Exploring The Chosen: Mary Magdalene
Few shows can claim the kind of runaway success that The Chosen has experienced. The show aims to tell the story of Jesus through the eyes of those closest to Him. Due to their unique model of direct crowdfunding to finance the show production, The Chosen has been able to provide high-quality entertainment while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original text.
Now, I’ll admit, I had a hard time when I first started watching The Chosen. As someone who has spent their entire adult life and three and one-half years at seminary studying the Scriptures deeply, it irked me a bit during the first several episodes I watched when the show strayed from the Biblical text, added to the Biblical story with a fictional narrative or re-ordered the events in the Gospels. However, I soon saw that the show was trying to create a compelling idea of what it might have been like to be among Jesus’ closest followers, and really brought the Bible account to life by filling in some of the time gaps in the Bible story with what might have occurred. There is no doubt that the show has piqued the interest of many viewers, from devout theologians to seekers and even atheists!
While watching The Chosen is a great way to become acquainted with the story of Jesus, I think it’s important we take time to learn what the Bible actually says about some of the main characters. So, over the next few weeks, we’ll look at different characters and stories relayed in The Chosen and compare them with the Biblical text. Our first character will be one that has captured imaginations for thousands of years: Mary Magdalene.
What You Think You Know… Is Probably Wrong.
Mary Magdalene is often described as a prostitute. You may be surprised to learn that Scripture does not support this. The idea that Mary was a prostitute comes from individuals who conflate Mary Magdalene who is mentioned in Luke 8:2 as a woman most likely from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons, with the story of the prostitute who washes Jesus' feet in Luke 7:36-50, but nothing in the Bible ties these two stories together. One of the factors contributing to these two different stories in the Bible being linked together is a 6th-century pronouncement by Pope Gregory the Great that these two women were the same. The Catholic Church even made her the patron saint for penitent prostitutes. However, the Biblical narrative does not support this.
Another thing many people believe about Mary Magdalene is that she was Jesus’ romantic partner or even His wife. This is a lie meant to undermine Jesus’ authority as the Son of God. There is a text dated to the 2nd or 3rd century called the Gospel of Mary, which is not recognized by the Christian Church, that describes a Mary who was the only disciple of Jesus who truly understood Him. This text was written far later than the four canonical Gospels (and certainly after Mary Magdalene would have passed away). It belongs to a category of texts known as Gnostic Gospels, which are texts rejected by the Christian Church for their heretical teachings against Jesus being fully human and fully God. This falsehood was popularized in secular entertainment, such as The Da Vinci Code which portrays Jesus as being married to Mary Magdalene and tries to depict Mary as being a leader in the Church, but that is directly opposed to the truth of Scripture.
What Does the Bible Say?
For someone who has been the center of so much controversy, it is important to examine the Bible to see what God says about Mary Magdalene. There are at least six different people identified as Mary in the New Testament (Mary was a very common name) and it is easy to get the various Mary’s confused. Mary Magdalene is mentioned at least twelve times in Scripture (some are the same accounts in different Gospels). Here is what we know from the Bible:
Jesus healed Mary Magdalene of seven demons. (Luke 8:1-2)
Mary Magdalene supported Jesus’ ministry financially and traveled with him, along with Susanna, Joanna, and other women. (Luke 8:2-3)
Mary Magdalene was present at Jesus’ crucifixion along with Jesus’ mother Mary, Mother Mary’s Sister (named Salome who was the mother of the Apostles James and John), and another Mary described as the wife of Clopas (and probably the mother of the Apostle James the less/younger). (John 19:25; Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40)
Mary Magdalene, along with another Mary (most likely the mother of the Apostle James the less/younger), were present when Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body and laid it in the tomb. (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47).
Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of the Apostle James the less/younger, and Mother Mary’s sister Salome came to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning, along with Joanna (wife of the manager of Herod Antipas’ household estate). (Mark 16:1-2; Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:10)
Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus revealed Himself to following His resurrection. (John 20:1, 11-18; Mark 16:9)
Mary Magdalene must have been an important follower of Jesus for Him to appear to her first, and her faith in Him is something we should all emulate!
It is interesting that the person whom Jesus chose to be the first person He appeared to after His resurrection was a female disciple and follower who is somewhat obscure in the Bible, and yet she has since been the focus of so much controversy. From what we do know of her from the Bible, I believe she would want all the attention to be on Jesus, who rescued her from demons and offered her salvation.
The Chosen’s portrayal
Like with many characters, The Chosen has taken some liberties with the character of Mary Magdalene. We don’t know if any Jewish leaders attempted to exorcise her demons, nor do we know if she traveled as extensively with Jesus as is shown in the show. While we know she supported Jesus’ ministry financially, we don’t know if she was an entrepreneur like in The Chosen’s third season. Almost all of Mary’s backstory is fictionalized in The Chosen, and the name Lilith is never mentioned in the New Testament. There’s no indication she fell away from Christ, taught anyone to read, or participated in any of the other character arcs in the show.
While The Chosen takes some liberties (which they readily admit to and they encourage further Biblical study), they have not fallen into the pitfalls that some entertainment vehicles have. While they include some storylines that are not in the Bible, I have not seen anything yet where they have contradicted what is in the Bible. It appears that they do add non-biblical information in an effort to draw the viewer into the story of what it may have been like to be a follower of Jesus and bring the story to life. I look forward to meeting Mary Magdalene in Heaven one day to learn her real story and what it was like to know and follow Jesus during His earthly ministry!