August 1, 2021: Harlot or Saint?
Mark 16:1-11
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
The Shorter Ending of Mark
[[And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]]
The Longer Ending of Mark
[[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
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My seven-year-old son has discovered the “choose your own adventure” style of books. In this genre, kids make choices that determine the outcome of the story.
If you were following along with the Bible reading today, in most versions you noticed that the Gospel of Mark has a “choose your own adventure” ending with a “shorter ending of Mark” and a “longer ending of Mark.” The reason for this odd “choose your own adventure” ending to the Gospel of Mark can be found in the history of Bible translations. The King James Version (and versions based on the King James) does not have this “choose your own adventure” ending because it was translated from the Latin Vulgate, which was translated (mostly) from the original Greek. So the KJV is a translation from a translation.
No originals of any of the Gospels exist. However, the oldest copies or manuscripts (determined by carbon dating) do not have verses nine and following of the last chapter of the Gospel of Mark. It is believed that the Christian community later added those verses, perhaps because they didn’t like how Mark (believed to be the earliest Gospel written) stopped short of telling the resurrection story.
Wouldn’t you like to go back in time and be a witness to how all of that went down? But none of us (adapting lyrics from my favorite musical, Hamilton) were in the room where it happened:
None of us were in the room where it happened
The room where it happened
The room where it happened
None of us were in the room where it happened
The room where it happened
The room where it happened
No one really knows how the game was played
The art of the trade
How the sausage got made
We just assume that it happened
None of us were in the room where it happened
None of us were in the room when some scribe added verses to the original Gospel of Mark, describing, with scant detail, how Jesus rose from the dead and appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (another incident none of us were in the room to witness.) We weren’t in the room when Mary Magdalene told the other disciples this news. We weren’t in the room when the other disciples wouldn’t believe her.
Because we weren’t in the room, all we have is what other people tell us about Mary: writers of the four canonical gospels, writers of the New Testament apocrypha (including the gnostic text, The Gospel of Mary), and some wild legends, especially those emanating from France in the Middle Ages (these legends informed Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, The DaVinci Code). We have artists’ renderings of Mary Magdalene throughout Christian history. But no one did more damage to Mary’s reputation than Pope Gregory the Great, who in the 6th Century, conflated the story of the sinful woman from Luke 7 with Mary Magdalene, even though there is absolutely zero evidence, scripturally or otherwise, that the two women were one in the same. Gregory the Great preached that sermon in 1591. Historians wonder why Pope Gregory would do such a thing. Was it accidental . . . just an interpretive leap, all in good faith? Or was it something more nefarious? Did Gregory attempt to ruin Mary’s reputation because she posed a threat to the patriarchy?
But none of us were in the room where it happened. We’ll never know why Gregory ruined Mary Magdalene’s reputation. Even though there’s zero evidence that Mary Magdalene was the “sinful woman”/prostitute, Mary can’t seem to shake the reputation. Point in case: yesterday my husband asked me what today’s sermon was about. When I said, “Mary Magdalene,” he replied, “The Prostitute?” We don’t have a dog, but if we did, guess where he would have slept last night?
Pope Francis, in 2016 (425 years after Pope Gregory defamed the Magdalene), tried to rehabilitate Mary’s reputation, telling his faithful followers to refer to Mary Magdalene as the “Apostle to the Apostles.”
The “Apostle to the Apostles?” Forget “Harlot or Saint,” “Apostle to the Apostles” is a moniker that gives Mary Magdalene the respect she’s due.
Here’s the deal about Mary:
Mary Magdalene was at the crucifixion. You can’t say that about many of Jesus’ disciples.
Mary Magdalene was at the burial. The Gospel of Matthew tells us she stood there outside the tomb after others left.
Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrection. All four gospels agree on this fact.
Mary Magdalene was the first preacher of the gospel. She was the first one, across Christian history, to tell others about the resurrection. That’s why Mary is venerated, finally, as “The Apostle to the Apostles.”
On a personal note, it’s this last detail about Mary that played an important part in my own journey and call. The denomination I grew up in wouldn’t allow women to preach—still won’t to this day. But there it is—right there in all four canonical gospels—the first person to ever preach the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a woman—Mary, called the “Magdalene.”
Which brings me to another point about Mary Magdalene—Magdalene wasn’t her last name. It was, instead, a nickname. It’s possible that she was from the town of Magdala, an ancient city on the Sea of Galilee. This is what traditionally has been presumed. But it could also be a nickname given to her because of her character. The word, “magdala,” in Hebrew means “tower.” Could it be that she was given the nickname “Mary the Tower,” perhaps even by Jesus, in the same way Simon Peter was called “the Rock” or Thomas was called “the Twin?” Was Mary “the tower” among women or even among the disciples? None of us were in the room where it happened, so doubtful we’ll ever know.
The final thing I want to point out about Mary—Mary was the one who had spiritual vision. Listen to how she describes her encounter in the Garden of Gethsemane on that very first Easter Sunday morning, after she first mistakes Jesus as the gardener (John 20:16-18):
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!”
Did Jesus first appear to Mary because she was the one with eyes to see him in his resurrected state? It’s hard to imagine it was a coincidence, that Jesus appeared to Mary first—as if she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. No, it makes sense that Jesus chose to appear to Mary—all four gospels agree. Perhaps because of some special relationship, some special task, or some special ability—the ability to see with spiritual eyes.
What has been done to Mary across the ages is tragic—“The Tower” vilified as “The Harlot.” Here’s the deal:
Mary was the Tower: you can knock her down but still she will rise.
Mary was the Visionary: you can cover her eyes but still she will see.
Mary was the Preacher: you can muzzle her, but still she will speak.
Have you ever been knocked down? Blinded? Muzzled? What Mary’s story tells us is that no matter what people may try to do to you, the truth will prevail. It’s not always quick—we might not even see victory in our lifetime (Mary’s reputation wasn’t restored for 425 years!)—but the truth will prevail, if not in the physical realm than in the spiritual realm.
Thanks be to God for: The Tower. The Visionary. The Preacher. The unlikely Apostle to the Apostles. The story of Mary Magdalene teaches us that we are so much more than the bad things people believe about us, or that we believe about ourselves. Mary Magdalene teaches us that we can be chosen by God not despite who we are, but specifically because of who we are. Radical acceptance!
Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to be the first Apostle. And now, he chooses you and me. Will you answer the call, chosen one?
That’s the invitation for each of us this day as Jesus bids us “come” to the table of the Lord.