Join Mary Magdalene's Easter joy.

I expect many of us have seen The Passion of the Christ. It actually came out 18 years ago. Ever since, that movie illustrates the Passion for me. I can see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, on trial, being beaten, and on the cross as depicted in this film.  It is hard to watch because they made the film as authentic as possible regarding the brutality of life in Israel under Roman rule.

As the film moves from the trial to Golgotha, the place of a skull, and the crucifixion, gloom enshrouds the moment. Everything in the film darkens, they used a lot of browns, grays and black. 

But they had a problem.  Mary Magdalene was played by Monica Bellucci. She is a very lovely Italian actress and her beauty was distracting from the gloomy mood.

So they tried to “dirty up” Ms. Bellucci.  When I say, “dirty up” I mean they put dirt, real live dirt, on her face.  They were literally grabbing it up from the ground and rubbing it on her face.  Very authentic.  And, of course, she’s crying a lot, so her eyes and face get a little puffy, her tears run through the dirt, and they added more dirt.

And the more they tried to dirty her up, the more beautiful she became. That’s actually perfect because the same is true of the real Mary Magdalene.

No one knows what Mary Magdalene physically looked like, but she is among the most studied and contemplated figures in all of Christianity for very good reason.  All four Gospels testify that she was the first person to encounter the risen Christ. That has led to a lot of thought and speculation about her. 

Some have speculated that she might be the woman accused of adultery and about to be stoned in John chapter 8, but Jesus told the crowd, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”  But John doesn’t share that woman’s name.  Others connect her with the woman in Luke chapter 7 who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and then anointed him with oil.  Luke will identify Mary Magdalene in the very next chapter, but he doesn’t identify that woman.

Some have associated her with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  But Mary Magdalene’s name indicates she is from the town of Magdala in Galilee.  Bethany is in Judea, so it is unlikely that she is that same person.

Pope Gregory the First made a passing reference to her in a sermon, calling her a “sinner.”  That has spawned centuries of others calling her a prostitute or a harlot, even though Gregory never actually said that.

While we don’t know what the real Mary Magdalene looked like, we do get a peek at her soul.  She is listed among a group of women who financially support Jesus’  ministry.  Luke said she was delivered from seven demons.  She was in terrible shape, as bad shape spiritually as anyone could possibly be – among the worst the disciples saw along the way.

But Jesus said the one forgiven the largest debt would be the most joyful.  The worse one was before Jesus healed them, the greater the deliverance. Here she is. The worse her condition was before she met Jesus, the more beautiful her encounter with Jesus, the more beautiful her healing, the more beautiful her gift of life from him. She who was living a tortured life has been healed.  She who had been most desperate has been restored to new life through him. 

If that makes you wonder if she might be the one washing his feet with her tears, fine.  If that makes you wonder if she might have had the pluck to confront Jesus when Lazarus had died, fine. If that makes you wonder if she had been an adulteress or a prostitute or both, fine. The more ideas and speculation that people throw on her, more dirt we rub on her face, the more beautiful she becomes when she is clean of all of it.

Mary Magdalene followed Jesus all the way.  He had changed – he saved – her life.  Her love for him was immense.  If Our Lord Jesus has delivered you from addiction, disease, character flaws, poverty or strife, even just one or two demons, you might identify with her love.  If you understand that all we are or have is very temporary and through your faith in him you have a gift of eternal life, you might identify with her love.

With all of that, Mary Magdalene was completely faithful to Jesus. She adored him. She followed him all the way to the crucifixion, to the foot of the cross, when his disciples had largely melted away.  Imagine her sorrow as she watched the man who had saved her die on that cross. She went with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to place Jesus’ body in the tomb. Imagine her grief as she wrapped him carefully in a linen cloth with spices.

She had to wait until sunrise that first Easter Sunday morning to continue tending to his dead body.  She comes before dawn.  It’s dark. It’s cold.  Imagine her urgency, her love and devotion to this man who did so very much for her, who has died a horrible death before her eyes. 

Imagine her despair when she finds he is not there.  She runs to tell the disciple who is in charge and the disciple who was closest to Jesus.  They have their little race to the tomb, but she must have followed along quickly.  Once they look around and confirm he is gone they went home.  She stayed.  This is the last place she’d seen him.  Her heart is broken.

Jesus said the last will be first and here she is. All four Gospels affirm that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the risen Christ. She’s surprised. She’s shocked. Imagine the joy that erupts in her heart!  He is risen!

Her life is our life. Her grief is our grief. Her joy is our joy. It erupts in our hearts because our precious Lord Jesus lives.  He lives! He lives! There’s really only one word for it. Alleluia!  I said, ALLELUIA!

Alleluia Christ is Risen! Alleluia Christ is Risen! Alleluia Christ is Risen!

And because he is risen we know that he lives.  And because he lives all our sins may be forgiven and the path of life, of reconciliation to the Father is opened.  We have life because he is risen.

Alleluia!

AMEN