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Lesson Nine: Going To Mary Magdalene's
Gallery
What a Journey! Do you remember the traveling vacations of your childhood? Along the way, you and your family would stop off to visit grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and old friends. You visited in their homes and on a few occasions you even visited a few cemeteries. Do you remember how hard it was to keep track of the complexities of your family tree? That is the kind of trip I think about when I reflect upon our journey that began last Fall. We have reached the last stop of our journey and along the way, we have paid a visit to some of the most remarkable women in the Bible, our spiritual foremothers. Most of them still go unnamed, but we will do our best to remember them because they are family. First we traveled down to Egypt and paid a visit to Pharaoh’s daughter. She told us her story about the baby in the bulrushes that tugged her heart strings, and we learned from her a valuable lesson on trusting the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, Who at all times is working His purposes out for our greater good. Then we paid visit to Jephthah’s Daughter, without a doubt one of the most tragic lives in our spiritual lineage. She taught us a lesson on faithful obedience to God, and that it is never too late to pray! We’re not allowed, but wouldn’t it be nice to erase her Daddy’s name from the genealogical chart? After a bit more travel, we met the Wise Woman of Abel. We will never forget her courage and her wisdom as she faced up to the enemies that threatened her life and the lives of her whole village. The next stop in the journey was to visit with a wonderful widow who needed a miracle. She taught us about the great things that happen to those who don’t linger in despair. Oftentimes, the miracles God wants to give us involve our active participation. The fifth stop was to the home of a woman who actually touched Jesus. She told us of her experience of the Great Physician, by Whose power, she was cured not only of a devastating long term illness, but of the greater malady of loneliness. Next, we met the Syrophoenician woman who taught us even more about the love of Jesus; namely, that His greatest desire for us is to receive His gift of new life, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we belong. And then, we met the woman who cried beautiful tears of gratitude for her forgiveness, as well as tears of pain over the inhospitable treatment of the Lord of Love. Our most recent stop was to the ancient city of Corinth, to meet a whole congregation of women to whom the Apostle Paul wrote a wonderful collection of letters. We learned something important from the Christian women of Corinth about the critical need for all the people of the Church to provide a distinctively Christian witness in the midst of an unholy and hostile culture. A Little Word of Introduction Before We Get There From the back seat, someone says (for the hundred and first time), “How long until we get there?” Be patient! There is only one more stop before get home. We’re going to pay a visit to one of the most remarkable women to ever grace the pages of the Bible. Before we get there, let me tell you a little about her. Mary Magdalene is her name. “Now which Mary was she?” someone asks. Right off the bat, our genealogical tree limbs get crossed and confused. Just how many Mary’s are there in the New Testament? Let’s play a game, almost as fun as playing “I Spy.” See how many Biblical Mary’s can you name. Go ahead, make a list. Tradition has made quite a few assumptions about Mary Magdalene. Some good and some bad. Great works of religious art depict Mary Magdalene as a stunning beauty, and there is no reason for us to doubt it! But some segments of tradition have made Mary Magdalene the subject of unfounded suspicion. They want us to see her as more of an exotic and erotic beauty. I’ll say it quietly, because I don’t believe it and I don’t want the little ones to hear. Let me whisper it in your ear: They say she was a prostitute. Ignorance and mudslinging - that’s all that is! Not only is that a slanderous and rude thing to say about a member of our spiritual family tree, but there is no basis whatsoever in fact to support such a mean allegation. To come to a greater appreciation for the person of Mary Magdalene, we need to stick with the facts as they are delivered in Scripture. Let’s stand up for Mary and say to the world, that she doesn’t appreciate being slandered by history. She had her fair share of problems but she wasn’t a woman of the night. Nor is she the author of heretical ancient documents that were penned in her name. Forgery! It pains Mary’s dear heart to know that in some New Age circles, she is worshiped as a goddess. And she certainly does not approve of Dan Brown’s book, The DaVinci Code, which fabricates a mountain of untruth, chief of which is the lie that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife! It bothers her not because of what it suggests about herself, but because of what it says about Jesus. Mary Magdalene says “Please don’t waste your money on lies.” We’re Here! Pile out of the car! We’re here, and Mary Magdalene rushes out to greet us. She’s even more pretty in person. Silky black curls, long eyelashes. Her brown eyes gleam and she seems to dance more than walk. She ushers all of us inside and we spot little keepsakes scattered around on tables and shelves. Little things that remind Mary of the blessings of her life. The walls of her home are covered in paintings and sketches of scenes that mark the most significant moments of her life, each with a Scripture reference. “...And He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the Kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” (Luke 8:1-2)“Tell us about this one, Mary.” You are pointing to a scene from the Gospel of Luke in watercolor. Jesus is leading the procession. Following along close behind are the twelve disciples. Joyful women follow too, with tambourines and dancing. “That’s me,” she says. A radiant Mary Magdalene brings up the rear, and behind her splashed on the ground like mud puddles are the seven evil spirits that Jesus cast out of her soul. Whenever you think of Mary Magdalene, her watercolor will come to mind and you will think about the liberating joy of forgiveness that Jesus can surely bring to your own life. We have a hard enough time fighting one demon at a time. Our sister Mary was haunted by seven at once! We’ll always wonder what they were. Fear? Pride? Conceit? But I guess it doesn’t do us any good to speculate. It’s okay to let Mary Magdalene have her empty closet, because we don’t need to know. Furthermore, she was forgiven and liberated from them. That’s what counts. They’re nothing more than puddles in the road of her past. Whenever we think of Mary, we’ll remember the seven demons Jesus helped her leave behind, and the great joy that was hers when Jesus set her free. Follow Him and He’ll set us free too! On the adjacent wall is pair of charcoal sketches, entitled “Distance and Nearness.” Side by side they represent a movement toward the Cross, from a distance to a nearness. Below the first sketch is a quote from Matthew 27: “And many women were there looking on from a distance....” (Verse 55)Behind long eyelashes, Mary Magdalene begins to tear up as she reflects upon the day of Crucifixion. As best she can, she explains the compelling love that drew her closer to the Cross. She says that she simply could not remain at a distance. It wasn’t so much her love for Jesus, as Jesus’ compelling love for her. And then she points to the next sketch. Hanging right beside “Distance,” is “Nearness.” Mary Magdalene has no words. With her, we silently gaze in wonder. At the top edge of the picture, you can see the feet of Jesus nailed to the Cross. Behind the Cross you see soldiers kneeling not to venerate, but to gamble. In the forefront, three women look upward with the deepest kind of pain etched in their faces. “The mother of Christ, and Mary’s sister,” she says. And then we know that Mary Magdalene is the third character, just as grief stricken, but with an arm of consoling love over mother Mary’s shoulder. “Therefore the soldiers did these things. But there were standing by the Cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” (John 19:25)Another picture worth remembering. And you know as you stand there gazing at every detail, that when your children come to you with a perplexed look on their faces and ask, “Is it true, what they say about Mary Magdalene?” you will say, “No. She was faithful and true. She followed Jesus all the way to the Cross, when others abandoned Him. And, even in the midst of her greatest grief, she sought to comfort someone else.” There is yet another picture. It is the largest in size and the most vivid in color. It dominates an entire wall, and it is as if everything in the room, from the color of fabrics to the placement of furniture, focuses its attention upon this greatest of paintings. The setting is of a tomb. The stone has been rolled to the side. You study the details of the painting and you can barely make it out, but in the recesses of the dark tomb, you see linen wrappings neatly folded. White feathered wingtips brush the tomb floor. There is a quality of this painting that you haven’t seen in the others. It is almost like a snapshot - a moment of action frozen in time. A woman stands just inside the opening of the tomb, stooping a bit, with her back towards you. To her side, balanced upon her hip is a large basket leaning too far downward with spices spilling out. She has stopped suddenly and jerked her head around toward the other subject of the painting. Jesus is standing there outside the tomb looking in towards Mary Magdalene. His hands are at His side and you can make out the nail print in one of His wrists. You can’t see Jesus’ face, only the back of His head. But you can clearly see Mary Magdalene’s face. You see tears streaming down her cheek, but you also clearly discern the expression of shocking joy. At one and the same time, you see a look of disbelief and belief. The artist has captured the moment so well. After a long reflective pause, Mary Magdalene says, “That’s when He called my name.” “...And so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb....and Jesus said to her, “Mary!” (John 20:11, 16)You tell yourself that you may forget a lot of things, but you’re not likely to forget that picture. And when you think of Mary Magdalene, you’ll remember the day the Risen Lord Jesus called her name. “Mary!” You’ll not only remember pictures. You will remember the sound of His voice. Listen to Him. Close your eyes and hear the Risen Lord Jesus call your name. Can you hear the love? That’s why He came back - to prove to us that there is nothing in our sinful past that can cause Jesus to stop loving us. Not even death can bring an end to the love of Jesus. If Jesus was truly alive on that first Easter, then He is truly alive today. And if He lives today, He loves today. And, Jesus loves you! Stand there with your eyes closed. Listen as long as you like. Mary Magdalene won’t mind. She wants you to listen and enjoy. Can you hear Him calling your name? Can you hear the loving tone of His voice? It’s almost time to pile back into the car, but Mary Magdalene has one more picture to show us. It’s on the wall just inside the front door. A small photo in a frame. A younger Mary Magdalene has her arms raised in a convincing and celebratory gesture. You can tell from her eyes and the shape of her open mouth that she is speaking with power and authority. “That’s my first sermon!” “Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!...” (John 20:18)And as you ponder that picture one more time, you can’t help but realize the great distinction of the honor Jesus bestowed upon Her. She holds the honor of preaching the very first Easter sunrise sermon. Not Peter. Not James or John. Nor to one of the other disciples, but to “Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” What a great honor! What a glorious transformation! What an amazing journey was her life! Time to Go Well, friends, every good journey comes to an end and I want you to know what a great privilege and joy it has been to travel with you through the pages of the Word and into the lives of some of the most inspiring women that God has created. Thanks be to God for the lessons He has taught us, and may you never underestimate the great things that God can and will do through your life for His glory. Closing Prayer: Lord of Love and Life, As we ponder the many events of our lives, help us form a gallery in our hearts and minds of special moments with you: Moments when truth and understanding came rushing in;Paint those portraits for our gallery of praise. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior we pray, Amen.
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