Mary Magdalene was a prominent figure in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. She is mentioned several times in the Gospels as a devoted follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion and burial. She is also believed to have been the first witness to his resurrection. Mary was a woman of strong faith and her loyalty to Jesus was unwavering. She was one of the few female disciples of Jesus and played an important role in the early Christian church.
Mary was a Jewish woman from the fishing town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Her name is mentioned 12 times in the Gospels, more than most of the apostles. The unchallenged facts about her life establish that Jesus cleansed her of seven demons (Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9), probably implying that he cured her of a severe physical disorder rather than freeing her from evil spirits.Though not many details are recorded about this event, her name is among the few mentioned in the recordings of Jesus’ healings.
Origen and other early interpreters viewed her as distinct from the mystical Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3–7), and from the penitent woman whose sins Jesus pardoned for anointing him in a like fashion (Luke 7:37–48). Modern scholars also feel that the three women are distinct.
It may be that “Mary the Magdalene” was connected with the industry of the town, for it would seem as if she was not without means. She was one of the women who accompanied and aided Jesus in Galilee (Luke 8:1–2)
"The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."
All four Gospel accounts record the presence of women at the foot of the cross. Mark 15:40 records Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James, and Salome. Matthew 27:55-56 Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Luke mentions the group but does not identify them. John lists Mary, mother of Jesus, her sister Mary, wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. In John 19:25–26 it is said that she stood by the cross, near the Virgin Mary and the unidentified Apostle whom Jesus loved. Having seen where Jesus was buried (Mark 15:47), she went with two other women on Easter morning to the tomb to anoint the corpse. Finding the tomb empty, Mary ran to the disciples and returned with Peter, who was astonished and left her. After this, Christ appeared to Mary and instructed her to tell the Apostles that he was risen, (John 20:17).
Many of the disciples and Apostles lived lives of evangelism, with a number becoming martyrs for the early establishment of Christianity. Mary Magdalene's powerful witness of Jesus Christ was an undoubted help in the strengthening of faith for others. There are some who claim she married the apostle John, and others that she accompanied him to Ephesus, but these claims are without biblical support.
While we cannot know her ultimate earthly end, we can, through her eyes, learn more about who Jesus was. He found her in her darkest place and healed her miraculously. She subsequently supported his ministry with all she had to give. To the bitter end, she gave her life to follow Him and care for Him.
