Mary Magdalene: She was saved from much oppression

The different women who followed Jesus came from varied backgrounds. However, one thing stood out: their faith in Jesus. These women went as far as supporting Jesus’ ministry from their own means. For many of them, their sacrifice and dedication also stemmed from the extreme love they had been shown by Jesus. Luke 8:1-3 mentions that “After 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, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” This post will focus on Mary Magdalene, a woman who followed Jesus till death and resurrection. This woman understood what it meant to be saved from oppression.

Mary Magdalene is believed to have hailed from the fishing community of Magdala (thus her name Mary of Magdala or Mary Magdalene). It is obvious that there were so many Mary’s in Jesus’ day (as it was in my community while I was growing up. I was named Mary after my great grandmother and about 5 or more extended family members were all called Mary!). Mary Magdalene, as we saw in the previous post, was mentioned in all the four gospels. She seemed to be the most popular of the female disciples of Jesus. Guess what? Mary had her own problems before she encountered Jesus. She was demon possessed. These demons would have caused her to live a worthless life, taken away her joy, turned her life upside down, denied her the joy of having her own family, made her act in certain ways that were against her will. It is appropriate to say that Mary might have been ridiculed by society. She was a woman whose body was the abode of seven different demons. Imagine! These demons would have had different agenda and would have ended up wasting the life of this daughter of God.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out (Luke 8:2)

Do you remember the demon possessed man in Garasenes or Gadarenes? He was possessed by many demons so he had to be bound by chains and he lived in solitary places until Jesus set him free (see Luke 8:26-39). Mary might have had a similar experience. When Mary encountered Jesus, she was delivered from demonization (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). Jesus drove out all the seven demons who were wasting the life of Mary. She might not have been aware that her unprofitable life was as a result of seven different demons who have captured her and made life unbearable for her. Mary followed Jesus right after her deliverance and she didn’t look back. Many of the people who were saved by Jesus were sent back home to testify, e.g., The demon possessed man in Garasenes. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him (Luke 8:38‭-‬39). But, Mary had a significant ministry. She wasn’t an ordinary disciple, she was a kingdom financier, and evangelist, a diehard follower and one who doesn’t give up. She followed Jesus to Golgotha and was at the tomb on the resurrection day as recorded by all the gospel writers (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20).

In fact, both Mark and John records that Mary Magdalene was the first to have seen the resurrected Christ:
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:18)

Mary Magdalene did not just follow Jesus on His missionary tours, she saw Him killed, she saw Him buried, she mourned her Lord but was determined to anoint Him. She rushed to the tomb on the resurrection Sunday and instead of leaving like everyone else after seeing the empty tomb, she lingered behind. She was very sad that someone had stolen the body of her Lord. Even when the resurrected Jesus spoke with her, she was looking for her Lord. Whether dead or alive, Mary Magdalene just wanted Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
(John 20:15).
No wonder, the Lord revealed Himself to her first before going to present His resurrected body to the Father:
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” (John 20:16‭-‬17).

We need that longing and desire for the Lord. He is not just our Lord and Saviour in the good times. He is our everything in all seasons. Mary Magdalene teaches us that we are saved to make maximum impact. She left indelible footprints that centuries later, believers can look up too. Remember, she wasn’t called when she was perfect. In fact, Jesus perfected her by delivering her from demon oppression. We don’t need to come to the Lord when we are perfect. Come just as you are but don’t remain just as you came. In the Lord, our imperfections are washed away and we become a new creation. All baggage of sin and pain is nailed to the cross. We are called to the newness of life not a recycle of sin, pain, shame and guilt. If Jesus can break His protocol to reveal Himself to Mary Magdalene, then no one is too difficult to be saved by Him!

Halloween or He has won: Trick or share?

In Fall 2013, I got to know of Halloween. Growing up in Ghana, any idea or thought of ever celebrating or dressing up like a dead person, ghost, witches and all sorts of scary figures could have led my parents to seek both emotional and spiritual counseling for me. Who wants to walk about looking like a blood sucking demon in my community? The next day, you would probably find yourself at the mental hospital. Over the years, moving from Norway, to the UK and to Canada, I have identified that Halloween is much bigger than I thought. My exposure in Norway was just a tip of the iceberg. Last year, after the Halloween celebration, it took my husband and I months to assure my daughter that there are no vampires, witches and ghosts in her room. We did not celebrate Halloween at home, she got these ideas from school. Today is another celebration of Halloween and her school is hosting a Halloween parade. It just occurred to me that as a family, we have not had any conversation with her on Halloween and what it stands for. I believe many Christian families are in the same shoes. We have not taken time to talk to our children about Halloween and what the Bible says about evil spirits. 

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

Halloween originally began as a prequel to All Saints’ Day, or Hallows’ Day. This was a religious feast intended to celebrate the honour of saints. The November 1st celebration was not intended to celebrate witches, ghosts, demons, vampires and all kinds of bad guys. Over the years, the feast has lost its significance in most homes and we have rather preferred Halloween which is business-wise lucrative, and treats (candy) and costume companies have made it more popular than it was. What does the Bible say about our victory of principalities and powers? Colossians 2:13-15 states that “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.“
Jesus has triumphed over sin, death,  evil spirits and all forces of darkness. Satan is permanently defeated. Satan is the thief whose agenda is to steal and kill and destroy. Through Jesus, we have life and we have it to the full (see John 10:10). 

In the same way, the chains of sins have been broken for those who come to Jesus and make Him the Lord and Saviour. Jesus’ redeeming death has rescued us from the evil forces. The evil was nailed to the cross. We do not need to dress like demons to scare the demons away. Jesus has already paid the price for that. However, the redeeming death of Jesus will only be able to rescue one from the forces of darkness when an intentional decision is made to accept Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). We are in the world and as such, whatever is done in the world would directly or indirectly affect us. Instead of running away from Halloween, let us start a conversation about the redeeming work of Jesus. Don’t just give candy…trick or treat. Share Jesus. Have flyers to give to your neighbours. Don’t run away from Halloween, begin a Jesus-has-already-won conversation. Our children deserve to know the truth from us before the world puts fear in them. 

This song reminds me of our victory in Christ.

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device nor creed;
I trust the Ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out. [Refrain]

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The written Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name,
Salvation through His blood. [Refrain]

My great Physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave. [Refrain]
(Lidie H. Edmunds)