The First Missionary
Women were not given a prominent place in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day. This makes the part Mary Magdalene played in the story of what happened when Jesus rose from the dead even more unusual.
We’re told Mary had seven demons cast out of her. This means she was probably earlier involved in open witchcraft, a practice punishable by death under Jewish law.
But Mary had become a follower of Jesus. She was at the tomb before sunrise on the first Sunday morning after His crucifixion. Seeing the stone removed from the tomb’s entrance, she ran to where Peter was staying to tell him, and then on to where John was to let him know. Both disciples ran to the tomb with Mary not far behind. Peter and John both looked into the tomb and saw the grave clothes but Jesus’ body gone. Had grave robbers taken it? Where were the soldiers left to guard it?
Mary waited outside the tomb in tears, even after Peter and John finally left. She stooped down to look inside for herself, only to see two angels, who tried to pacify her. Mary still couldn’t stop crying, probably still wondering if the tomb had been broken into. She must have heard a sound behind her because she half turned to glimpse another figure, probably the gardener. But then this figure called her by her Aramaic name, “Miriam.” Immediately she recognised Jesus and began clutching at His clothes. She didn’t ever want to let him out of her sight again. She wanted Him all to herself. He had to stop her. Her relationship with Him from now on (as would be true for all His followers), would be by faith and not by sight, spiritual and not physical. Told by Jesus to tell His brothers that He’s alive, she finally let go and in doing what He asked, became the first missionary (sent one) for Jesus.
So the first to see Jesus raised and alive from the dead, and the first commissioned by Jesus to tell others, was Mary. What a privileged woman! That privilege is now given to all of us.
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