JESUS: YOUNG REBEL WITH A CAUSE, HIS FIRST DISCIPLES

When do you say Jesus called his first disciples, who later he named Apostles?

 John 1:35-51

Again the next day after, John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What seek you?”

They said to him, “Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwell you?”

He said to them, “Come and see.”

They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day for it was about the tenth hour. [4:00 PM]

One of the two, which heard John speak, and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah?” (which is, being interpreted, the Christ.)

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, “You are Simon the son of Jona [John], you shall be called Cephas,” which is by interpretation, a stone.

Whoa! That’s interesting? What do you think of that?

Jesus gave Simon the name Peter upon first meeting, well in advance of Peter’s famous declaration in Matthew 16:16.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [Matthew 16:13-18 ESV]

 So, this is not where Simon got the name Peter. He already had it. This makes perfect sense because Simon is referred to from this his first meeting with Jesus and there on as Peter or Simon Peter. I think at the moment of Peter’s declaration, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”, Jesus was not giving him the name “stone”, but emphasizing that it was his statement about Jesus, the Large Rock (petra), on which the church would be build, not on Peter, the lesser stone (petros).  Simon, thou are a stone, and upon this Rock, meaning himself, the church will be built. See, he is not building the church upon Peter, but upon Peter’s recognition and declaration that Jesus is the Christ.

The other disciple of John the Baptist who followed Jesus that day along with Andrew was who?

He was John, brother of James, the sons of Zebedee and Salome. 

Salome? Wasn’t Salome some kind of strip tease dancer?

Actually, Salome and the Dance of the Seven Veils are never even mentioned in the Bible. So, let’s not confuse John’s mother with the daughter of Herodias, who demanded the head of The Baptist. 

The Dance of the Seven Veils was an invention of Oscar Wilde in his play, Salome (1902).  Josephus does mention a Salome as the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas in his Jewish Antiquities.

This Salome, who was John’s mother, was one of the women who purchased spices and went to Jesus’ tomb on Resurrection Sunday. (See Mark 15:40 and Matthew 27:56). She has also been identified as the Virgin Mary’s cousin.

There is no mention at this point of James being there where John was baptizing. Actually, there is no mention of John either, but John was a humble and modest young man and nowhere in his Gospel does he call himself out by name. He doesn’t name his family members either, so maybe James was there and John was modestly keeping it secret, although I doubt James present was kept that secret. Personally, I just don’t think James was along on this trip. I think John would have said something like, “Andrew went to get his brother Simon and I got my brother as well.”

It is important to note the author (John the Apostle) begins this passage with, “the next day”.  Yeah, we’re back to that next day. Do you recall what that next day referred to?

This is the day after John the Baptist was asked by the Pharisees why he baptized.

John the Baptist is now standing with two of his disciples. These two men are Andrew and John. They are Galileans, but this fact does not mean this is taking place in Galilee. The whole subtext tells us these men are seekers and they are seeking the Messiah. They have become followers of John the Baptist, whether they, like the Pharisees wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ or they thought he would help them find The Christ we don’t know. 

Just to note, Andrew was from Bethsaida and later he and Peter shared a home in Capernaum. Both Bethsaida and Capernaum were located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. John and James also hailed from either Bethsaida or Capernaum as well. Philip was also from Bethsaida. Nathanial was from Cana. Cana was just over 5.5 miles from Bethsaida, also in Galilee.

At any rate, Jesus suddenly comes walking by the spot where Andrew and John stood with the Baptist. Perhaps Jesus recently returned from the temptations in the wilderness, perhaps it is some time after that event. We are not told. It is obvious it wasn’t before his days in the wilderness. Some period of time probably has passed since he had found a place to dwell. We know Jesus came and was baptized, then immediately went into the wilderness for 40 days thus we know more than a month has passed since Jesus was baptized when these first Apostles-to-be questioned Him. Since Jesus answers their question by taking them to where he is staying, we can probably assume he has been back from the wilderness at least a couple days, long enough to get some form of lodging. Whether his lodging is in a home or a cave or something else is not described.

The two men go with Him and spend the day. Now here is another place that can be confusing, because it says the first thing Andrew did was find his brother, Simon, and bring him to Jesus. I do not think it means Andrew ran to get Simon immediately after asking Jesus where he lived. It appeared Andrew and John had  a discussion with Jesus and then Andrew, feeling strongly they had found the Messiah, went to find Simon.  The phrase “He first found his own brother Simon”, could imply he did go pretty early on to get Peter or it could imply while Andrew went to get his brother, John also went to find his own. I leave that to other’s interpretation. It is also a bit unclear whether they went with Jesus to his dwelling or left him after the tenth hour, which would have been 4:00 in the afternoon.

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. (NIV)

What day is this; that is, how many days have passed in our narrative?

Again a passage begins with “the next day.” Here is the count. Day one, John the Baptist answers the questions of the Pharisees. Day two, John see Jesus. Day three, Jesus comes by and is joined by Andrew and John, then Simon Peter. So this next day is the fourth and the day after he has met with the three men. This is when Jesus decides to go back to Galilee.

In the King James Version, the translation reads, “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and found Philip…” Some critics argue Jesus could not have traveled the distance as it is reported in scripture in the time frame given, which they claim was two days.  This is a misinterpretation of what it says. The word “thelo” translated “would” in the KJV means “intend, to be determined or resolved, to desire, to like to do a thing”. The NIV is closer to how this should be read, “The next day, Jesus decided to leave…” There is really no further timetable given. It doesn’t say they only took 2 days or 3 days. Could men in the prime of life used to walking everywhere walk 106 miles in three days? (Remember they would go via Perea on the East of Israel to Capernaum, then across Galilee to Cana. Jews were wont to take this route to avoid Samaria.) To do it at a normal clip for such men would take nine hours a day, but perhaps they actually took four or five days. It is more likely that Jesus then found Philip and Nathanael before setting out on the journey, than his finding them in Galilee. They then traveled the distance to Galilee over the next three days arriving in Cana in time for a wedding.

The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and found Philip, and said to him, “Follow me.”

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

And Nathanael said to him, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Nathanael said to him, “Whence knows you me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before that Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Nathanael answered and said to him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, believe you? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Verily, verily, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

We are told, “finding Philip”, but little more. We do not know if Jesus had prior contact with Phillip, if one of the others had suggested Philip to Him, or if he had come across Philip on the way to Galilee. Philip is from the same town, Bethsaida, as James, John, Andrew and Simon Peter. It seems quite probable these men had come together to John the Baptist or at least knew each other. It is also possible, of course, that Jesus found Philip upon arriving in Galilee and that was where Philip went to Nathanael who lived in Cana where they were headed. I am still inclined to think Philip and Nathanael had been where John the Baptist was operating. At any rate, Jesus tells Philip to follow.

Philip follows, but also goes and finds Nathanael Bartholomew (Nathanael son of Tholmai). Philip says something similar to what Andrew said to Simon Peter when he said “we found the Messiah.” Philip says, “We found the one Moses wrote about in the law”. This refers us back to our discussion of The Prophet in the Pharisees’ questioning of John the Baptist.

The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." Deuteronomy 18:14-16 (NIV)

 [Keep in mind that the Jewish expectations of the Messiah were different from what we know as Christians today. I think it is important we remember the Apostles were not expecting a suffering Savior Messiah, who would die and be resurrected and then promise to return to fulfill God’s promises. They expected a Warrior-King Messiah who would defeat Rome.]

Nathanael was from Cana, but it is implied from Philip’s statement that he was part of this group and they were seeking the Messiah together.

Nathanael is a bit incredulous when he hears this Messiah is supposedly from Nazareth. Nazareth did not have a highly regarded reputation. We find throughout the Gospels that Nazareth was not accepting of Jesus and it is thought to have been a place of meanness. Another aspect of Nathanael’s question is the Jews expected the Messiah to come from Bethlehem, David’s city, not from Nazareth. Of course, Jesus did come originally from Bethlehem.

So Philip doesn’t just say take my word for it, he says come and see for yourself.

Jesus greets Nathanael, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47 KJV). 

Nathanael was probably a little suspicious since he asked, “How do you know me?”

When Jesus says he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, Nathanael declares Jesus is the Messiah. Nathanael must have realized two things. One, Jesus knew his character, although they had never met, for he recognized Nathaniel had no guile; that is, was an honest man. Two, Jesus must not have been where he could have physically seen Philip approach Nathanael under a fig tree or overhear their conversation, otherwise there is nothing to make Nathanael jump to his conclusion. This reminds me of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well (reference John 4). Here was a person he had never met before, but he knew how many husbands she had had and what kind of person she was. It is also like in Luke 19, when the little tax collector climbed the tree and was called down by Jesus. Jesus knew the man was named Zacchaeus though they had never met before. It is the same here.

Next post: Jesus at the Wedding Feast in Cana

YOUNG REBEL WITH A CAUSE; MEET JESUS

 Again the next day after, John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:35-36 (KJV)

The first questions that might come to your mind are, John who and what two disciples? 

But I want to start by asking: The next day after what and why  “Again the next day after?” Uh…after what?

Read John (Big John) 1:29-34

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, ‘After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me’. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.”

And John bare record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, ‘Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost’. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.” John 1:29-34

See we backed up a day and we answered the question of John who? What John do we know was in the wilderness Baptizing people, including Jesus?

John the Baptist, of course, but we have another statement, “The Next day.”  If “Again the next day” was the day before “the next day”, what happened before this next day?

I’m not meaning to confuse you. Well, actually I am. People who have sat through my Bible studies know I like to start with confusion. But in this case clarifying this next day stuff is important to help you understand the way some Gospel writers present things, especially John; otherwise, you may fall into the trap of some critics who get their timing all messed up. 

So what was the next day and again the next day after?

Read John 1:15-28, where John the Baptist is having a discussion with the Pharisees and Scribes about whom he is and whom Jesus is. He is answering their questions about his own identity.

John 1:15-34

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, “This was he of whom I spoke, He that comes after me is preferred before me for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.” (Reference Luke 3:16, Matthew 3:11 and Mark 1:7.) And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

And he said, “I am not.” 

“Are you that prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

Then said they to him, “Who are you that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What say you of yourself?”

He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.” (Isaiah 40:3--“A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”)

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said to him, “Why baptize you then, if you be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet?”

John answered them saying, “I baptize with water: but there stands one among you, whom you know not. He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, ‘After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me’. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.”

And John bare record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, ‘Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost’. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.” John 1:29-34

Again the next day after, John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:35-36

So we are talking about three days here. On day one, John is confronting these religious leaders. The next day John sees Jesus walking by and again on the next day, the third day, John is standing with two of John’s own disciples and points Jesus out to them.

We will see this pattern of the next day and again the next day and so forth a bit later and it is important to keep track of how many days are really passing and from what event they begin. This knowledge will explain away some of the critic’s skepticism if we do.

Now, I don’t want to get into much about John the Baptist, because that would be a different study, but perhaps two things mentioned need explained. 

Since John was born six months before Jesus, why did John keep saying Jesus came before him? 

What John is telling us is although Jesus was born to Mary after he was born to Elisabeth, Jesus actually lived long before John came along. He is also saying that Jesus ranks higher than he does. 

The other oddity is their asking John are you the Messiah or Elijah or That prophet? Who is that prophet?

In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses said to the Hebrews, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— ^“

The Pharisees were looking for the return of Elijah, they look for him every Passover, but they were also looking for a prophet like Jeremiah. This was based on Moses’ prediction. but actually Moses was referring to Jesus as That Prophet. That is all we need to know right now.

There are two events concerning the life of Jesus almost everyone in the USA has been exposed to repeatedly, Christian or not.

What would you say these are?

One is his birth and the other is his death. Every year at the appropriate season we see movies, TV shows and other media enactments of these two events. Almost all of these presentations get it wrong. People picture a Hallmark Card Christmas, for example, a manger scene glistening in moonlit snow and crowded with Angels, shepherds, sheep, Wise Men, camels and a donkey; mustn’t forget that donkey. Somewhere in this crowd is a beatific Mary, an old-man Joseph and a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

If a film or play go beyond these bookend events of birth or death, they tend to hit popular highlights, something photogenic; Jesus curing lepers, breaking a couple loaves of bread into a whole bake shop full of food or Jesus walking on water, that sort of thing with no depth provided, even when the water is involved and Peter begins sinking in the waves. Their depictions remain shallow. Mostly they are just trying to get from his birth to his death and all the blood and violence that entails. Yeah, let’s get to the Game of Thrones moment!

These portrayal tends to make Christ a myth, not a real person. 

So what do you think of Jesus? Was he some guy who just kind of wandered onto the scene one day performing street magic such as turning water to wine for the crowds? 

Do you think he make it all up as he went?

Or do you think Jesus had a plan of operation?

Did the Apostles really just see him walking down the beach one day and when he yelled “Follow me,” did they impetuously jump in behind to follow this stranger on their shore?

How did Jesus draw attention?

Did he ever declare himself to be the Messiah?

When did people first plot to kill him?

Over the next few posts I want us to take a look at the early Jesus. Not his birth or childhood, but his first months of ministry and I want us to get a feel for Jesus as a real, living and breathing person. We will find that Jesus used his brain rather than his divinity. Remember he had set his divinity aside.

Philippians 2:  ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And we will begin next time looking at how Jesus acquired his first disciples and who they were.

THOSE WOMEN LESSON 7 ONE MOST VENERATED

There is a woman from the Gospels so venerated that her portrait appears in many of the world’s largest museums. She has appeared as a major character in books, movies and plays. Many books and articles have been written about her. She probably rivals the Virgin Mary in popularity. Cults have risen in her name and some people worship her. She was sainted by the Catholic Churches, Roman and otherwise. She has become the hope and symbol of the repentant. She is considered a tower of the faith. She was given the title, Apostle to the Apostles.

There is also the claim that she was the most important of the ladies because in each listing she is mentioned first, but this isn’t true either. In John 19: 25, she is listed third, actually the last.

And finally, sadly, many believe she was the wife of Jesus and a mother of his children.

Ah, yes, she is well known, but not known at all. Almost everything said about her is untrue. 

According to Catholic Saints Online at some point after the death and resurrection was placed in a boat and set adrift by the Jews. 

After the death of Christ, a legend states that she remained among the early Christians. After fourteen years, she was allegedly put into a boat by Jews, along with several other saints of the early Church, and set adrift without sails or oars. The boat landed in southern France, where she spent the remaining years of her life living in solitude, in a cave.

The boat ended up in France were she evangelized. Allegedly, you can go to a chapel in France and see her skull. If to some of you this sound familiar, the Catholic Saints online said the same about Martha and Mary of Bethany, and there Martha fought and killed a dragon that was flying about eating people. Martha was sainted for her deeds. As far as I know this woman never slew any dragons.  I think they got her confused with Martha’s sister Mary. Not the only place she was confused with Mary of Bethany.

But wait, did she retire to France? Some claim she went South after the Resurrection into the wilderness of Egypt. There she became a hermit, living in a cave, there is that cave again, and traipsed about naked because the clothes she had on her back, her only clothes, had worn out and fallen apart. 

Some legends having her traveling about evangelizing and some have her retiring from normal life, where she lived as a hermit and walked about naked after the clothes on her back fell apart.  This time  her life became entwined and confused with one St. Mary of Egypt.

Saint Mary, also known as Maria Aegyptiaca, was born somewhere in the Province of Egypt, and at the age of twelve she ran away from her parents to the city of Alexandria. Here she lived an extremely dissolute life.^[4] In her Vita it states that she often refused the money offered for her sexual favors, as she was driven "by an insatiable and an irrepressible passion," and that she mainly lived by begging, supplemented by spinning flax.

After seventeen years of this lifestyle, she traveled to Jerusalem for the Great Feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. She undertook the journey as a sort of "anti-pilgrimage," stating that she hoped to find in the pilgrim crowds at Jerusalem even more partners in her lust. She paid for her passage by offering sexual favors to other pilgrims, and she continued her habitual lifestyle for a short time in Jerusalem. Her Vita relates that when she tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the celebration, she was barred from doing so by an unseen force. Realizing that this was because of her impurity, she was struck with remorse, and upon seeing an icon of the Theotokos (the Virgin Mary) outside the church, she prayed for forgiveness and promised to give up the world (i.e., become an ascetic). Then she attempted again to enter the church, and this time was permitted in. After venerating the relic of the true cross, she returned to the icon to give thanks, and heard a voice telling her, "If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest." She immediately went to the monastery of Saint John the Baptist on the bank of the River Jordan, where she received absolution and afterwards Holy Communion. The next morning, she crossed the Jordan and retired to the desert to live the rest of her life as a hermit in penitence. She took with her only three loaves of bread, and once they were gone, lived only on what she could find in the wilderness.

Our woman is not that woman.

We can, apparently, thank our woman for Easter Eggs.

Tradition relates that in Italy [she] visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ’s Resurrection. According to Tradition, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea they unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracle worker, powerful before God and all mankind, executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate.

Our woman is, of course, Mary Magdalen.

Let’s take a moment to deal with the novel called The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This borrows heavily from the Gnostics and the premise that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ lover and wife. The code supposedly goes to the Last Supper. Clues are claimed to be hidden in DaVinci’s painting and Brown claims that the character shown next to Christ is not John, but Mary Magdalene. People believing this like to point to John 13:21-24 where at the Last Supper Jesus says one of the disciples will betray him.

²¹ After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and  testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side,^[e] 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus^[f] of whom he was speaking. ²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.”

These people claim the terminology, “One of the disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side”, really was referring to Mary and not John. How ridiculous. Brown infers that the detail of John in The Last Supper actually depicts a woman rather than a man. It is further inferred because the Scripture does not call this disciple John, it is because it was really Mary Magdalen, because it uses the term, “Whom Jesus loved”.

John never called himself by his own name in his Gospel. At the very end of this book in John 21, we have this:

²⁴Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish? ”They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” ²³ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers^[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

So what do we know about this woman named Mary Magdalene? Not really much outside of the 14 verses about her in the Gospels. She appears nowhere else in the Bible.

We can surmise she came from Magdala, a city just west of the sea of Galilee, three miles south of Capernaum.  Whether she was born there or just lived there at this time we don’ know. We don’t know her age. There is no real reason to believe she was a prostitute. Jesus cured her of “seven demons”. These may have been some sort of sins or demon possession, but these could have been mental or physical illnesses. She was among the women who followed and supported Jesus on his ministry. This would suggest she was a woman of means.

She is mentioned in 14 verses across the four Gospels. Luke mentions her along with Johanna and Suzanna during the first journey touring Galilee, then we don’t hear of her until Jesus’ arrest, death and resurrection. 

Here is Mary Magdalene as shown in Scripture:

8 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them^[a] out of their means.

She joined up with these other women in Jesus first years of ministry. It was a brave act for her and the other females to travel with a man, even a Rabbi. Since these women provided for Jesus and his disciples we must assume they had financial means.

The only other note that she was with these women following Jesus is in Mark 15:40-41. “⁴⁰ There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

⁴¹ (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.”

Here is how some concluded that Mary Magdalen was a prostitute

Because Luke 7 ended with the story of the sinful woman who poured perfume upon Jesus and Luke 8 began with a mention of Mary Magdalene with the women traveling with Jesus, some decided the sinful woman and Mary were the same. This became known as the Composite Mary because it claimed Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany and the Sinful Woman were all Mary Magdalene. 

Pope Gregory I("Gregory the Great") made an influential homily around 591, in which he identified Magdalene not only with the anonymous sinner with the perfume in Luke's gospel, but also with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus; this interpretation is often called the "composite Magdalene" in modern scholarship. The seven devils removed from her by Jesus, according to Gregory, "morphed into the seven capital sins, and Mary Magdalene began to be condemned not only for lust but for pride and covetousness as well.

“She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be  the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark. What did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? It is clear, that the woman previously used the unguent to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts. What she therefore displayed more scandalously, she was now offering to God in a more praiseworthy manner. She had coveted with earthly eyes, but now through penitence these are consumed with tears. She displayed her hair to set off her face, but now her hair dries her tears. She had spoken proud things with her mouth, but in kissing the Lord’s feet, she now planted her mouth on the Redeemer’s feet. For every delight, therefore, she had had in herself, she now immolated herself. She turned the mass of her crimes to virtues, in order to serve God entirely in penance.”

— Pope Gregory the Great (homily XXXIII)^[29]

Mentions of Mary Magdalen at the Cross.

John 20: 24 So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵ but standing by the cross of Jesus 55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger and Joseph and Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee. and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Matthew 27:59  Joseph wrapped the body  in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary the mother of Joses, sitting opposite the tomb. saw where he was laid were there

Matthew 28

Matthew 28 Now after the Sabbath was past, Mary the mother of James, and Salome  bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him  2 And very early  on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”  2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

John 26: 1-2 Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

John 20 ¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,^[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

We know a woman existed named Mary Magdalen and that Jesus had cured her of seven demons of some kind. We know she then followed with other women who supported Jesus and the Apostles. We know she was at the crucifixion with these women, that she was one who saw where he was buried and among those who bought spices to anoint the body. She among a handful of women who went to the tomb early on resurrection Sunday. There they discovered the tomb empty. The women fled back and told Peter and John, who then run to the tomb. Mary Magdalen follows after them along with other women. but arrives after the Apostles depart. The other women head back, but Mary Magdalen stands outside the tomb weeping. She peeks in and sees two Angels seated where Jesus had been lain. She turns and sees Jesus standing nearby, who she first mistakes as a gardener. he tells her not to touch him and sends her back to the disciples with a message. Jesus then appears to the other women somewhere along the path from the tomb.

This is the last we hear of Mary Magdalen in Scripture. Other than what is recorded here, she disappears from history, yet rumor and myth about her are enough to make her venerated more than those other women.

ALL THE VERSES ABOUT MARY MAGDALENE IN SCRIPTURE

Luk 8:2

and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary 

Mat 27:56

⁵⁶ Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.

Mat 27:61

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

Mat 28:1

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Mar 15:40

There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome,

Mar 15:47

And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Mar 16:1

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

Mar 16:9

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

Luk 24:10

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

Jhn 19:25

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Jhn 20:1

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Jhn 20:11

¹¹ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

Jhn 20:16

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Jhn 20:18

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.