How did Mary Magdalene die?
This begs the question, "Who is Mary Magdalene?"
The Bible mentions Mary Magdalene in all four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). She is an important character in the story and development of Jesus Christ's narrative.
Mary Magdalene in the Bible
Mary is first mentioned by name in the Gospel of Mark. However, the Gospel of Luke mentions her in his narrative of Jesus's life before Mark does.
Luke 8:2 mentions that Mary, called Magdalene, was one of the women Jesus healed of evil spirits and infirmities. The passage goes on to say that Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene and then mentions the names of other women who supported his ministry.
The first time the Gospel of Mark mentions Mary Magdalene directly as an active part of the narrative is in Mark 15:40-47. She, along with other women, is mentioned as being present at the crucifixion of Jesus. She and the other women are referred to as the ones who followed Jesus and ministered to Him (which is amazing). Even Jesus needed people to minister to Him, and God the Father used this woman who Jesus had delivered from seven demons. How incredible!
The Mark narrative in chapter 15 goes on to state that Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, saw where Joseph laid Jesus' body in a tomb after his death. It can be implied here that Mary Magdalene stepped into the most grievous moment of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and comforted her by walking through this darkest moment with her. Every pastor and every ministry leader needs someone like Mary Magdalene to walk with them through the trials of their lives, too.
How God Uses Mary Magdalene
It is amazing to see how God the Father used Mary Magdalene after her deliverance to be such a comfort to Jesus and His mother, Mary. This is one of the most beautiful things about ministry for Jesus' church, when God the Father allows those whom the ministry leaders have ministered to to be ministered to by them. Mary Magdalene did just that for Jesus and His mother, Mary.
How had Jesus comforted Mary Magdalene prior to His crucifixion and burial? The Gospel of Mark tells us that Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven demons. That's a lot of demons, and that's a lot of comfort delivered to her.
Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26 about this concept of seven demons. He says that when an unclean spirit is driven out of a person, then that unclean spirit goes out and gets seven other spirits that are more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. The last state of that person is worse than the first. There is no way to know if Jesus had Mary Magdalene in mind when He told this story. Curiously, she is the only one mentioned with seven in the Bible.
It is possible that she was once delivered prior to His arrival, and His deliverance delivered the death blow to the most severe struggle of her life in the most severe and darkest season of her life, tied to seven demons far more evil than maybe her struggle was at first.
If that is the case, then it would stand to reason why Mary Magdalene was able to be a comforting presence at the crucifixion with Jesus' mother, Mary, and walk through the burial and eventual resurrection with Mary as well.
Mary Magdalene at Jesus' Tomb
John 20:1-2 tells us that Mary Magdalene was one of the first, if not the first, to go to Jesus' tomb and discover that the stone had been rolled away and his body was missing. The Gospel of Mark tells us in Mark 16:9 that Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection, and those seven demons He cast out of her were ultimately and finally humiliated by this reunion.
This is what the resurrection will be for everyone who believes in Jesus. It will be the ultimate and final humiliation of all the evil spirits that have taunted, shamed, tortured, and attempted to destroy every follower of Jesus Christ.
In John 20:18, Jesus commissions Mary Magdalene to go to the disciples, the Apostles and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father; to my God and your God.' She goes and tells the disciples, "I have seen the Lord, and he had said these things to her."
Jesus Entrusts Mary Magdalene
What an enormous commission – Jesus entrusts this great task to his beloved disciple, a woman – Mary Magdalene, to go and tell the world that He has risen from the dead!
Aside from the Apostle John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene was God's closest and most beloved disciple. By appearing first to her and then entrusting her to let the other Apostles know that he had risen from the dead, Jesus Christ had, in no uncertain terms, placed Mary Magdalene on top of his other disciples and apostles list to take the Gospel to others.
Mary Magdalene represents the grace and power that Jesus has for all through His resurrection. She represents how God wants to use everyone's life to advance His Gospel on earth. Whether male or female, everyone has a calling, regardless of their past.
This leads to the question of this article: "How did Mary Magdalene die?"
Many believe Mary Magdalene's illness was a mental illness. Possibly, she had seven personalities in addition to her personality due to the seven demons who possessed her before meeting and being healed by Jesus. This propelled her to be faithful to Jesus and to live a life for Him, as observed in this article.
It is hard to know for sure how Mary Magdalene died because the Bible doesn't say.
According to unproven legend, Mary Magdalene spent her last days in the south of France (then called the Roman province of Gaul), where she lived as a hermit in a cave at Saint Baume near the town of Aix-en-Provence. There are no written records of how or if she went to Gaul to spend her last days, and there are no records of when or how Mary Magdalene died.
May Mary Magdalene inspire all who come after her to live as fearlessly and as boldly as she did for Jesus and the Gospel.
