"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master." — John 20:16 (KJV)
The short answer
Mary Magdalene was a devoted follower of Jesus from Galilee, a woman He had delivered from seven devils. Out of gratitude she followed and supported His ministry, stood near the cross, and became the first person to see the risen Lord and carry the news of the resurrection to His disciples.
Mary Magdalene — named for Magdala, her town on the Sea of Galilee — is one of the most faithful figures in the Gospels. The Bible does not tell us everything we might wish to know about her, and Scripture nowhere calls her a prostitute; that is a later tradition, not a claim the text makes. What the Gospels do tell us is far more remarkable: she was rescued by Christ, she followed Him to the end, and she was chosen to be the very first to announce that He had risen. Below are four passages, quoted exactly from the King James Version, that trace her story from deliverance to that first Easter morning.
How did Mary Magdalene meet Jesus?
The first time Scripture names her, it tells us what Jesus had done for her. She had been in deep bondage, and He set her free. Her discipleship began in gratitude.
"And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils," — Luke 8:2 (KJV)
Luke lists Mary among the women who traveled with Jesus and supported His ministry out of their own means. She had known real darkness — "seven devils" speaks of a bondage complete and severe — and Christ had delivered her entirely. Having been given so much, she gave herself to following Him.
Why did Jesus appear to her first?
On the first day of the week, Mary came to the tomb while it was still dark and found the stone rolled away. Weeping, she supposed the body had been taken. Then the risen Lord spoke, and everything changed.
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master." — John 20:15-16 (KJV)
Grief had blinded her to who stood before her — until He spoke her name. "Mary." In a single word the risen Christ turned her sorrow into recognition and joy. It is a picture of how the Good Shepherd knows His own and calls them by name, and how His voice can turn our deepest weeping into worship.
What was Mary Magdalene sent to do?
Jesus did not keep the news to Himself, nor keep Mary to Himself. He sent her — a woman once bound by seven devils — to be the first messenger of His resurrection.
"Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." — John 20:18 (KJV)
She ran to the disciples with the greatest news in history: the Lord was risen, and she had seen Him. The one who had received mercy became the one who proclaimed the risen Christ. In the ordering of that first Easter, the good news went first through a faithful woman who simply told what she had seen.
What does Mary Magdalene's story show us?
Mark's Gospel draws the two ends of her story together in one verse — the deliverance and the resurrection appearance — so we never forget where her devotion began.
"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." — Mark 16:9 (KJV)
Her life is a testimony to grace. The same Jesus who cast out her devils rose from the dead and appeared to her first. She was not distinguished by rank or reputation but by love that stayed — through the cross, past the tomb, into the morning. Delivered by Christ, devoted to Christ, sent by Christ: that is Mary Magdalene.
Frequently asked questions
What did Jesus do for Mary Magdalene?
Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from bondage. Luke describes her as Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils (Luke 8:2, KJV), and Mark records that he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils (Mark 16:9, KJV). Set free by Christ, she became one of His most devoted followers and supported His ministry.
Was Mary Magdalene the first to see the risen Jesus?
Yes. According to Mark 16:9 (KJV), the risen Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. In John's Gospel He speaks her name in the garden, and she then goes and tells the disciples that she had seen the Lord (John 20:18, KJV). Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrection and the first to carry its news to others.
"He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." — Mark 16:9 (KJV)
Take it deeper
Mary Magdalene's story reaches its height in the resurrection accounts of all four Gospels. FlickerFaith is a Scripture-first study companion — open it to read John 20 in full, compare how each Gospel tells the empty-tomb morning, and ask honest questions about grace, deliverance, and following Jesus. It keeps you close to the Word, not away from it.
Keep reading
The One she saw risen is worth knowing — read who is Jesus Christ? Meet others in His story: Mary, the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist, and Judas Iscariot. You can also browse Bible topics, explore AI Bible study, or return home.