Portraits of the Passion - John 20:11-18

“JUST AN OLD-FASHIONED LOVE SONG”

 

As I meditated on and researched the role of Mary the Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus, an old song popped into my head that seemed to fit her story. Three Dog Night recorded this song in the 60s (show lyrics). If you put a little effort into it, you can tease out some biblical themes in the song. I wonder if God laughs when song writers reflect his themes without trying to. 

            Mary the Magdalene is a mysterious character. She is mentioned 12 times in the gospel accounts, but we don’t know much about her. Mary has always seemed like a flat character to me, no perspective. We don’t know why she was such an ardent follower of Jesus. We don’t know why she was the first person to see the risen Christ. But she loved Jesus deeply. 

            One writer commented that if he were Jesus, he would appear to the Jewish leaders to show them they were wrong about Messiah. Or he would go to Pilate and say, “See?” Or to Peter, the supposed leader of the disciples, and reaffirm that what Peter saw in Jesus was true. But the first person to see Jesus was Mary! 

            Who was Mary the Magdalene?

            Why does John put so much emphasis on her testimony about the empty tomb? 

            The following is just a theory based on an ancient tradition of the early church. This theory has been rejected in the last hundred years by scholars of higher biblical criticism. That is, until a theology student from Notre Dame named Clement Harrold revived the theory in a paper I read last week. It’s still just a theory, but it helped me paint a portrait of the love that Mary had for Jesus and why she matters.

§  Two Anointings, One Anointer

We first find Mary the Magdalene in Luke’s account of the gospel. To begin the narrative, a Pharisee named Simon invites Jesus to a dinner party (Luke 7:36). Luke introduces an unexpected interloper into the party, “And behold a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that (Jesus) was reclining at table (likely a couch) in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment,” (37-38).

            That the woman was from the city and a sinner implied that she was a prostitute. An exchange occurs between this Simon and Jesus; Simon is outraged that a holy man, a prophet like Jesus, would allow this woman of ill repute to touch him so. Jesus retorts that Simon did not wash his feet when he entered Simon’s house, but this woman has washed his feet with her tears. So there…

            Jesus has a soft spot for women. If you know about ANE culture, you know that’s unusual. Jesus elevated women to significance in the kingdom of God. They mattered to him. Ancient men thought less of women than Jesus did. 

            As Luke continues this narrative in chapter 8, Jesus is seen preaching the good news in more villages. Then Luke adds this: “…also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities (were with him): Mary called Magdalene, from who seven demons had gone out…” (8:2). Luke counts Mary and this group of women among the benefactors who financially supported Jesus’ ministry. 

            Mary is said to have been healed of evil spirits. We don’t know if she was possessed or oppressed. The number “seven” implies completeness, so that she was overwhelmingly afflicted. 

            The controversy surrounding Mary over the centuries was whether she was a prostitute or not. Some make the link that the sinful woman of chapter 7 is the Mary of chapter 8. Mary could have been simply ill, or her affliction could have been sexual in nature or result. We don’t know. 

            The question we are left to consider is this: Was Mary the woman of questionable character that heard that Jesus was nearby and wanted to bless him? 

            The theory continues to unfold in the narrative of Luke 10 where two sisters are hosting Jesus in their home (presumably in Bethany; not told). One, Martha, is getting food ready, while the other, Mary, sits at Jesus’ feet listening to him explain the kingdom of God (Luke 10:38-42).

            This Mary is known as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus (we discover in John 11). As the theory goes, perhaps this Mary is the woman of ill repute restored to her family after a life of rebellion. Perhaps this Mary of Bethany was Mary who ran away to Magdala to live a sinful life. Perhaps when she found Jesus (or Jesus found her), she realized how far she had fallen. 

            Add to this wild tale the possibility that this is the same woman who was caught in adultery in John 8:1-11. It may seem far-fetched for various reasons. Yet you can’t help but appreciate the gratitude of this woman (or women) whom Jesus has freed from their stained reputation (before God at least). 

§  The Second Anointing

Is Mary of Bethany also known as Mary the Magdalene? In John 12 we find Jesus in his final week before his crucifixion and he is at another dinner party. This party was for Lazarus who having been raised from the dead by Jesus was some sort of celebrity in Bethany. Martha, as was her nature, was serving the food.

            Lazarus’ sister, Mary, was also being herself. John writes, “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair…” (12:3a). The cost of the ointment was said to be 300 denarii (today’s value 40,000 dollars). Perfume? Hair? Sound familiar? 

            You might be tempted to say the two anointings are the same event but recorded differently. However, there are important details to consider. The first anointing was in Galilee; this one was in Bethany of Judea. In the first story, the woman weeps; here, Mary has no emotion. 

            Perhaps this second anointing reveals the growth in her relationship with Jesus. The first anointing was filled with gratitude; the second was a re-enactment of the first but in preparation for Jesus’ death, a sign perhaps that only Mary understood what Jesus was saying about his mission. 

            That it was a second anointing is implied by John 11:2, BEFORE the raising of Lazarus, where John writes, “It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.” John describes this as something Mary did in the past. 

            In the second anointing, Judas objects to this waste of money and cries foul for the poor. But Jesus replies with an odd rebuke, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial,” (12:7). It is as if she didn’t finish what she was doing, and Jesus instructs her to finish later. 

§  Two Resurrection Stories

A further connection can be made between Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene with the raising of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus. The similarities are hard to ignore. 

            When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead four days. Jesus talks to Martha and then goes to find Mary. She hears that Jesus is looking for her and runs to meet him. “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,’” (11:32). Jesus is moved by her weeping, and he begins to weep too. Mary weeps at the tomb of her brother, Lazarus, you see. We find the same expression at the tomb of Jesus, “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stopped to look into the tomb…” (20:11). 

            Another similarity between the two stories comes when Jesus says of the body of Lazarus, “Where have you laid him?” (11:34). With Mary Magdalene at Jesus’ tomb, the angels ask why she is weeping, and she replies, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him,” (20:13). 

            Now, you may think that these are coincidences, but if you know John’s writing, you know that he likes to “play” with the reader. He uses double meanings, and he employs literary cues to make connections. Is it possible that this is what he’s doing here? 

            Finally, John includes a very mysterious detail that seems to have little meaning. When Mary the Magdalene looks into the tomb, she sees two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. Why?!? Why does this matter, John? Why would you include this strange detail? That’s John for you. 

            Could it be that the angels were a clue for Mary? In Matthew 26:7, the unnamed woman anointed Jesus’ head and later anointed his feet (John 12:3). If this is the same Mary, then this random detail is not so random at all. 

§  An Ancient Love Song

Finally, John’s anointing scene in chapter 12 carries strong royal and bridal connotations. Remember, my comment that at the dinner parties Jesus attended, he reclined as if on a couch. That’s how they ate their meals, reclining on a couch. 

            The Song of Solomon (or “Songs”) is a love poem. We Christians often ignore it as overly erotic and TMI to be studied or read in church. I call your attention firstly to 1:12 where the beloved, the bride, says, “While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance.” Interesting, subtle hints of our anointing scenes…okay?! So, there is a hint of prophecy of Jesus in this…maybe. What the Song really tells us is how much God loves his betrothed, Israel. 

            Is it possible that John is consciously trying to make us think of this Song in his resurrection scene? Mary Magdalene’s actions are like those of the Shulamite girl in this song. In the bride’s dream, she wakes early to seek her beloved husband (Sg 3:1-2; John 20:1). She cannot find him (Sg 3:2; Jn 20:2), so she converses with the watchmen about where he has gone (Sg 3:3; Jn 20:13), and then finally discovers him with much jubilation (Sg 3:4; Jn 20:16). Just as the Shulamite girl clings to her beloved and refuses to let him go (Sg 3:4), Jesus is forced to instruct Mary not to hold him (Jn 20:17). 

            

Sharon asked me what the point of this exercise would be. Good question. Is it just a mystery of the Bible that I wanted to intrigue you with? 

            Mary Magdalene has been a controversial figure for almost 2000 years. Dan Brown in his Da Vinci Code novel makes her out to be the wife of Jesus. Others have painted her that way. I have no desire nor illusions in that regard. 

            The key is found in the first narrative we looked at in Luke. Jesus explained to Simon the Pharisee that the woman who anointed him did so out of great love for the One who forgave her sins. Jesus said, “I tell you, her sins – and they are many – have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love,” (7:47). 

            If the woman who anointed Jesus at Simon’s party was someone other than Mary Magdalene, the shoe still fits. Mary had seven demons sent out of her. Her life had been completely redefined by the touch of the Savior. Mary’s identity was no longer the woman oppressed but the woman redeemed. 

            I believe Mary represents the spiritual bride of Christ – the Church. She was an historical person, to be sure. However, her relationship with Jesus reflects an intense love for Christ that serves as a model for all of us. 

            Think about it: Early on the first day of the week, Mary came to the tomb while it was still dark looking for Jesus. One writer said there was a lot of running on Easter Sunday. She ran to tell the disciples; the disciples ran to the tomb; Mary must have run after them. 

            When you came to worship this morning, did you come running? Were you eager? Were you expecting to find Jesus this morning? Did you peep into this worship hall hoping to find Jesus? Or like Mary, do we miss the tell-tale signs that Jesus is present here? To be honest, the Church has often missed the signs – we miss the presence of Jesus. But he’s here.

            When Mary found Jesus, she did not want to let him go. She did not want to lose him again. When we find Jesus in worship or in the study of his Word or in the fellowship of his friends (the church), do we cling to him and grudgingly let him go to re-enter the world? 

            Jesus told Mary to go and tell the brothers that he had risen from the dead and what came next. Do we, filled with joy that our beloved Lord has risen from the dead, go and tell our friends about the Man who changed our identities by forgiving our sins? 

            Mary is Mary. In another sense, we are Mary. We are the bride of Christ. We have been forgiven much – do we love him like Mary loved him? 

 

Just like an old fashioned love song…

 

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church,” (Eph. 5:25 & 31-32)

 

 

                                                AMEN