"HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT A MISREPRESENTED AND UNSUNG HERO WHO FOLLOWED JESUS"
Luke 8:2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities--Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer:
1. The person I'm talking about is Mary called Magdalene. It seems that the major misrepresentation about her, is that she is thought to have been a prostitute before her conversion. While there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that she was, she is often presented in this way. Some believe that she's misrepresented because she was from the city of Magdal, which was a city known for it's prostitution.
2. Another reason may be, that she had before her conversion, actually had 7 demons in her. Which had come out of her by the grace and power of God as she met and was ministered to by Jesus Christ. He had indeed set her free. Can you take a moment to think what her life must have been like when she had those 7 demons in her. When you think of the nature of Satan, who is a murderer, a liar, a thief, a destroyer, one only has to connect the dots. His influence in her life must have made her a very wicked, and destructive person who was being destroyed, and who helped to destroy other lives.
3. Now, however, she was a changed person, and she was following the saver of lives, the truth, the giver of life, the one and only mediator between God and man. The Lord Jesus Christ. She was not only changed in being set free, but, she was following Jesus, and she was one of the women who were helping to supply the financial needs of Jesus and His disciples. See Luke 8:3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
4. But, in my mind the thing that really stands out about her, and sets her apart as a real hero among men or women, is her faithfulness in sticking with Jesus while he was not only alive and ministering, but, she followed Him all the way till the end.
Here is what she specifically did in following Him, and sticking with Him.
(1) She was with Him during his years of ministry.
(2) She was with Him when He was tried after His arrest.
(3) She was with Him when He was crucified. She stayed there the whole time. By the way, all of the other disciples, had abandoned Him at that point. She stuck around. John, was the only one we know of who was with Jesus in His last moments on the cross.
(4) She was with Him, as His body was taken down from the cross, and accompanied Him to His burial in the tomb.
(5) She was the first one to go into the empty tomb.
(6) She was the first one to whom Jesus appeared following His rising from the dead.
5. So, she was indeed an amazing woman. But, I'm certain, that if we were to ask her about all of this, she would say what any of us would say about our lives in Christ. And, that is, that it's His grace, His love, His mercy, His power in our lives. She was really in one sense no different from any faithful follower of Jesus today. It's because of what He does in a life that is yielded to Him.
6. May I end this devotional with what I hope will encourage You. You also may be misrepresented, and misunderstood by assumptions that people have made, or conclusions that people have drawn. But, God knows You, and God Loves You, and God is the one to be praised for His work in Your life. You also as a faithful follower of Jesus are an unsung hero as it were.
A prayer:
Father, the real hero is You. We are Your followers. Mary was Your follower. She is in heaven as we read this devotional, and enjoying the thrill of being with You. We are going to join her someday and meet her. We bless You Lord for what You did for her, and we bless You Lord for what You have done in so many of our lives. We love you.
In Jesus name. Amen
Pastor Bob Grenier
