Supporting Roles: Mary Magdalene
CCEA
School of Discipleship
January
11, 2026
Welcome to our School of Discipleship class, “Supporting Roles”
About me
I’ve been married for 47 years to Debby Cathers. I have three sons and four grandchildren.
I’m a musician – my Bachelor’s degree at CSUF was
in Music
I’ve known Pastor Bob since grad school, about 45 years. I used to sit behind him in Church History at
Talbot.
I’ve been teaching the Bible over 50 years as a youth pastor, assistant
pastor, and 25 of those years as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fullerton.
In 2020 I handed the church to one of my protégés, and in 2022 I stepped
away from CC Fullerton to let Caleb’s team run things without the old man
looking over their shoulder.
I’ve written a book – you can find it on Amazon.
And I’m building a website with all my study notes. I’m hoping to
eventually get all my S.O.D. classes up on the site soon.
I am so very grateful to Pastor Bob and Pastor Ryan for allowing me the opportunity
to teach this class.
About our class
I’ve had some comments from folks who weren’t sure what my class was about
based on the title “Supporting Roles” as well as one of the vague descriptions
in the bulletin and the app. Sorry for
the confusion.
I chose the title based on the category of the Oscar awards, “Best
Supporting Actor…”. Too often it’s the
starring roles in movies that get all the headlines. But those who work in the “supporting roles”
don’t always get the credit due them.
I find the same thing happens in our Bible studies.
We can focus on the big stars – like Abraham, David, and Elijah (all
classes I’ve taught).
But what about those behind the scenes? People who were involved in Biblical
history and also served God?
In church, we often put our focus on the Senior Pastor, who is often
thought of as the face of the church. After
all, he’s the fellow we spend the most time listening
to. But the work of God also needs lots
of folks in those “supporting roles”, to see God’s work done, people who might
not be in the spotlight.
I spent 25 years as a Senior Pastor.
But I also quite a few years as a Youth Pastor and an Assistant Pastor.
I’ve worked in the spotlight and I’ve worked
outside of the spotlight.
So I’ve picked out eight people in the New
Testament who aren’t often in that spotlight. You may have heard of some of
them, but you may not know very much about them.
With some there are some significant misunderstandings.
I’m hoping to show you that with some detective work and serious study, we
will learn some lessons ourselves about how God works and what our place
is in God’s work. You can find the list of people we’ll look at in the
syllabus.
We will be looking at folks like Mary Magdalene (this week), John Mark,
Luke, Mary & Martha, Timothy, Ananias of Damascus, Titus, and Aquila &
Priscilla.
Our main text will be the Scriptures dealing with each character. As a
supplement to the class, we will be reading “Second” by pastor L.E.
Romaine.
If you haven’t gotten the book yet, don’t worry. I’m not going to assign anything in the book
for a few weeks. For those of you who
have gotten the book, you know it’s not a very big book.
L.E. Romaine was pastor Chuck’s long-time assistant pastor.
We’ll talk more about Romaine as the class goes on.
Rumor was Romaine was a Marine drill sergeant. While Chuck was the guy
giving out hugs, Romaine was the guy whipping the hippies into shape. Some of
those “hippie” pastors often talked about how hard Romaine was on them. I have to admit I saw a different side to Romaine. He was quite a teddy-bear
with the right people.
I will tend to teach mostly from the New King James Bible, simply because
that’s what I’ve taught from for about twenty-five years. You can use any
version in class to mark up and make notes in. Please bring your paper Bibles
to class. I want you to mark them up.
We will be doing a little bit of memorizing in this class.
For this class we are going to memorize Mark 10:43-45, and yes, please
memorize/ the New Kings James.
As you might have seen in the email I sent out last week, I will be making
video recordings each week of our class and posting them to YouTube. If you have to miss
class for any reason, you can watch the video on YouTube, email me the answers
to the quiz, and you’ll get full credit for that class, including attendance. I
will send out an email each week on Monday that will give you a link to the
YouTube video as well as have my full notes attached.
I’ve also been working on my YouTube channel, moving all my teaching videos
to a single channel. The link will be in
my notes.
If you haven’t gotten my emails yet, check with me to make sure I’ve got
your correct email address.
When you are “in person” in our class, I would like to encourage you to be
sure to get to class on time since I will usually start right at 3pm in order to get all the material in each week. Be sure to
sign in for attendance, pick up one of the quiz sheets, and make a name badge.
Why name badges each week? I hope you get to know the names of some of the
people around you.
Mary Magdalene
Mary is a good example of what this class is going to be all about.
I bet most of you have heard her name, but you may not realize there’s more
to her than meets the eye.
There are a lot of common misunderstandings about her.
And yet, if you look closely, she is pretty significant
in what God would be doing in the days of Jesus and the early church.
As far as “misunderstandings”, she is a central figure in early Gnostic
writings. The Gnostics were an early cult, breaking off from Christianity.
Some of these Gnostic writings portray her as the “apostle to the
apostles”.
Writings such as the “Dialogue of the Savior”, the Pistis Sophia, the
Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Mary portray her as
an apostle, even considered the “apostle to the apostles”.
Supposedly in these writings Peter was envious of how much attention Jesus
gave her.
But these books were all written in the second century or later and are neither
historical nor truthful.
Another possible misunderstanding was that she was the repentant prostitute
in Luke 7, who came and wept at Jesus’ feet.
We will see that Mary had been delivered from “seven demons” by Jesus, but Pope
Gregory I gave a sermon in 591AD, claiming she was that “sinner”, and a
prostitute. The problem with Gregory’s idea is that Luke does not identify the
woman. It may be her, but it also may not be her.
(Luke 7:36–38
NKJV) —36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him
to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold,
a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at
the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to
wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head;
and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke
to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what
manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus
answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said,
“Teacher, say it.” 41 “There was a certain creditor who
had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave
them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon
answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said
to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He
turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your
house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her
tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me
no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came
in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My
feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which
are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven,
the same loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.” 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your
faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
To be fair, Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the very next passage
(Luke 8). We will look into that passage in a minute.
(Luke 8:1–3 NKJV) —1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and
village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the
twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been
healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had
come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza,
Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their
substance.
Pope Gregory also connected Mary Magdalene with Mary, the sister of Martha,
from the town of Bethany. I think that
connection is a definite error.
Our friends who have put together the TV series “The Chosen” have made Mary
Magdalene one of the major characters of the series, and I don’t blame them for
doing that.
They even started the series with Jesus delivering Mary from her demons, a
story NOT found in the Bible.
As someone who enjoys stories, I understand why they’ve done this. They’ve
used a little bit of artistic license to give you a sense of the people
involved around Jesus. But keep in mind that some of this is not from the
Bible.
In the first episode, they show Mary growing up as a young girl, the trauma
she endured, and the Bible verses her dad taught her to memorize, like this
verse:
(Isaiah 43:1 NKJV) But now, thus says the Lord,
who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have
called you by your name; You are Mine.
You will see Jesus using this verse when He sets her free.
For those attending this class in person at church, you’ll see the video.
But for those you taking the class online, you’ll need
to click on the link in the description below.
I apologize for the inconvenience, but YouTube is getting a bit particular when it comes to me using some of my favorite
video clips.
I will be doing this throughout the class for the videos that seem to
trouble YouTube.
Play Video: The Chosen 1.1 Mary’s deliverance
Her name (Mary)
The name “Mary” is maria in the Greek, which is derived from the
Hebrew name Miriam, like Moses’ sister.
Miriam comes from the Hebrew word marah,
which means “bitterness, rebellious; obstinate.
You can see how the root word is used here –
(Numbers
20:10 NKJV) And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly
together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of
this rock?”
And yes, this is also the name of Moses’ sister, Miriam. Look where her
name is first found in the Bible,
(Numbers
12:1 NKJV) Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses
because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an
Ethiopian woman.
Yes, she was “rebelling” against Moses.
Do you remember Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi? After losing her husband and her two sons,
she said,
(Ruth 1:20 NKJV) …“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara,
for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
This is the same root word in an adjectival form.
“Mary” was the most common woman’s name in first century Israel.
In the New Testament, the name is found 27 times, for several different,
distinct individuals.
It is used of:
Mary, mother of Jesus (Mat. 1:18)
(Matthew
1:18 NKJV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:
After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Mary, mother of James and Joses (Mat. 27:56)
(Matthew
27:56 NKJV) among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1)
(John 11:1 NKJV) Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of
Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary, the wife of Clopas (John 19:25)
(John 19:25 NKJV) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Mary, the mother of John Mark. (Acts 12:12)
(Acts 12:12 NKJV) So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of
Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
There was a Mary in Rome that Paul knew. (Rom. 16:6)
(Romans 16:6 NKJV) Greet Mary, who labored much for us.
A few of these references may overlap and refer to the same person, but you
will see that most of them are distinct from our Mary, Mary Magdalene
Our Mary (Magdalene) can be identified from all the other Marys by the second word associated with her: Magdalene.
This means she came from the town called Magdala.
Up until a few years ago, no one really knew where this place was.
Play Magdala map video
In 2006, excavations took place along the Sea of Galilee at a place where
the Catholic church wanted to build a retreat center near Mount Arbel. Israeli
law requires that all new buildings must have the land excavated first to make
sure there are no ancient ruins underneath.
What they found was the ancient town of Magdala, having been buried
under a mudslide 2,000 years ago.
For those of you who have been to Israel, Magdala is located near the base
of Mount Arbel, and west of Capernaum and the kibbutz at Nof
Ginosaur.
Among other things, they found a synagogue there, a synagogue dating to the
time of Jesus.
We were there in 2017, just after they opened the site to the public.
One of the most significant finds was a stone block in the synagogue that
had a seven branched menorah carved on it, a reference to the Temple in
Jerusalem.
In December 2021, a second synagogue was also uncovered in Magdala.
The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus preached specifically at Magdala, but
there are several references to Jesus preaching in all the
synagogues of Galilee:
(Matthew
4:23 NKJV) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
(Luke 4:44 NKJV) And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
(Mark 1:39 NKJV) And He was preaching in their
synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out
demons.
It’s interesting that Mark mentions that He “cast out demons”…
The term “Magdalene” is found 12 times in the New Testament, all referring
to our Mary.
I’ll put all the references in my notes.
(Matthew
27:56 NKJV) among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
(Matthew
27:61 NKJV) And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other
Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
(Matthew
28:1 NKJV) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day
of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the
tomb.
(Mark 15:40 NKJV) There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,
(Mark 15:47 NKJV) And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed
where He was laid.
(Mark 16:1 NKJV) Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
(Mark 16:9 NKJV) Now when He rose early on the first day of the week,
He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
(Luke 8:2 NKJV) and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and
infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
(Luke 24:10 NKJV) It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and
the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
(John 19:25 NKJV) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
(John 20:1 NKJV) Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the
tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been
taken away from the tomb.
(John 20:18 NKJV) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
There is one reference to her in Luke 8 (we’ll see it in a second), and all
the rest of the verses deal with Mary being at the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus.
Enough of statistics, let’s look at Mary Magdalene.
All four gospels record her witness of the resurrection.
Luke 8:1-3 The Women
(Luke 8:1–3 NKJV) —1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and
village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the
twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been
healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had
come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza,
Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their
substance.
:1 Now it came to pass,
afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing
the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,
:1 it came to pass, afterward
The language Luke uses gives us a little timeline. These aren’t randomly placed stories, but
accounts given in order.
These events took place immediately after the events of chapter 7, when
Jesus had dinner at Simon’s house, and was anointed with oil by a certain “sinner
woman”.
This is the first time chronologically in the gospels where we see Mary
Magdalene mentioned.
:1 He went through every city and village, preaching
This is Jesus’ second “tour” of the Galilee synagogues.
The first tour of Galilee took place before Jesus had called the twelve to
be His apostles when He had first begun His ministry. Luke tells us in Luke 4 (Luke
4:43-44) that Jesus was “preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
(Luke 4:43–44 NKJV)
—43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other
cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was
preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Now Jesus goes back through Galilee, and I would imagine this would again include
Magdala.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say that He was in “the synagogues” of Galilee,
and likely the one in Magdala as well.
:1 the twelve were with Him
The twelve apostles.
When we think of Jesus and His ministry in Galilee, we might think that the
only people who travelled around with Him were the “twelve”, but we’d be wrong…
:2 and certain women who
had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of
whom had come seven demons,
:2 had been healed – therapeuo – to
heal, cure, restore to health.
The verb is a “perfect” tense, meaning that the healing took place in the
past, with the results continuing on into the
present. These women weren’t healed on
this “tour” of Galilee, they had already been healed.
Luke the doctor says they were healed from two things, “evil spirits” and
“infirmities” (illnesses).
Luke is then going to list who some of these women were who were “healed”
by Jesus, including Mary Magdalene.
This word is actually used quite a few times in
relation to demonic spirits.
(Matthew 4:24 NKJV)
—24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him
all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and
those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
(Matthew 12:22
NKJV) —22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and
mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
(Matthew 17:18
NKJV) —18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child
was cured from that very hour.
(Mark 6:13 NKJV) —13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with
oil many who were sick, and healed them.
(Luke 6:18 NKJV) —18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean
spirits. And they were healed.
(Luke 7:21 NKJV) —21 And that very hour He cured many
of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
It seems that demonic spirits can have a hand in illness.
:2 Mary called Magdalene
Luke, like the other gospel writers differentiates this Mary from all the
other Marys. She is the Mary
from Magdala.
:3 out of whom had come seven demons
come out – exerchomai – pluperfect,
“out” + “to come”
The tense of “come out”, like “had been healed”, speaks of something that
has already been done and continues being completed.
Mark also wrote,
(Mark 16:9 NKJV) Now when He rose early on the first day of the week,
He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
(also another “pluperfect” tense
– “cast out”)
Jesus had performed an “exorcism”, casting seven demons out of Mary.
It could refer to seven different demons.
Some scholars think there had been seven “exorcisms” as if the first six
weren’t successful. I’m not sure about that – we never see Jesus not being
successful in casting out demons.
Others look at the number “seven” being the number of “completion”,
and the idea is that she was “completely” overwhelmed by the demonic, but when
Jesus healed her, she was “completely” delivered.
I like that idea.
Mary had been rescued by Jesus from the demons that held her captive.
We don’t have the actual account other than Luke and Mark’s mention of it.
Quiz Alert!
If you’re new to this class, be sure to write this down. It will be on the “quiz”.
Lesson
1. Keep growing
I think that sometimes a believer can experience a measure of “deliverance”
when they first come to Christ, or even a bit later.
“I used to drink” they
might say.
“I used to do drugs” they might say.
But then if you look closely, you find that this seems to
be all that Jesus has done in their life.
If we want to be useful servants for Jesus, we need to let Him keep
working in our lives. We need to let Him
work in all the areas of our lives. Let Him take care
of all “the demons” (I’m using this term very loosely).
I’m not sure we’re ever going to be perfect on this side of heaven, but as
a follower of Jesus, I need to keep letting Jesus work on me.
Here’s a video clip about what it’s like to ask God to do His full work in
me, I’m just going to play a few minutes of it.
I’ll have a link to the full 14 minute video in my
notes (some of you may want to watch it)
Video: Skit Guys – God’s Chisel Remastered clip (first three minutes)
Here’s the original full length
video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCkBL2DfVg
I know that God can use just about anyone.
Paul says that God uses the “foolish” things (1Cor. 1:27-29) to shame the
wise so that He will get the glory and attention.
(1
Corinthians 1:27 NKJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame
the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty;
But that’s no excuse for us to get “stuck” in some of our bad habits, or
sinful ways and stop growing. We want to
be “more useful” to our Master.
How deep do you want to go?
One of the many ways God chisels away at us is through our trials, our
difficulties.
(James 1:2–4 NKJV)
—2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Trials produce patience. Patience helps us to be “perfect
and complete”, or, “grown up”.
Instead of whining and saying “why me” when you go through
a difficult time, what if God were trying to mold you, mature you, and make you
more useful?
Mary was someone who had that “mature” walk with God. All
seven demons.
Paul will write to Timothy about being a “useful” servant of the Lord.
(2 Timothy 2:20–21
NKJV) —20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver,
but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a
vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good
work.
The word “useful” (euchrestos)
speaks of “being helpful, beneficial, or useful”.
Is that what you want to be to the Lord? Then keep working
at “cleansing” yourself from dishonorable things and you will see God making
you “more useful”.
Don’t stop growing. Aim for that
“full work” of God in your life.
Some of the other gals that had been healed and were following Jesus were …
:3 and Joanna the wife of
Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others
who provided for Him from their substance.
:3 Joanna
A few years ago I came across a reference from Ray
Vander Laan. He talked about some of the
ancient historical authors (Josephus, Strabo) that gave insight into the ancient
industry Chuza may have overseen for Herod.
In the area of Jericho there were two groves of Balsam trees, which
produced a substance that was supposed to be something like a first century
Viagra (it really wasn’t). Herod had a
monopoly on this stuff and it was highly sought after
in the ancient world.
Mr. Vander Laan suggested that it was kind of ironic that one of Jesus’
supporters (Joanna) may have gotten her family wealth from this ancient
product. She chose to spend her money on Jesus.
I tried to track down the references but couldn’t make a complete
reckoning.
Joanna will show up once more in Scripture as one of the women who had gone
to the empty tomb (Luke 24:10)
(Luke 24:10 NKJV) It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and
the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
:3 Susanna
This is the only reference we have of Susanna.
It has been suggested she may have cried a lot and had a friend with a
banjo on his knee… (“O Susanna, don’t you cry for me…”)
:3 who provided for Him from their substance
provided for – diakoneo – to be a
servant, to serve, wait upon
substance – uparchonta – possessions, goods, wealth, property
Quiz Alert!
Lesson
2. Saved to serve
These women, just like the men, have been touched and transformed by Jesus.
He has changed their lives.
They have decided to now serve Jesus.
It’s the same for us, beloved.
When Jesus has changed your life, you ought to find out how you can serve
Him.
These women not only “served” Jesus with their actions, but they “served”
with their “substance”, in learning to give financially to the work that was
being done.
We believe as a church that a mark of maturity in the believer is measured
by how you and I are learning to serve Jesus.
It might be in how you relate to your family.
Choosing to serve and meet their needs, even when they
gripe or complain.
It might be doing something in your neighborhood.
Helping an elderly neighbor.
It might be in how you relate to others at work.
Choosing to serve your fellow employees as a way of
showing the love of Jesus to them.
It might be doing something at church.
Being a part of the prayer team on Sunday mornings.
It might be in helping in the Children’s Ministry.
It may be helping support the church financially.
The verses we will be working on throughout this class are:
(Mark 10:43–45
NKJV) —43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become
great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever
of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
The words for “servant” are the same word (diakonos)
used in our text.
The measure of your maturity, your “greatness”, is measured by how you
serve others.
Where and how are you serving?
:1-2 And the twelve were with Him, and certain women…
We won’t take the time in class, but if you glance at your Bibles at the
rest of the chapter in Luke, you will see some pretty
important passages, some pretty important
teachings of Jesus.
And the twelve, along with these women were there when Jesus did these
things.
There’s no reason to think that these women didn’t accompany Jesus from
this time forward. We will see that they
were there at the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
The Resurrection
All four gospels record Mary being a part of the events of Jesus’ death and
resurrection.
Matthew records that those same women who had been “serving” Jesus in
Galilee were also there at his death on the cross. In contrast, the only disciple who was
there at the crucifixion was John.
(Matthew 27:54–56
NKJV) —54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus,
saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly,
saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 And many women who followed Jesus
from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and
Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Matthew and Mark record that Mary Magdalene was there when they put Jesus
in a tomb, that the women knew where He was buried on Friday.
(Matthew
27:61 NKJV) And Mary Magdalene was there, and the
other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
Mark tells us that early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on
Sunday morning with some of the other women …
(Mark 16:1 NKJV) Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint
Him.
When the women discovered that the tomb was empty, they ran and told the
disciples that someone had taken the body. Peter and John ran to the tomb and also found it empty. They left and went home.
Mary had also gone back to the tomb, but she stayed.
She would be the first to see the risen Christ.
John 20:11-18 The Witness
:11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped
down and looked into the tomb.
:11 stooped down and looked – parakupto – to stoop to a thing in order to look at
it; to look into with the body bent; to look carefully
into, inspect curiously
:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other
at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
:12 two angels
Luke describes them this way:
(Luke 24:4 NKJV) And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that
behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
:12 one at the head and the other at the feet
Warren Wiersbe suggests this might be a hint at
an Old Testament picture found in the design of the Ark of the Covenant.
(Exodus 25:17–19
NKJV) —17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall
be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you
shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the
two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the
other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of
it of one piece with the mercy seat.
The mercy seat was the solid gold lid to the Ark of the Covenant. It had two angelic beings molded onto the
lid.
The mercy seat and the Ark were to be a picture of God’s throne in heaven.
It was called the “mercy seat” because it was there that blood was
sprinkled once a year to cover the sins of the nation.
It was called a “mercy seat” because it was there that man could find
communion with God.
It’s almost as if Mary is seeing a different view of the mercy seat – the
death of Jesus making God’s mercy available to mankind.
The writer of Hebrews says:
(Hebrews
4:16 NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus shed His blood so that you could come to God.
:13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them,
“Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid
Him.”
At this point Mary doesn’t realize yet that Jesus has risen from the
dead. She is thinking that someone has
taken Jesus’ body away.
:14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
:14 she turned around and saw Jesus
Quiz Alert!
Lesson
3. Faithful Women
John tells us that he was the first to “believe” after he saw the empty
tomb and the two piles of graveclothes (John 20:8).
But it was Mary that actually saw Him because John
left the tomb still scratching his head.
Lee Strobel in his book “Case for Christ” points out that if you were to
make up a story like the resurrection, you certainly wouldn’t choose a woman to
be the first one to see Him risen. And
you certainly wouldn’t choose a woman who had a past like Mary’s, someone who
had once been demon possessed.
But Jesus chose to appear to Mary first, before anyone else.
The fact that she will be the first one to be a witness to His resurrection
points to the fact that it must have been true.
Who would cook up a story like that?
No first century male Jewish author would come up with such a story.
Jesus appeared first to a woman.
She had been at the cross when He died.
She had been there when He was buried.
She was with the group that went to the tomb first on Sunday morning.
She stuck around just a little longer than the fellows did.
She hung around to “stoop and look” into the tomb
a little further.
Does that say something about perseverance? About faithfulness?
Jesus talked about the importance of perseverance in prayer,
(Luke
11:9–10 NKJV) —9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will
be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him
who knocks it will be opened.
The words “ask, seek, knock” are all in the present tense,
“keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking”.
In the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection, who fits
the description of the person who is asking, seeking, and knocking?
Peter? No. John? No.
Mary. A woman.
Who does Jesus appear to first? A
woman.
I hate to admit it, but sometimes the women are just a tad more spiritual
than us guys. Just a little.
:14 did not know
know– eido – to see; to know; understand, perceive
Whether she didn’t recognize Him at first because she couldn’t see through
her tears, or whether Jesus was choosing to “hide” His face from her for a few
minutes, she didn’t recognize Him at first.
It’s possible that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus because she didn’t expect to
see Him.
It’s possible that she couldn’t see clearly through her tears.
It’s also possible that Jesus was “disguising” Himself for a few minutes.
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus will walk and talk for a couple of miles with
some of the disciples and they won’t recognize Him until He breaks bread with
them (Luke 24).
:15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried
Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
:15 the gardener – kepouros – a
keeper of a garden, a gardener
John records that the tomb Jesus was buried in was in a “garden” (Grk: kepos). (John 19:41)
(John 19:41 NKJV) Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in
the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
Some have suggested it might have even been a “vineyard”.
So Mary jumps to the conclusion that this mysterious
fellow before her must be the guy who tends the garden.
In college I was in a band called “Silent Gardner” (no spell check in 1977),
based on this passage.
:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!”
(which is to say, Teacher).
:16 Rabboni – rhabboni – this is actually
Hebrew, meaning “master, prince, great one”
The “i” at the end makes it possessive, literally
“My Master”, “My Prince”, or “My great one”
But notice that it’s not until He calls her by name that she recognizes
Him.
I’m going to play another video in class that will hit the copyright wall.
If you are watching online, you will need to find the link below to “The Gospel
of John: Jesus appears to Mary”
Play “Gospel of John: Jesus appears to Mary” clip
Quiz Alert!
Lesson
4. He knows my name
He called her “Mary”.
In talking about the Good Shepherd, Jesus said,
(John 10:3–4 NKJV)
—3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he
brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when I have a really hard time
thinking that God knows who I am.
I have to confess that for years one of my life’s secret
ambitions was to have somebody important like Chuck Smith know who I was.
I remember talking to Chuck once at a pastors’ conference
and as I reintroduced myself to him so I could ask him a question, he said, “I
know who you are…” But I have to admit I was
skeptical.
I have since come to find that I have someone even more important than
Chuck who knows my name.
God knows my name. Forgive me for
sharing this story again …
Illustration
A few years ago I was in my
office. At the time I was struggling with some of the difficult things that
were going on in the church. My secretary, Laurie, told me I had a phone
message, and it was some guy named Chris from Boynton Beach in Florida. A guy
I’ve never met. He said he had been praying and that my name came to his mind,
and that God wanted him to be praying for me. He didn’t ask me for anything. He
didn’t ask me to vote for anything. He didn’t try to sell me something. He just
told me that God wanted him to be praying for me. I can’t tell you how much
that hit me to think that God cared enough about me to put my name on some
stranger’s heart. What blew me away was the thought that God knew my name.
I think I’ve come to find that this pitiful longing inside of me to be
“known” by somebody important is a longing in my heart to be known by the most
important, powerful, all wise, all loving person in the Universe.
He’s even written my name on His hands.
Here’s a promise to Zion (Jerusalem), but I wonder if there isn’t a sense
in which it applies to us:
(Isaiah
49:15–16 NKJV) —15 “Can a woman forget her nursing
child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may
forget, Yet I will
not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are
continually before Me.
It goes further than this – when I realize that He knows me, I need to
respond and follow Him. I need to
respond with “Rabboni”, “You are My Teacher” or “You are MY Great One”.
:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to
My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father
and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
:17 Do not cling to Me
It might sound as if Jesus has a problem with someone “touching” Him, but
that’s not what’s happening.
It’s simply that He still has places to go, and people to see.
He’s even going to ascend into heaven.
She’s going to have to let go.
:17 do not cling – haptomai – to fasten one’s self to,
adhere to, cling to; to touch
This is a word often associated with Jesus and healing. The woman with the flow of blood “touched”
the hem of His garment and was healed (Mat. 9:20). Jesus “touched” the blind (Mr. 8:22), the
dumb (Mr. 7:33), the leper (Mr. 1:41) and they were healed.
But in each of these instances the word is an “aorist” tense, meaning a
brief touch at a point in time.
Here the word is a “present” tense, meaning continuous action.
Jesus isn’t asking Mary not to “touch” Him, but not to “cling” to Him. NIV
– “hold on to”.
:17 I am ascending
Jesus had told the disciples on Thursday night:
(John 16:7 NKJV) Nevertheless
I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not
go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to
you.
It is after Jesus ascends to heaven that God will send the Holy Spirit to
help the church.
It would be good to be able to have Jesus around and hold on to. Maybe we could all take turns and hold His
hand for a second or two.
But God wants for all of us to experience His power in our lives.
That comes through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is asking Mary to let go of Him so He can finish His
earthly mission, go back to heaven, and have the Father send the Holy Spirit
for ALL of us.
:17 to My God and your God
It’s not just “My God”, but “My God and your God”.
Jesus died to make the way open to God for us.
:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord,
and that He had spoken these things to her.
:18 told the disciples
This is probably where some goofball gnostic came up with the idea that she
was the “apostle to the apostles”.
She was “sent” by Jesus to tell the apostles. But that doesn’t mean that
she was greater or ruled over them.
Luke records how the disciples reacted the first time Mary and the other
ladies said the tomb was empty:
(Luke 24:11 NKJV) And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did
not believe them.
The word translated “idle tales” (leros)
means “that which is totally devoid of anything worthwhile, idle talk,
nonsense, “humbug”.
Mark records how the disciples responded after she came back the second
time:
(Mark 16:11 NKJV) And when
they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
Quiz Alert!
Lesson
5. Even the best have doubts
Not to excuse their unbelief, but even the twelve disciples initially had
trouble believing that Jesus had risen from the dead.
You may have questions too.
Questions are okay.
But look at the proof.
If you’re going to ask questions, you have to
understand that with questions about God, there actually ARE answers.
I still think one of the best books about the historicity of the
resurrection is Josh McDowell’s “Evidence that Demands a Verdict”.
I think every believer should have a copy.
Quiz Alert!
Lesson
6. It’s time to believe
And at some point, you need to believe.
You need to start trusting God.
Faith is the “currency” of heaven.
(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He
is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith is what makes the transaction of forgiveness and eternal life take
place in your life. When you choose to trust God, He forgives you and gives you
eternal life.
John wrote toward the end of his gospel,
(John 20:31 NKJV) but these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may
have life in His name.
Jesus Himself said,
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.
Is today the day that you start to trust your life to Jesus?
Let today be the day that you say to Jesus, “I need You. I
choose to believe you died for me. I need you in my life.”
Quiz
From the lecture (10pts):
1. Keep growing
2. Saved to serve
3. Faithful Women
4. He knows my name
5. Even the best have doubts
6. It’s time to believe
Homework
Next week we will be looking at a fellow known as “John Mark”
Assignment:
Read: Acts 12:1 – 13:13; 15:36-41
Memorize:
(Mark 10:43 NKJV) Yet it shall
not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be
your servant.
Prayer/Blessing