Introduction

Mary Magdalene is one of the more popular women of the Bible, especially of the New Testament. However, she is often miscast as a reformed prostitute, with even the reformed part getting left out sometimes. She is introduced in Luke 8:2 with other women who supported Messiah's ministry as the woman who was exorcised of 7 demons. We aren't told anything about these demons, so while it is possible one led her to sexual sins, but the Bible does not say she was a prostitute.

Genealogy & Etymology

Magdalene is not a surname, but many scholars think it links her to a particular city (e.g., Mary, of Magdalene). There was a town called Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.[1] The ruins of this town are near the modern city of Migdal.[3] Regardless, I believe it is safe to assume Mary was an Israelite, likely from the Tribe of Judah or the Tribe of Levi. No information is given about her family.

The name Mary is very popular in the Bible, though the Hebrew version the name is Miriam and the Greek is Maria. The meaning of the name is "their rebellion." This meaning is quite the opposite of what one would expect for any of the women named Mary in the Bible, but it seems the most appropiate for Mary Magdalene. First she rebelled against God (to end up with 7 demons), and then she rebelled against the demons in being healed by Messiah.

Questions

About the Passage

1. What kind of demons were Mary healed from?
2. Was it acceptable that she traveled with the disciples and Messiah?
3. how was one of the women in the group a wife? Did her husband travel too?
4. Where did she get her own money from?
   • Was she a business woman
   • Was it an inheritance?
   • Did they also fund the early church?
5. Why did He choose to reveal Himself to Mary first after the resurrection?
   • Was it just because she stayed behind?
6. Was she secretly married to Messiah as some suggest?
7. Why do people think she was married to Messiah?
8. Is Magdalene a place, tribe or person?
9. Is her being mentioned by name a reflection of her work or relationship with the gospel writers?
10. What exactly was her role?
11. Did she have family (parents, spouse, siblings, etc.)?
    • Did they believe as well?
    • Did they distrust her due to her past?
    • Did they see her the way we see drug addicts today?
12. Was she scared at the cross?
13. Did she cry or scream?
14. Did she know He would die, or did she believe He would restore Jerusalem (like the disciples did)?
15. Why was she surprised He wasn't there when they got to the tomb?
16. Was she close to the other women?
17. Did people doubt her account because she was a woman?
18. How old was she?
19. How long did she strive with the demons?
20. Did all the demons come at once? Or was it a little by little thing?
21. Did she dedicate her entire life to the church?
22. Did she get married and have kids?
23. Did Rome pursue and persecute her like the other disciples?

If I could meet her

Many believers today see Mary Magdalene as such a small part of the gospel, and often use her to amplify the idea that "Jesus hung with the worst of them," but who was she really?

• What was it like to be a female disciple?
• What did she do?
• What did she learn?
• How differently (if at all) was she treated compared to the 12 or the other men who followed Messiah?
• What was her relationship with the other followers (and the Messiah) like?
• Messiah made provisions for His mother at the cross, but what about the female disciples?
• Luke 8 alludes to Mary Magdalene having her own money, where did it come from?
  • Did she inherit money?
  • Was it from the time when she was possessed?
  • Why weren't the women told to give away their money?

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[2] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three pormpts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying Mary Magdalene.

Can you find the answers to your questions in other texts?

I don't think so; I actually think that's why there is so much intrigue and mystery surrounding Mary Magdalene. All we know is that she was a dedicated follower. So much is left out of her story that people begin to speculate and fill in the gaps for themselves. However, the Bible doesn't give us many details about her life and this must be because they weren't crucial to what we're supposed to get from her story.

How does the text relate to peace?

Mary Magdalene found peace when Messiah expelled the demons from her. This peace is likely what made her such a strong believer! Can you imagine, one minute being possessed by demons and not in control of yourself then suddenly finding the peace and autotonomy you've been looking for in one person? It makes sense that she would trust and follow Messiah after He healed her. We, too, must seek Him to find peace.

Connect the text with a prophecy from the Bible.

This is not exactly a prophecy, but we often talk about "types" of Christ. These are people whose lives parallel and point to the life of the Messiah. The best examples are Moses and David. Both of these men maintain relationships (not necessarily romantic) with strong women. Moses has Miriam (sister) and Zipporah (wife) in his life, while David has Michal and Abigail (both wives). These women are predecessors of Mary Magdalene—she may ahve even looked up to these women.

Journal Pages

Journal pages for Mary Magdalene (April 9-15, 2025)

References & Footnotes

1. "Magdala". Magdala; visited April 2025
2. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck
3. Migdal, Israel". Wikipedia; visited April 2025
4. Strongs G3137. Μαρία". Blue Letter Bible; visited April 2025