✞ Mary Magdalene — The First Witness ✞

 

✞ Mary Magdalene — The First Witness ✞

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There has always been a woman in the quiet center of the gospel whose real story has been buried under centuries of misunderstanding.

Her name is Mary Magdalene.

Not a warning.

Not a rumor.

Not a cautionary tale wrapped in shame.

She was a disciple.

A healed woman.

A devoted follower.

And the very first person to see the risen Christ.

Her story is close to my heart — not as history, but as kinship. Because I know what it is to be misunderstood, mislabeled, quietly erased, and spoken about as if my soul were public property. I know what it is to be wounded by the very places that were supposed to be safe. And I know what it is to feel closest to Jesus not in crowds — but in quiet spaces where He speaks my name gently, without accusation.

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Her Healing Came First

The Bible introduces Mary Magdalene not by her past — but by her restoration.

“Soon afterward Jesus went on through towns and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out…” — Luke 8:1–2

In Hebrew understanding, the number seven meant completeness.

Her suffering had overtaken her whole life.

Whatever had touched her — spiritually, emotionally, mentally — it had been total.

And Jesus did not hesitate.

He did not shame her.

He did not question her worth.

He healed her.

And He did not send her away afterward.

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She Walked With Him

Mary did not vanish after her healing.

“…and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” — Luke 8:3

Mary traveled with Jesus.

She learned from Him.

She helped support His ministry.

She was not a background figure.

She was present.

She was trusted.

She was included.

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She Stayed at the Cross

When the world grew loud and dangerous, Mary did not disappear.

“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene…” — Matthew 27:55–56

“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene…” — Mark 15:40

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” — John 19:25

She stood where others fled.

She stayed when safety vanished.

I think about that often — because I know what it is to stay soft in a world that has been unkind, to keep believing when being visible has cost so much.

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She Went to the Tomb

Mary went to the tomb before sunrise.

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark…” — John 20:1

She wasn’t expecting a miracle.

She was expecting to grieve.

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He Spoke Her Name

And then, in the garden, the world changed again.

“She turned herself and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).” — John 20:16

Because first, He said:

“Mary.”

Not a sermon.

Not a correction.

Her name.

And she knew Him.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me… but go to My brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.”’” — John 20:17

“Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord.’” — John 20:18

She became the very first witness of the Resurrection.

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She Was Rewritten — But God Never Forgot Her

Mary Magdalene was later rewritten into something Scripture never made her.

She was merged.

She was sexualized.

She was softened into shame.

But God never changed His record.

He remembers her as:

The woman He healed.

The disciple who stayed.

The witness He trusted.

And her story comforts me deeply — because when the world misunderstands me, when voices rise against my name, when even churches turn away, I remember:

Jesus still knows my name.

He still speaks it gently.

He still trusts wounded people with holy truth.

Mary Magdalene is not a story of shame.

She is a story of being seen.

And being trusted.

And being remembered — exactly as you are.