Friends
Do you have questions for which there is no documented answer? I do, and one of them is, “What happened to Mary Magdalene?”
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“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
John 19:25 – NIV
Have you ever wondered what happened to Mary Magdalene? What did she do after Jesus” resurrection? Where did she go? Did she just fade away, never to be seen again?
Was Mary Magdalene the kind of woman who would closet herself somewhere, simply keeping quiet, pondering the stories of Jesus solely in her heart? I cannot imagine that to be the case. A woman, so touched by Jesus, a woman released from seven demons by the hand of Jesus, a woman who walked and talked with Jesus, surely that woman couldn’t keep quiet about her Lord and Savior.
We know lots of snippets about Mary Magdalene. She was definitely a supporting character in John 19. We know Mary Magdalene was present at the cross. We know that she followed Joseph of Arimathea as he carried Jesus’ body away. We know Mary saw Joseph lay Jesus in the tomb. She watched as he rolled the heavy stone in front of the entrance.
Mary is the main character in John 20. Mary Magdalene was the woman who rose early on that Sunday morning and made her way to the tomb, prepared to anoint Her Jesus for burial, and instead, found Him alive. Mary is the woman in John 20 who races to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).
Although much is written about Jesus’ disciples after the resurrection, there is no mention of Mary Magdalene in the Book of Acts. Yet, she is the first person to see Jesus in His resurrected form. She mattered so much to Jesus that He chose to show up first to her. In my humble opinion, that kind of honor, that kind of trust, that kind of life-changing experience could not be kept silent. Still, in all of Paul’s letters, in the writings of Peter, James, and John, there is nothing about Mary.
The remainder of the New Testament leaves us hanging, our questions unanswered. What happened to Mary? Did she just fade away?
I don’t think so. She may not have written inspiring, thought-provoking letters that were passed down through the generations. She may not have addressed hundreds of people in the marketplace or baptized would-be followers in the name of Jesus, but I’m quite sure Mary told the story the rest of her life.
As she sat with the women by the river, her hands dipped in the chilly water, scrubbing the piles of clothes stacked beside her, Mary must have told the story. As she sat, needle in hand, mending the torn and frayed garments, Mary stared into the eyes of the other women gathered around the sewing circle, and she told the story. When gray streaked her long,dark hair and age spots covered her work-worn hands, she no doubt gathered the young boys and girls to her side, and with the firelight dancing in her clear,sparkling eyes, she told them story after story of her risen Lord and Savior.
I’m quite certain she told the story. I know it in my bones. Why? Because a woman so touched by Jesus couldn’t keep silent. A woman who has seen the hand of Jesus at work in her life couldn’t help but tell the story. Mary Magdalene had walked and talked with Jesus, and there’s no way she could have kept that story hidden.
Since the publication of my personal memoir two years ago, I have been asked to speak to various church and community groups. I have been asked to tell my story. I have been asked to share my testimony of How God has worked all things together for good, even the hard things. What a privilege it has been to tell of the ways that Jesus has touched my life. I know deep in my bones that I could never have survived the hardships of this journey through blindness without the hand of my Savior walking with me. I know I could not have risen from my bed covers, climbed out of that awful pit of despair, without the hand of God pulling me toward the light. Whether it’s to a room full of people, or simply my best girlfriend as we walk the street together, I cannot help but tell the story.
Yes, Mary Magdalene had to tell the story. I don’t believe for a minute that she could keep mute. Her storytelling is not documented for us, but I believe her words were written on the hearts of all those she came to know. I believe they went to their graves hearing her speak of the Jesus that saved her, of the Jesus that loved her, of the Jesus that came for each and everyone of us, so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Yes, Mary must have told the story.
Friends, is there a story on your heart? Is there a story written there that needs to be shared? You may not address a room full of people. You may not have anyone transcribe your thoughts for posterity’s sake, but I know there’s someone out there that needs to hear your story. Perhaps it’s your son or daughter or granddaughter. Maybe it’s your neighbor who just lost her spouse. Perhaps it’s a friend lying on a hospital bed. Don’t keep silent. Tell your story. No one may write it down. No one may tell it again, but the person who hears it will receive it into their heart, and it will change them. It will fortify them. It will fuel their faith. And that, my friends, is a story worth telling!
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I love to tell the story, twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old,old story, of Jesus and His love.”*
-from the Hymn, “I Love To Tell The Story”
PRAYER
O Lord Jesus, what a story You have written on each of our lives. May we know it, and remember it, and tell it. Let it be our theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
In Your powerful Name, we pray,
Amen
Easter Blessings,
Anita
*Poem by Katherine Hanky, Melody by William G. Fisher, 1866
.-APS 4/15/2024
Faith Beyond Sight 