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| Mary Magdalene by Giovanni Bellini circa 1490 |
Luke 7:36-38
New Living Translation (NLT)
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
***
If I were to guess, I'd venture that no woman in the Bible is surrounded by more mystery and intrigue than Mary Magdalene. Mary was such a common name that she was often confused with other women; Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the sister of Martha, Mary some mythological "wife" of the Messiah. (Jesus was never married, and I've never cared enough to research the origin of that cultish belief.) Last names weren't given in Scripture, and women, in particular, were rarely identified by family.
Our only real clue to Mary's identity is "Magdalene". Since we know Magdalene is not a surname, we must assume it refers to where she came from. Magdala was a fishing community about 120 miles north of Jerusalem on the shore of Galilee. At least one Jewish text, Lamentations Raba, declares that the town was destroyed by God because of rampant sexual sin. This was during a time under Roman Imperial rule, and families were often under such heavy tax burdens that they were forced to sell their children into slavery. Brothels were abundant throughout the Mediterranean region during this period in history, as well, so when you take all those factors and roll them into one big ball, it is easy to see how the modern day picture of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute began to take shape.
The truth is, Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all four Gospels, but is never once referred to as a hooker, nor are any specific sins ever associated with her. And she is most certainly not named as the woman of ill repute who washed the feet of Christ with tears and anointed Him with precious essential oil at the home of Simon the Pharisee.
(When Jesus realized Simon's disgust at the woman, He told Simon that a person who is forgiven much, loves much. In the parable, he implied the value of the prostitute at his feet was ten times greater that of the hypocrite serving him dinner.)
Aside from where she was from, we know only that Jesus had cast 7 demons from her at one time, that she was a follower of Jesus through His ministry, and was one of the women who discovered His empty tomb.
Having said all that, I am going to share (yet another) lyric I once wrote. The poem should not be taken as anything other than a fictional work, a composite of women who may or may not have been named Mary. But like the legend of Mary Magdalene, it is a tale of great sin, deep sorrow, sincere repentance, and absolute redemption. It is a story of a woman who is valued little by society, but who is valued greatly by her Redeemer. This rendition follows a woman from infancy to adulthood, showing the pattern of events that shaped her life.
So, without further ado...
Magdala Inn
Father,
oh father,
Why
have you forsaken me?
Where
is my shelter from this storm?
He
was only a shadow
of
the man he'd once been,
a
fisherman of high esteem.
He
stood there in front
of
the Magdala Inn,
reflecting
on his broken dream.
His
wife and his daughter
had
brought joy to his hearth,
and
prestige among his friends...
but
his lover, his lady,
she'd
died giving birth
to
a beautiful set of twins...
and
he cried...
Father, oh Father,
Why have you forsaken me?
Where is my shelter from this storm?
It
is written
that
pride goes before the fall,
and
a proud man he was, no doubt...
refusing
charity,
though
he'd lost it all,
the
man gave them up and walked out
as
the children cried...
father, oh father,
why have you forsaken me?
where is my shelter from this storm?
Mary
worked at the Magdala Inn,
where
she'd been since she was a child.
She'd
grown into a ravenous beauty
since
the day she'd first been defiled.
She
was held in reserve
for
the wealthiest of men
who
traveled through the town of Magdala...
the
lowly prostitute,
princess
of the Inn,
dressed
in the finest regalia.
She
had scented oils,
and
silks and linen,
the
best that money could buy...
but
nobody knew what raged within,
and
nobody heard her cry...
father, oh father,
why have you forsaken me?
where is my shelter from this storm?
Then
came a man,
a
prophet, some said,
called
Jesus the Nazarene...
and
despite the objections
from
the apostles He led,
He
touched her,
and
washed her past clean.
She
followed Him faithfully
for
years to come,
having
finally found peace inside.
Then
she stood at the foot
of
the cross where He hung,
and
she heard Him as He cried...
Father, oh Father,
Why have you forsaken me?
Where is my shelter from this storm?
