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PREPARE
Mary Magdalene was among the inner circle of Jesus. Luke tells us that she and other women Jesus healed, traveled with Jesus and the 12 disciples using their own money to support Jesus’ ministry. (Luke 8:1-3) After Jesus’ disciples had all abandoned Him, Mary Magdelene, along with John and the other 2 Marys, remained at the cross continuing her support to the end. (Matthew 27:55-56). And then, Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus alive! Jesus tasked her with telling the others that He was not dead, but alive. Still Jesus’ student, she obeyed her teacher’s instructions and told the disciples that she had indeed ‘seen the Lord’
The hero of this story is God who delivered Mary from the dominion of darkness and transferred her into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14) Jesus called to Mary by name, opening her eyes to His presence, turning her sorrow into Joy and giving her the job of telling all the others about His resurrection.
We have the same Savior who calls to each of us by name and offers us His rescue and turns our sorrow into Joy! We get to share the same message that Mary did all those years ago. We get to share the hope and joy of the Gospel to everyone!
LISTEN
Verses: Luke 8:1-3, John 19:25-27, John 20:11-18
Main Point: God’s love and forgiveness rescues and changes all those who trust in Him.
1. Delivered and Devoted: (Luke 8:1-3, Mark 1:14-15, Colossians 1:13-14, Luke 7:36-50)
2. At the Cross: (John 19:25-27)
3. Resurrection Witness: (John 20:11-18)
REFLECT
1. What impacted you most from this week’s message? What challenged you or encouraged you?
2. What did you learn about Mary Magdalene? What misconceptions have people had about Mary? Is there anything in Mary’s story that you related to personally?
3. Read Luke 8:1-3. What did Luke record about Mary Magdalene in these verses? What would it have been like for a person who was demon-possessed? What would it have been like to be delivered? How would this have affected Mary Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus?
4. What do we know about Magdala? Why is this significant to Mary’s story?
5. Why was it important for Luke to mention the three women in this section of Scripture? What do we learn about the make up of the people who followed Jesus?
6. Read John 19:25-27. Matthew, Luke, and John all mention that Mary Magdalene was present at Jesus’ crucifixion. She was even close enough to hear Jesus command John to take care of His mother. What would it have been like for Mary Magdalene to watch Jesus dying? How might it have affected her to see the Man who delivered her die?
7. Read John 20:11-18. Describe the emotions of this passage. What was Mary doing? Why didn’t she recognize Jesus? What was her response to seeing Jesus? How did Jesus respond to Mary?
8. Why is it significant that Mary Magdalene was the first human to see Jesus after He resurrected? Would her testimony about Jesus been credible in the culture of the time?
ACT
- What is one specific thing you can do this week to put into practice what you learned in this message?
- How can you deepen your relationship with God and follow Him more closely this week?
- Who is someone you can share what you learned with?