Today we are concluding our series of posts about sharing your faith. We have been discussing individuals involved with the story of Jesus going to the cross. Today we will be looking at sharing our faith with people that have Identity Issues. We will approach this through the lens of Mary Magdalene.
Mary Magdalene is an interesting character in the gospels. Matthew doesn’t even mention her until Matthew 27 and 28, when she appears at the cross, at the grave, and as one of the first witnesses to the empty tomb.
Mark presents her in a similar light, but we also see something referenced in Mark 16:9-11 (ESV). We see her earlier in Luke. Chapter 8:1-3 (ESV) says,
In John, we see similar passages, but we see a long conversation from when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
On the surface, you can ask why we are discussing Mary Magdalene with the conversation about Identity. It doesn’t seem when you do a simple search of her name that there are any real “issues.” But the issues begin when you begin to consider the potential indirect references to Mary.
The most significant ones are John 8:1-11 and Luke 7:36-50
In the passage from John, we see a woman who is often identified as Mary, but scholars cannot definitively prove this fact. But the thought is prevailing enough that we now lump the idea of Mary being caught in adultery into her past. Some have even pushed it to the point of calling Mary a prostitute.
Note the fact that Jesus does not condemn her but challenges her to go and sin no more.
The passage from Luke is a very similar account to this passage in Mark 14 that identifies this same instance occurring in Bethany at Simon’s house. It takes place right before Judas betrays Jesus. Then we see in John 12, that Mary the sister of Lazarus, also anointing Jesus right before his death in the city of Bethany.
Some scholars believe that these three accounts are the same and that Mary Magdalene is, in fact, the same woman in each case and is Mary, the sister of Lazarus.
It’s enough to make your head spin! Then if you factor in all of the other crazy thoughts and opinions about Mary Magdalene, you almost don’t know what to believe. And that brings us to the point of this message.
Your Identity Must be In Christ.
Your identity must be in Jesus Christ. The only thing I can genuinely 100% say of Mary Magdalene is that she…
She had seven demonic spirits in her that Christ cast out.
Became a disciple of Jesus and followed him.
Was there at the crucifixion and burial.
Was there to see the empty tomb.
Saw Jesus before the other disciples.
The other things we say about her are guesses and theories, even if they are founded on sound logic. Likely, the disciples at the time weren’t filled with the same uncertainty that we have today. They had better context; they knew the people or knew people who knew the people. But we are left to speculate and guess and assume. And when we think and assume, we often assume wrong.
We might have excellent and Godly intentions, but wrong assumptions can get us in trouble, ruin others' reputations, and ruin our reputations. We have to be so careful that we allow people to identify with Christ and not their past. We reference their past only as a means of sharing a testimony of how far they have come.
When we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and our past no longer has power because we are set free. No matter how much is true about her, the issue that happens with Mary is that we often describe her more by her past than we do her present.
Notice, she did not abandon Jesus at the cross. She was at the tomb as He was buried, she found the tomb empty, and she saw Jesus before everyone else. Dare I say she got it more than the 12 disciples did. It makes you think she had as great or a deeper understanding of Jesus’ teachings than the disciples.
And I want all of you in this room to hear this. I don’t care about what you did wrong in your past; I care what you will do by the Power of the Holy Spirit in your present and future.
We will use wisdom. I won’t allow someone who embezzled money from a previous job to count the offering. Not because I don’t think you can change, but because I don’t want to put you into a spot to be tempted again.
People can put all kinds of titles on you. They can try to control your identity, but you need to know your identity is in Christ and Christ alone. We need to do likewise for others, and allow them to find their identity, and ultimately, their faith in Jesus.