Questions For The Witness
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· 3 viewsMary Magdalene was the first witness to Jesus' resurrection.
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Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Had seven demons cast from her, Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9.
Was a benefactor of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, Luke 8:3; Mark 15:41.
Her last name suggests she was from Magdala on the western shores of the sea of Galilee.
Witness to the death and burial of Jesus, Mark 15:40, 47.
First person to arrive at the tomb on the first day of the week, John 20:1.
Among the first to worship the resurrected Christ, Matthew 28:9-10.
First witness of the resurrected Christ, Mark 16:7, 9, but she wasn’t believed by the disciples, Mark 16:11; Luke 24:10-11; John 20:18.
Mary Magdalene’s Question (Request)
Mary Magdalene’s Question (Request)
“Did you take Him away, sir” John 20:17a, NCV.
“Tell me where you have laid Him” John 20:17, NKJV.
Questions We Ask
Questions We Ask
Like Mary Magdalene, “Where’s the body?”
Like the Corinthians, “Was there really a resurrection?” 1 Cor. 15:12-19.
Like the disciples, “Where is He now?” Acts 1:9; 2:29-36; 7:56; Heb. 8:1.
Questions We Must Ask Ourselves
Questions We Must Ask Ourselves
Where is the body, i.e. the church?
Why would we doubt the resurrection?
Does the resurrection still matter? Has it changed anything?
The First Questions In The Bible
The First Questions In The Bible
The serpent, “Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Gen. 3:1
God, “Where are you?” Gen. 3:9
Summary
Summary
All we know of Mary Magdalene is limited to the gospels. She is never mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. What we do know is noteworthy:
She was saved by Jesus from her 7 demons.
She was generous toward Jesus in supporting His Galilean ministry.
She loved Jesus and followed Him to Golgotha when His disciples would not.
She served Jesus by coming to the tomb to tend to His dead body’s needs.
She was the first witness to His resurrection.
Josephus in the first century wrote that woman were useless as witnesses;
She had been possessed by 7 demons;
She has been vilified over the past 2,000 years, even thought of as a prostitute, but there is no evidence for that;
She wasn’t even believed by the disciples at first;
She disappears from the narrative as suddenly as she had arrived in it.
Yet, for all this, she was the one chosen by the Lord to tell the greatest truth ever told:
“He is not here; HE IS RISEN!”
Conclusion
Conclusion
God does incredible things with the most unlikely of people. We are the most unlikely of people.
God will be glorified by us, if we will let Him.
We may ask God questions, but He asks questions of us too.
Where are we?
In our faith?
In our relationship with God?
In our relationship with one another?
In our witness for God?
Does our worship, our love for God, our service for God, and our lives say anything about the salvation God has given us?
It did for Mary! It should do the same to us!!