Magdala was a populous town in Galilee known for its dye works and factories. The most famous citizen in scripture from this wealthy town was a lady named Mary. We first read of her in Luke’s account of the women who followed Jesus and his twelve; “women who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness: Mary was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” These women ministered to Jesus and the twelve and “were contributing to their support out of their private means (Lu. 8:2,3).
Some have wrongfully associated Mary with the “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus feet with her tears (Lu. 7:37-39) and concluded that Mary was a prostitute. No such connection is made in scripture. On the contrary no woman, other than the Lord’s mother, demonstrated a greater devotion to Jesus. She stood by His mother at the cross and was honored to be the first to see the resurrected Savior (Jn. 19:25/20:18).
Mary had been set free from the tortuous demons that possessed her. With the utterances of the Lord’s voice, the demons fled, and her deranged mind was again at peace. So grateful she was for the physical and mental healing that she devoted the rest of her days to serving Him. Oh, that we who have been cleansed from the demons of sin by his death, be so devoted to Him who set us free. Might that we, who have also been healed, be like “The Magdalene,” and give to the risen Lord the best of the rest of our lives.
-Dennis Doughty
