Freed to Testify: A Biblical Biography of Mary Magdalene

By Donna J. Farris

"He's gone!" Mary screamed. "They've taken away the body! First, they arrested Him and savagely beat Him. Then they condemned and executed Him as a common criminal. Now they won't even allow Him a decent burial! Is there no end to this nightmare?"

~~~~~

Mary Magdalene is one of the most celebrated disciples of the entire New Testament. In a culture where women were considered ignorant, second-class citizens, and wholly unreliable as legal witnesses, it is somewhat puzzling God would grant such prominence to a woman like Mary of Magdala. Yet from the pages of scripture she emerges as one of the most beautiful and faithful characters of the entire Bible. Scripture mentions her by name fourteen times, eight of which list her even before Mary, the mother of Jesus. In fact, Mary Magdalene appears in the canonical gospels more than any other female disciple. No other woman is portrayed with more devotion to Jesus and with good reason.

Mary spent much of her early life as a prisoner of Satan. Physically possessed and controlled by seven demons, she was mercilessly tormented day and night. But the time came when those same evil spirits of darkness encountered the One who had come into the world to destroy the works of their master. And by the power of the Incarnate Living God, those servants of Satan were driven out of Mary forever. Freed from hell's bondage, Mary made a decision many others had already made. Forsaking all, she would love and serve her Deliverer until the day she died.

During the following three years of Jesus earthly ministry Mary never left His side. In every scriptural mention she is portrayed as a close friend of Christ and a leader among His female disciples. Surrounding the events of the resurrection of Jesus, all four gospels place Mary Magdalene as the most prominent character. For her unwavering devotion, Mary was given the most honorable and joyful commission of all time: "Go quickly and tell the disciples He has risen!" Following her obedience, Mary of Magdala gained a position of notoriety throughout the early church as the first person to have seen the risen Lord. Hers is indeed a life worth exploring.

"Freed to Testify - A Biblical Biography of Mary Magdalene" is Volume II in the Gripped for Glory series. Complete with biblical references, exciting dialogue, historical data, and questions for personal application, "Freed to Testify" is a great resource for bible study groups or personal spiritual growth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna J. Farris
• Release date: Jul 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465946720

Donna J. Farris

Donna has spent much of her adult life writing something for someone. Therefore it seemed logical to combine her writing experience with her love for people, Jesus Christ, and His Word.As an indie author, Donna's books include the non-fiction e-book series entitled, "Gripped for Glory." This series contains biblical biographies of individuals who transformed their world by simply sharing their stories of His glory. Through the aide of Personal Application questions, each of these short works encourages public evangelism making this series a great resource for small group bible studies. Several more biblical biographies are planned for this series.By far, Donna's favorite books are found in her Christian fiction/fantasy series entitled, "Divine Commissions." Filled with exciting real-to-life adventures of ordinary people, epic struggles between angels and demons, good and evil, and right and wrong, this collection chronicles the stories of Eli and Jasmine, servants of the Most High God, as they intervene in the affairs of mankind to save souls. Volume III, "The Power of a Legacy," was the first in this series. Volume IV, "Messiah's Message," was released next. Volume II, "Stone of Truth" was published in January 2015.When she is not pounding the keys in some form or fashion, Donna loves hanging out with her grandkids, patio gardening, walking, dining with friends, watching old movies, sharing the good news of God's love, praying and serving the saints of God.

Book preview

Freed to Testify

A Biblical Biography of Mary Magdalene

Gripped for Glory Series-Volume II

By Donna J. Farris

Copyright 2011 Donna J. Farris

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who have been delivered from demon possession by the power of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. May they boldly share their stories and lead many to the saving knowledge of the one who came to set the captives free.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Mary of Magdala

Chapter 2 - Complete Corruption

Chapter 3 - The Deliverer Has Come

Chapter 4 - Traveling With the Master

Chapter 5 - It Was Not Supposed to End This Way

Chapter 6 - Go and Tell

Epilogue

Questions for Personal Reflection

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Prologue

Mary Magdalene is one of the most celebrated disciples of the entire New Testament. In a culture where women were considered ignorant, second-class citizens, and wholly unreliable as legal witnesses, it is somewhat puzzling God would grant such prominence to a woman like Mary of Magdala. Yet she emerges from the pages of scripture as one of the most beautiful and faithful characters of the entire Bible. Scripture mentions her by name fourteen times, eight of which list her even before Mary, the mother of Jesus. In fact, Mary Magdalene appears in the canonical gospels more than any other female disciple. No other woman is portrayed with more devotion to Jesus and with good reason.

Mary spent much of her early life as a prisoner of Satan. Physically possessed and controlled by seven demons, she was mercilessly tormented day and night. But the time came when those same evil spirits of darkness encountered the One who had come into the world to destroy the works of their master. And by the power of the Incarnate Living God, they were driven out of Mary forever. Freed from hell's bondage, Mary made a decision many others had already made. Forsaking all, she would serve her Deliverer until the day she died.

During the following three years of Jesus earthly ministry Mary never left His side. In every scriptural mention she is portrayed as a close friend of Christ and a leader among His female disciples. Surrounding the events of the resurrection of Jesus, all four gospels place Mary Magdalene as the most prominent character. For her extreme devotion, Mary was given the most honorable and joyful commission of all time: Go quickly and tell the disciples He has risen!

For her faithful obedience, Mary of Magdala gained a position of notoriety throughout the first century church as the first person to have seen the risen Lord. Hers is indeed a life worth exploring.

~~~~

Chapter 1 - Mary of Magdala

Scholars have given the name "Mary at least seventy different interpretations. The name is related to the Old Testament name Miriam or Mara, which is the name Naomi used to describe her afflictions in the book of Ruth. It is also related to the name Marah, which was the place the Israelites found bitter water in their wilderness journeys. The original and pervading sense of these root forms is one of bitterness, derived from the notion of trouble, sorrow, disobedience, and rebellion." In this sense, the name alone implies Mary was a woman intimately acquainted with affliction.

Mary Magdalene makes her first scriptural appearance in Luke 8:1-3. Her surname is a derivative of the Greek form of "Migdol," or "Watchtower. Christian historian Jerome sees the meaning of this town and her name as denoting the steadfastness and strength of Mary's faith. Others, using the more common meaning of gadal" (to "be great"), believe her name is a prophetic reference to her spiritual greatness, as having ministered to the Lord and been the first witness of the resurrection. Both views speak to the amazing depth of love and devotion of this female disciple.

Whatever spiritual significance her surname bears, it is clear the gospel writers repeatedly included the name, "Magdalene" to ensure her distinction from the many other similarly-named gospel women. The same reasoning can be seen in the scriptural identification of Mary of Bethany, Judas Iscariot (the Apostle from Kerioth), and references to Simon the Canaanite to distinguish him from Simon Peter.

Mary's surname, "Magdala, or Magdalene as she is more commonly referred to, also reveals interesting insights into her ancestral lineage. Magadan, frequently known as Magdala," was the name of a small thriving populous town in Galilee on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee. The exact location of the town of Magdala has never been satisfactorily confirmed. It is believed to have been situated between Capernaum, which was about five miles to the north, and the town of Tiberias, located roughly three miles south of Magdala. The tribe of Dan shared its northern border, with Zebulun to the west and the tribe of Issachar to south.

The region belonged to the tribe of Naphtali meaning, "my