November 1, 2023 – Does the Bible Say…?

Does the Bible Say “Mary Magdalene Was A Prostitute?”

“Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, 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 provided for them out of their resources.” Luke 8:1-3

Mary Magdalene receives her name because she was from the town of Magdala. It was a thriving fishing town on the coast of the sea of Galilee. Magdala is also within walking distance of Capernaum, an area Jesus was very familiar with. There are many “Mary’s” in the bible, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary the sister of Lazarus, and Mary, the woman Jesus cast out many demons. Why was she called a prostitute? She was called a prostitute thanks to her story being merged with that of a sinful woman from Luke 7:36-39:

“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.”

This “composite Magdalene” was popularized in a sermon given by Pope Gregory I around 591 CE:

“She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark. And what did these seven devils signify, if not all the vices? It is clear, brothers, that the woman previously used the unguent to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts… What she therefore displayed more scandalously, she was now offering to God in a more praiseworthy manner.” — Pope Gregory the Great (homily XXXIII)

Conflating the stories of biblical characters was not uncommon in those days. But Mary Magdalene is named at least 12 times in the gospels, and not one of those references supports the label of prostitute. Yes, Mary Magdalene did have her issues. And, the fact that she was traveling with so many men, something that would not have happened in her day, this fact would have contributed to her being targeted for labeling. And yet, she did not shrink from serving Jesus. So the answer is no: Mary Magdalene was not labeled a prostitute in the bible – it was the gossiping that occurred hundreds of years later to which we must place the blame. The Catholic church would change that label for Mary in the mid-twentieth century. Everything you hear about Mary Magdalene, if it is negative labeling about her character, is pure speculation and nonsense. What we do know is she is one of the closest friends of Jesus – and a faithful disciple.

Pastor Dave

October 31, 2023 – Devotions – Does the Bible Say…?

Does the Bible Say “Mary Was Born Without Sin?”

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26-28 (NRSV)

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:26-28 (KJV)

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Luke 1:26-28 (RSV Catholic Version)

From one sentence, “Hail, (Mary) full of grace, the Lord is with you” the Catholic Church develops the teaching that Mary was born without sin. This is what the Catholic Church calls “The Immaculate Conception”. This teaching is not about Jesus – it is the teaching that Mary had to be born without sin to bear the Christ Child – who is without sin. And that teaching comes from the first chapter of Luke. But there are only four translations I have been able to find that renders the text “Hail, full of grace.” Usually the text is translated “Greetings, favored One”.

In fact, here is the teaching of the Catholic Church rendered the “Immaculate Conception”:

“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin…” (CCC, 491)

The Catholic Church understands Mary as the new Eve; thus both are born in a state of sinlessness. It is a teaching of the Catholic Church in the tradition of the Talmud and the Midrash – sometimes the church seeks to read between the lines when the Bible does not state something outright. Is it right? Is it wrong? We can leave that judgment up to G-d.

Pastor Dave