Mary Magdalene is a prominent figure in the story of Jesus’ life and resurrection. She is one of the few named women who is a follower of Jesus. She has a pivotal role in the Gospels, because she is the first to see him resurrected (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).
This Lent, let’s consider using Mary Magdalene as our guide, following Jesus as she did.
We are invited to listen to his teachings and witness his healing work as described in the Gospels. We are asked to journey with him to Jerusalem and witness his final days and crucifixion. Like Mary Magdalene, we are also beckoned to wake up early on Easter and go to the tomb, only we know that we will find it empty! We are called to share the good news with each other. We are charged with sharing our encounters with the risen Christ.
A healed follower
Jesus heals Mary Magdalene from seven demons, offering her grace (Mark 16:9, Luke 8:2). Having her life transformed from illness to wellness may have been, or at least felt like, a miracle. Many people with illnesses were ostracized, and healing would have allowed her to re-enter community.
Mary Magdalene responds by becoming a follower and supporter of Jesus. The Gospels tell us that she is one of several women who provided resources (Mark 15:41, Luke 8:3). Like Mary Magdalene, I have been healed by Jesus, and accepted God’s grace. My response to God’s grace in my life is like hers as well. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I provide resources for ministry using my time, talents and financial gifts.
Recent research about Mary Magdalene
Elizabeth Schrader Polczer and Diana Butler Bass are leading new research and teachings surrounding Mary Magdalene, including findings about who she was and her role as a disciple.
A faithful witness
Mary Magdalene not only follows Jesus as he is teaching and healing around Galilee, but she also follows him to Jerusalem. Mary Magdalene is named as a witness at the cross (Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, John 19:25). She did not abandon him but stayed with him through the worst part, watching his humiliating, painful death. It is the female disciples who stayed and witnessed, not the male disciples.
We too can journey around Galilee and to Jerusalem this Lent. We can study the teachings and healings that Jesus did during his ministry, and we can also engage during Holy Week. Rather than skipping from Palm Sunday to Easter, we can attend Holy Week services and read one (or more!) Gospel accounts of the betrayal, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. We can be witnesses like Mary Magdalene.
A proclaimer of the good news
After Jesus was crucified, the women followed to see the tomb where they laid him (Matthew 27:61, Mark 15:47). After the sabbath, Mary Magdalene is one of the women who brings spices to his body (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1). She is caring for Jesus even after death, tending to his body as was the custom. Holy Week doesn’t end on Good Friday. We must continue the journey all the way to the tomb, which is empty on Easter morning.
As a female pastor, I will be quick to tell you that Mary Magdalene was the first person to proclaim the good news of the Resurrection. I have used her story to justify my vocation. She is the first to go and tell (Matthew 28:8-10, Mark 16:10, Luke 24:10, John 20:18). The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 tells us all to do the same, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
We are Mary Magdalene
Growing up, I heard Mary Magdalene called a prostitute. However, the Bible never says this. It clearly says she was healed from seven demons, but we do not know what that means exactly. Was it mental healing? Physical? A code for a specific illness? When we let go of the story of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute and focus instead on the Bible’s actual references to her, we see a woman who followed Jesus to his death and shared the good news of the Resurrection.
She is us.
My hope for each of us this Lent is that we will grow in our discipleship. That we will be like Mary Magdalene and be a follower of Jesus, witnessing to his life, death and resurrection. Let us not keep the good news to ourselves, but proclaim it with joy.
The Rev. Tiffany McDonald is an Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church serving in the Minnesota Annual Conference. She has served as a University Chaplain, solo pastor and associate pastor, and is currently appointed to family leave. Tiffany lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with her husband and two daughters. Follow her blog: redheadedrev.org
This story was published on March 3, 2025. The contact is Laura Buchanan.
