Tuesday, February 2, 2021
I’ve read several accounts of who Mary of Magdala was. Magdala was an early fishing village located on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee. Magdala was a prosperous town - it was a center of trade and commerce. We know from scripture, that the women who followed Jesus were able to do so because they were financially equipped to do so.
Though Mary Magdalene is often characterized as a prostitute, we only know from scripture that she was possessed by seven demons. But what we don’t know is what those demons were. We also know that the culture at this time did not value, nor believe what women spoke about. Scripture also does not tell us when or where Jesus cured Mary of these demons, we simply know Mary had this encounter with the Lord and she was freed of these demons. Here's more scripture about Mary being freed of the demons and how she supported herself.
I decided to research a bit about what these seven demons may have been and I discovered this in the book of Proverbs.
Could this have been her demons?
I found this quote from T.S. Elliott from the book, “The Hollow Men”:
Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us - if at all - not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The snuffed men
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but with a whimper.
Can you imagine a more hollow life than having seven demons? The number seven is used in scripture to show completeness. To be completely controlled by demons! Emotional, psychological, mental, physical, spiritual, relational, and familial. There was no area of her life untouched.
Except scripture tells us that Mary was healed by Jesus. One touch and she is fully, completely, and miraculously restored. She just needed Jesus! Her suffering would have robbed her of life had she not met Jesus. It’s no wonder she supported His ministry and followed Him to the cross. Her life became productive, vibrant and joyful. Mary was loved! Her place in history is forever secured. We too can lead productive lives with Jesus filled with hope and healing, especially to a huge population of our society who are living in darkness.
