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| Mary Magdalene, Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1515), public domain |
The world seems to have a lot to say about her, and you can find a good summary at Wikipedia.
What does the Bible say about her? Not a lot, but what it does say is very important, in my opinion.
Here is a link to where her name shows up: "Magdalene."
These are the key points...
- She was one of the women who followed Jesus.
- She was the first person to see the resurrected Jesus.
- She was blessed to be freed from seven demons.
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)
The Bible has paired items (2) and (3) in the same sentence. She saw Him and believed, and she had been cleansed from demons. The others didn't. Were they, perhaps, not cleansed?
I think my own personal experience gives me a perspective about this that the world does not understand. I was set free, like Mary Magdalene, and it made a tremendous difference to my ability to see things and believe. I feel a kinship with Mary Magdalene. More importantly, I think this example shows how crucial it is to cast out demons.
What if Jesus had not cast the demons out of Mary Magdalene? Would anyone have recognized Jesus after his resurrection? Would it all have been a big waste of time? Imagine going through all that suffering, just to have the demons cloud the minds of His followers and wipe the thoughts from their memories. Well, God was not going to allow that!
I believe Jesus cast the demons out of Mary Magdalene to prepare her to see Him risen. I believe it was crucial to the Plan.
If demons are allowed to remain in place and do as they please, nobody will understand and repent. Satan knows his time is short, and his end will be most unpleasant. His only tools are lies, deception and fear. He must obey Jesus, and he must obey those who command him in the Name of Jesus. Satan is the chief demon; he is a demon. Jesus cast demons out with a single word, and we can do the same. We should do the same. It is our job; Jesus commands us to do it.
This understanding about Mary Magdalene is crucially important, and that is why the world tries to confuse everyone about her. It is why some Bible translations cast some doubt on these passages, and why history has conflated and painted Mary Magdalene as a sinful woman, prostitute and concubine of Jesus. Don't listen to those lies! Satan is the father of lies. Just cast him out!
All glory to God!
UPDATE, February 8, 2023...
My kinship with Mary Magdalene is even greater than I realized. Jesus cast seven (7) demons out of her and I was unburdened from at least seven (7) myself, as I discussed elsewhere in this blog:
- Five (5) in Who Are These Guys?: "Sexual Sin," "False Tongues," "Anger," "Religious Spirit," and "Legion."
- One (1) left on its own in Evolution Revolution.
- I got rid of one (1) all by myself, ... my "high school crush." (Bless her heart. It wasn't her fault. All she ever did was show me some unsolicited affection.)
That's a total of seven (7).
This is amazing. The freedom I have is amazing, and realizing how susceptible we all are to dark influences is eye opening.
We must all humble ourselves and ask our Creator to reveal to us our blind spots and weaknesses, so we can ask Him to heal us.