Bible scholars have debated for centuries about whether the sinful woman in Luke 7, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’s sister) are one, two, or three
distinct persons. For the sake of grammatical simplicity, I sometimes refer to
all three of them as a singular “Mary” in this chapter, although I am not
necessarily advocating that they are one. Regardless, they collectively portray
a breathtaking picture of godly femininity that also serves as an example to
men as well.
Mary was the feminine embodiment of the truth, there
is no fear in love. Fear is one of the most controlling forces in life – including
the fear of exposure of things we are ashamed of and the fear of being
ridiculed or rejected by others. Many people carefully arrange their entire
lives to avoid facing such fears. Yet virtually every single time Mary is
mentioned in scripture she is overcoming these fears because of her unstoppable
drive to be near Jesus and express her love for Him. I am convinced Mary’s position
in eternity will be one of the greatest of anyone’s in scripture, including the
apostles and prophets. Let’s look at her 4 primary appearances in scripture.
Exposing Her Sin
In Luke 7, Jesus dined with a Pharisee named Simon who
invited Him to his home. In the middle of the meal, a woman who was known to be
a sinner, perhaps a prostitute, entered the room. She anointed Jesus’s feet
with perfume and wiped them with her hair as she wept with brokenness over her
sins. Scholars point out that we don’t know for sure whether this woman was
Mary Magdalene and/or Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’ sister). However, this act
bears a striking resemblance to Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus just before His
crucifixion. Plus, like this woman, Mary Magdalene came from a sordid past,
having been delivered by Jesus from seven demons (Luke 8:2). Also, at the end of the passage, Jesus identifies this
woman by her immense love for Him, which is something Mary Magdalene and Mary
of Bethany were also known for. Therefore, it is not surprising that many Bible
teachers believe this was indeed Mary of Bethany and/or Mary Magdalene at the
time of her conversion.
Imagine how vulnerable and embarrassing this act would
have been if she had been self-aware – weeping uncontrollably and wiping Jesus’s
feet while everyone just stared in stunned silence. To add to it, she was in
the presence of a well-known spiritual leader in her community who she probably
knew condemned her. Yet, she somehow didn’t care. She was so intent on
expressing her brokenness to Jesus that she abandoned every semblance of discretion.
The single most destructive type of fear that plagues
the human race is the fear of having our sin exposed. This is the fear that
keeps us hiding from God, weighed down with guilt, compelled to perform dead
works to appease our consciences. However, the most important type of courage
is the courage to expose our sin, before God and others, so we can be forgiven
and set free. The Luke 7 woman embodied this courage. She did the opposite of
what Adam did in the Garden of Eden and what mankind has instinctively done
ever since. Instead of hiding from God because of her shame, she actively
sought Him out and voluntarily exposed it.
Simon the Pharisee did not understand what was
happening. At the same moment the woman was being set free from bondage, Simon
manifested his bondage and began to condemn her in his heart. Jesus, knowing
his thoughts, came to her defense, saying, “Her sins, which are many, have
been forgiven, for she loved much.”
Sitting At Jesus’s Feet
In Luke 10, Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus and His
followers into their home in Bethany. This wasn’t an ordinary occasion – it was
the biggest event in the history of the homestead. Their large group of guests
included some of the most famous people in the nation – Jesus and His
disciples. And it’s possible that many more of Jesus’s followers were
present since the seventy he sent out to various cities had just returned to
debrief with Him.
What an incredible burden of hospitality! Imagine the
pressure and anxiety that Martha must have felt, and that Mary should
have felt. Even in our culture, women can become extremely stressed with the
preparations involved in entertaining guests. How much more would this have
been the case in their culture, where a woman’s entire identity and social
value came from her domestic life?
The weight of expectations for Mary to fulfill her
hostess duties would have been enormous. But she disregarded them. Instead, she
sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to Him teaching. To Martha and probably many
others, this was inexcusable. But for Mary it was worth it. She valued the
opportunity to sit at Jesus’s feet so highly that any amount of derision paled
by comparison.
Jesus knew Mary’s heart and affirmed her choice.
Martha, a godly woman, took offense and brought the matter to Jesus’s
attention, sincerely expecting Him to stand up for her and correct Mary.
Instead, He stood up for Mary and corrected Martha.
The fear of not living up to the expectations of
family members, friends, employers, or one’s culture can be overwhelming. This
fear can make it seem impossible to find time for the one thing in life that
matters most – spending unhurried, undistracted time in Jesus’s presence. Mary
is a model for overcoming this fear. She had courage to face the scorn and
criticism that is often associated with choosing heaven’s priorities over man’s.
Are you beginning to see a pattern? Mary is driven to
do something inadvisable and courageous because of her passionate love for
Jesus. Other believers ridicule her. Then Jesus stands up for her and rebukes
those who rebuked her. Now watch the pattern continue.
Pouring Out Her Love
Shortly before Jesus’s crucifixion, in the middle of a
meal, with her family members and all the disciples present, Mary of Bethany
took a vial of perfume worth tens of thousands of dollars, broke it over Jesus’s
head, anointed His feet, and wiped them with her hair (John 12, Mark 14, and
Matthew 26). Again, imagine how vulnerable and embarrassing this would have
been if Mary had been self-aware. To make matters worse, those present were
indignant and scolded her, calling it a waste.
Perhaps Mary’s family members thought she was being
dramatic and wanted to be the center of attention. Perhaps the disciples
thought she was being self-righteous and holier-than-thou. However, Jesus knew
her heart and defended her. He was so moved and honored by her expression of
love that He promised it would be told to every generation afterward for all
time. This must have made everyone else’s criticism seem completely meaningless
to Mary. She was only concerned about one Man’s approval.
Someone who pursues Jesus with all her heart, without
regard for appearances or reputation, may be ridiculed by other Christians,
friends, and family members. She may be called too extreme or unbalanced.
There’s nothing the enemy hates more than a Mary Magdalene, and it is usually
not difficult for him to find Christians to agree with his accusations.
However, those who pursue Jesus like Mary are willing to endure it because the
joy of having Jesus’s approval makes all the criticism seem meaningless by
comparison.
The First Witness of the Resurrection
After Jesus was crucified, we once again see Mary’s
love conquering fear. All of Jesus’s disciples went into hiding for fear of the
Jews (John 20:19). Mary Magdalene might easily have been subject to the same
fear since she was known for having gone around from city to city with Jesus
and the disciples (Luke 8:1-2). However, her desire to honor Jesus’s body
overruled any fear she might have felt. As a result, she had the honor of being
the first witness of Jesus’s resurrection (Mark 16:9, John 20:16).
Afterward, she was once again subject to ridicule and
was once again defended by Jesus. When she jubilantly announced to the
disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead, they thought it was nonsense and
refused to believe her (Mark 16:11, Luke 24:11). Shortly afterward, Jesus
Himself appeared to them and reproached them for not believing her testimony
(Mark 16:14).
Jesus actually set Mary up to be misunderstood
and ridiculed. He commanded her to tell the disciples of His resurrection (John
20:17) knowing they might reject her testimony, but He wanted to test them to
see if they would seek the Holy Spirit’s perspective rather than trusting their
own reasoning. Mary’s encounter with Jesus was completely outside their
paradigm for what was possible. They could not consider that her testimony was
true so they had no choice but to dismiss it as nonsense. Many people cannot
accept a believer’s testimony about their journey with the Lord if it doesn’t
fit their paradigm for how God works. This can often lead to ridicule. This is
another kind of courage Mary modeled – the courage to share her testimony about
God’s activity in her life even though others might dismiss it or deride her
for it.
Closing
As stated,
scholars have debated for centuries whether the Luke 7 repentant sinner, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’ sister) are one, two, or three
distinct persons. Regardless, we’ve seen an incredible truth emerge from these
passages: There is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). Therefore, love inspires the
greatest acts of courage. Mary’s life, whether individually or
collectively, is a picture of this courage. She was criticized for her
transparency and brokenness over her sins. She was criticized for violating
cultural and family expectations so she could sit at Jesus’s feet. She was
criticized for expressing overt passion in her worship of Jesus. And she was
criticized for sharing her experience of Jesus’s resurrection. Every great
thing she ever did was opposed and ridiculed by others, usually other
believers, and every time Jesus affirmed and defended her. She refused to be
ruled by fear because she was ruled by love.
She was like a prophet, except instead of being
persecuted for declaring God’s judgments or future events, she was persecuted
for her shameless love for Jesus. The blessing Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on
the Mount certainly applies to her life:
“Blessed
are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of
evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven
is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
The Bible identifies
several factors that contribute to a believer’s position in the age to come. Examples
include serving others (Matthew 26:26), suffering for the gospel (Hebrews
11:35), overcoming (Revelation 2:26-27), and faithful stewardship of resources and
talents (e.g. Luke 19:15-17). However, the single weightiest factor is the
extent to which she fulfilled the first commandment, to love God with all her
heart, mind, soul, and strength. By this metric, Mary Magdalene is among
history’s greatest saints, perhaps right alongside Paul, John, or David. She
is a shining example of godly femininity who, in many ways, also serves as an
example to men.