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“Women of the Bible: Mary Magdalene”
Can you think of someone who was very devoted to someone else?
I think of Forrest Gump and his devotion to Bubba.
I think of Samwise Gamgee and his devotion to Frodo Baggins.
I think of Mickey Mouse and Pluto, or Mickey Mouse and Goofy, or Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, or Micky Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Wow, Mickey had a lot of friends.
Well, today we’re going to learn about someone who was very devoted to Jesus, and that was Mary of Magdala.
We’re continuing our series called, “The Women of the Bible,” and today we’re learning about Mary Magdalene.
Before we go any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
First of all, Mary is called Mary Magdalene because she was from the region of Magdala, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Magdala was right about here. For a closer look, you can see this slide.
So, when we say Mary Magdalene, we are essentially saying Mary of Magdala.
As we speak of Mary, it’s important that we clarify a few rumors about Mary.
The first rumor is that Mary Magdalene was formerly a lady of the evening, or one who had an inappropriate profession.
The first reason some make this connection is because they think she is the woman in the Gospel story who was caught in adultery. However, the Bible never mentions that the woman accused of adultery who is forgiven by Jesus is Mary. There’s no need for us to make that assumption.
Second, often women find themselves in such professions because they are very poor, and we will see later that rather than being poor, it appeared that Mary had some means to help Jesus and the apostles.
A second rumor concerning Mary of Magdala is that she was the wife of Jesus.
Again, the Bible does not mention this at all, and there is absolutely no reason for us to jump to this conclusion. If Jesus was married to Mary, it would certainly be worth mentioning in the Gospels, yet it’s not mentioned.
We do learn later that Jesus did have a wife. Did you know that? Jesus had a wife! The Bible teaches us that the bride of Jesus is actually the Church, not a woman.
So, there’s no evidence that Mary had an inappropriate profession, and there’s no evidence that Mary and Jesus were married.
Well, now that we’ve taken care of a few rumors about Mary, let’s look at what we know about Mary. Let’s center on two points today from what we know about Mary. Let’s also see what we can learn in our own lives from Mary.
First, . . .
I. Mary was changed by Jesus.
We don’t know a lot about Mary’s past, but we do know that Jesus dramatically changed Mary.
Listen to Luke 8:1-2: “Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her) . . . ” We know that one of the ministries of Jesus was His ability to cast out evil spirits from people. The Gospel of Luke (and the Gospel of Mark) tell us that Mary was one of those. She had seven demons in her, and Jesus miraculously changed her.
Can you imagine the torment that Mary must have gone through having seven demons in her? She had perhaps given up hope that anyone could help her, and then along came Jesus.
Perhaps there was a time in your life when you felt as if all hope was lost, and then along came Jesus.
Jesus changed Mary’s life.
Jesus changed a lot of lives, didn’t He?
Jesus brought hearing to the deaf. Jesus brought sight to the blind. Jesus brought the ability to walk to those who were crippled. Jesus brought clarity to the confused. Jesus brought hope to
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By First Baptist Church Bartow
5
22 ratings
Can you think of someone who was very devoted to someone else?
I think of Forrest Gump and his devotion to Bubba.
I think of Samwise Gamgee and his devotion to Frodo Baggins.
I think of Mickey Mouse and Pluto, or Mickey Mouse and Goofy, or Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, or Micky Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Wow, Mickey had a lot of friends.
Well, today we’re going to learn about someone who was very devoted to Jesus, and that was Mary of Magdala.
We’re continuing our series called, “The Women of the Bible,” and today we’re learning about Mary Magdalene.
Before we go any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
First of all, Mary is called Mary Magdalene because she was from the region of Magdala, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Magdala was right about here. For a closer look, you can see this slide.
So, when we say Mary Magdalene, we are essentially saying Mary of Magdala.
As we speak of Mary, it’s important that we clarify a few rumors about Mary.
The first rumor is that Mary Magdalene was formerly a lady of the evening, or one who had an inappropriate profession.
The first reason some make this connection is because they think she is the woman in the Gospel story who was caught in adultery. However, the Bible never mentions that the woman accused of adultery who is forgiven by Jesus is Mary. There’s no need for us to make that assumption.
Second, often women find themselves in such professions because they are very poor, and we will see later that rather than being poor, it appeared that Mary had some means to help Jesus and the apostles.
A second rumor concerning Mary of Magdala is that she was the wife of Jesus.
Again, the Bible does not mention this at all, and there is absolutely no reason for us to jump to this conclusion. If Jesus was married to Mary, it would certainly be worth mentioning in the Gospels, yet it’s not mentioned.
We do learn later that Jesus did have a wife. Did you know that? Jesus had a wife! The Bible teaches us that the bride of Jesus is actually the Church, not a woman.
So, there’s no evidence that Mary had an inappropriate profession, and there’s no evidence that Mary and Jesus were married.
Well, now that we’ve taken care of a few rumors about Mary, let’s look at what we know about Mary. Let’s center on two points today from what we know about Mary. Let’s also see what we can learn in our own lives from Mary.
First, . . .
I. Mary was changed by Jesus.
We don’t know a lot about Mary’s past, but we do know that Jesus dramatically changed Mary.
Listen to Luke 8:1-2: “Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her) . . . ” We know that one of the ministries of Jesus was His ability to cast out evil spirits from people. The Gospel of Luke (and the Gospel of Mark) tell us that Mary was one of those. She had seven demons in her, and Jesus miraculously changed her.
Can you imagine the torment that Mary must have gone through having seven demons in her? She had perhaps given up hope that anyone could help her, and then along came Jesus.
Perhaps there was a time in your life when you felt as if all hope was lost, and then along came Jesus.
Jesus changed Mary’s life.
Jesus changed a lot of lives, didn’t He?
Jesus brought hearing to the deaf. Jesus brought sight to the blind. Jesus brought the ability to walk to those who were crippled. Jesus brought clarity to the confused. Jesus brought hope to