A manuscript version of an occasional sermon prepared by the Rev Dr Barry Brown for the Commemoration of Mary Magdalene at Saint Margaret’s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark on Sunday 21 July 2024.

COMMENTS ON TODAYS THEME AND READING

Tomorrow, 22^nd July, is the day many Christian churches commemorate Mary Magdalene. In our Uniting in Worship (UiW2 p569) Mary Magdalene is referred to as ‘Witness to Jesus’. Eight years ago, in June 2016, because of a long history of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Mary Magdalene, a decree was issued in the Roman Catholic Church that the 22^nd July was to be elevated to a Feast Day; and that the early reference (by Thomas Aquinas, et al) to Mary Magdalene as ‘apostle to the Apostles’ be resumed. The decree acknowledged that Mary Magdalene’s reputation had been misrepresented, maligned, besmirched, and poorly misunderstood for many centuries.

Today’s readings have been chosen for this purpose. I will attend to Mary Magdalene’s story in the Biblical witness. But first I make some connections with the ongoing prevalence of the abuse of women and the unfortunate misrepresentation of Mary Magdalene over the centuries. Today’s Gospel reading, from John 20, will be familiar from our Easter services. Later in the sermon I will refer to Luke 8:1 – 3, which is very important for understanding the wider role of Mary Magdalene. Interestingly, this passage from Luke is not listed in our Lectionary’s three-yearly cycle; so it is not ordinarily read in our worship services. We will also hear a reading of selected verses from Acts chapter 18 concerning Priscilla and Aquila.  I will explain this connection in the sermon.

We do not know Mary’s family name. She is known in the Gospels as Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala – a prosperous fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

SERMON

Some time ago I shared a video clip from a TV series, Lark Rise to Candleford, to introduce the theme of doubt in reference to the disciple Thomas following the resurrection of Jesus. I had hoped to show another video clip today, but the lighting and sound for the scene was so poor that I will need to paint a mind-picture:

Backstory – Rural Oxfordshire, 1895. Sir Timothy is the local squire and magistrate. As a child he and Dorcas Lane had been great friends and this had continued as a teenage romance. Sir Timothy had recently married and his beautiful young wife. Lady Adelaide was becoming increasingly aware of the lingering relationship between her husband and Miss Lane, now the local postmistress.

Sir Timothy had been in the Candleford post office when a woman with a black-eye and bruised face, from the nearby hamlet of Lark Rise, came to Sir Timothy the make a charge against her husband for ‘wife-beating’. At dinner, Sir Timothy and Lady Adelaide were discussing the pending court case. However, when Timothy let it slip that he was in the post office when the matter was brought to his attention, Lady Adelaide became visibly upset and stood up to leave the room. She turned and said, abruptly: “Timothy, may I remind you that there is more than one way a husband can ill-treat his wife”.

We are increasingly aware of violence against women in our society. Much domestic violence is rooted in male domination; and in a warped sense of power and entitlement. In our modern world the term Misinformation is used a lot in public discourse, especially in relation to political matters featuring news reports and (I guess) social media. Misinformation is used to describe incorrect or misleading information. Sometimes misinformation may occur without intent. When it is intentional, the word Disinformation can apply.

Mary Magdalene’s memory and reputation has been impacted by misinformation, sometimes also by disinformation; and she has been misrepresented, maligned, denigrated, and misunderstood for centuries. But I need first to make one thing clear. Much of the misrepresentation concerning Mary Magdalene is the mistaken view that she had been a ‘woman of the city who was a sinner’ (a prostitute) before coming to Jesus. Had this been an accurate part of the story, it would in no way diminish her as a woman, nor as a leader in the Christian community. God forgives sinners, and that is what Jesus came to proclaim. In Mary’s case the ill-treatment is not her past, but the misinformation, and disinformation, that has so defined her for centuries. I want now to briefly outline some of the story of Mary’s denigration; then turn to the Biblical narrative to appreciate her story as it is meant to be told.

Origen of Alexandria (c185-253) and other early Biblical interpreters wrote positively concerning Mary Magdalene, and she has been memorialised or commemorated in the Western church. The Eastern Orthodox churches mainly follow this practice too; although their commemoration of Mary Magdalene on the Sunday of Myrrh-bearers tends to confuse Mary’s particular witness. The Eastern churches have a tradition that suggests Mary Magdalene went with John the Evangelist to Ephesus where she later died and is buried.

Mary is mentioned about a dozen times, and in all four Gospels. There is also evidence of early recognition of Mary Magdalene in a number of non-canonical ‘gospels’ such as the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Philip, and Pistis Sophia.  Although much of this is evidence may be unreliable and possibly distorted, it does bear some general witness to Mary Magdalene’s leadership as a Christian missionary, and perhaps as a Presbyter. There is also some suggestion that there were other Christian leaders (we may assume male leaders) who opposed and objected to Mary’s leadership role – and sought to counter her influence and tarnish her reputation.

A Diversion – the role of Priscilla (and Aquila). Priscilla (aka Prisca) and Aquila are mentioned in our Acts 18 reading today. They are also mentioned several times in Paul’s letters. In more than half of the reference to this couple Priscilla is mentioned first. Priscilla clearly had a leading role in the early church. However, there is reason to believe that, like Mary Magdalene, there were those (probably male leaders) who opposed and objected to Priscilla’s leadership – likely as a Presbyter in the very early church.  Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian, Professor Thomas Torrance (1913 – 2007) cites a painting in ‘The Greek Chapel’ in a Roman catacomb which depicts a number of early Presbyters co-celebrating the Eucharist. One of these is understood to be Priscilla, another Aquila. There were also a number of deacons serving. Professor Torrance indicated that this evidence played a large part in his change-of-mind concerning the acceptance of ordained women ministers in the modern church. (Torrance, The ministry of women). Sadly, in this and other similar artworks in the catacombs, the paintings have been defaced, possibly to hide the fact that women were providing such leadership in the Christian church.

We do not know much of the details relating to the move from the early church’s adoption of women Presbyters to the return to a male-dominated leadership. However, this certainly happened. In the process of this return, the particular leadership of women like Mary Magdalene and Priscilla was all-but forgotten.

A significant step in the re-establishment of this patriarchy took place following the preaching of an Easter sermon by Pope Gregory the Great (540-604). His sermon conflated Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and the unnamed ‘sinful woman’ in the four anointing accounts in the Gospels. This led to widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was the repentant prostitute, or promiscuous woman. And that image stuck – for centuries, even to my own lifetime. Misinformation and disinformation does this. I will now name just a few examples in relation to Mary Magdalene:

Artwork.  If you Google-search the internet for images you will find many images depicting Mary Magdalene as young woman, beautiful, seductive – sometimes bare-breasted.

Religious Orders. From the middle-ages in Europe religious orders were established in the name of Mary Magdalene. Most had a mission to ‘fallen women’ or to those in danger of such ‘falling’.

Up until a few decades ago, in Ireland, ‘Magdalene Laundries’ functioned as a means of saving and reforming single mothers – and as a means of raising money. Much of the work in these institutions practiced what we might call coercive control by religious women – by women upon women!

Musicals: As an example, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock show, Jesus Christ Superstar, in the 1970s – and still going, depicts Mary as Jesus’ ‘lover’. Many people my age and younger will recall the song sung by Mary, ‘I don’t know how to love him… ’ (Jesus).

Literature – Danial Brown’s 2003 bestselling mystery novel, The Da Vinci Code.  Daniel Brown’s book was made into a film that popularised the notion that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and together had a child.

I share with you some other observations that stood out for me while looking for some hymns for this morning (unintentionally I’m sure) that could well continue the conflated notion that Mary Magdalene was one of the women who anointed Jesus:  TiS 696 A prophet woman broke a jar… and TiS 660 Myrrh-bearing Jesus… Neither of these hymns suggest that Mary was a reformed sinner; however they do infer she was one of the women who anointed Jesus (which is not what the Gospels say) and this inference can play a part in perpetuating that inaccurate association in people’s minds.

The New Testament witness concerning Mary Magdalene

There are twelve (12) references to Mary Magdalene in the four New Testament Gospels, but none in Acts or the Letters. There are five references to Mary being present at the crucifixion of Jesus, and six relating to her presence for the resurrection; one in which Mary and Jesus speak with one another. Mary carries the news to the other disciples of the risen-presence of Jesus.

Apart from these references there is one important reference in Luke’s Gospel that gives us of a much wider understanding of Mary Magdalene’s role in the ministry of Jesus. As mentioned earlier – this important passage from Luke is not listed in our Lectionary’s three-yearly cycle; so it is not ordinarily read in our worship services.

Luke 8:1 – 3 NRSVue – Some Women Accompany Jesus

Soon afterward he (Jesus) went on through one town and village after another, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them out of their own resources.

Some comments about Luke 8:1 – 3

Some of my commentaries on Luke’s Gospel suggest the possibility that the women mentioned in this passage, and elsewhere, may well have been leading women in the early churches in Palestine, and were either still alive or within living memory of the author of Luke-Acts.  Recall in Acts 16 Luke tells story of a house church hosted by women of means –  Lydia of Philippi.

Mary’s healing is significant. Having had seven demons ‘gone out of her’ was not reference to her sinfulness (as many have assumed or inferred). Rather, it refers to a severe mental illness such as depression. Mention of ‘seven’ demons stresses the depth of Mary’s condition, and therefore her deep gratitude.

There is no real reason to suggest that Mary (and the other women) were young or beautiful (this popular and recurring notion is possibly a male imagining). As women of independent means with “their own resources” it is probable they were mature-age women, and maybe widows. This could explain their freedom to travel throughout Galilee with Jesus and the other disciples, and later to journey with them to Jerusalem.

The Anointing of Jesus in each of the Four Gospels

As mentioned earlier, Mary Magdalene has long been considered one of the women that anointed Jesus. The Easter sermon of Pope Gregory the Great had given much authority to this belief (misinformation) and the conflagration of these stories, and connecting them with Mary Magdalene. For many this was seen as authoritative.

Each of the four canonical Gospels provide us with a story of a devoted woman who anointed Jesus.  These four stories have much in common, but there are also some considerable differences.  The question arises if these are the same story being told from differing perspectives, or whether there is more than one ‘anointing’ event being recorded; and if so, whether there were two, three or four separate events.

Matthew 26:6 – 13 The anointing at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper

Mark 14:3 – 9 The anointing at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper

Luke 7:36 – 50  A ‘woman of the city’ is forgiven and anoints Jesus’ feet

John 12:1 – 8  Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus) anoints Jesus

It is not possible to resolve the question concerning how many anointing events took place.  There are overlapping threads in the various stories; but significant differences exist.  Scholars are confident that Matthew adapts his account from Mark, but varied it a little.  Luke’s account, while similar, has been reported differently and seems to be used by Luke to make a different point – the forgiveness offered to sinners; whereas Mark, Matthew and John stress the link with Jesus’ impending death and burial.

John’s account seems to pick up threads from both Mark-Matthew, and of Luke’s variation; although John stresses Mary’s anticipation of the death and burial of Jesus.  Interpreters of John’s Gospel suggest the John has adapted the story to serve his own theological purposes.  One purpose was to anticipate Jesus’ death, and to compare the story of Mary’s act of devotion with the story of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet (in the following chapter – 13).

The significant factor is that none of the four anointing stories refer to Mary Magdalene. It seems that the textual proximity of the anointing story in Luke 7:36 – 50 to the following passage in Luke 8:1 – 3 may have played a part in making a connection. However, this is to misunderstand the Biblical text.

Mary Magdalene plays a prominent part in John’s Gospel, being present at the cross of Jesus, and being the first to encounter the Risen Jesus. Jesus first speaks to Mary, and she responds. Mary Magdalene is the one who takes this good news (Gospel) that Jesus is risen, to the other disciples. For this role Mary Magdalene is recognised as the “apostle to the Apostles”.

Closing Reflection

I hope that what I have said leaves you in no doubt about two things: (1) That there has been much misinformation, possibly disinformation, that has tarnished the memory and reputation of Mary Magdalene over a long period of time, and that this needs to be remedied; (2) That Mary Magdalene is a significant woman in the Christian scriptures and needs to be remembered and emulated for her gratitude and devotion to Jesus, and as a the very first person to proclaim the living presence of the Crucified-Risen Jesus. She deserves being remembered as the ‘Apostle to the apostles.’

We need to take note of how much damage can be done by any form misinformation about others, and especially by creating or furthering disinformation. This relates to our most intimate relationships, those in our circle of friends, and in our church, work places, clubs, and in society in general.

We conclude with reflective music

We Sing A prophet woman broke a jar (TiS 696)

Brian Arthur Wren’s lovely hymn, ‘A prophet woman broke a jar…’ was written in 1991 to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the ordination of the first women ministers within the Canadian Presbyterian Church.  It is intended to celebrate the ministry of various Biblical women, and women in ministry generally.  Verse one seems to refer to Mary of Bethany, or any of the ‘anointing’ women.  Only verse two refers specifically to Mary Magdalene.  It seems wise, when singing this hymn, to be mindful of the ‘general’ references in the remaining verses to use.