Last time we looked at Mary of Nazareth and her faith in saying 'yes' to God's call. Consider how difficult it
would have been for Miryam of Magdala to find the faith and courage to approach
Jesus to be healed of the ‘7 demons’ that afflicted her. In Luke 8:3 we learn
that she is one of the women who accompanied Jesus “Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.”
Over the centuries ‘the
Magdalene’ has gotten a bad rap. Too often she has been associated with the
‘sinful woman’ who wipes Jesus feet with her hair. In fact, there is nothing in
the Gospels to link the 2 women. Miryam of Magdala was more than likely a
well-to-do woman because, we are told, she was able to “minister to [Jesus and the other disciples] out of [her] means.”
Magdala, in the time of
Christ was a thriving, populous town about three miles from Capernaum on the
western side of the Sea of Galilee. You can see it on the map in your handouts.
The town catered to fishermen on the Sea. Dye works and textiles were also
important. It is very possible that personally or through family connections,
Miryam of Magdala was wealthy.
Because of the proximity to
Capernum, it is certain that residents of Magdala heard of Jesus of Nazareth.
Whether in Magdala or elsewhere, Mary sought him out and Jesus healed her
dis-ease. After that she went with him and the other disciples. Her reputation
as a harlot can be seen as the reaction of a male hierarchy to discount women,
or it could be prudishness that looked at women accompanying the disciples and
found fault in that action.
Christine Caine, author of
the book Unashamed, was a guest
author on Ann Voskamp’s blog in January. Her words echo what I think Miryam of
Magdala’s ‘demons’ were. Rather than foaming at the mouth or writhing on the
floor, Miryam was haunted by her sense of shame. I wonder how many of us have
things in our lives that haunt us as well. Caine states:
“I didn’t only feel guilty about what I had done or the things that were
being done to me, I felt fundamentally
ashamed of the very person that I was. I cannot remember one time in my
life where I didn’t feel this way. Shame was a constant companion for me. Maybe
you felt like I did, that something you’ve done or something that has been done
or said to you has made you fundamentally wrong. Maybe you still feel like
you’re flawed, the very foundation of who you are is broken.”
She continues, “If so, let me share some really good news
with you. God loves you! God does not reject you! God sees you as having infinite
value and infinite worth…Jesus wants to heal you and not to shame you.”
That is the good news that
set Miryam of Magdala free and that is the good news that we each have and can
share. It is not always easy, though. Even though we may think we are too broken
to be worth healing, Caine assures us, “Each
of us bears a wound, a blemish, a secret, or some kind of scar from shame…You
are not a shock to God. He knew what He was getting into when He chose you and
me. You are the apple of His eye, the object of His affection…”
Miryam of Magdala came to
Jesus with a great burden of shame and fear that made her feel like she had
demons living in or with her. Miryam’s life was transformed when she said yes
to Jesus’ healing. She remained faithfully in his company throughout his
travels. Both
Matthew and John name her as faithful, and a companion of Mary of Nazareth at
the Cross.
Miryam of Magdala was
persistent before it was ‘cool’. Faith is being persistent, even in the face of
doubt and resistance. Of course, thanks to Elizabeth Warren the phrase became
what Linda Ryan on Episcopal Café calls “a new watchword for the year. It’s
become a slogan that brings a number of groups together for common good which
is giving people a voice and a measure of control over their own lives, without
interference from the government, or maybe even the church, or maybe a single
person. We need to be persistent. Following
Christ takes persistence. It’s not easy; never has been, never will be. But it’s
the job we have been given. It’s an evangelical method message that we are to
bring to the world and is how we are to live our lives, with persistence, with joy,
and with less concern about sound doctrine than the lessons that Jesus taught us.”
She says, “Time to get going on this folks. God loves the persistent, because so many of the people of the Bible exhibited
persistence. Even though they didn’t get their way immediately, or have their wishes
and hopes fulfilled immediately, eventually things worked out. So now it’s our
turn.”
Miryam of Magdala had faith
to stand by her beloved teacher at the cross. She was even willing to take away
the body if someone wanted it out of the tomb. She was blessed to see the Risen
Lord. Then she had the faith to proclaim the Good news. There is a
tradition/legend of Mary of Magdala that says she witnessed in Rome to Caesar,
too. Because of her wealth and connections, she is invited to dinner with Tiberius
Caesar. She starts to tell those present about Jesus and the Resurrection.
Tiberius scoffs and says, ‘that has as much chance of being true as of this egg
turning red.’ Lo and behold the hard boiled egg does turn red. This is related
to another tradition that says that Mary took a basket of hard boiled eggs to
the tomb so that she and the other women could have a snack. In the light of
the Resurrection, the eggs turned red. This is why in iconography, Mary is
often shown with a red egg, as in the handout.
Mary of Nazareth had the
faith and courage to say ‘yes’ to God. Miryam of Magdala overcame ‘demons’ and
distrust to faithfully witness about Jesus. Both women can encourage us to have
fearless faith no matter whether we have an angelic visitor, or are in need of
healing, or are just living the ‘hum-drum day-to-day life’ where nothing
exciting seems to happen. It is the requirement of our Faith that we be willing
to ‘be persistent’ and to take a stand for God’s Kingdom.
It would be
helpful, we might think, to have the constant reassurance of a road map for our
life journey so we know where to stand…Which choice to make, which path to
take… A friend of mine often joked that God wasn’t sending her any neon signs
pointing in the right direction.
I think that
is true for most of us. Rarely do we have angelic visitors, or neon signs. What
we do have is Faith. “Now faith is
confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” says
the New International Translation of the Bible. The International Standard
Version expands this a little, “Now faith is the assurance that what we hope
for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.” The good
old KJV says, “Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
We
may not have a visible daily neon arrow saying ‘this way’. However, as
Princesses of the Kingdom, when we are living the Great Commandment in faith,
hope, and love, we are on the right path, even if, and when, we stumble.
What
are the demons, or shame, that might keep you from stepping out in faith?
Can
we tell the good news like Magdalene-unafraid of rebuke?
What faith response can we
make to acts of evil in the world today?
