Being a Disciple in the School of Mary Magdalene: Love/Bhakti Relationship

Mary Magdalene, the Gospel tells us, is one of the handful women who formed part of the inner circle of Jesus besides the apostles. Among the other women disciples she has gained popularity down the centuries because of her passion for the Lord more so due to the controversies that cloud her relationship with Jesus. In our memories and in the art she is mostly depicted as a prostitute, a sinner, a seductive woman anointing the feet of Jesus and as one who enjoyed an intimacy with him. I do not intend to discuss such claims but would like to begin from there. Mary enjoyed so close a relationship with Jesus, she is even regarded as the bride of Jesus. The Gospels mention that she was present at passion, death and resurrection, the crucial moments of the life of Jesus. I call her love special since the resurrection-event of Jesus the central mystery of his ‘person’ was revealed first to her, a rare privilege, which outruns everyone else who were close to him. Our aim is an effort to make sense of her simple and sincere love/bhakti for the Lord and learn from her.

                                     

                                     Mary Magdalene, Who?

In the limited material we have about Mary Magdalene in the Gospel tradition, she literally appears only in three different contexts: first, in the context of the women followers of Jesus (Lk 8:2) where she is also referred as one from whom seven demons have been cast out; second, at the foot of the cross (Mt 27:56, Mk 15:40, Lk 23:55 & Jn 19:20); third, in the context of the empty tomb and resurrection of Jesus (Mt 28:1, Mk 16:1ff, Lk 24:10 & Jn 20:1). From these instances presented by the Gospel writers, we learn primarily that Mary was not a legend but a historical person. Though we have no personal details of her age and family, her name suggests that she must have been an unmarried woman coming from Magdala, near Tiberias in the west shore of Galilee. A married woman would have had her husband’s name but Mary did not. Besides there is nothing in the Gospels that indicate that she was married or had children or a widow. Two thousand years ago, any unmarried woman was looked with suspicion all the more in the case of Mary who was a close associate of Jesus. It may be one of the reasons, they so easily assume her as the prostitute mentioned in the Gospels. Another fact that is associated with her is that Jesus cast out seven demons from her. At that time, people believed that every bad (unclean) person deserved to be possessed. Jesus’ casting out of seven devils from her in all probability refers to her total purification to be with the Lord, as she was a woman. It is one of the pre-requisites to be His disciple.

Her Discipleship: A Love/Bhakti-Relationship

Our major source of information in this regard is the Gospel of St. John, which makes an exclusive reference to her unlike the other Gospels as one who was present in the most important events in the life of Jesus. The classical episode is love-drama at the tomb of Jesus (Jn 20,1-18), a day after his burial. The Gospel writer narrates, “... on the first day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark...” (v.1). This narration picturizes Mary Magdalene as one filled with ‘sadness’, ‘urgency’, ‘longing’, ‘love’ and ‘anxious’ for the Lord. Mary must have felt so miserable about the death of Jesus who could not even be given a proper burial she rushes to the tomb at the next opportune time. This happens to us, when we lose our loved ones, (as we usually do when they are alive) we go to their cemetery (where they are found) time and again. It clearly manifests her (spiritual) intimacy, her intense passion for the Lord. She might have been so tormented with the thought of Jesus the whole night, as the Psalmist notes “for you my body longs and my soul thirsts as a dry and weary land without water. I remember you on my bed I think of you all through the night” (Ps 62, 1&7), early next morning while it was still dark she rushes to meet him. It happens only in a love relationship. 

But, she does not find him “the tombstone had been moved away” (v.1b). “I looked for the one I love, I sought him without finding him” I borrow from Song of Songs 3,1 to express her inner-anguish. Once she discovers the mishap, the Gospel writer notes, “She ran to Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. And she said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have laid him.’” In other words, she seeks help hoping to find him. When she does not find him where she had last seen him, she desperately seeks assistance to find him, she leaves no stone unturned. Her information to Peter and the other disciple makes plain ‘her hope’ in finding the Lord. She, of course, should find the Lord as she could not imagine ‘losing’ him, even in the wildest of her dreams. Once again I quote Song of Songs 3, 2a “I will rise and go about the city, through the streets and the squares; I will seek the love of my heart...” Probably it is for this reason she cries when she realizes that the disciples could not solve the problem. We read: “The disciples then went home again. Mary stood weeping outside the tomb” (v.10-11a). 

This may apparently seem childish, but it is spontaneous reaction of the one in love at the loss of his beloved. A parent crying for the lost child/son/daughter, a child/son/daughter at the loss of his/her parent, friend for his friend, husband for the wife and the wife for her husband... is the law of love. Moreover we cry only in these moments since we feel helpless and desperate about the situation. Women as she was, so intense a love-relationship, early hour of the day, unjust political death of her beloved, controversial rumours about his resurrection... it is natural that she breaks down. The unusual thing that happens in this case is that she still hopes, with all tears she bends down to look inside the tomb (v.11b), she turns around towards garden (v.14) looking for her Lord. She deserves a miracle. She receives the divine intervention: angels (v.12) and Jesus (v.15) appear to console her. God blesses the sincerity of her search/love. We know the rest of the story. It is understandable that she fails to recognize the Risen-Lord, despite her closeness, since the risen form was first-time and new for the whole history of humanity, Mary was no exception. Being a disciple, then, in the school of Mary Magdalene is falling in love with Jesus. It is being married to Jesus. This is nothing new for Christianity, for we, the church, is the bride of Christ. An authentic God-man relationship as the authentic marriage has been the imagery of Old Testament all along the salvation history. But it takes courage to enter into such relationship, for every love-relationship though apparently seems romantic, demands radical choices. Crossing boundaries, enduring unjust sufferings, sacrifices, adventures and losing oneself are the cost of such discipleship.

Note: In the Indian tradition we call such relationships as bhakti-marga, a movement that revitalized Hinduism in the medieval and modern era of pre-independent India. It has become very popular in the post-independent India.