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This morning we conclude the series of messages titled A Tough Faith for Tough Times. In this series, we have studied various Biblical characters – Joseph, Moses, David, and Job – and the challenges they were able to overcome through the strength of their faith. This morning we are studying about the faith of Mary Magdalene.
I will add that I am a bit tired of messages related to difficult times, because I’m tired of difficult times. I want normal! And I’m sure you do as well. But here we are, concluding our 4thseries of messages since the pandemic began, and every message of each of those series has been in response to the difficult times in which we are living.
Next week begins the season of Advent, and I think it is accurate to say that this year, as we celebrate Advent, we will be closer to what the characters in the first Advent were experiencing. There was a lot of unrest in the world at the first Advent. Mary and Joseph faced many difficulties and uncertainties as they made the journey to Bethlehem. I hope, then, that we will see Advent in a new light this year.
You might remember my recent admission – several weeks into this series of messages – that I realized I had not included any women characters. It was, I will freely admit, embarrassing to realize I had committed such an oversight. There are plenty of stories of women in the Scriptures, and I should have realized this as I prepared the series. I am correcting that oversight this morning, as we look at the faith of Mary Magdalene.
We don’t know much about Mary Magdalene, and some of what people think they know about her is not correct, as we will see. We know that Mary was one of the women who went to the tomb on the first Easter morning. That’s really significant. Think about it – Mary was one of the first to find the empty tomb. It wasn’t Peter. It wasn’t James. It wasn’t John. And it wasn’t any of the other disciples. But Mary was there.
Mary Magdalene’s story, in comparison with those of the others we have studied, is very brief. Mary Magdalene is mentioned 12 times in the gospels, and 11 of those times are in relation to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This morning’s Scripture text is the only mention of Mary outside of the passages about the crucifixion and resurrection. That passage is Luke 8:1-3, and I invite you to follow along with me as I read –
1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,
2and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
3Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
I should mention also that Magdalene is not Mary’s last name. We don’t really know why Mary was called Magdalene, but as best we know, it might refer to where she was possibly from – the small village of Magdala, located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
As we have in previous messages in this series, we will look at some of the lessons from the faith of Mary Magdalene. Even though Mary is mentioned only briefly, the mentions that are made of her are very important.
1. We are known by God.
I take this lesson from the fact that we know so little about Mary. Mary obviously spent quite a bit of time in the presence of Jesus – as did many other people who receive little or no mention in the Scriptures – and yet we know so little about her. There were many people who were close associates of Jesus, and yet many of them receive little or no mention in the gospels. This does not mean that they are not important; it simply means that there were more people involved in the life and ministry of Jesus than could be mentioned.
When I think about the promise of being known by God, I think of a couple of verses in the 10thchapter of Matthew’s gospel. In that chapter, we read of Jesus sending out his disciples, and as he does, he tells them not to be afraid. In the course of that admonition, Jesus says, 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
I find those verses to be a wonderfully encouraging reminder of the reality that we are known by God. However anonymous we might believe we are in this world, we are not forgotten by God. We are not overlooked by God. I don’t know how Mary felt. I don’t know if she felt overlooked by society. I don’t know if she felt insignificant, but I do know this – many people feel as though they are known by no one. Young people, especially, have so many doubts about whether or not they fit in, and often wonder if anyone cares about them. As adults, we wonder about this as well, but young people are especially vulnerable to this feeling. I don’t know how I come across now, personality-wise, but when I was young, and in school – especially in junior high and even more in high school – I was a very quiet and shy student. I can remember the fear of whether or not I would end up eating alone in the cafeteria. To a young student, the idea of eating alone in the cafeteria is a very big fear. To be alone in school is a simply terrible feeling for a student. Some days I walked down the halls of the school wondering if anyone knew who I was or realized I existed. Mary reminds us that we are known by God. God has the hairs of our heads numbered. We are not invisible to God. God knows our concerns, and our cares.
We live in such a celebrity, fame-obsessed culture. Reality shows take us into their homes and into their lives, and people watch and wish that was the kind of life they could have. Many people are very envious of those lives, not so much for the wealth, but for being known by so many. Celebrity is an obsession in our culture because so many people believe they are no one, but if they were famous, their lives would somehow be validated and they would be considered important by others. We all want to know that we are known. We all want to know that we are important to someone. It is a beautiful affirmation of Scripture that we are so known, and loved, by God.
A lot of people have felt alone during this pandemic. They feel overlooked. They feel anonymous. There feel lonely. There were already people in nursing homes who never receive a visitor, and now there are many more who have not because of the restrictions. They wonder, does anyone remember me? Is anyone thinking about me? There are people in their homes who don’t get to see anyone. People who hope they are known by someone. Mary reminds us that yes, we are known by God.
2. We are much more than what people say about us.
I said at the beginning of this message that we know very little about Mary, and some of what we think we know is wrong. How many of you have ever been taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute? Did you know there is not one bit of evidence for that claim? There is not one word, not one letter, in the Scriptures that make that claim.
It is not entirely known where that association comes from, but it probably comes from an Easter homily given by Pope Gregory the Great in the year 591. In that homily he associated the repentant sinner of Luke 7:37 with Mary Magdalene, as if they were the same woman. That verse says that the woman who anointed Jesus with oil was a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town. The text itself never mentions Mary as being that woman, and it also does not mention that the woman in question was a prostitute; it simply says she had lived a sinful life. Unfortunately for the memory of Mary, the association was made and continues in the minds of many people to this day. Some people also associate Mary with the woman taken in adultery in John chapter 8, but the woman in that passage is never given a name.
Sometimes, people want to attach words and labels to us – loser, dumb, uncool for example - and claim those labels define us, when in reality they are not at all representative of who we are. And, as much as we wish it weren’t so, those words get etched on our hearts and they are really hard to erase. Sometimes, we remember those harsh words more than the good words that have been said to us. And, unfortunately, sometimes we say those words about others, making us contributors to their sense of unworthiness. The labels that God uses for people are very different. They are labels that uplift and encourage; labels such as child, as we are God’s children.
That Jesus would take Mary and other women into his inner circle was a very powerful act in that day. It can still be a powerful act, affirming women in a religious context. In my more than 11 years as minister of this church I have received applause one time in a sermon. I don’t say that because I’m soliciting applause, but to make a point. It was in the early years of my ministry here that I related the story of someone asking me what church I served as minister. I replied that I am the minister of First Christian Church, and when I said that, the person replied, oh, that’s the church that lets women do stuff. And there was applause from the congregation when I said that line. I think I hear some applause now, in fact. What is quite amazing is that such a statement continues to be noteworthy in our time and thus deserving of applause. Ladies, you have heard too many times – far too many times – words that are negative and condemning of your service to Christ and his church. Words such as unqualified, prohibited, and unBiblical. Too many people have made decisions about who God can and will use, too many people have decided that women are not worthy to serve in some roles in the church, and that is a tragedy, and it is wrong. If God calls you to a role, then you are qualified to fulfill that role, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
3. Devotion.
One of the few facts about Mary that is listed in the gospels is the interesting tidbit found in Luke 7:2, that Mary had been healed by Jesus, and was one from who seven demons had come out. I find it interesting how matter-of-factly Luke makes this statement, as though he was reporting on something as simple as the street where she lived or the color of a piece of clothing she was wearing on a particular day. Certainly, this healing would explain the devotion that Mary had for Jesus.
I thought for a while about what word to use here. I thought about the word loyaltyand a few others, but I really like the word devotion. Devotion was a hallmark of Mary’s life because of her response to what Jesus had done for her, and devotion is a word that speaks more of a feeling that is all-consuming. It carries the idea of someone who is powerfully drawn to another.
That sense of devotion led to the generosity of Mary – of which I’ll speak in a moment – and to her ministry with Jesus and, ultimately, to going to the tomb after his crucifixion to prepare his body. Mary was one of the women who went to the tomb on the first Easter morning to prepare the body of Jesus. They were unable to do so after the crucifixion because of the coming of the Sabbath day. And let’s remember that none of the men who followed Jesus went there to help with that final act of devotion. Peter was not there. James was not there. John was not there. None of the male followers of Jesus were at the tomb. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found the thought of that action to be a bit difficult to imagine. I don’t think I need to go into all the reasons why, but let’s just say it takes a lot of devotion for such an act. Preparing the body of someone you loved, after the horrendous violence of a scourging and a crucifixion, in a tomb, in a graveyard, would be incredibly difficult. And yet Mary did so. It was her last act of devotion to Jesus. It was a final act to perform for the one who had changed her life, as he had done for so many others.
Devotion, to me, is a compelling feeling of wanting to do something for another person. We can do something out of obligation, but that will only take us so far. We are called to express our devotion to God, and to others, as an expression of our love and of our commitment. We do not have to convince ourselves of that need, we do not have to talk ourselves into that need, and we do not have to be pushed into that need. Devotion means we are compelled into action.
4. Generosity.
It is often assumed, because of Luke’s statement that these women were helping to support them [Jesus and his disciples] out of their own means(Luke 8:3), that Mary was wealthy. This might have been, although I’m not sure. Whatever their resources, it certainly speaks to the generosity of Mary and the others, who offered support to the ministry of Jesus and his disciples.
There are many reasons we can find for not being generous, certainly in this most unusual of years. We can feel a bit insecure about our financial resources, for instance. Many people have been negatively impacted financially during the pandemic. Millions of people have lost their jobs and countless others worry their job may be at risk. When you feel insecure about your finances, it is easy to hold tighter to your resources, and that is understandable. As we prepare to move into the season of Advent, we are finding the number of needs this year to be higher than normal, and you have already responded in such generous ways, and for that we are very grateful. It is very moving to see your level of generosity, and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to thank you for your giving.
Mary, out of her devotion to Jesus, was exceedingly generous.
We do not know how much longer this pandemic will last. There has been, thankfully, good news of late about vaccines, and one was just granted emergency approval by the FDA. But it will take some time before that vaccine will be available to everyone who wants to receive it. It could be late spring or early summer before a vaccine is widely distributed so we are some months yet to go in the pandemic. Because we have months yet to go, generosity is going to continue to be greatly needed. It will be the generosity of finances but also of other resources as well. People will need, for instance, the gift of our time. We need to be generous with our time, sitting down to write a card or a letter, or to make some phone calls to check on others.
So, as we conclude this series of messages about Biblical characters whose tough faith saw them through tough times, I hope that your faith has been strengthened, and that your faith will continue to carry you through these tough times. Amen, and amen.
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