There's something about Mary

People are hearing a lot lately about Mary Magdalene from “The Da Vinci Code”. One thing is for sure-she is at the very center of the Gospel account witnessing first hand what Jesus said and did. No doubt she is a compelling figure with an incredible story to tell, but who was Mary according to the Bible?She had a first row seat to much of what we admire and hold dear today concerning Jesus. She sat at his feet during many of his teachings. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene was a follower and friend of Jesus as were many women (Matt. 27:55; Mark 15:41). Mark 16:9 & Luke 8:2 both tell us that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. She experienced his life-changing power that set her free from a life of sin. I wonder what kind of life she led that resulted in being overwhelmed by such Satanic power?Matthew 27:45 tells us that she was present during Jesus’ trial and sufferings. What must it have been like to see the Son of God tortured at the hands of such brutality? John tells us that she was at the Crucifixion witnessing the redemptive moment of all history and hearing the last words that Jesus spoke from the cross (John 19:25). Luke tells us that she watched Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus (Luke 23:56). And after three days, Mary and some other women returned to Jesus’ tomb, found that the stone had been rolled away (John 20:1) and ran back to tell the disciples (John 20:2) that someone had taken the body.John also tells us that she was the first person that Jesus appeared to after His resurrection (John 20:15-16) and returned to the disciples confirming the fact that she had seen the risen Lord (John 20:18). So a woman was the first person to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The claim in Brown’s book concerning Mary is:

"A woman who carried with her a secret so powerful, that if revealed, it threatened to devastate the very foundation of Christianity!"

Whatever you think of this woman, she has a compelling story to tell. There truly was something about Mary. She was privileged to live quite an amazing life. Tomorrow we will talk about this supposed powerful secret concerning the “Sacred Feminine”. Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married? And if they were, would that somehow discredit Jesus’ claim of deity?

Also, You can join us this weekend for worship as we talk more about Mary Magdalene and women and their role throughout the history of the Bible and the church.

Chris