Mary Magdalene
In this paper I will share the life of Mary Magdalene, the faithful disciple she was to Jesus all the way to the very end and how God wants us to model our lives in the same fashion. Mary Magdalene’s life as we know it begins in her native city of Magdala. “Magdala is the Greek form of mighdol or “watchtower,” probably named for the tower that guarded the city.” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1975, p. 105) It is believed that Mary received her last name Magdalene by designation. According to the Zondervan Handbook to the Bible (2009) “this designation means that she was unmarried, since married women were normally distinguished from others of the same name by the name of their husband.”
Mary Travels to Meet Jesus
As I have already stated her home was in Magdala and she traveled approximately 10 miles to see Jesus in Capernum. She was possessed with seven demons; the number seven often signified completeness. In Mary’s generation demonic possession had a reputation of being impure or having an unclean spirit. The people of Magdala excluded Mary form their Jewish Galilean society because of her possessions. Mary was most definitely traveling alone when she embarked on the long journey to meet Jesus in Capernaum. The map below shows The Holy Land based on New Testament retrieved from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bible-maps/map11?lang=eng
After being healed of her demonic possessions Mary began travelling with Jesus, his disciples and others that believed in Jesus’ ministry. Mary is introduced into the life of Jesus in the book of Luke 8:2-3, “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 Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” (NIV)
Mary A Main Witness to Key Events in
Mary Travels to Meet Jesus
As I have already stated her home was in Magdala and she traveled approximately 10 miles to see Jesus in Capernum. She was possessed with seven demons; the number seven often signified completeness. In Mary’s generation demonic possession had a reputation of being impure or having an unclean spirit. The people of Magdala excluded Mary form their Jewish Galilean society because of her possessions. Mary was most definitely traveling alone when she embarked on the long journey to meet Jesus in Capernaum. The map below shows The Holy Land based on New Testament retrieved from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bible-maps/map11?lang=eng
After being healed of her demonic possessions Mary began travelling with Jesus, his disciples and others that believed in Jesus’ ministry. Mary is introduced into the life of Jesus in the book of Luke 8:2-3, “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 Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” (NIV)
Mary A Main Witness to Key Events in
References: Alexander, David and Pat (2009). Zondervan Handbook to the Bible (4th ed.). Oxford, England: Lion Hudson plc. Chilton, Bruce (2005). Mary Magdalene: A Biography. New York, New York: Double Day Publishing. Lockyer,Sr., Herbert with Bruce, F.F., Harrison, R.K. (1986). Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc. Tenney, Merrill C. (1975). The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (vol. 4 M-P). The Holy Land in New Testament Times Map (2012). Retrieved from http://lds.org/scriptures/bible-maps/map11?lang=eng