As a little girl, bad dreams always drove me to make a beeline for my parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night. I’d wiggle my tiny body in between my mom and dad, and only then would my racing pulse steady. As I listened to the rhythms of my parents’ breathing or saw the silhouettes of their faces in the moonlight, the memories of my nightmare would begin to fade. They didn’t even have to wake up for me to feel comforted. It was their presence that made the difference.
Mary Magdalene was a woman who sought the presence of Jesus. When Jesus traveled from town to town delivering the good news, Mary traveled with Him. As Jesus hung on the cross, Mary stood nearby. After His death, while His disciples scattered and hid, Mary stayed close to her Savior. She watched as Christ’s body was placed in a borrowed tomb.
Though Mary’s conversion is mysterious, we know she knew the sorrows that result from a life lived far from God. And if the nightmares of that previous life came howling, I imagine she found comfort in the nearness of her Savior, even after His death.
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early,
while it was still dark.
—John 20:1
I wonder what Mary experienced immediately after Jesus’s death. Perhaps she tried to sleep but couldn’t. Perhaps images of her bruised and bloodied Healer rushed to the surface every time she closed her eyes. Maybe she’d spent the moonlit hours pacing, trying to shake the hopelessness that wanted to settle into the deepest crevices of her heart. Did she allow herself to think about life without Him and sigh, distraught?
Before the sun even dared to rise, Mary joined Salome and Mary, the mother of James, to anoint Christ’s body with spices (Mark 16:1). She wasn’t in denial about His death; she’d seen His lifeless body tucked into the dark tomb. But she felt compelled to join the other women in this act of care, and so she went to Him again, all the while wondering who would roll away the stone blocking them from His body. When she arrived, what she found was an empty tomb—and there, she met her risen Savior, before turning on her heel and running away to declare to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).
How does a demon-possessed woman become the first proclaimer of the resurrection? She had been with Jesus. What was true of Mary is true for each of us: We all need the presence of Jesus. In His presence is peace and abundant joy (Psalm 16:11). May we seek and pursue Him as relentlessly as Mary did, confident His nearness will provide the comfort we crave.
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109 thoughts on "Mary Magdalene"
Thats what I pray to experience… a faith like Mart Magdalene… where i relentlessly pursue the Him.
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Love this !! Mary loved the Great Sheppard! ❤️
His nearness brings me peace every single day. I know His presence does that for many. May we all be more like Mary and seek Jesus in the early hours of the morning or in the late hours of the evening
That account ALWAYS gives me goosebumps and makes me cry… even though I KNOW what is coming! I can’t imagine being Mary at that moment (or any other moment)!
Such a beautiful insight. Thank you.
When Jesus said “Mary.” I can’t help but recite John 10:27…. ”My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;“
Such a beautiful insight. Thank you.
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I feel so thankful for all of you who are praying for Amanda. This is really hard for me, and it brings comfort and hope to know that so many wonderful prayer warriors are lifting her in prayer.
Just a note on today’s lesson, I had a great grandmother who was named Mary Magdalene. And that’s what everyone called her.
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Praying for Amanda and keeping her in my prayers.
Thank you, Jane ❤️
Grace upon Grace, dear Tina.
Have heart, dear ones.
No matter the demons.
No matter the distance.
No matter the distress.
No matter, no matter…
Draw close.
Be constant.
Find comfort.
He is Christ, the Conqueror!
My JESUS is my FIRST love. My one and ONLY! I love Him and He loves me! That’s all I need. HE was with me during the hardest times of my life and continues when having to face unpleasant moments, HE goes with me and when it gets too hard, He carries me. NOW that’s my (our) JESUS!
“We all need the presence of Jesus”❣️
I came across a devotional this morning that mentioned v.17 from this passage. I am including previous verses because to me they apply. Prior to the empty tomb, Mary (and the others) had known Jesus in human form. From this moment forward, they will know Him in a completely different way! I never paid much attention to v. 16, just focused on the ‘new creation’ of v. 17. I am so glad I read these verses in connection to today’s reading here!
The verses below helped me understand that Christ’s love controlled Mary. She had died to her old life. She was going to follow Jesus – no turning back! She didn’t fear the darkness or the soldiers she would have been expecting to see guarding the tomb. Christ’s love for her and her love for Him propelled her to the tomb that morning.
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2 Corinthians 5:14 … Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.
15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
Thank you, I copied that down for next weeks lesson…it will be great for my follow up after the woman at the well..now what! They are in such a hard environment!
Reply below; I tapped the wrong thing! lol
There you go again, Detective CEE GEE
Thank you for another great share. ❤️
You make me smile, SEARCHING! :) I am pretty sure God directed me to that video. ;) I gave up searching for a song after watching that devo. I didn’t even know that Shane and Shane have a daily devo until that popped up.
Thank you, Rhonda! Those ladies are blessed to have such devoted ‘ministers’ leading them!
Today’s reading was so beautiful. I have to admit, The Chosen gives us a tiny glimpse of what life may have been like for the 12 and Mary Magdalene and Salome. It helps my “imagination”,for lack of a better word, to see how some of the women(and men) who are a little more mysterious, due to less about them in scripture, were or felt.
I agree, watching The Chosen has really brought his love for us all to life!
agree too! I love the series. Some will argue, but it is doing a lot for revealing the gospel to many and for me!
I love the part where Jesus speaks Mary’s name. I imagine how lovingly and tenderly He spoke her name. I imagine Him speaking my name. It reminds me of John 10 where the good shepherd knows his sheep by name and his sheep know him. Mary recognizes Him the moment He speaks her name.
It has been a long journey with my back pain and many appointments. I will be having surgery on August 7. I have two vertebrae that are tilted forward and rubbing each other right where the nerves exit the spine. They will insert a wedge and will fuse my spine. Not looking forward to it and I do covet your prayers. It does sound like it is the only thing that could bring a promise of relief. My surgeon is a believer and I told him that He and God are my last hope. Thank you so much for your prayers.
ELAINE, I will be praying with you for successful surgery and recovery! Thankful your surgeon is a believer!!! ❤
Thank you!❤️
I will be praying that the surgery is successful and you will get relief!
Thank you!❤️
Me too, Elaine. I’ve been where you are and am so grateful for the skill of my surgeon. Glory to God. I just prayed for his steady hands and skillful ability to correct a pain inducing problem. Lord please keep her surgeon health, alert and wise and allow our fellow She to have relief to move forward for your glory alone, not man, In Jesus’s Name.
Thank you!❤️
Oh I think that will be amazing to have a fix! It’s good that it was identify and now your pain will be gone, I pray for that dear Elaine!!
Thank you!❤️
Praying, Elaine.❤️ I have my calendar marked
Thank you!❤️
Praying, Elaine for your upcoming surgery and relief from pain.
Praying for healing for your back and the upcoming surgery!
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Even today preparing a body for burial is a very special mitzvah
( good deed) in Judaism.
There is a special committee called the Chevarah Kadisha for washing and dressing the body to appear for G-d. The body is cleansed and prayers are recited. There is also the shemirah (” watching” ” guarding”) of the body.
Considered a special mitzvah, because this is something you are doing for someone who will never be to return the favor.
Men are buried in their tallit (prayer shawl) and women if they wore one.The fringes of the tallit are cut to show it will no longer be used.
Take aways: Mary Magdaline was seeking Jesus. Jesus asked, “Who is it that you are seeking?”
He called her name! In my sacred imagination I try to imagine this moment. I imagine Jesus saying my name.
Jesus said,” But go to my brother’s and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdaline went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord!”
I really hate it when I hear people bash female ministers. The fidelity of these women was amazing. It had been predicted the men would scatter like sheep.
“The fidelity of these women was amazing. It had been predicted the men would scatter like sheep.”
Yes, Tanya.
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Love your insights so much.
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I have always loved this telling of a beautiful tender moment when Jesus simply says “Mary” after her inquiring (to a supposed gardener) about where Jesus body has gone.
I imagine her eyes opened wide as she recognized him as he softly spoke her name. So much love and tenderness present.
Yes, Cindy.
Softly. Tenderly. Lovingly.
Bless the New Testament believers! There was no precedent to follow; they had no Bible to give them comfort and hope. What terror and despair Mary must have felt, watching her Savior be tortured, killed, and placed in a tomb…all the while wondering how long it would be before the demons returned. Jesus could have appeared while Peter and John were still there, but He didn’t. What tender kindness He showed to a devastated woman. People say that the Bible hates women. Oh, no. The culture of biblical times might have done so, but our Jesus showed (shows!) such extraordinary love to women!
Yes, my husband always says that God holds women in high esteem because he chose a woman to bear His son.
Many of us have felt broken, lost, or defined by our past. But like Mary, we are not beyond the reach of God’s grace. Her story reminds us that Jesus meets us in our mess, heals us, and gives us a new identity. Mary responded to this grace with passionate devotion—following Jesus not only when it was easy, but when it was painful and uncertain.
Mary’s story invites us to cling to Jesus in our darkest moments and to carry His message with boldness and joy. Just as she ran from the empty tomb to tell others, we too are called to share the good news that Jesus is alive.
Amen! So true Ashley!
Yes, Ashley
Meeting us in the mess. During the darkest days.
Lord will you help me to run to you even in the darkness. To seek you before anything else.
May it be so within me too, Jay.
Amen, Jay. That needs to be my prayers, too.
GM
I feel there is a lot in common with Mary Magdalene and the Woman at the Well. They both received cleansing from their past with Jesus. Made new, restored! We call our ladies at the jail ministry our Butterflies! They are in a vital place for that same cleansing…if only they choose and say yes! Then transformation happens! They can’t do it on their own, it starts at the cross, laying it down, all left there. Just like in the cocoon, the worm dies, yet new life begins. It’s not quick, it’s not easy…there is struggle to make the wings strong. There is energy and slow movements that turn to more and more. And finally a beautiful butterfly emerges! We see the beauty…that came from transformation. Mary was possessed, Jesus healed her. She was transformed.
You too, are being transformed when you walk with Jesus daily! We are all butterflies, can see where we died in ourselves and became new! We need to be the testimonies to share with those that still are trapped in the before! Telling them there is more!! We know the “the man who touched me!” The one that healed me!!
I was in the dark cocoon, and he was there with me! He knew what I needed to take me from there to HIM! In him, now. It is something to praise and be grateful for daily. Thank you Jesus!
I have a “The Chosen” sweatshirt that says on it their slogan for Mary Magdalene “I was one way and now I am completely different and the thing that happened in between was HIM!”
As I have shared about jail ministry over the last 2 years, I feel God is using it to stir some She’s hearts to wonder if that is something for them. I believe it is imperative that we are to go and share with those in there. The fields are ripe for harvest, we just need workers. There are hurting women that need the living water that we can touch! We have had over 100 salvations. So we are putting together a kinda “How to” get started and have lesson plans to get you going. We just had one of our volunteers that is a snowbird, she did it with us and loved it so much, she helped organize a small team at her home church, and is now going there in her local city. They had their first visit and she said 2 ladies came, one that was a new Christian, and the other gave her life that day! She said it was just the best thing ever. We want to see more and more Christians dedicated to go to the jails and prisons! Could that be you?! My email is Rhonda fit at Gmail. Or reach out on messenger from our facebook group!! Most jails and prisons already have groups that come and it’s just getting your own small group (2 or 3 volunteers) in. Because of the many different dorms and pods, there are always MORE needed!
So beautiful, Rhonda J. My late husband loved the jail ministry he was involved with. There were so many amazing stories and transformations. All to His glory!
Rhonda this is so beautiful! Thank you for all of your service to these precious women!
Wow Rhonda. So precious.
I keep going back to the Kristi McClelland study – it is so rich. She writes that in every interaction, Jesus was bringing justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tzedekah) to the person. Biblical justice is seen anytime the honorable (Jesus) reaches down to the shameful (us), lifts them up out of their shame and restores their honor. Jesus came to a world that treated women as chattel – so to see him give women a place of honor makes me want to shout “Go Jesus!” He obviously also does this for the men as well:) There are so many similarities in the stories we read this week. Peter, The Samaritan Woman, and Mary all were shown justice by Jesus. In each of their stories, he met them in their brokenness and restored them. Each played a part in key moments of Jesus’s mission, a woman who had been healed of 7 demons, a woman with a checkered past, and a lowly fisherman. Our God is so amazing!
One more: The Samaritan woman was the first person he told he was the Messiah, Peter was the first to say he was the Messiah, and Mary was the first to see the risen Lord!
Yes, amen Tami…so good, thank you!
So good! Thank you for sharing, Tami I
Go Tami. So good.
A heart that pursues and seeks out the presence of Jesus…yes, Lord. May it be so in the will of my ways, the undivided desire of my heart to be in your presence. Amen ❤️
As so many others, I find such hope in Mary Magdalene’s story! God meets us where we are time & time again and transforms our heart when we come into relationship with Him. I think it’s so beautiful that she was the first to see that Jesus had risen! I saw the perspective recently that “God is a girl dad.” Yes, don’t get me wrong, He loves his sons as well. There’s just something special about how He loves His daughters!! I think Mary Magdalene is proof of that.
Another beautifully written devotional reading. Thank you, Erin.
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I love that she pursued His presence relentlessly, even during and after His death. She didn’t think of the repercussions, she just needed to be near her Savior!!
Amen yes!
Yes, Erica.
Casting aside fear, or doubt.
Ah Lord give me Mary’s heart for You always. In Jesus name, Amen
Mary Magdalene – a woman as broken as you can get. And yet, Jesus found her healed her and called her to follow Him. – – It reminds me of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. — This technique transforms broken pieces into unique and beautiful objects, emphasizing the history of the piece rather than concealing the damage.
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Isn’t that so like what Jesus does for each one of us. He takes our brokenness, intertwines it with His redemption and love, and makes us into something beautiful. We become His masterpieces.
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Thank you Father for taking our brokenness and turning it into something of beauty – Your chosen ones, Your beloved. Thank you for Your grace, mercy and love.
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@Teresay Donley – continued prayers for Amanda, her husband and for you.
@Searching – prayers for the teenagers that need protection and parenting. And praise that the med situation is being worked out.
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Happy Thursday She’s – you beautiful works of art! Be blessed today.❤️
I just googled kintsugi,a perfect description of brokenness. Sometimes we just feel beyond repair,and that’s when Jesus heals and saves us.
Sharon, thank you for your prayers ❤️
Mary’s journey reflects the shape of every believer’s path:
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Redeemed by grace,
Restored in love,
Then sent to share the hope of the risen Christ.
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Her faith invites me to listen for my own name being spoken by God—to live in response, to remain near Him in all seasons, and to carry His message into the world with joy and boldness.
Redeemed by grace,
Restored in love,
Then sent to share the hope of the risen Christ.
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Redeemed by grace, Restored in love. I love that Kimberly!
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Lord help me to listen for my name spoken by you!
I like this, listening to my name being spoken by God. Sometimes it is in the very quietness of despair and desperation,Sometimes it’s in a joyful moment when God says keep this moment in your heart and never let it go
Yes! I feel the same
Yes, Kimberly.
The sweet sound. In all seasons.
I proclaim along with David
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11
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God could have chosen any of his disciples to be the first at the tomb, but it was Mary Magdalene that discovered Jesus was not there and was the first to see the risen Jesus. Following Jesus can change lives as we see in Mary Magdalene’s story.
Amazing!!
Mary Magdalene was freed. Jesus not only wrested her away from and cast out the demons, He gave her the same living water given to the Woman at the Well. He gives us that same living water, hallelujah! She followed Him faithfully in belief, in thankfulness and in freedom. We can too.
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Praying for the lost and the prodigals.
Fervently praying for the mentioned teenagers and for guidance in protecting and parenting them.
Family member – med plan put in place yesterday that may resolve the most challenging complication
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WENDY B ❤️ “Jesus changes everything” Amen.
TAMI ❤️
TINA ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️ praying for healing and recovery. Plowing … in my mind’s eye, I can see my dad on his tractor in the field and the dusty cloud following behind, turning, tilling, busting the middles, planting, caretaking and harvesting. Never thought of the analogy with what happens in our spiritual lives – thank you for that share!
And yes, praying the hearts of all lost are “plowed up” with conviction of their mess, and their need for Christ is revealed to them. I think seeking something better is what gets their lives into the mess they are trying to get out of, praying for the plowing needed to see that Jesus is the best way, the only real way out, and the only way to eternal life
Yes! Thank you Searching!
Praying along with you Searching for these teenagers and our prodigals and family members. Praying your family member with medical complication will have a good outcome.
You have to Google Glen Campbell’s COME HARVEST TIME
Beautiful words and heart shares, SEARCHING! Thank you for sharing the memory of your dad on the tractor!
Praying with you for God’s protection over these teens and wisdom for all involved!
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Praying new med plan is the perfect resolution for family member. Praying for wisdom and patience for all involved here, too! Sending big hugs! ❤❤❤
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Thank you for the prayers! Not terribly sick, but can’t shake whatever this is. ❤
Amen❤️
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How does a broken, feels rejected, fragile, confused, feels unworthy woman find peace, grace, hope, love- Agape love, more grace, and a Hope that transcends everything, that speaks volumes to a heart broken and hope-less..
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She finds JESUS.
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She follows JESUS.
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She holds fast to JESUS.
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Jesus will do the same each of us searching as He did for Mary Magdalen, it doesn’t matter who we think we are, where we have been, or the journey we think we should could or ought to be on when we follow Jesus, as we do so, all falls into place.
His presence in us, covers us in peace, grace, joy and Hope…
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BUT GOD..
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BUT GOD..
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AMEN..
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Thank you Jesus, thank you..
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Blessed Thursday dear hearts, covered in prayers, hugs and love..❤️❤️❤️
Amen ❤️
She finds JESUS.
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She follows JESUS.
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She holds fast to JESUS.
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Love that Tina! ❤️
Amen! ❤️
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Yes!
We all have stories of brokenness & hopelessness.
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But God…
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We find Jesus.
We follow Jesus.
We hold fast to Jesus.
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Amen Sister! ❤️
Tina, thank you for reminding us that the same peace, grace, joy and hope that Jesus’ presence gave to Mary Magdalene, His presence gives to us as well.
“In His presence is peace and abundant joy.”
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Indeed, Erin. Amen!
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TERESA DONLEY – praying you can rest in Jesus and Amanda will continue to heal from her surgery.
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SEARCHING – praying for your friend’s teenagers to turn to Jesus in their struggles.
Thank you, Kelly. They urgently need to turn to Him and turn their lives around.
Amen!
Kelly, thank you for praying for us ❤️
Amen