Was Mary Magdalene The First Preacher of The Gospel?

In this video, we are going to look at the question, was Mary Magdalene the first preacher of the gospel? I know that seems like a strange question for some, but bear with me. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say this, I don't think I'd have that much money, but I'd have a lot of spare change.

So this may seem strange, this idea that Mary was the first to preach the gospel, but I have heard this claim many times. And today I was listening to Christian radio, and there was a song playing that basically stated this as if it were a fact.

Mary Magdalene as the First Witness, Not the First Preacher

So we want to find out, is that true? And if not, why are people out there making this claim? What's the agenda behind all of this? Okay, first, where does this idea come from? In the gospels, it is stated that Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the resurrection.

Mark 16 verse 9 says,. Now when he, that is Jesus, when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons. And then in Luke 24 verse 11, because there were other women with her, when the women ran and told the apostles what had happened, Luke writes,.

So this is where it comes from. Mary was the first one to see the risen Lord, that's true. And she, along with the other women, go and tell the apostles, as Jesus instructed, tell the apostles that Jesus has risen from the dead.

So somehow that then morphs into the idea Mary is preaching a sermon to the apostles. She believes, she has faith, and the men, they don't. Therefore, women were the first to preach the gospel, or more specifically, the claim that Mary Magdalene was the first preacher of the gospel.

Okay, first let me point out what should be obvious. Relaying a message is not the same as preaching. Let me repeat that. Relaying a message is not the same as preaching. That's number one. Number two, the Christian gospel as we know it, that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4.

That's the Christian gospel, and there's no evidence that Mary truly understood the significance of all of that. Jesus's death, at this point, it appears none of the disciples understood the significance.

In fact, we remember when Jesus told them ahead of time that he must be betrayed, die, rise again, it all just went over their heads. So Mary didn't understand all of that. All Mary knew at this point was that Jesus was alive.

Mary’s Message, the Resurrection, and the Scope of the Gospel

Jesus says, go and tell my brethren, and she goes and relays the message. It's really that simple. That's all that's happening here. Again, there is no scriptural evidence that she comprehended the vicarious substitutionary atonement of Christ and his resurrection for our justification as explained in Romans chapter four.

So based on that, to say that Mary was the first preacher of the gospel at best is an awful stretch. And that's not even to get into the argument that Isaiah, we could say, preached the gospel in Isaiah 53, or that both Jesus and John the Baptist were said to have preached the gospel of the kingdom.

So Mary was not first. But those things aside, I think we can say Mary was most certainly not the first preacher of the gospel, or the women were not the first preachers of the gospel. Okay, so why then are people making this claim?

The Push for Female Pastors and Teachers

I have found that the common denominator, the people saying this, across the board, they support the idea of female pastors and teachers in the church. That's the common denominator. The individuals that have made this argument, to me personally, were all of a charismatic Pentecostal persuasion.

And if you know your church history, Pentecostals were the first, other than the cults, Pentecostals were the first to ordain female clergy. And that, of course, wasn't until the 20th century, very, very late in church history.

And then it spread to the mainline Protestant denominations to where now, as of the date of this recording, December 2021, in our area of New England, I would say that female pastors make up roughly 50 of the pastors in this area.

Scripture’s Teaching on Church Office and Authority

So before I close, let me just say this, because you know we live in a day and age where if people cannot debate the issues with facts or use clear scripture to debate, they often resort to hurling personal insults.

You know,.

You must be a legalistic Pharisee or you're sexist or you're bigoted, et cetera, et cetera.

You know,.

You just have to expect that, unfortunately. So let me say that if the Bible permitted, if the Bible permitted female pastors and teachers in the church, I would be among the strongest supporters of it if the Bible permitted it.

I have no personal bias at all in that area. But the fact of the matter is, the scripture does not permit this. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3 that a bishop or a pastor must be a man. Titus chapter one, an elder must be a man.

1 Timothy 2, verse 12, the apostle Paul says, I do not permit a woman to teach nor to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. The common response is,.

Well,.

That's just cultural. But if you keep reading Paul roots, his argument in creation, that Adam was formed first than Eve. So that is not cultural.

People say,.

Well,.

That's just the way it was back then. Times have changed.

Well,.

If you use that argument, you could allow for just about anything. Paul also makes similar statements in 1 Corinthians 14, 34 through 37, where he states, if anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are just cultural.

No,.

That's not what he says. He said, they are the commandments of the Lord. To put it plainly, there is no biblical justification for any of this. And to say that Mary was the first preacher of the gospel is simply not true.

The Authority of Scripture and the Call to Be Bereans

So in conclusion, do I think that this is the biggest issue modern churches are facing and that it rises to the level of heresy? Of course not. It is not the most serious issue we are facing, probably not even close.

But what lies behind all of this is one of the biggest issues, and that is the authority of scripture. The gap between what the Bible teaches and what the culture finds acceptable is widening, and we all feel it.

And it certainly appears there is a growing number of Christians who are compromising on very clear statements of scripture in order to fit in more with the world. One last comment and exhortation. This is why we need to be good Bereans and read and study the scripture for ourselves.

I'll close with what Luke wrote in Acts 17 verses 10 and 11. He said,. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews, and these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.