to follow The Lord. He taught that in His kingdom the oppressed would be exalted, an idea particularly appealing to women of the time.
She was there with him to the end. Mark tells us in his gospel that she was a witness to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus along with Mary the mother of Joses and “the other Mary.“
There are many other ancient writings in which stories of Mary appear. Most are not considered canon, and many are filled with factual error.
It is from these that Mary as a fallen woman arose.
Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306-373 AD) gives us the first indication that Mary was a prostitute. Scholars generally believe it stems from her neighborhood.
Magdala, Mary’s hometown was the 1950’s Las Vegas of the First Century.
It was infamous for its vice and licentiousness.
It is possible that her hood’s rep preceded her and sullied her for eternity.
The unnamed “sinful woman” Luke mentions in chapter 7:36-50 is never identified as a prostitute; it’s an assumption.
Mary’s downfall into sex trafficking is the gift of Pope Gregory I, aka Pope Gregory the Great. In 591 he identified Mary as the sinner and identified her sins as ones of a sexual nature.
But, that’s not in the Bible.
And though Mary was a sinner saved by grace just like the rest of us, her sins are never identified.
It simply states she was demon possessed.
In the late Middle Ages, as creative writing took off, elaborate stories of Mary sprung UP.
Redemption stories were popular, and what’s better than a whore lifted from sin and shame?
One theologian wrote that Mary was a wealthy noblewoman who was married and committed adultery and after being banished by her husband, she fled to Jerusalem and became a public sinner.
The stories go on and on until we arrive at Dan Brown’s work of fiction, The DaVinci Code.
In reality, there are hundreds of stories about a woman the Bible has fewer than 500 words on.
So, we know very little. The rest is tradition, conjecture, and myth.
The great thing about Mary Magdalene, other than this is her “day,” is that she is a bright example of a woman who met the Savior and He changed her life.