Mary Magdalene

March 22nd 2026

Series: Easter Changes Everything

Sermon Title: Mary Magdalene

Topic: Mary Magdalene, Easter, Jesus,

Key Passages: Mark 16:1-8, Luke 8:1-3, John 20:1-18

Sermon Blurb: In today’s message, we will look at how Mary Magdalene was transformed by Jesus and ended up being the first witness to his resurrection.

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Dedication, Baptism, or Ministry Highlight (1st Sunday, every even month):

Sermon:

Hello, Family Church!

        Welcome, whether you are here in person or online.

Family Moment –

Start with something personal from your family life recently to help people get to know you.

Celebrate salvation/rededications/baptisms last week.

Celebrate new disciples and disciple-makers.

PAUSE

If you are new to Family Church, we are SO happy you are here today!

        Today, we hit pause on the series we have been walking through, learning about the Holy Spirit and how He gifts us in life.

        We will pick back up in that series after Easter.

Over the next three weeks, we will focus on how Easter changes everything.

We will see that by looking at some people who were DEEPLY impacted by Easter.

We are going to talk about how Easter is for everyone.

        Easter is for men.

        Easter is for women.

        Easter is for adults.

        Easter is for children.

        Easter is for all people.

I would encourage you to invite your friends to church over the next three weeks, as these messages will be great for people who do not go to church.

Over the next three weeks, we will discuss some of the people involved in the Easter story.

I invite you to make sure you don't miss a week.

Each week will build and show us different angles and perspectives on what Easter really was.

And it's going to be amazing!

PAUSE

If you have your Bible with you —and I hope you do —open it to

Mark 16

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Simply download the app and click "Sermon Notes" on the main page.

I want to show you the heart of what happened on the day Jesus rose from the dead.

Mark 16 verse 1 says this:

Mark 16: 1-8 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb

3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

He has what church?

        Yes!!!

And he was not where?

He has risen! He is not here.

Jesus was not there.

Now thinking like a skeptic…

        Now that does not mean he rose from the dead.

I know the angel said that…

But it doesn’t mean it is true…

        It just means his body was not there.

But this angel said:

See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Ah…

        So that is interesting…

        This angel says.

        I am telling you Jesus rose from the dead.

        And I can prove it.

        Jesus is heading to Galilee.

        And if you go to Galilee, you will see Jesus.

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

If this is true.

        This changes everything.

        If Jesus rose from the dead as this angel said, it changes everything.

This claim is the cornerstone of Christian faith.

This is the hope we will take to the grave.

This is what will bring us through the valley of the shadow of death.

This is our victory.

PAUSE

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is our hope.

Without it, we have nothing.

Without it, we believe in vain.

Without it, there is no point in church.

Without it, Christianity is meaningless.

And over the next few weeks, we are going to look at some of the people who had FRONT ROW seats to Jesus’ death and resurrection to help build our confidence in what we believe.

PAUSE

Mary Magdalene had a front row seat.

Mary Magdalene had a front row seat.

She was the first in line to see it.

She got to be a part of it.

PAUSE

And what I want to do is talk about why.

Why was Mary Mageline there?

Because it could seem that it was just a lucky coincidence for her.

Man, lucky Mary.

Mary got to see Jesus’ empty tomb…

What luck!

She was just in the right place at the right time.

We might think…

        This could have been true of ANY of Jesus's disciples.

PAUSE

And I want to show you that…I do not think so…

That was the reason she was here, because of how Jesus transformed her…

And her faith in Jesus.

That is what placed her in this place.

PAUSE

Mary has a unique story.

Let’s rewind in Mary’s life and see the origin of story.

Move to

Luke 8

in your Bibles.

There, we will read her origin story.

Every great hero…

And Mary Magdalene is a hero of our faith.

Every great hero has an origin story.

According to Google, the most well-known Superhero origin story is Superman.

Superman made his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938.

His origin story is set on the planet Krypton, where his parents send him to Earth as a last resort to save his life.

On his planet, he would have grown up to be like anyone else.

He would not have been special.

BUT….

On Earth, he would be very special.

He was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark.

And his origin is from a powerless and humble boy to a hero who overcame adversity, fought for truth, justice, and the American way.

PAUSE

Let’s read about Mary of Mageline’s origin story.

Luke 8:1-3 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,

For those of you who are newer to church.    

        The 12 are Jesus’ best friends.

        The people Jesus entrusted with continuing his movement when he left.

But bear in mind it was NOT one of the 12 who were there the day Jesus rose from the dead.

        It was Mary Magdalene.

But ladies…

        Understand Jesus’ movement was not a male-only thing…

        While the 12 were there it goes on to say in verse 2:

2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;

Stop there.

        Jesus has male and female disciples.

And these women have an interesting origin story because the Bible says they:

had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;

These women had been healed and had literal demonic beings removed from them by Jesus!

And they were serving Jesus in a powerful way.

Mary called Magdalene must have had the most demons attached to her because they named her, and how many came out of her!

7 demons!!!

That's a lot of demons!!!

One is bad enough in my book…

But 7!!!!!

This girl was an unholy Holiday Inn.

You know what I'm saying?

Here is the point we cannot miss church…

        Write this down.

The grace of God is greater than your past, and His calling is stronger than your failure.  

Repeat

I know some of you struggle with that…

        But you will see that truth come to life today with Mary.

And it says, verse 3, she wasn't alone.

3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

But they weren't alone either. Because it says

These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Stop there…

We tend to focus on the 12 men who were Jesus’ best friends.

But don't miss that there were a LOT of women who were critical to Jesus' movement as well.

Women who served behind the scenes.

Women for whom Jesus has done so many BIG miracles in their lives.

PAUSE

See, for Mary, it wasn't just a fluke that allowed her to see Jesus’ empty tomb.

It wasn’t just luck that put her in this place.

For her, it was a way of life, beginning when she hit rock bottom, and Jesus healed her.

She was just doing what she did.

        She was going to serve Jesus behind the scenes.

        She didn’t need to be the leader.

        She didn’t need the recognition.

        She just wanted to go be by her deliver…

        She wanted to serve Jesus in life…

                OR in death….

PAUSE

Move in your Bible to

John 20

I want to circle back to our first story.

But we're going to see it from a different point of view.

We read from Mark, which is Peter's account.

Peter supplied Mark with the information to write his gospel.

Peter, we know from the Bible, was not the sharpest tool in the shed….

So, he had Mark ghostwrite his book.

PAUSE

John was not like Peter.

These two guys were Jesus’ closet friends.

And they often competed to see who was #1…you will see that in a second…

But I love John's account because it includes Mary's perspective.

It gives a little bit more detail.

And I hope it hits you harder now that you know her background.

Remember….the FIRST time Mary shows up in the Bible, she was filled with demons….

The OPPOSITE of angels.

The enemies of angels!

Mary’s story is bookended with opposites.

From team Satan to team Jesus.

From demons to angels.

That's Mary's story.

And let me be clear here…

        If you are here today Jesus can bring you back from anything!

        If you are here today and you feel like you are TOO far gone for God.

        YOU ARE NOT!

        If you feel like you have done so much bad.

        So much evil.

        Hurt too many people.

Hear me…

        You are not too far gone.

        One moment in the presence of Jesus can change everything.

        Jesus can still heal you, just like he healed Mary.

The only thing you need to do is ask Jesus to heal you.

        And I just want to pause here and pray…

        Because I think there might be some people sitting out there.

        Listening to this message…

        That needs healing…

        And if that is you, would you pray with me….

        PRAYER FOR HEALING… SALVATION…ETC….

If you just prayed with me…

        I want to encourage you to do one of two things.

        1…I would love for you to come up here after service and talk with me.

        OR…

        If that is too scary…please grab the connection card in the seat in front of you and fill it out and let us know you prayed for healing, or gave your life to Jesus…

        And let us pray for you!

PAUSE

John 20 verse 1.

John 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved,

That's John's nickname for himself…

Which, by the way, I encourage you to steal it right away.

Who are you?

You're someone loved by Jesus.

John so internalized Jesus' love so much that whenever he talked about himself, he was just like, I'm Jesus’ favorite.

Which….

        What to hear something funny?

        My son Wyatt changed his name in my phone to “Wyatt Favorite Grill Child.”

        To which my youngest, Belle, saw.

        And so when Belle got a phone…

        She added herself into my phone as “Belle, my favorite child that I love to spoil.”

        That is still their names in my phone!!!!

PAUSE

Let’s keep reading….

and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

She was acknowledging, I'm not alone.

I had my she-posse with me.

You know, John's focusing on Mary's perspective.

She said we don't know where they laid him.

All the girls are there…

Verse 3.

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

Really?

So John and Peter always had this like rivalry thing going on.

And even on the most important day of their lives, John cannot hesitate.

He has to make sure we know he was faster than Peter.

It wasn't a race.

But I got there first.

Or as the great theologian Ricky Bobby said, in this quote…check out the screens….

If you ain't first, you last.

Ricky Bobby.

What a great movie!!!!

Does anyone remember that one?

Yes…Talladega Nights…worked into a sermon…

You are welcome!

John says…they did a little shake and bake, and he was first….

And…

5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.

Then FINALLY, pudgy Peter finally showed up, huffing and puffing, and pushed past him and

6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb.

Johns like I was being respectful.

Not Peter.

He's just never one think before he does something.

He just walking in.

He didn't even take his shoes off or anything.

John, we get it.

You're better than Peter.

He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.

8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

There he goes again!

Real Mature John…

And if you are not aware, John was the youngest follower of Jesus.

Most scholars think he was around 13 when he started following Jesus.

So this means at this point, he was around 16.

So that might help you understand why he is the way he is…

My son Thacher is 16 and LOVES to tell me how he thinks he can beat me at everything….

        But he knows he cannot…

        Which is why Thatcher, you want to come up here and let’s arm wrestle?

        LOL…..

9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

They went home…

        Mary did not.

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb

12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

She says…

        Look I am here to just care for Jesus.

        That is what I do.

        I help Jesus.

        I serve Jesus.

        I am the behind-the-scenes person.

Just tell me.

If he had to get moved or something, its fine.

Let me know.

I'll take care of it.

PAUSE

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

And I picture Mary’s eyes filling with more tears…as the sound of Jesus’ voice clicks…

        And she realizes this is not some gardener.

        This is the sound of Jesus voice…

        She turns…

        And I think she RUNS….

        And she CRIES OUT….

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

And she throws her arms around Jesus!!!!!

        So is hugging him so tight.

        Crying on his shoulder…

        And Jesus says:

17 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.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

I think you'll agree with me…

We have a little bit more perspective to enjoy.

This was no fluke.

This was not random luck.

She ended up in the front row seat on the most important day in human history and got to be the FIRST person EVER to be sent out with the message of the resurrection of Jesus!!!!

Think about that!!!!

A former demon-possessed woman…

A woman who was on team Devil…

A woman who everyone thought was too far gone…

Was healed by Jesus….

And she gets to be the FIRST person to tell everyone the best news in ALL of human history!!!!

PAUSE

And let me close with this…

In just a few weeks, I will be in Israel with a bunch of you.

And we will visit Magdala, where Mary was from.

And I want to shift all of your perspectives…

Mary Magdalene just means Mary from Magdala.

Magdala was a city just a few miles away from Capernaum.

It was a wealthy city, an affluent city.

And their primary export, primary contribution to the economy, was dyes and textiles.

It was the ancient Versace.

And Mary Versace was a big part of this community.

Because she's not just called Mary Magdalene.

In many parts of the gospels, she's called Mary the Magdalene.

And some commentaries basically say she had become synonymous with the exports of this city.

Mary lived and worked on Rodeo Drive.

Mary the Magdalene, which is probably not how you pictured her a minute ago…

Because when you think of someone who's got seven demons, you think of someone who's under the bridge jonesing him for heroin.

You don't think the business owner.

The super successful person.

But both need Jesus.

PAUSE

She is she's living the good life.

        But she was full of darkness.

The truth is, many times, people get top of ladders like that, only to discover that they put their ladder against the wrong wall.

Mary, it seems, had everything in this world that she wanted, but found out that it was not what she actually needed.

All that success left didn’t fill her.

All that money didn’t save her.

All the parties didn’t fill her.

She was dark…

She was lost…

She was broken…

And what saved her was simply Jesus.

        Which should give us all hope.

And after she was saved…

She used all her wealth….

To finance Jesus' ministry!

She shows up 14 times in the scriptures.

And eight of those times, it's in connection with a list of other women.

She used all her influence to lead other influential people to Jesus!

Take Joanna, the wife of Chuza, from where we started today…

Who was Herod's steward.

Who's Herod?

Herod was the king!

This specific Herod was Antipas, who is the son of Herod the

Great!

And his steward, who managed his real estate portfolio, who was… no doubt a well-paid, highly placed individual….

Mary, who is connected…

Mary, was a wealthy woman.

Mary leads her friend to Jesus…

AND….

Her friend, who is paid by the son of the guy who wanted Jesus dead….

Who beheaded Jesus' cousin John…

Joanna… look in your Bible at Luke 8…. she's making generous donations to Jesus' ministry.

How CRAZY is that!!!

The dude who cut John the Baptist's head off is helping pay for Jesus' ministry all around the nation!!!!!

PAUSE

Go back to our only point today…

The grace of God is greater than your past, and His calling is stronger than your failure.

God really could work through any of you…

        If you will choose to open yourself up to Jesus and follow Him.

PAUSE

Let me give you a life application today.

        If you are new or newer to Family Church, we LOVE to end our messages with something for you to talk about with someone else.

        Something to help you apply the message to your life.

So here is this week’s Life Application…

Life Application: God is not limited by your past—He redeems it and uses it for His glory. How could you use your past to bring God more glory? As a result of today’s message, I will….

Prayer:

        Make sure to do a salvation call!

Offering:

Thank you all for being here today!

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        You can also place any connection cards you filled out in there

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Have a great week!!