A romance between the Messiah and Mary from Magdala is a compelling plot element for any writer.
The gospels give little background on this mysterious woman. We know she got her name Magdalene from the Galilee lake town, Magdala. The Gospel of Luke only tells us, in one cryptic sentence, that Jesus once exorcised her from seven possessing demons (Luke 8:2).
Despite limited gospel appearances, Mary Magdalene turns up at the most important times. She was at the crucifixion. She helped lay Christ’s dead body in its sepulchre. Two days later, she was the first to see the Risen Lord – one to one, all by herself (John 20:1-18).
Besides the Blessed Mother and the Magdalene, there is one more important Mary in the Gospels.
Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, lived in Bethany, three kilometers outside Jerusalem. She was the wise sister who chose to listen to Jesus teaching instead of serving him dinner, despite Martha’s protests. The Messiah commended Mary for “choosing the best part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 20:42).
This Mary also made an implied request which Jesus rewarded with one of his mightiest miracles. He raised her dead brother Lazarus back to life, after a week in his grave (John 11:1-44).
Mary from Bethany anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume, and washed them with her hair (John 12:3). Anointing of Jesus with perfume is also reported in Matthew (26:6-13) and Mark (14:3-9). But there are important differences. In these two gospels, the anointing female’s name is withheld. She is just “a woman.” And the anointing is of Jesus’ head, not his feet. In both cases, the Messiah states that he is being anointed for his funeral.
The implications of a woman disciple anointing Jesus for burial are remarkable.
The outpouring of the perfume took place soon before Jesus went to the cross. On the very night before, according to two of the three gospel sources. Yet at the crucifixion, the anointing Mary from Bethany is AWOL. It is Mary from Magdala who accompanies the Messiah on Skull Hill. How does one account for this apparent switching of Marys?
The Spirit War combines Mary from Magdala and Mary from Bethany into one woman. In the trilogy, Mary from the lake town has the same mother but a different father than Lazarus and Martha. This composite Mary makes sense. The gospels present two women disciples, both named Mary, each with passionate devotion to Jesus. Both Marys show more knowledge about Jesus’ destiny on the cross than his apostles.
Mary from Magdala and Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha could have been the same woman.
Now you know where the Mary Magdalene of The Spirit War comes from. If the Son of Man did have a special woman love, this composite Mary is the best candidate. So what about her relationship with Jesus in the trilogy?
Jesus’ saving of the Magdalene from possession by demons is very significant.
Mary from Magdala is the only person in the gospels who maintains a close relationship with Jesus after having demons cast out. The Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection were a battle against the Devil. The Magdalene’s personal experience with Satan’s dark forces made her uniquely qualified to understand and support Jesus’ mission. She knew dimensions that other followers did not. This explains her special insight, that led her to anoint Jesus for burial. Unlike Peter and the apostles – at best in denial, at worst clueless concerning the Messiah’s imminent death – she knew what was coming. Formerly demon-possessed Mary Magdalene was more of a confidant to Jesus than his closest male disciples.
A romance between Jesus and Mary Magdalene has unfortunately become a literary cliché. Especially after The DaVinci Code, published in 2003.
This author started writing The Spirit War in 1999. At that time, The Last Temptation of Christ (Nikos Kazantzakis, 1951) was the only novel I could find which directly dramatized the personal life of the Messiah. That book’s whiny, angst-ridden Jesus and hardened prostitute Mary Magdalene both offended me. I thought these two leading characters, and the relationship between them, deserved better.
Book Two of The Spirit War covers Jesus’ hidden, growing up years. Specifically his young manhood, from seventeen to thirty years old, before starting his mission to redeem us all.
The second Spirit War book’s sub-title, Learning and Loving, expresses its two main themes. The Learning part is about Christ coming into his own, as the Son of God and the Messiah. The Loving theme is about how Jesus came to know and love Mary Magdalene, her possession by demons, and the Messiah’s rescue of her.
