Calvin Synod Herald, 1982 (82. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1982-04-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — 3-REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA - ■ - - THE REWARDS OF LOVE : - . = T he Easter of Mary Magdalene-----------------------John 20:1-18----------------------------The Easter of Mary Magdalene is perhaps the most humanly moving stories among the resurrection narratives. We sense in it a first-hand account of the meeting of two personalities at unfathomable depth. Only small words are exchanged, yet they are charged with the power of a devastatingly new personality making a wrenching change in the other person’s life. “Mary!”—“My Master!”—we can almost feel her heart beat. She had thought that the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ was the end. Now she was coming to understand that his death was a glorious act of love, and the old relationship on a higher level could be reestablished. Mary Magdalene was one of the most prominent among the seven Marys of the New Testament. She was distinguished from Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary of Bethany, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joses, Mary, the wife of Clopas, Mary, the mother of John Mark and Mary, a diligent worker in a Pauline Church by the name of her native town. Magdala, a city of considerable agricultural and industrial importance was located on the north western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Unfortunately, not only the name of her hometown but also an ugly stigma has been attached to our Mary’s name in the course of time. Mary Magdalene has come down the ages as a woman of bad reputation. Homes for repenting prostitutes have been erroneously called “Magdalene Homes,” “modern” movies have ignorantly elaborated on her relationship with the Lord with a dirty hand and imagination. We know that our Lord said, “Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21-31) with reference to the self-righteous “chief priests and the elders” (v.23). So even if that had been Mary Magdalene’s case, it would not have closed her out of God’s kingdom. However, in honest defense of the truth and her reputation, we would like to quote from the Interpeter’s Dictionary of the Bible, which is one of the most reliable and internationally accepted source of scholarly information. It says, “There is no solid reason for assuming that Mary had been a harlot and therefore is to be identified with the sinful woman of Luke 7:36-50. Luke surely did not intend this identification, as he introduces Mary Magdalene in a formal way in 8:2, with no suggestion that she has been presented in 7:36-50. It is, furthermore, doubtful whether Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward, would have traveled around Galilee (Luke 8:1-3) with a notorious courtesan.” (Vol. 3, p. 288.) On the other hand, we do know that she must have been the victim of some sort of physical-mental and moral-spiritual sickness, signified in the terminology of the Bible as “seven demons” (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9), and that she was completely healed of it by the Lord. As a consequence of the seriousness of her sickness and of its miraculous healing, Mary of Magdala had become as passionately thankful, devoted and loving as once she had been desperately ill. She proved her gratitude and love in many ways. As a comparatively rich woman, she helped to finance the teaching and preaching ministry of Jesus Christ and His disciples. In this service she must have been extremely dedicated and generous. Her name is mentioned nine times in the gospels and, with one exception (John 19:25), always first among the women. She was last at the Cross (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, John 19:25), she was present at the burial (Matthew 27:61), and she was first at the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:10, John 20:1). Her love was strong as death, more than that: as strong as life. Do you love the Lord? Is your gratitude, dedication, service in adequate, sizable proportion with the love, healing, forgiveness, eternal life you have received from Him. If you were on trial for loving Jesus Christ, would you have enough evidence to be convicted for loving and serving Him? The Mary Magdalene kind of holy love and devotion get high returns. 1. Angels The weeping Mary Magdalene stoped down, looked into the empty tomb and “she saw two angels in white sitting” (v. 12). There were two of them, kind, friendly, social beings (usually sent by twos), and they were wearing the color of heaven, the color of purity, peace and glory, quite a treat to see it in a cemetery! And they were sitting, resting, taking it easy. They had finished a grand job: rolled the heavy stone away, shook the earth, sent the guards off in terror, rolled up the napkin, and now they were enjoying the result of a good work well done. There are always friendly, ministering, comforting angels sitting at the gloomy places of the lives of those who love the Lord. God always sends His messengers to the members of His family in the time of sorrow, grief and suffering. You can count on that. They are sometimes disguised as pastors, elders of your church, brothers and sisters in Christ, but they are there. We do not only entertain angels unaware, but are “entertained” by them, too. The Master left behind His messengers and receptionists to answer the questions of grief stricken visitors and ask comforting questions from them. “Woman, why are you weeping?” (v. 13) Eternal qestion, is not it? It served, as a transition to a higher level of the reward of love, too. 2. Revelation The vision of and the communication with angels was just the prelude to a more glorious vision and a more revealing communication. Jesus Christ picked up the angelic question, “Woman, why are you weeping? (v. 15) — and their dialogue rolled the drama on to its climax. All of a sudden Mary Maedalene
