In Luke 8, we are introduced to three women (and told of many others) who are following Jesus with the twelve.
Their names are Mary, Joanna, and Susanna. We’ll look at Mary this week, Joanna and Susanna next week.
Mary, was called Magdalene. Magdala is a village on the Sea of Galilee. Many scholars presume Mary was from there. That could very well be, but we are never actually told that.
Mary is called Magdalene, just as Thomas is called Didymus (the Twin) or Simon was called Peter.
Magdala the town derives its name from the Hebrew word migdal which means “tower.”
There is every possibility Mary is from Magdala and that’s why people called her Magdalene. But it’s not the only possibility. They could have called her “Tower” for other reasons. There could be a mixture of reasoning to the nickname.
We often reference her with both names - Mary Magdalene. English translations of the Bible call her Mary Magdalene in John 20:1. My Greek isn’t that good, but I think it would be more accurate to translate John 20:1 with “Mary, the Magdalene.” Perhaps even “Mary, the tower.”
We know Mary, the Magdalene was in the two most important places in the history of the world. She was at the cross (John 19:25) and she was at the empty tomb. She saw Jesus die. She is the first to see Jesus raised from the dead and the first to proclaim Christ is risen (John 20:1-18). We know that Jesus had healed her of demonic possession (Luke 8:2). We know that Mary, Joanna, and Susanna were “with Jesus” as the Apostles were with Jesus. And we know that these woman provided for Jesus according to their means. They were benefactors.
But I think the most overlooked piece about Mary and the women who followed Jesus from Galilee is that they were Jesus’ disciples. They were His followers. They were His students.
When these women are at the tomb of Jesus, Luke records an angel saying this to them.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:5-8a).
And then, one of my favorite lines in all of the Bible: “And they remembered his words” (Luke 24:8b).
They remembered what Jesus had taught them, told them, proclaimed to them. In John 20:16, when Mary the Magdalene recognizes the risen Jesus, she calls Him Rabboni which means “my teacher.”
Jesus foretells His death three times in Luke’s Gospel. Twice in chapter 9, and once in chapter 18. It’s clear that only the Twelve hear the third foretelling. It stands to reason then, that the women hear Jesus make at least one of the prophetic predictions concerning Himself in Luke 9. Both times, Jesus is said to be with and addressing “his disciples.”
There are certainly times when Jesus is only speaking to the Twelve, other times just Peter, James, and John. But I think when we picture Jesus speaking privately to His disciples, we should be picturing a slightly larger group. It’s a group of men and women. It’s Simon Peter—the rock. And it’s Mary Magdalene—the tower.
Thanks for reading. Stay Curious. Ask Questions.
Andy