Tormented
The demons tormented her for years. Twisting her thoughts, her reasoning, and her resolve in moments of possession. The children in town ran from her, shouting names and insults, no doubt repeating what they’d heard at home. The words stung as badly as the stones they occasionally threw at her feet. Mary was a woman of means, but no amount of money could set her mind and body free.
Chosen
She longed for freedom, and one day Freedom walked by with dust clinging to his robes and his feet. A crowd surrounded him, but he saw her and with a word, the demons flew out of her with the force of a great wind. He saw her. He healed her. For the first time in her life, she was chosen.
Mary Magdalene stood with John and the other women at the foot of the cross and stared at Jesus’ hands and feet. The strong, tan fingers now stained red and splayed wide. His tireless rough-heeled feet, now twisted and misshapen. She had followed those feet into countless towns and villages, countless cramped rooms and wide seaside spaces. The horror of the cross didn’t stop her, the threats to her life as a follower of Jesus slid off as if she wore a thick coat of armor. She’d been accused of far worse than loyalty. She wondered where the others had gone. Why the men stood at a distance when she shoved and pushed her way to his feet. His feet– she would follow them anywhere.
present
When he breathed his last breath she felt the force of the wind again, rattling her bones, chattering her teeth. The earth shook violently like a body convulsing, and darkness descended like a shroud. She wondered if the light of the world, the light of her life had been extinguished forever. Mary grasped the other women by the arms as they wept together.
Later, she gathered the rich spices and oils needed to anoint Jesus’ body. Her movements slow, forced, as if moving through a thick mist. The pungent scent of the spices rose to greet her, and with them a single moment of clarity. Even with Jesus’ death, the demons had not come back to claim her.
Witness
Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the empty tomb, the first to run shouting for the men, the first to surprise them with the resurrection. She was the first to hear Jesus’ voice again. Through her tears she saw his scarred feet, the ones she’d followed years ago when she stepped out of her sin and into redemption.
Click here to read Day One: John the Beloved.
Click here to read Day Two: Mother Mary.
Click here to read Day Three: Peter the Passionate
