Mary Magdalene 

Mary had found herself in the nefarious and evil resort of Magdala through a series of misfortunes in her life and as a result of certain errors in judgment. She was not looked upon with favor by the members of reputable society. The male apostles were strictly limited by Andrew regarding any ministry to women - especially women of "questionable character." But the members of the evangelistic women’s corps were free to enter these evil places and minister directly to the women they found there. It was Martha and Rachel who made plain to Mary that the doors of the kingdom were open to even such as she. And, as the result of the ministry of these women at this place, Mary Magdalene was won for the kingdom. She believed the good news that they brought to her and was baptized by Peter the next day.

Mary Magdalene became the chief teacher and public spokesman for the women's corps. She was set apart for such service at Jotapata about four weeks subsequent to her conversion, when she and Rebecca, daughter of Joseph of Arimathea, were added to the roster of the original ten women evangelists. Mary and the rest of the women’s corps went on through the remainder of Jesus' life on earth, laboring faithfully and effectively for the enlightenment and uplifting of their downtrodden sisters.

When the last and tragic episode in the drama of Jesus’ life was being enacted, notwithstanding the apostles all fled but one, Mary Magdalene and others of the women’s corps were all present and not one either denied or betrayed him. When the Master finally breathed his last, there were present at the foot of his cross Mary Magdalene, John Zebedee, Jesus’ brother Jude, his sister Ruth, and Rebecca, daughter of Ezra, onetime of Sepphoris.

Mary Magdalene, along with a few other women, felt that Jesus’ body had not been properly prepared for burial. And so, a little before three o’clock this Sunday morning, when the first signs of day began to appear in the east, Mary and four other women: Mary the mother of the Alpheus twins, Salome the mother of the Zebedee brothers, Joanna the wife of Chuza, and Susanna the daughter of Ezra of Alexandria, started out for the tomb of Jesus. They brought ointments and fresh linen cloths, intending to give the body of Jesus special care. They didn’t know it at the time, but Jesus had already resurrected, and when they got there, they found the stone rolled away.

The opening of the tomb faced east. By this time, the sun was just coming up, so when Mary dared to venture alone around to where she could see into the tomb, she saw that Jesus’ body was gone and only the grave cloths remained. At this sight, she gave a cry of alarm, which so frightened the other women that they ran away. But they soon returned as they were concerned for Mary. When they got there, all five women entered the tomb together. These women did not realize that Jesus had resurrected; and upon talking it over together, they wondered if someone had come and moved the body.

As these women sat there in the early hours of the dawn of this new day, they looked to one side and observed a silent and motionless stranger. For a moment, they were again frightened, but Mary Magdalene, rushing toward him and addressing him as if she thought he might be the caretaker of the garden, said, "Where have you taken the Master? Where have they laid him? Tell us that we may go and get him."

It is important to remember that Mary had become a woman of great circumspection since her conversion; she had learned to be discreet with men. And so her boldness in speaking to a man whom she considered to be the caretaker of Joseph’s garden only indicates how horrified she was to find the tomb empty. It was the depth and agony of her love, the fullness of her devotion, that caused her to forget, for a moment, that speaking like that to a strange man was not proper.

When the stranger did not answer Mary, she began to weep. Then spoke the figure to them, saying, "Whom do you seek?" Mary said: "We seek for Jesus who was laid to rest in Joseph’s tomb, but he is gone. Do you know where they have taken him?" He replied: "Did not this Jesus tell you, even in Galilee, that he would die, but that he would rise again?" These words startled the women, but the Master was so changed that they did not yet recognize him with his back turned to the dim light; they still thought he was the caretaker.

And as they pondered his words, he addressed the Magdalene with a familiar voice, saying, "Mary." And when she heard that word of well-known sympathy and affectionate greeting, she knew it was the voice of the Master, and she rushed to kneel at his feet while she exclaimed, "My Lord, and my Master!" And all of the other women recognized that it was Jesus who stood before them in glorified form, and they quickly knelt before him.

As Mary sought to embrace his feet, Jesus said: "Touch me not, Mary, for I am not as you knew me in the flesh. In this form will I tarry with you for a season before I ascend to the Father. But go, all of you, now and tell my apostles—and Peter —that I have risen, and that you have talked with me."

After these women had recovered from the shock of their amazement, they hurried back to the city where they related to the apostles all that had happened to them; but the apostles doubted what they said. They thought at first that the women had seen a vision, but when Mary Magdalene repeated the words which Jesus had spoken to them, and when Peter heard his name, he rushed out of the upper chamber, followed closely by John, hurrying to reach the tomb and see these things for himself.

When Peter and John hurried to the tomb, Mary Magdalene followed them. Because the apostles refused to believe her, she became downcast and despairing. She longed to go back near the tomb, where she thought she had heard the familiar voice of Jesus. And when Peter and John came out of the tomb, they found her there, crying.

As Mary lingered after Peter and John had gone, the Master again appeared to her, saying: "Be not doubting; have the courage to believe what you have seen and heard. Go back to my apostles and again tell them that I have risen, that I will appear to them, and that presently I will go before them into Galilee as I promised."

Mary hurried back to the Mark home and told the apostles she had again talked with Jesus, but they would not believe her. But when Peter and John returned, they ceased to ridicule and became filled with fear and apprehension.

In viewing the prominent part which Mary Magdalene took in proclaiming the Master’s resurrection, it should be recorded that Mary was the chief spokesman for the women’s corps, as was Peter for the apostles. Mary was not chief of the women workers, but she was their chief teacher and public spokesman.

Mary went to Bethany later that Sunday and excitedly related to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus what she had seen and heard at the tomb that morning. And shortly before two o’clock that afternoon, Jesus appeared visibly in the Bethany home before his earthly family and their friends, twenty in all, including Mary Magdalene. The Master appeared in the open back door, saying: "Peace be upon you. Greetings to those once near me in the flesh and fellowship for my brothers and sisters in the kingdom of heaven. How could you doubt? Why have you lingered so long before choosing to follow the light of truth with a whole heart? Come, therefore, all of you into the fellowship of the Spirit of Truth in the Father's kingdom." As they began to recover from the first shock of their amazement and to move toward him as if to embrace him, he vanished from their sight.

They all wanted to rush off to the city to tell the doubting apostles about what had happened, but James restrained them. Mary Magdalene, only, was permitted to return to the home of Joseph of Arimathea, where a group of some of the leading women believers was gathered.

The fifth resurrection manifestation of Jesus to the recognition of mortal eyes occurred in the presence of these twenty-five women at the home of Joseph of Arimathea, at about fifteen minutes past four o'clock on this same Sunday afternoon. Mary Magdalene had returned to Joseph's house just a few minutes before this appearance.

While James, Jesus' brother, had requested that nothing be said to the apostles concerning the Master's appearance at Bethany, he had not asked Mary to refrain from reporting the occurrence to her sister believers. Accordingly, after Mary had pledged all the women to secrecy, she proceeded to relate what had so recently happened while she was with Jesus' family at Bethany. And she was in the very midst of this thrilling recital when a sudden and solemn hush fell over them; they beheld in their very midst the fully visible form of the risen Jesus. He greeted them, saying: "Peace be upon you. In the fellowship of the kingdom there shall be neither Jew nor gentile, rich nor poor, free nor bond, man nor woman. You also are called to publish the good news of the liberty of mankind through the gospel of sonship with God in the kingdom of heaven. Go to all the world proclaiming this gospel and confirming believers in the faith thereof. And while you do this, forget not to minister to the sick and strengthen those who are fainthearted and fear-ridden. And I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth." And when he had thus spoken, he vanished from their sight, while the women fell on their faces and worshiped in silence.Of the five resurrection appearances of Jesus occurring up to this time, Mary Magdalene had witnessed four.