Mary Magdalene - Dreaming of Peace

Introducing Mary

Good morning!

Happy Sunday everyone, it is so great to see all of you.

We will continue our series on being “Like those who dream” with one of my favorite Gospel characters. She’s a lowkey participant in Jesus’ ministry, only mentioned a few times among all four Gospels. Her name is Mary, and because she came from the Galilean city of Magdala, she was called the Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene had a simple dream, one that started long before she met Jesus, and one that she continued to dream anew as she followed him. She had a dream that I’m sure many of us here today share as well, Mary dreamt of peace.

In our reading today, which is from Mark’s Gospel, we are introduced to Mary for the first time as she comes to care for Jesus’ body after His crucifixion. Turn in your Bibles with me to Mark 16:9-13.

Mark 16:9–13 ESV

Now when 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 and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Now in this short reading we learn two key character development points about Mary.

Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her.

She was the first person to see the risen Christ, just outside His tomb.

Demons

So let’s look more at that first point, Mary was oppressed by 7 demons in her life before she met Jesus. If there was anyone among Jesus’ followers who was dreaming of peace, it was Mary.

We don’t hear much about demon possession these days. I think that the legions of hell have figured out that they can do their job more effectively today if the world just doesn’t believe they exist. Since the Enlightenment so many of us are so convinced of the rational and orderly nature of our existence that nothing could drive us closer to God than being forced to confront that the supernatural exists at all. So I think today demons work more on the down low for strategic reasons!

But for Mary, the effects would likely be quite obvious. Now while we don’t have an exact record of what Mary’s life was like while she was afflicted by demons, we can draw on other scriptural evidence to make some conclusions.

Oppressive

In the bible, we see that demons are oppressive on those that they possess. Look in Luke 8.

Luke 8:26–28 ESV

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

This demon oppressed man in Gerasenes had been living naked in the hills where the dead were buried in tombs. It appears that we can draw the conclusion that before he has been possessed, the man owned both clothes and a house. But something about the presence of the demons had forced him out of that life and into this poor, wretched existence he was living when Jesus came along.

Cultural Stigma

Demons also carried a significant social stigma, where even if one wasn’t forced out of town by a legion of demons, they could lose all meaningful social connections. we see this in Mark, when the Pharisees try to use this stigma against Jesus. Turn to Matthew 12.

Matthew 12:22–29 ESV

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

The Pharisees lob this accusation as a way to discredit Jesus, to try and persuade some of His followers to desert Him. But it doesn’t work.

For Mary, though, it is likely that her condition made her an outcast among her people. It’s unlikely that a man would marry someone possessed by demons, which leaves her with very few potential means of survival, most of which involved being exploited for her body. We don’t have a direct scriptural statement that Mary was a prostitute, but based off of what we know about the ways available for a single young woman to survive while possessed by demons, and the fact that this began as a very very early Christian tradition, we can say it’s likely.

Unclean

And just in case anyone would want to associate with Mary despite the cultural stigma that demon possession carried, those who were possessed by demons were considered by Jewish law to be unclean! Leviticus 5 says that “if anyone touches an unclean thing” even if they don’t know that they’ve even touched it! He becomes unclean. Demons are often referred to as “unclean spirits” in scripture. If Mary has 7 unclean spirits living inside her then she herself is unclean until she is rid of them and goes to a priest for ritual cleansing and atonement.

So while she is in a state of uncleanliness, Mary could not:

Enter the temple complex, even to bring sacrifices during the festivals.

Live among the people of Israel. Like the lepers, those who were unclean were not welcome among the people. Now Mary may have been able to slide under the radar here because we don’t know how outwardly apparent her possession was, but imagine living every day knowing that you have a secret that if your neighbors found out about would drive you out of your home and away from your city.

Living like that had to be like living under the Sword of Damocles where at any moment the blade could drop and destroy you.

Worst Impulses

And beyond all of those things. I think the most painful thing that Mary experienced was being unable to combat her worst impulses. Because the thing that demons do that destroys the souls of people more than anything is they push us to our very worst impulses. Look in Luke 22.

Luke 22:3–6 ESV

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

Now, I don’t think Satan put the love of money or the doubt of Jesus or whatever it was that ultimately caused Judas to betray Jesus into his heart. I don’t want to come across here like I’m letting Judas off the hook. But I think there’s a reason that Luke notes that Satan enters into Judas before he betrays Jesus. Without that influence, Judas might not have acted on his worst impulses, his darkest, most shameful thoughts. This becomes even more likely if we look at Matthew 27.

Matthew 27:3–5 ESV

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

When Judas saw that he had done the most terrible thing his mind could conceive, he was so overridden with guilt that he hung himself.

I believe that Mary lived that shame every day of her possession, caught in a terrible cycle of acting on the very worst impulses that crossed her mind. I think that’s one of the worst torments a person can go through. Imagine every time a terrible thing enters your mind, you acted on it. Every flash of anger led to a murder, every moment of lust became an affair, every twang of jealousy a heist.

And after living that way for some time I don’t know if Mary believed there was a way out. I’m quite sure that after living that way she felt she didn’t deserve a way out. Have you ever found yourself caught in a cycle like that? Being so caught up in a cycle of sin that even though you want so desperately to be free of it you find it hard to even pray to God for deliverance because you know in your heart you don’t deserve it. I know I have. And that’s how I know Mary did.

So I don’t know if by the time Mary met Jesus she even still had the strength to dream of peace or if she was so worn out by the demons and her own sins that she just dreamed of death.

But I know that when she met Jesus, all of that changed.

One Way, Then Another

Have you ever heard someone say, after becoming a Christian, “I was one way, and then I was completely different! And the only thing that happened in between, was Jesus.” This is a pretty popular testimonial cliche that people use, but it’s true! It’s true for all of us who have submitted to Christ in baptism, and upon repentance of our sins and proclamation of our faith, have been buried with Him to rise again with Him to a new life.

And it was true of Mary.

You see when Luke introduces Mary in the 8th chapter of his Gospel, she is included among the women who accompanied Jesus and supported His ministry financially.

Luke 8:1–3 ESV

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

Mary had found a home among the disciples. She had found a purpose in the work of Christ. She had even found enough to support Jesus and His disciples as they traveled!

Mary was still working hard, but Mary’s dream had come true. She was at peace. But where did that peace come from?

Peace in Jesus

Before He was betrayed and taken to be killed, Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:

John 14:25–28 ESV

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

When Jesus was with Mary, He was the source of her peace. But after His ascension, He sent another to be with us, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, teacher, helper, reminder of Jesus, and Jesus’ peace.

He goes on to tell us in John 16 that:

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

So peace is both a gift that the Holy Spirit brings us, as well as something that we can choose based on the knowledge that this world has been overcome by Jesus, that our Lord has already won and that nothing happens here can change that!

Left or Right

And that knowledge, that peace, can permeate everything we do! This kind of peace, this peace that comes from knowing that Jesus has overcome the world, is truly truly life-changing. But it can be easy to sacrifice this peace at the alter of the crisis of the day!

That’s one of our hardest temptations as Christians, to try and get the right people in place to legislate the kingdom of God into existence in the United States. And the things our friends share on social media, or the things we see on TV convince us that this is IMPORTANT and the threat is IMMINENT and we have to act NOW because the war has already begun! But we cannot minister to people we are trying to BEAT. It just isn’t possible.

The truth is the war is already over. Jesus has ALREADY won, and our job is not to re-win His victory but to share the Good News of what was won to all who will listen to it!

Find Peace

We have a great gift of peace through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Peace in knowing that this world is not our home, peace in the Blessed Assurance that Jesus has already overcome the world.

I’ve had quite a few moments in my life full of chaos and uncertainty. When I was 18 years old I left home to go to a senior military college to become an officer in the U.S. Army. I had worked for this my entire life. Everything I did from 6th grade to high school graduation was part of my carefully laid plan to become the best military officer I could be. I was shooting for the Navy but that didn’t work out, so I graciously accepted the scholarship the Army had offered me, and began the life I’d planned out for myself. It was at this school that I began attending a local church of Christ, and was baptized into new life with Jesus.

Just one year later I was asked to leave that school. And shortly after that I found myself in jail (just for like a few hours, to be fair). But my life had not just taken a turn, the floor had fallen out from under me and I was in a freefall. I was afraid, I was heartbroken, and I knew I was to blame.

And in that chaos I did not find peace because God magically put my life back together. It took a lot longer than I wanted it to. I did not find peace because my parents told me everything would be alright, though I’ll be grateful every day for the grace and support they showed me. I found peace in the chaos I’d brought upon myself when the Holy Spirit reminded me that all of this was temporary. That none of what was happening to me and around me defined me.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that my identity is in the one who created me, and the one who died for me.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that my place was secure and that whatever happened next was a temporary situation, but my place with Jesus was forever.

Praise God that He brought me from where I was, to where I am now. But before He saw fit to give me redemption, a second chance, He had already given me peace.

Peace Shattered

Mary also saw her peace shattered before her eyes.

As I mentioned before, Mary’s source of peace was being with Jesus. He was the peace that kept at bay the guilt and the shame of her past and the fear of her demons returning.

But the Pharisees plotted after Him and Judas betrayed Him and Pilate had Him nailed to a cross, and Mary’s peace died.

So what was Mary to do? Well, she did what she could for her fallen teacher.

All four Gospels tell us that Mary, likely with a couple of other women, went to Jesus’ tomb on Sunday to finish preparing his body with spices they had brought. Let’s look at the story in our first reading from a different perspective. Turn to the end of John. After the women discovered an empty tomb, Mary fetched Peter and John, and they could see clearly that the tomb was empty, but did not understand why.

John 20:11–18 ESV

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Peace Restored

This is our second important character point about Mary that I shared at the beginning, she was the first person to see Jesus after His resurrection.

Out of all of Jesus’ followers that we’ve met, none were as desperately in need of His peace as Mary. And I understand many people He encountered had it rough, the paralyzed and those afflicted with serious illnesses and others afflicted by demons, but of those that we have a record of staying with Jesus until the end, basically the apostles and the few women who accompanied them, none seem to have had more to lose with Jesus’ death than Mary.

And it is Mary, that he appears to, and calls by name.

Turn back in John to Chapter 10, starting in verse 3.

John 10:3–4 ESV

To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Let’s go back even further than that, turn all the way back to Isaiah, chapter 43.

Isaiah 43:1 ESV

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Jesus’ work is complete, He has conquered this world, He has called Mary by name.

And when Mary, this follower of Jesus who has spent years dreaming of peace, turns towards her teacher whom she recognizes.

She turns from grief, to joy.

She turns from death, to life.

She turns from sin, to grace.

She turns from agony, to peace.

Peace is for all who are in Christ

And that peace is available to all who are in Christ. That knowledge that this is temporary and what Jesus has secured for us is forever.

That we can follow His voice and He will call us by name and lead us to where we need to be.

That Jesus has called each of us, by name.

And this peace comes as a twofold gift. It is bestowed upon us through the Holy Spirit, and it is something we can choose by resting in the knowledge that Jesus has overcome the world.

Altar Call

A lot of us in here today, need to be reminded of the peace that we have in Christ.

Because only when we are at peace can we be the light of this world that Jesus has called His church to be.

And only when we are in Christ, when we belong to the one who has overcome the world, can we be at peace.

Do you need to enter into that peace today?

Do you need to repent of your sins, profess your faith in Jesus and be buried with Him in baptism to be raised with Him to a new life in peace?

Do you need to come back to resting in Christ’s peace? Have you been drawn far from Him by sin or by doubt or by the strife of this world, and would you like the prayers of this church?

Whatever your need, I hope you’ll make it known by coming forward while together we stand, and sing.