Introduction: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov. 17:22). “Emotional wounds need emotional healing,” as the Hong Kong saying goes. Jesus must have healed Mary Magdalene’s ostracization and trauma (note 1) not only through exorcistic healing, but through love, inclusion, trust, camaraderie, and companionship. This aligns with His broader pattern of healing—not merely curing physical ailments, but restoring dignity, breaking social barriers, and offering radical compassion.
1. Jesus' Healing Is Holistic:
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus heals people in multifaceted ways—physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Many of those He healed were outcasts (lepers, tax collectors, women, the demon-possessed), and His healing often included restoring their place in society. In the case of Mary Magdalene, her "seven demons" could symbolize severe suffering—whether spiritual affliction, psychological trauma, mental distress, social marginalization, or physical illness. Jesus did not merely “fix” her condition; He restored her by giving her a new purpose and identity, making her His closest disciple, entrusting her with responsibility, and building with her a relationship of comradeship and companionate love.
2. Inclusion
Unlike society, which may have viewed her as impure or tainted, Jesus affirmed her worth, drawing her into His inner circle and making her His most trusted disciple/follower. As Jesus journeyed from city to city, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God, Magdalene was always with Him (Luke 8:1–3). She even provided financial assistance to support Jesus' ministry (ibid.). (Her name, "Magdalene," originates from Magdala, a prosperous fishing town, which suggests that she was a woman of substantial means.)
Mary then accompanied Jesus all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Last Supper (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41; Luke 23:49). Unlike Peter and other disciples who fled or denied Jesus during His trial (Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:54–62; John 18:15–27), she remained faithful. She followed Jesus even to the cross, standing by Him in His final moments (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41; John 19:25). Her loyalty extended beyond the crucifixion, as she was present at His burial and the tomb (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55) and later at His resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–11; Luke 24:1–10; John 20:1–18).
3. Animal Rights Comradeship
Jesus’ revolutionary Temple raid involved taking direct action (Matthew 21:12–13 ; Mark 11:15–17), wielding a whip (John 2:15), table overturning (Matthew 21:12), liberating all animals about to be slaughtered like oxen, sheep and doves (John 2:15-16 ; Mark 11:15) , and blocking all commercial traffic (vessels) through the Temple (Mark 11:16). In all these, He’s probably aided by His disciples and followers, incl. Mary Magdalene. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Him alone to blockade the 35-acre Temple; and He would have been arrested or even chopped into pieces by the Chief Priests and Scribes on the spot.
4. Trust and Responsibility
Jesus entrusted her with proclaiming His resurrection (John 20:17–18) to the other disciples, making her the first witness—showing His profound trust in her. In Super Evangelium S. Ioannis Lectura (Commentary on the Gospel of John) (Ch. 20), St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “Mary Magdalene is called the apostle of the apostles, because she was sent to the apostles by the Lord.”
Indeed, the Gospel of Mary reveals that Jesus entrusted Mary Magdalene with a leadership role among the other disciples after His departure. This caused resentment among other disciples, particularly Andrew and Peter (Ch. 9.2-4), but Levi (Matthew) defended her (Ch. 6-9); confirming that Jesus knew her well and loved her more than all the other disciples and that she was meant to lead the disciples after His departure (Ch. 6-10).
Similarly, in the Pistis Sophia, possibly dating as early as the second century, Jesus stresses that Mary Magdalene is the most blessed and perfect woman, whose status in the Kingdom of Heaven will be higher than all the other disciples (question 96), and whose view no one can challenge (question 19). Scholars also recognize her as a key leader in early Christianity (King 2003; Schaberg 2002).
5. Companionate Love
In the Gospel of Mary (Ch. 5.5), Peter asserted that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than all other women; the Gospel of Philip (111.30-35) even discloses that Jesus often kissed her on the mouth. The text describes her as His "companion," which in the original Greek (κοινωνός, koinōnos) can mean a close partner, possibly even a spouse. This raises the question of whether their relationship extended beyond spiritual companionship to include a marital bond.
Equally importantly, in the Gospel of Philip (112.1-5), the disciples questioned Jesus (possibly enviously) “Why do you love her more than all of us?” Instead of directly answering their question, Jesus reverses it: “Why do I not love you like her?” This rhetorical structure suggests that His love for Mary Magdalene is of a different nature rather than simply greater in intensity. Again, it suggests a unique bond between them.
Moreover, in 2012, Harvard scholar Karen L. King announced the discovery of an ancient papyrus fragment, known as the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife, dating to the 4th century AD. The fragment contains the phrase: "Jesus said to them (his disciples), 'My wife…'" (ABC News 2012). While its authenticity remains debated, it adds to the speculation that Jesus and Mary Magdalene may have been married.
6.Conclusion
Whether the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is understood as master-disciple, comradely, romantic, or spousal, it is unquestionably a profound bond — one strong enough to withstand even life-and-death trials. It is this deep connection that healed the spiritual, psychological, and social traumas Mary had endured. #VeganChrist #VeganGod #VeganChurch #VeganTheology
Notes
1. According to Bruce Chilton’s 2006 biography of Mary Magdalene, she likely came to Jesus alone and on foot around 25 C.E., seeking deliverance after hearing of his reputation as a rabbi who welcomed the outcast and battled demonic afflictions. Possessed by "seven demons"—a sign of deep spiritual turmoil, mental disturbance, and physical illness—she may have arrived in tattered clothing, ostracized from her hometown of Magdala. Unmarried and likely in her twenties, Mary’s status would have been precarious in a society where women were expected to marry at the age of thirteen; she may have even been considered a mamzer (just like Jesus), someone of doubtful paternity, further complicating her social position. In Jewish Galilee, such demonic possession was seen as contagious and impure, isolating her both physically and spiritually. The Gospels offer no details about her family, reinforcing the sense that she was alone when she arrived in Capernaum, drawn to the hope Jesus offered the broken and rejected.
In the first century, it was widely believed that demons were the cause of both physical and psychological illnesses (Kelly 2006, p. 95; Casey 2010, pp. 192–193; Ehrman 2006, pp. 206–207). Bruce Chilton suggests that the mention of "seven" demons may imply Mary underwent seven separate exorcisms, likely stretched out over time, with the initial six being only partly or entirely ineffective (Chilton 2005, pp. 25–28). Bart D. Ehrman, a New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity, argues that the number seven might be symbolic (Ehrman 2006, pp. 206–207), as it often represents completeness in Jewish tradition (ibid.), and so her possession by seven demons may simply indicate that she was utterly devastated by their forces (ibid.). In any case, Mary must have experienced profound emotional or psychical trauma for such an exorcism to have been considered necessary (Casey 2010, pp. 192–193; Ehrman 2006, pp. 206–207). As a result, the healing she received likely inspired a profound sense of devotion to Jesus (Casey 2010, p. 193; Chilton 2005, pp. 28–30; Schaberg 2004, pp. 79–80).
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