Her story, told honestly
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene is the woman Jesus delivered from seven demons, who followed Him to the cross and became the first witness of His resurrection. Scripture never calls her a prostitute; that is a myth to lay aside.
“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”John 20:16
Her story
Her story. Luke names her among the women who traveled with Jesus and supported His ministry, "Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Luke 8:2). Whatever her former torment, Christ had set her free, and she followed Him in gratitude. She was there at the crucifixion when most of the disciples had fled, among the women who "beheld where he was laid" (Mark 15:47). Early on the first day of the week she came to the tomb while it was yet dark and found the stone rolled away. She ran to tell Peter and John, then stood weeping outside the empty tomb. There the risen Jesus met her, though at first she thought He was the gardener, until He spoke her name, "Mary," and she turned and cried, "Rabboni" (John 20:16). He sent her to carry the news to the disciples, and so she came announcing, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:18). She is the first person recorded to have seen the risen Christ, and the first to proclaim the resurrection. That is who Scripture says she is: a delivered, devoted disciple and the first herald of Easter.
What her life shows
What her life shows. Mary Magdalene's life shows the transforming power of Christ's deliverance and the loyalty it awakens. Freed from a grievous bondage, she gave herself wholly to following Jesus, serving Him from her own means, staying near when danger came, and coming to the tomb to tend His body when hope seemed dead. Her life shows a love that would not leave, and her tears at the tomb reveal a heart bound to her Lord. It shows, too, the tenderness of Christ, who met a weeping woman by name in her grief before He appeared to any of the apostles. Her story is also a lesson in reading Scripture honestly. For centuries she was wrongly identified with the sinful woman of Luke 7 and painted as a reformed prostitute, but the Bible never says any such thing. It says she was delivered from demons and became a faithful witness. To honor her truly is to let the text speak: a woman of profound gratitude and courage, entrusted with the greatest news the world has ever heard.
Where it points to Christ
Where it points to Christ. Mary Magdalene's story stands at the very center of the gospel, the empty tomb and the risen Lord. Christ chose to appear first to this delivered woman and to make her the first messenger of His resurrection, sending her to tell even the apostles: "go to my brethren . . . I ascend unto my Father" (John 20:17). In a world that did not credit a woman's testimony, God entrusted the founding announcement of the faith to her, a mark of the gospel's power to lift up the lowly. Her encounter shows the personal heart of the resurrection; the Shepherd calls His own by name, and she knows His voice (John 10:3-4, 27). Her whole life declares that Jesus is the one who casts out the darkness and conquers the grave, the living Savior who meets the grieving and turns their weeping into joy. From bondage to the empty tomb, her story is a witness that Christ is risen indeed.
Questions people ask
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute?
No. This is a popular myth with no basis in Scripture. The Bible says only that Jesus delivered her from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She was later wrongly confused with the sinful woman of Luke 7, but the text never calls her a prostitute. She was a faithful disciple and the first witness of the resurrection.
Why is Mary Magdalene important?
She followed Jesus and supported His ministry, stood by the cross, and was the first person to see the risen Christ (John 20:14-18). He sent her to announce the resurrection to the disciples, making her the first herald of the gospel's central event.
What did Jesus say to her at the tomb?
Mistaking Him for the gardener, Mary did not recognize Jesus until He spoke her name, "Mary," and she answered, "Rabboni" (John 20:16). He then sent her to tell His brethren that He was risen and ascending to the Father. She went proclaiming, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:18).