How many times is Mary Magdalene mentioned in the Bible (what does the Bible say about Mary Magdalene)?

As a Christian with 15 years of experience in Christian ministry, I have had to read the Bible numerous times, as it has greatly helped with my spiritual journey and teachings. Recently, I was teaching about the role of women in the Bible and how they were connected to Jesus’s ministry on earth. One woman stood out in the Bible; Mary Magdalene. I became curious about her and wanted to know, “How many times is Mary Magdalene mentioned in the bible?”

So, join me as I delve more into other questions related to this topic. I will discuss in depth who Mary Magdalene was in the Bible and where she was first mentioned. I will also explain if Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife, among other topics.

Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?

Most scholars suggest Mary Magdalene as a woman who hailed from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. She is also suggested to be among the female disciples of Jesus who were with him throughout his ministry. Luke 8:1-2 records that Mary Magdalene was among the women who had accompanied Jesus alongside his disciples as he preached about the kingdom of God from one village to another. This has been suggested to mean that Mary was a disciple of Jesus.

The Bible also suggests that Mary Magdalene was a woman who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his burial and was the first to see Jesus after he had been resurrected. John 20:11-18 records the account of Jesus appearing to her after his resurrection. In this scripture, Mary Magdalene is seen weeping outside the tomb, thinking that Jesus’s body had been stolen. Jesus then appears to her, but she does not recognize him. She even pleads with him to return Jesus’ body if he was the one who had taken it away.

Jesus reveals himself to her and tells her not to cling to him, for he has yet to ascend to heaven. He then sent her to his disciples, where Mary Magdalene went and revealed how he had seen the Lord.

Mary Magdalene is also believed to be a woman who had battles with diseases and evil spirits and had been healed by Jesus. Although the Bible does not go into details on the kind of evil spirits Mary Magdalene had or how he cast them out, it suggests that she was the woman who Jesus had cast seven demons out of, as recorded in Luke 8:2.

Mary Magdalene has also been associated with several things in the Bible, which some religious scholars have suggested not to be true. For instance, she has been associated with the sinful woman in Luke 7:37 who washed Jesus’ feet with ointment.

Where is Mary Magdalene in the Bible?

Mary Magdalene has appeared in four books of the Bible to emphasize her unique role in Jesus’ life. Both apostles Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke mention her, as they link her to the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The book of Luke gives us a little background of Mary Magdalene before she became a disciple of Jesus. It records how Jesus had driven seven demons out of her, which likely moved Mary Magdalene to follow Jesus as he ministered on earth.

Matthew gives us a record of Mary in the company of other women who had witnessed the last moments of Jesus on earth. Among the women with Mary Magdalene were Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, as suggested in Matthew 27:55-56.

Mary also appears in the Bible in John 20. In this book, apostle John gives us a longer record of Mary Magdalene and the conversation she had with Jesus Christ after he appeared to her. This book portrays the special relationship Jesus had with Mary Magdalene and her role as the bearer of good news that Jesus had risen from the dead.

First mention of Mary Magdalene in the Bible

The first mention of Mary Magdalene is recorded in Matthew’s first gospel book. Apostle Matthew mentions her in chapter 27:55-56 as among the women who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. You can see that the first book in the Bible that mentions Mary Magdalene does not give us any previous recordings of who she was or what she did. This has prompted some scholars to suggest the first proper mention of Mary Magdalene was made in Luke 8:2 at the start of Jesus’ ministry. Through this scripture, we learn that Mary Magdalene is among those who accompanied Jesus as he preached. This scripture also gives us a little background about her and how she had been healed from seven demons.

Was Mary Magdalene Jesus’ wife?

No scripture in the Bible explicitly reveals that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife. The idea or concept that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married comes from a fiction novel called “The DaVinci Code,” which alleged that the two were a couple. Several non-biblical early Christian writings have also made this suggestion. Many scholars, including those from Got Question organization, have refuted the claims, citing that no biblical scripture fully supports the idea.

What happened to Mary Magdalene in the Bible?

What might have happened to Mary Magdalene is unclear, as the Bible does not record that. The last mention of Mary Magdalene is in the book of John 20:17, where she converses with Jesus after his resurrection. Jesus then sends her to his disciples to inform them about his resurrection.

However, there are a few assumptions about what might have happened to her. According to Eastern tradition, Mary Magdalene accompanied the apostle John to Ephesus after Jesus had ascended to heaven, where she lived a few more years and died. On the other hand, the French tradition suggests that she went on an evangelical mission in Provence, where she lived for thirty more years preaching in Alpine Cavern.