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Chapter 41: Mary Magdalene: The Lady Disciple
Before we look at the scriptures concerning the actual return of Jesus Christ to Earth, we are going to review the events surrounding his first coming. We are going to look at the biblical record of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Mary Magdalene. It is the command of Christ that wherever the gospel is preached, the account of the actions of Mary Magdalene should be told. Some modern day movies and books perpetrate the myth that Mary was Jesus' lover or wife, and that he fathered children by her. The scripture is clear that Christ was without sin, so there is no possibility that either of those things could be true. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Not that it would have been a sin for Jesus to have married, but he didn’t. We know this from what he did while on the cross. He made provision for the care of his mother as she and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. As a husband he would have also been required to make provision for his wife, yet he said not a word to her or to his disciples about her. (John 19:25-27 NIV) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Mary, according to the bible, was one of Jesus' very best friends and as far as women go, was the closest to him. She was like a female disciple. Luke 8:1-2 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; Mary Magdalene was at one time possessed by seven demons, which Jesus cast out of her. After this she often traveled with Jesus and the disciples. Many of those whom Jesus healed, helped to support Jesus and the disciples. Luke 8:3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Jesus did not actually need the support money they were giving to him and the disciples, he could have easily provided everything that he and the disciples needed by his power. He allowed Mary and the others to contribute to his support to give them the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven. The same is true today. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. God does not need our money or our time. He will get his work done, with us, or without us, whatever we choose. It is to our own advantage to support Gods work and to lay up treasure in heaven. God already owns the world and everything in it, anything we give or do for God, is for our benefit, not for his. He allows us to do things for him for our spiritual and eternal welfare, to secure ourselves a good position in his kingdom. Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Mary and Martha were sisters, and they had a home in Bethany where Jesus and his disciples were always welcome to stay, or stop by for a meal. Martha was the more practical of the two, while Mary was more concerned about spiritual things. Mary desired to learn the truth and Jesus said that the opportunity would not be taken away from her. The Resurrection Of Lazarus
John 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead. John 11:2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. The incident mentioned above, the pouring of perfume on Jesus had not happened yet, John mentions it here so there will be no mistake about which Mary he was talking about, as Mary was a very common name in Israel at the time, and there are many Marys mentioned in the bible. John 11:3-4 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick, hoping that he would hurry there and heal Lazarus before he died. Jesus already knew what he was going to do, raise Lazarus from the dead, so he took his time in getting there. John 11:5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. The bible states that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. John 11:6-7 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." John 11:11-15 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Jesus knew that Lazarus had already died and was buried. The reason that Jesus let Lazarus die, was for the glory of God, to allow Jesus to show Gods power by raising the dead. John 11:17-19 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. The funeral was over and Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Mary and Martha’s neighbors and friends were stopping by their house to console them on the loss of their brother. John 11:20-22 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha already had much faith, and already believed that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, if he would ask the father to do it. John 11:23 & 25-27 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." Martha already understood much of the gospel, before Christ had ever died. The two sisters seem to be far ahead of the disciples when it came to understanding spiritual things. John 11:28-29 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Jesus then asked Martha to send Mary out to where he was, at the outskirts of the village. Jesus stayed at the outskirts of the village, because this was where the tomb of Lazarus was located. John 11:30-33 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Jesus had feelings and emotions, just like we do. He was deeply moved, and could feel and understand the sadness felt by those who had known and loved Lazarus. John 11:34-37 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus, but not for Lazarus. Jesus knew what he was about to do, he was weeping for those present who did not believe, and had no faith. Some of those present were questioning why Jesus could not have healed this man, whom he loved, since he had previously healed a man who was born blind. John 11:38-39 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Martha, always the practical one, was worried that if they removed the stone from the tomb of her brother, there would be a foul odor from her brothers decaying body. John 11:40-42 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." Jesus waited to perform this miracle until those for whom this miracle was intended for were within viewing and hearing distance, that they might see, and hear, and believe. John 11:43-45 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. Many who saw this miracle put their faith in Christ, and those who already had some faith, like Martha and Mary, had their faith strengthened. The Plot To Kill Jesus
John 11:46-48 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." The chief priests and the Pharisees called for a meeting to decide what to do about this man who was destroying their false traditions, and eroding their power over the people. While they should have been searching the scriptures to find out if Jesus really was the promised Messiah, they were instead only concerned with retaining their own positions of power in the synagogue and in the government. John 11:49-53 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. God can speak through unbelievers as well as believers. God can and does fulfill his prophecies through people who do not believe in him, and are actually fighting against him and his plan for the world. God spoke through the high priest, Caiaphas, a prophecy that Christ would die for the Jewish nation and all of those who believe in God. Caiaphas, while denying Christ, was actually prophesying about him. All of the people who worship Antichrist, and declare that they do not believe in Christ or God, will actually be proving to the world that God exists, by fulfilling the prophecies of the book of Revelation. They will by their actions and words, be proving the very thing that they deny, to be true. |