Mary of Magdala
Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director
After Jesus’ death and burial, Mary Magdalene is faced with loss and confusion over Jesus’ missing body. In the midst of this chaos, we see Mary’s devotion to Jesus and her heart to serve him. As she lingers in her grief, Jesus meets her, showing his mercy and grace in an extraordinary way.
Study Questions
After Jesus’ death and burial, Mary Magdalene is faced with loss and confusion over Jesus’ missing body. In the midst of this chaos, we see Mary’s devotion to Jesus and her heart to serve him. As she lingers in her grief, Jesus meets her, showing his mercy and grace in an extraordinary way.Application
Consider the continuum of propositional versus personal faith. Where do you think you land? Why?
Do you view the truths in the Bible as ideas to evaluate, or are they life, health, and joy to you? How can you grow in self-awareness of the weight of what Jesus has done for you?
Jesus does not need us to be right. Where do you tend to look for answers and a “right position”? Instead, consider how you can acknowledge the brokenness of the world and focus on being devoted to Jesus.
Where do you tend to seek comfort in distractions (social media, food, travel, politics, TV)? What are some practical ways you can move towards Jesus instead?
“You have to let go of the blessing you want in order to get the blessing that you need.” What “blessing” are you striving after? What does it look like for you to give that desire to Jesus?
Key Points
While we often view the truths of Scripture as propositional, Mary’s faith is fundamentally personal. She is entirely devoted to and has an intimate faith in the person of Jesus.
Truth is not fundamentally about ideas; Truth is a person to love.
Jesus’ life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension were intensely personal. Like Mary, we must feel the weight of what Jesus has done for us.
Mary lingers in her grief and confusion over Jesus’ missing body. Although she is wrong propositionally, her heart is bent towards Jesus. He rewards her faithfulness with grace and mercy.
In the same way, we need to seek the person of Jesus above finding the right answers. We must embrace the brokenness of the world and strive to serve the body of Christ.
If we want to experience the presence of Jesus in our lives, we have to stop seeking comfort and distraction.
We must make ourselves dependent on Jesus by using our resources to serve others instead of seeking our own comfort. If we are willing to linger and love with a heart to serve, Jesus will do extraordinary things.