MARY MAGDALENE: MEDIA
DARLING
What Biblical
person has appeared recently on the covers both of Time and Newsweek? Who has been the subject of six books in
recent years? Who has been the object of
“several national television specials” and “sparked numerous Web sites,”
according to the Orlando Sentinel
(February 18th, E1)? The
answer is (as the title of this article indicates) Mary Magdalene.
Of course, the
question is, “Why?” The name Mary occurs only 54 times in the entire
Bible; all but three of these are in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These include (in addition to Mary
Magdalene), Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus,
and Mary the mother of James and Jude, Mary the mother of Cleopas,
Mary the mother of John Mark, and a Mary whom Paul addresses in Rome. These last three are mentioned one time
each. Mary, the mother of James and Jude,
is mentioned 6 times—each time in connection with Mary Magdalene. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, is
named 11 times, Mary Magdalene 14 times, and the mother of Jesus 19 times.
So why is someone who is mentioned only
fourteen times in the New Testament so popular, all of a sudden? What do we know about her from the New Testament? She is mentioned only once before the events
of the crucifixion:
Now it came to pass, afterward, that
he went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings
of the
Nothing further
is mentioned of her until the last evening of Jesus’ earthly life. At that time we find her mentioned included by all four Gospel writers. Mary Magdalene was among those present at the
crucifixion, looking on from afar (Mat. 27:56; Mark15:40; John
She is not
specifically mentioned after this time peri-od,
although we would not be surprised to learn that she was among the 120, who met
shortly thereafter, or among the members of the church in
The newfound
emphasis on Mary Magdalene is in-teresting in light
of the fact that she is specifically men-tioned on
only three days, covering four events.
We know that Jesus cast out seven demons from her and that she (as well
as others) followed Jesus. She was
present at the crucifixion, as well as the burial. Her appearance at the tomb on the first day
of the week is her last—and most significant—appearance.
Jesus appeared
first to Mary Magdalene after He arose from the dead (Mark 16: 9); several,
including her, had seen the empty tomb, but she was the first one who actually
saw the risen Christ. She went and told
the others, but they did not believe her (Mark
He told her not to cling to Him and gave her a message to give to His
brethren, which she did (vv. 17-18).
This is her last appearance in the New Testament, although it would be
absurd to think anything else than that she remained a devoted disciple.
What we have
presented is the totality of the information the Bible gives us about this
woman. The newspaper article does point
out that Mary was mistakenly thought to have been a prostitute, thanks to “an
erroneous sermon by Pope Gregory the Great. The pontiff, misreading the Gospel
of Luke, confused Mary Magdalene with another woman described as ‘sinful.’ His
finding was reversed by the
Mary Magdalene’s
rise to fame in recent years is based on what the Bible does NOT say. One of the most outrageous books, rivaling The Last Temptation of Christ (which
blasphemously mischaracterizes Jesus fantasizing sexually about Mary Magdalene
while on the cross!), is The Da Vinci Code, a “fast-paced thriller” which claims
that “Mary Magdalene’s role as Jesus’ wife has been systematically suppressed”
(E1). Hogwash! We have no idea who Dan Brown is, but the six
million copies of his book which are in print (not to mention a forthcoming
Hollywood movie) will be a witness against him in that day of accountability
(Acts 17:31; 2 Cor. 5:10). Obviously, the man is as profane as he is
ignorant.
He is not the
first to attempt to see a romance where none exists. In the extremely inaccurate Jesus Christ Superstar Mary Magdalene
sings a song titled, “I Don’t Know How To Love
Him.” Obviously, Tim Rice and Andrew
Lloyd Weber, Martin Scorsese, and Dan Brown have no fear of God whatsoever,
which does not speak favorably of them.
The evidence for
a romantic relationship between Jesus and any woman does not exist and is
nothing more than foul fiction. Jesus has
a holy bride awaiting Him (the church), and He is not a fornicator, adulterer,
or a bigamist. He nourishes and
cherishes the church (Eph.
Another emphasis
on Mary Magdalene involves destroying the very purpose for which Jesus came to
this earth (which the previous theory accomplishes in a different manner). There is a second-century (way too late) work
called The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle. In it Jesus is presented merely as a teacher
“rather than as a savior who dies to atone for humanity’s sins” (E4). How intelligent is that? Christians had suffered and been put to death
because Jesus was a teacher! No, they
were killed because they refused to deny His Deity.
No wonder
this writing was largely forgotten, since it is absurd on the face of it. One reads only a little ways into the book of
Matthew to discover that the name Jesus
means “Savior” (
“Mary Magdalene’s
account is also the ‘strongest argument for women’s leadership…’”; “‘It lets us
hear an alternative voice,’ she says, in contrast with I Corinthians and I Timothy,
which urge silence and submissiveness of women” (E4). In other words, this spurious work contradicts
the Scriptures. We are reminded of those
who, when confronted with texts about baptism for the forgiveness of sins, run
to other passages to find something they think will contradict the ones we show
them. Wait a minute! If the Bible contradicts itself, saying that
baptism is both essential and non-essential, then the atheist’s case has been
demonstrated. True believers seek to harmonize
the Scriptures—not look for contradictions.
The fact that someone would look for a way to “get around” 1 Timothy 2:8-15 reveals a flawed heart. A true disciple of Christ gladly receives the
Word (Acts
But those who are
taking this approach do not have any respect for the Scriptures to begin
with. They posit that Mary Magdalene
“may have been” a rival to Peter and “may have been excluded by the male church
leaders who compiled the New Testament…” (E4).
Right!! One’s first thought
should be, “If God created the world out of nothing, worked all manner of
miracles, and inspired the Scriptures to be written (2 Tim.
They give themselves away in statements
that lack any manner of subtlety:
“I think that people are realizing
now that the Bible did not arrive by e-mail from God, and that it’s very much
the work of man—and man with his own agenda,” says, Picknett,
author of Mary Magdalene: Christianity’s
Hidden Goddess (E4).
If the Bible is
the work of man, we may as well pitch it, because it first of all lies to us in
claiming to be Divine. If part of it is
from God and part from man, it is still worthless—because we cannot ascertain
which is which. If it is what it claims,
then we had better pay attention to it and quit trying to find ways of
minimizing or destroying it. Mary
Magdalene was an outstanding disciple of Christ—not a lover—not an apostle. God did not allow foolish men to demote or
silence her. Her significance is just what
the Bible presents—nothing more or less.
We ought to be content with the Truth.
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