Mary Magdalene: From Crazy to Called

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When we think of the heroes of the Bible, names like Peter, John, Esther, or Ruth often come to mind. But one of the most surprising and powerful stories belongs to a woman many people dismissed, avoided, and whispered about—Mary Magdalene.

She wasn’t the likely choice for anything holy. Her past was messy, her reputation tainted, and the word “crazy” was often attached to her name. Yet, out of all the people Jesus could have entrusted with the greatest message in history—He is risen—He chose her.

Her story reminds us that God sees us differently than the world does.

The Weight of Her Past

The Bible says Mary was tormented by seven demons. Seven! Imagine the torment, the sleepless nights, the isolation. She was “that woman”—the one people avoided in the marketplace, the one mothers warned their children to stay away from, the one whose name carried shame.

But where others saw chaos, Jesus saw calling. He didn’t define her by her brokenness—He redefined her with His grace.

Transformation Through Jesus

When Jesus cast the demons out, Mary’s life radically shifted. But what’s so powerful is that she didn’t just walk away healed—she followed Him. She invested her own resources into His ministry, traveled alongside Him, and showed a faithfulness that many of the men around Him struggled to maintain.

She went from outsider to insider, rejected to redeemed, outcast to disciple.

At the Cross

When Jesus was crucified, most of His disciples fled. Fear overtook them, and they scattered. But not Mary.

She stood near the cross, watching the One who had rescued her suffer and die. She didn’t run, she didn’t hide. She stayed. That’s loyalty. That’s gratitude born from a heart that knew what it had been saved from.

The First Witness of the Resurrection

On that first Easter morning, Mary returned to the tomb. Grief consumed her as she discovered the stone rolled away and the body missing. But in her heartbreak, Jesus appeared.

She didn’t recognize Him until He spoke her name. “Mary.”

In an instant, everything changed. Jesus was alive, and Mary Magdalene was the first person He revealed Himself to. Not Peter. Not John. Not even His own mother. Mary.

The woman the world had written off became the first witness of the resurrection—the very first messenger of the gospel.

Why Her Story Matters to Us

Mary’s story is the gospel in motion. She wasn’t perfect, qualified, or respected. She was broken, misunderstood, and dismissed. Yet Jesus chose her anyway.

And that’s what He does for us.

So many of us think our past disqualifies us. We believe we’re too late, too far gone, or too flawed for God to use. But Mary’s story proves otherwise. Her brokenness became the backdrop for God’s grace, her weakness the canvas for His strength.

If Jesus trusted her with the most important message in history, He can trust you, too.

A Word for Today

If you’ve ever felt like Mary—misunderstood, too messy, too far behind—hear this: you are not late. You are not behind. You are right on time for God to step in.

Jesus looked at Mary and saw more than her past. He saw her future. And He sees yours, too.

So don’t count yourself out. Don’t believe the lie that He can’t use you. If He could turn Mary Magdalene from “crazy” to called, He can do the same for you.