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NASB | John 20:18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 20:18 Mary Magdalene came, reporting to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her. |
Bible Question:
If the word "apostle" means messenger or one who is sent, then when Jesus told Mary of Magdala to "go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'", could we also call her an "apostle?" Might this influence our thinking about women as messengers of the "good news?" |
Bible Answer: Mommapbs, "16. From the beginning of Christ's mission, women show to him and to his mystery a special sensitivity which is characteristic of their femininity. It must also be said that this is especially confirmed in the Paschal Mystery, not only at the Cross but also at the dawn of the Resurrection. The women are the first at the tomb. They are the first to find it empty. They are the first to hear: "He is not here. He has risen, as he said" (Mt 28:6). They are the first to embrace his feet (cf. Mt 28:9). They are also the first to be called to announce this truth to the Apostles (cf. Mt 28:110; Lk 24:8-11). The Gospel of John (cf. also Mk 16:9) emphasizes the special role of Mary Magdalene. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ. At first she thinks he is the gardener; she recognizes him only when he calls her by name: "Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbuni' (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.' Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord'; and she told them that he had said these things to her" (Jn 20:16-18). Hence she came to be called "the apostle of the Apostles."[38] Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ, and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the Apostles. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men. One can say that this fulfilled the words of the Prophet: "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Jl 3:1). On the fiftieth day after Christ's Resurrection, these words are confirmed once more in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, at the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete (cf. Act 2:17)." This is a very brief excerpt form a 1988 document entitled, The Dignity of Women by John Paul II http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2MULIE.HTM Emmaus |