I’m visiting Israel at the end of October 2022 with a church tour group. I am meditating on the cities we’re going to so I can grasp something of the history of the place. We are starting at Joppa, next to Tel Aviv, and making a circuit counterclockwise around the land, ending at Jerusalem. Here is one meditation.
If you were from Gadara in Israel, you were a Gadarene. If from Nazareth, a Nazarene. And from Magdala, a Magdalene.
One woman noted for her devotion to Jesus was Mary Magdalene. Under circumstances of which we are not told, Jesus had cast seven demons out of her, healing her and others at the time.
She did not simply go her own way after being healed. She did not remain in her home town. We find her among many others as those who provided for Jesus and His twelve disciples. Her serving Jesus was a great testimony of her restoration. Jesus had truly broken the bonds of the “strong man” that she may be a slave to the love of God.
We have no other details of her past. Her name seems to indicate that she identified with Magdala as her birthplace, being known as Mary Magdalene to separate her from Mary the mother of Jesus and the other Marys mentioned (John 19:25).
Her past is gone. She no longer needed to live with the horrors of her demonic possession. She had a new life with Jesus. And as did another Mary, the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, she chose to lavishly pour out her resources upon Him and His ministry.
Seven demons were cast out of her. In their place were given seven blessings of being with Christ.
1. She was there throughout His ministry to the lost, having witnessed in herself of His power to heal.
2. She was there at the foot of the cross (John 19:25), witnessing Him giving His life for the sins of the world.
3. She was there when the stone was rolled across the tomb (Matt. 27:59-61).
4. She went early to His tomb, while it was still dark (John 20:1), to witness the angels rolling away the stone from an empty tomb.
5. It was to this faithful woman Jesus appeared first (John 20).
6. She was the first to hear Him call her by name when He appeared to her after His resurrection (John 20:16). She heard His voice calling her to Himself.
7. She was the first witness to tell the disciples that the Christ had risen and had spoken to her (John 20:18).
Through her story we see our own. We were saved when Jesus did with His power what we could not do on our own. God regards our past no longer; “Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17). We can know the Lord has called us. Our new life is characterized by service to the Savior, both giving of our resources and serving with Him.
We know little of her personal life, only enough to know she was truly touched by God, and worthy of hearing from her Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
