Luke introduces her plainly. She was a woman from whom seven demons had gone out. That is nearly all we know of her past. Later church tradition mixed her up with the sinful woman of Luke 7 and called her a prostitute. Scripture never says that.
What Scripture does show is a woman who stayed. She traveled with Jesus and paid for the work out of her own means. She watched him die when most of his followers had scattered. She came to the tomb early, wept when it was empty, and heard him say her name.
“
I have seen the Lord
Name means
Mary from Magdala
Home
Probably Magdala, on the Sea of Galilee
Role
Disciple, supporter of Jesus' ministry, first witness of the resurrection
Read in
; ; ;
Mary Magdalene's story
Weeping at the empty tomb
Beginning
Seven demons gone
Jesus frees her from seven demons. Scripture gives no other detail of her life before.
High point
Providing for the mission
She travels with Jesus and the Twelve, one of several women who provide for them out of their means.
Turning point
Watching from a distance
She watches the crucifixion, then sees where his body is laid.
Low point
Weeping at the empty tomb
She comes while it is still dark, finds the stone moved, and weeps because she thinks his body has been taken.
Ending
Sent to tell
Jesus calls her by name. She goes to the disciples and announces that she has seen the Lord.
Starts as a woman held by seven demons. Ends as the first messenger of the resurrection.
Where Mary Magdalene lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
How Mary Magdalene is wired
The Helper
Enneagram 2, Reformer wing
To give herself in love and care for the one who set her free.
Scripture doesn't give us much here, so treat this as a best guess.
At their best, toward 4 Under stress, toward 8
Why we think so
1
Giver. She supports Jesus and the Twelve out of her own means. ()
2
Present when it costs. She stays near the cross when the disciples have fled. ()
3
Caring for the body. She brings spices to anoint him, a last act of service. ()
The women prepared spices but rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment before going to the tomb. ()
The Individualist. She stays in her sorrow honestly instead of busying herself, and in that place she is met personally by name. ()
The Challenger. Grief turns forceful. She tells the man she thinks is the gardener to say where the body is, and she will take it away herself. ()
The case for 6
Her defining trait may be loyalty. She stays at the cross, watches the burial, and returns to the tomb. She clings to the one secure thing in her life ().
Other lenses
Big Five. Read from what she says and does in the Gospels.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: Loyal, devoted, wholehearted.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Mary Magdalene
Loyalty that holds under pressure. Practical generosity. Courage to be present at the cross and the tomb.
Where Mary Magdalene struggles
Grief narrowed her sight. She assumed the body had been taken and did not recognize Jesus at first ().
What Mary Magdalene wanted most
To be near the Lord who freed her, and to care for him even after his death (; ).
What Mary Magdalene feared most
Losing him completely. At the tomb her first fear was that someone had taken his body away ().
Mary did not find Jesus by searching harder. He found her, and he spoke her name. That is how the good shepherd works: “he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (). The first witness of the resurrection was a woman once bound by demons, which is the gospel in miniature.
Questions to sit with
1
Where are you looking for Jesus in the wrong place, the way Mary looked in the tomb?
2
What has he freed you from, and how has that shaped the way you serve?
Study Mary Magdalene with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
