“I’m A Believer” (Diamond) featuring the Mustard Seed Soul Band from album “Heart and Soul” recorded and produced by Ross Gill
In the last two blogs I looked at how certain characters in Risen!- The Musical have been portrayed- on April 9th it was Thomas and on April 16th Judas. Today is the turn of Mary Magdalene.
Throughout Risen!- The Musical I have kept to Biblical accounts and have not gone down the road of conjecture or fiction. I am aware that Mary Magdalene has previously been portrayed as a prostitute, for example in the musicals “Jesus Christ Superstar” and the recent excellent “Love Beyond” (see blog October 9th 2014)) This, I believe has partly come from wrongly associating Mary Magdalene with the woman accused of adultery and about to be stoned. (John 8: 1-11) Jesus telling those about to stone her “If anyone is without sin let him cast the first stone.”
Furthermore this false impression of Mary Magdalene having loose morals has come from her being incorrectly regarded as the “sinful woman”, who in Luke 7:36-50, anoints Jesus with expensive perfume and wipes His feet with her tears. This “sinful woman” is also sometimes wrongly associated with another woman who anoints Jesus; Mary sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 12: 1-8)- the focus of the second scene of Risen!- The Musical.
At least the above stories have come from Biblical accounts, albeit in my view misguided; however there is no Biblical basis whatsoever for suggestions that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married. This is pure fiction concocted to sell books such as the “The Da Vinci Code”
That Mary Magdalene had real issues prior to meeting Jesus is, however clear. Luke tells us in chapter 8 that Jesus cast out from her seven demons. Luke also makes clear that she, together with many other women, helped support Jesus out of their own means i.e. Mary Magdalene was a loyal follower of Jesus; something I trust Risen!- The Musical makes clear.
Mary Magdalene is the only person mentioned in all four Gospels to have been present at the cross when Jesus was crucified and in John’s Gospel we are told that she was the first person to see Jesus after He was resurrected. (John 20: 1-18.) Risen!- The Musical focuses heavily on John’s account of that first Easter morning.
Risen!- The Musical also uses a piece of recitative from John to highlight the significance of Jesus first appearing to a woman; for women in Jesus’ day had no social standing. If Jesus or His disciples had felt proof was needed to show that He was alive He would surely have first appeared to a man, not a woman. So appearing to Mary Magdalene would only make sense if that is indeed what happened.
So it’s Mary who Jesus first would see, but a woman why would He not first appear to a man? Jesus treated women with respect and dignity, taught they had equality in the sight of God. But in law their testimony would count for nothing if the authorities tried to deny He had risen. No, there’s only one reason why first appearing to a woman would make any sense and that is if it were true and it is- I can assure you there is no pretence. But of course Jesus also appeared risen- alive to men – and here are two on the Emmaus road it’s Cleopas and his friend ….
This week the featured song is again a cover version from the Mustard Seed Soul Band – the classic “I’m A Believer” written by the legendary Neil Diamond and made famous by the 60’s band “The Monkees” and also the film “Shriek.
Next blog I will look at how Risen!- The Musical portrays the disciple John.