Have you suffered rejection? As a writer? An employee? A friend? A spouse? Take heart, you are not alone. Many famous people in the Bible suffered rejection, including Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered the worst rejection of all when He died on the cross. But today I want to talk a little about Mary Magdalene - one of the most popular female characters in the Bible who was also rejected. Mary Magdalene was healed of demon possession by Jesus Christ, and after being healed she followed Him and ministered to Him.
She was at the foot of the cross when He was crucified and the next morning she went with another Mary to embalm His body with spices. But to her great disappointment, the body was missing. As she sat there weeping, Jesus appeared to her and told her to go and let His disciples know He was alive. Ecstatic, Mary ran to convey the good news, not expecting to be rejected by the followers of Jesus. "Are you out of your mind?" they said to her. (John 20: 16 - 18).
The Bible doesn't say it, but is it possible that they still thought of her as a mad, demon-possessed woman? Other women named Mary are mentioned in the Bible, but only Mary Magdalene has the distinction of always being referred to her by her first and last name - the one who hails from Magdala, a city known for its prostitutes. However, God loved her and bestowed on her the honor of being the first to see Him as the risen Savior. We, too, are sometimes rejected when we try to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. But when the world rejects you, remember that Jesus loves you and has a special place of honor for you. Don't give up. Keep on pressing on, ever going forward in faith.
To read more about Mary Magdalene and other popular women of the Bible, go to my webpage at http://www.outskirtspress.com/womenforallseasons to find out how you can get a copy of my book Women For All Seasons.
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