Jesus and Mary Magdalene
posted April 4th, 2007 at 10:52 pm by Betty
This is a solemn week for Christians across the globe. As each day passes, we move closer and closer to hearing once again those ancient words given to the women who came to the tomb in the early morning. “Whom are you looking for?” “He has been raised.”
Mary Magdalene and the women are central to this celebrated story, but it depends upon which Gospel you read as to how you might think about them. The Biblical Gospels vary in their portraits of the women. Some draw a patriarchal view of women, while others trace a more authentic face.
Luke, for example, shows us “diminished” women who are “prayerful, quiet, grateful and supportive of male leadership.” (See Ann Graham Brock, Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle, 36-38) In Luke’s Gospel, the active seeing of the women is not emphasized as it is in the other Gospels (Luke 24: 1-12) and when the women tell “the eleven and all the rest,” their words are received as “idle talk.” It takes Peter - who gets up and runs to the tomb - to verify their account.
In Mark, however, the seeing of the women is stresssed. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome see that the stone has been rolled away. As they enter the tomb, they see an angel in a white robe. The angel gives them a commission, saying “Go and tell his disciples, including Peter, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, as he told you.” But the women are said to flee the tomb in terror and amazement, saying nothing to anyone. And the overall impression of the women in this original ending of the gospel is that they are silent, terrified, and inadequate to the task of their comissoning by the angel. (Mark 16: 1-8)
In Matthew, the women are given a vision of angels and the risen Jesus, who commissions them into action, saying, “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and they will see me there.” The women in this Gospel carry out the commission, but their story, interrupted by the story of the guards, is then dropped.
The Gospel of John differs, some scholars say, from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Mary Magdalene (John 20: 1, 11-18) arrives alone at the tomb and sees that the stone has been rolled away. When she sees Jesus, he gives her a significant revelation and proclamation. She carries out the commission, saying that she has “seen the Lord.”
Our Magdalene Community is particularly captivated by the story of Mary Magdalene in John 20: we find her encounter with Jesus hauntingly beautiful and dramatic. Jesus first says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” And then, so she might recognize him, he calls her by name, and into her own, giving her a significant revelation. The words are so brief that they surely express a mere trace (of words now lost) than a complete exchange.
Recently I came upon another version of the story, found in the Gospel of Peter, a newly discovered ancient text. Some scholars say it may be an earlier version of the story as found in Mark and John, while others say it was written after the biblical gospels, drawing upon their content. However that may be, the version is at once fresh to the ears and familiar. (Unfortunately, the women are said to flee in fear, as in Mark.)
From the Gospel of Peter (13): “And they went and found the tomb open. They went up to it, stooped down, and saw a young man sitting there in the middle of the tomb; he was handsome and wore a splendid robe. He said to them, “Why have you come? Who are you looking for? Surely not the one who was crucified? He is risen and gone. If you don’t believe it, stoop down and take a look at the place where he lay, for he is not there. You see, he is risen and has gone back to the place he was sent from.” Then the women fled in fear.”
You might want to meditate upon this version sometime this week.
The history channel will be showing a new documentary on Mary Magdalene. There are three showings this week but you might want to catch Thursday night at 8:00 pm (see Something About Mary Magdalene )
Many blessings during this week.
Mary Magdalene
Jesus
something about mary magdalene
gospel of peter
ann graham brock
mary magdalene the first apostle
