MARY MAGDALENE, WHO WAS SHE?

THE PROFILE OF MARY MAGDALENE

Mary magdalene

                

es' sister and it means " Belove" 

The old testament was written in Hebrew while the new testament was written in Greek.so the name Miriam was Hebrew while the name Mary is the Greek name for Miriam.

We are all Gods Mary's and Miriam's because we are Gods be love.

John 3:16 say " For God so loved the world ,that he gave his only begotten son,that whosoever believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Amen

In the new testament, we have six women that are called Mary. And these are ::-

1, Mary :- the mother of Jesus(virgin Mary)

2, Mary:- Of mandala (the woman that seven demon were casted out of her by Jesus Christ)

3,  Mary:- Of Bethany(sister of Lazarus and Martha,the one with the perfume)

4,  Mary:- Mother of James the younger( the wife of Cleopas , she also went to the tomb)

5,  Mary:- mother of john mark(mark 16:1) she went to the tomb too

6,  Mary:- Of Rome( treated Paul with special kindness)she laboured among the early Christians Romans 16:6

Among all these mary's, we are going to  be looking and learning from the life of ::-

WHO WAS MARY MAGDALENE?

The absence of women from the disciples of Jesus Christ has really bothered me, it is clear that women were Ami g the followers of jesus e.g Susanna, joanna ,Salome.they were seen in the society as nothing g ,as second class citizens before his coming)

Jesus did not treat women as the culture did or people were doing then.

Mary Magdalene was an early follower of Jesus Christ, who deserved to be called a disciple not just a follower of Jesus christ.

WHAT WERE HER VITAL        STATISTICS?

Where::-  Magdala (a fish I g village, west of lake Galilee)

Jerusalem( the capital of southern Judah)

Occupation::- Not told but it looks like she was wealthy,she ministered with her wealth as other women)

Contemporaries ::- All Mary's,the 12 disciples ,and Jesus Christ.

Who are the people living in your generation? ,what contribution are you bringing them ? We were not created for nothing but for something, so lets stimulate ,instigate and initiate as Christians

WHAT IS THE KEY VERSE ABOUT HER?

Mark 16:9 ,Our first reading and text

She was known as the woman that Jesus removed the seven spirits in her.

Seven is written in Greek as full, its also a sign of completeness, it means that the demo ic spirits occupying her were were complete(they dominate and tormented her)

We know how demons operates ,they are in hierarchy and falls under each ones command( it is only Jesus and Jesus alone that can free us from such) hallelujah ,Amen

With pains and suffering s but when she encounter Jesus,everything became normal for her.

  WHAT WERE HER STRENGHT AND               ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

1,  She contributed to the needs of the disciples (the bible says ,out of her wealth ,she gave to the progress of the ministry of Jesus Christ,it wasnt just her time)

2,   She was present at the death of Jesus on the cross(She stood under the cross ,when all the disciples except john were hiding in fear.

3,  First to see the risen Christ - Jesus appeared to her first after resurrection.

WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF MARY MAGDALENE?

1,   Those who are obedient to the word of God grow in understanding (when we are obedient in meditation,and study of the word, we will definitely grow in understanding of spiritual things)

Mary Magdalene was committed ,dedicated  to following Jesus Christ, and she grew deeper in the word, after Jesus' death she still continued with her ministry.

2, Women were vital to Jesus' ministry :- 

.Elizabeth and Mary

.He Allowed them to be part of his ministry

.He taught them theological truth

3,   Jesus related to women as equal reflectors of Gods image - Genesis 1:27)

   Jesus treated women with dignity and         worth

   He did not treat them the way other             were  doing in the culture.

   Galatians 3:28 says " there's therefore no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.be it Jews or Gentiles ,males or females,Hallelujah -Amen

Everyone is equal before God but our responsibilities or roles differ.

                             CONCLUSION

The stone of the tomb was rolled not because Jesus couldn't get out, but so that people will see that he has really risen.

To them (disciples many believers and Others) resurrection looks and feel hard to comprehend .And they were passing this stage of in their thinking ::-

        It looks like a fabricated story

        They checked for evidences(his                   cloth   looks like an empty cocoon)

         Only when they encountered Jesus             himself before accepting it is true.

Resurrection is important ,without it Christianity would have been a fake,not real and hard for People.

Mary Magdalene was a heart warming example of thankfulness 

.her life was freed by Jesus

.she acted her appreciation all her life

How many of us are living our lives in appreciation of the salvation brought to us undeserved?

Mary Magdalen's faith was not complicated at all(not lukewarm faith,not sitting on the fence)she knows were a he belongs to.

    .her life was direct and genuine

    .Jesus honored her child like faith,her           was not childish.

    By appearing to to her first and trust          her with the message of resurrection.

Her faith was child like and not childish and that's the type of faith that is expected from us as Christians