Mary Magdalene

by Diana Wallis Taylor

Nathan settled his guest and then blew out the lamp in the courtyard. The small lamp in the main room of the house burned, giving off a dim glow. He checked the oil, noting there was enough. As he wearily lowered himself down on his bed, his mind turned. Slowly he moved onto his knees and, in the darkness, poured out his heart to the only One who could help him.

  Mary listened to the footsteps on the stone stairs. It was Eliab. She had been sitting on the floor but crawled to her bed and now slowly got up. She had eaten little and her stomach let her know its craving for food. She longed for light, but lived in the darkness. They could not trust the forces that drove her. A lamp and fire would provide ways for her to harm herself.

  She watched the door, cowering back. The bolt slid and it moved open. She waited. Eliab stepped carefully into the room, a platter of food in his hand.

  “I have brought you your dinner, mistress. Come, partake and be strengthened.”

  She eyed the door.

  If you move quickly, you can escape!

  You do not need food!

  Just run!

  He cannot catch you!

  The voices cried at once in her head, urging her, petulant, demanding. Her eyes found Eliab’s and he watched her calmly.

  “It is not time to go, mistress. But soon. You will be free soon.”

  Free? She tilted her head and stared at him. “What is free, Eliab?” Large tears began to roll down her cheeks. “This room is my prison. My body is my prison. How can you say I will be free?”

  “There is One nearby who can help you. You must conquer those who try to guide you, and let us bring you to him. Tomorrow.”

  “One who can help me? No one can help me. No one.” She wrapped her arms around her body, swaying back and forth.

  “His name is Jesus. He is a healer. He heals the sick and has made lame legs walk. He has driven out the forces of the evil one from those afflicted—”

  Her eyes widened. “He has healed those like me?”

  “Yes, mistress, but you must help us. You must not run away. You must let us bring you to him.”

  Raucous laughter erupted in her head.

  Do not listen to him.

  He tells you lies.

  No one can EVER free you from us.

  She tried to ignore the voices. She was hungry and the food looked inviting. She grabbed the chunk of bread and began to devour it greedily, letting the sauce run unchecked down her chin. She kept her eyes on Eliab as if he would steal a morsel from her.

  The sadness in his eyes moved her as nothing else would. She paused with the bread in her hand. “I would see this Teacher.”

  He smiled broadly. “Tomorrow, mistress. Be ready.”

  She eyed the doorway again and he followed her gaze. Shaking his head, he slipped through the door, moving even more quickly than she did. His swiftness in gauging her actions always surprised her.

  After a moment she heard the bolt slide into place and she slumped against the door, desolation once again covering her with its shadow. She crawled slowly over to the platter on the floor and reached for the small bunch of grapes. Holding them in her hand, uneaten, she stared at the darkness outside her window a long time.

  As dawn slowly colored the sky with its palette of pink and gold, Nathan rose and, stretching his arms, moved to the doorway to stare at the panorama before him. He was surprised he had slept so well. Usually the night hours found him prowling about the house or courtyard wrestling with his thoughts. A sense of expectancy filled him. What would the day hold? Success or failure? He only knew that if he didn’t try, life would go on as it had, and the thought of that made his heart heavy. If Mary wasn’t healed, would he find a place for her and take a second wife? He’d been without the comfort of a wife too long. He bowed his head and beseeched HaShem for a miracle.

  Zerah joined him a few moments later, just as Huldah, who had been cooking for Nathan’s household, came with fresh bread and some fruit for their breakfast. Since being taken in by Huldah and Samuel, Keturah had stayed away. Considering the risk, Nathan decided not to tell Huldah what they had in mind for Mary that day.

  Eliab came back to join the men and Huldah nodded to him. Nathan knew she had a soft spot for the huge man who had been so faithful to the family.

  When Huldah returned to her home, Nathan and Eliab went up the stone steps to Mary’s room. Eliab lifted the bolt on the door and quietly opened it. Nathan caught his breath. The sight of his wife always jolted him. She was sprawled on her bed, asleep, her hair unkempt, her garments dirty and torn. No one had been able to help her bathe or get near enough to comb her hair in weeks. Today, though, instead of the feelings he’d considered earlier, his heart melted again with pity for her. The miracle he had prayed for wasn’t a change in Mary; it was a change in his heart, a renewal of tenderness for the woman he had loved so long.

  Mary had paced her room by the hour, fighting the mind-bending headache that had come upon her during the early hours of the morning. Voices screamed in her head until she fell in a sobbing heap on the floor. Finally, crawling to her pallet, she fell into an exhausted sleep.

  At the sound of the bar being lifted, her eyes flew open. She heard whispered voices. Was it Nathan? Or Eliab? When the door opened, she shrank back. She pretended to sleep. Maybe she could catch them unawares and escape. Then sensing something in the silence as they stood there, her eyes opened. It was Eliab and Nathan. They had something in their minds. She could see it in their faces. What were they going to do? Was Nathan taking her somewhere? Yes, the day had come. He is getting rid of you, a useless wife. He is putting you away.

  Then the voices were silent. She watched Nathan’s face, frightened. “Why have you come?”

  To her surprise, the look she received from her husband was one of tenderness. “We want you to meet someone, Mary. We want you to come with us.”

  They were taking her to meet someone. A new caretaker? Certainly he was getting rid of her at last?

  Resigned, she looked down at the floor and barely nodded her head.

  As the two men came on either side of her, Mary was aware of the odor that came from her clothes and person, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. She looked from one to the other fearfully. Where were they taking her?

  The two men had a firm grip on her arms as they led her out of the room and down the steps to the courtyard. Zerah watched them and then came forward.

  “My dear niece, it is good to see you again.” He smiled at her, but Mary could only stare at him listlessly.

  Zerah took the arm Eliab held and Eliab stepped back to walk closely behind them. As they made their way through the streets, Nathan glanced warily at her from time to time, and his anxiety only reinforced the idea in her mind that he was taking her somewhere to get rid of her.

  Self-pity whispered in her mind. You are not worthy to be his wife anymore. He will find someone young and beautiful to take your place.

  As they passed people in their neighborhood, many stopped and stared at her and whispered to each other.

  “It’s Mad Mary. What are they doing with her?”

  “Watch the children, that crazy woman is about.”

  “Is that Jared’s daughter, Mary, the same woman we have known? She looks like a witch.”

  The hurtful words echoed in her mind, cutting into her heart. No one cared. She was the local madwoman. Wherever Nathan was taking her, it didn’t matter anymore. With head bowed, she kept walking with her husband and Zerah holding tight to her arms.

  At the edge of town, the voices began screaming in her head and she could stand it no longer. A large crowd of people were gathered ahead of them. She could flee from Nathan and his plans for her and lose herself in the crowd.

  Get away!

  Get away!

  RUN!

  With almost superhuman strength, Mary broke away from Nathan and her uncle and ran for her life, blindly plunging into the crowd of people who parted hastily to get away from her. She knew the three men we
re right behind her, but she would not let them catch her. She laughed, wild with freedom, and darted through the crowd, until suddenly she was stopped by a man standing in her path.

  RUN!

  Get away!

  But this time the voices were not strong and forceful, they were fearful. She tried to move, but her feet were like stone. She stared up into a rugged yet tender face, beautiful in its compassion. Sunlight seemed to be in the eyes that held her captive, and she was wrapped in a love so profound she swayed toward him.

  “Mary.”

  She struggled to speak. “Y-you know my n-name?”

  “I have always known you.”

  Then he spoke to the forces that whimpered and struggled within her. “How many are you?”

  Through her mouth a terrified voice cried, “We are seven. Do not torture us, we know who you are, you are the Son of—”

  “Be silent.” Then in a voice that echoed with authority, “Leave her!”

  Tossing her onto the ground like a sack of flour, with a low wail, the forces that had troubled her for so long left her body. She lay still a moment, then, gentle hands lifted her to her feet and she heard a strong, compassionate voice. “You are free, daughter of Abraham. They shall trouble you no more.”

  Relief and joy poured through her being. Her head cleared, and for the first time in years, she felt herself again. The voices that had assailed her every moment of the day were silent. A mantle of peace settled over her as she looked slowly around and up at the blue sky. She felt the sun in her face and let the warmth flow over her body. Then she looked at this man who had freed her.

  “Who are you, Lord?”

  “I am Jesus.”

  She knelt at his feet. “My Lord and my Master. This time I know I am healed. Whoever you are, I will follow you, wherever you go, forever.”

  He gently lifted her again and spoke softly, “You shall indeed follow me, Mary of Magdala, but it is not time. Return with your husband to your home, and tell what great things God has done for you.”

  Tears streamed down Nathan’s face as he came and stood at her side. “How can I express my gratitude, Lord, for breaking the bondage that has held Mary for so long? We will follow you together.”

  Jesus did not answer; he only smiled, but there was a touch of sadness in his smile.

  “Return home, Nathan, son of Beriah, and enjoy your wife. Rejoice in the days you have together.”

  Zerah had watched Mary’s deliverance with amazement and now came and fell at the feet of Jesus.

  “I am a sinful man, Lord, but I believe in you. I have done a terrible thing that has caused suffering to ones I love. Forgive me, Lord.”

  Jesus put a hand on his shoulder. “Your prayers have been heard by my Father. You are forgiven. Now you know what you must do.”

  Zerah gathered himself and slowly turned to Mary, his face twisted with anguish. “It was I, Mary, who hired the kidnappers. I thought only of money that I needed. They were told not to hurt you. I didn’t know that they would . . . hurt your father. You have suffered because of me.” His voice broke. “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

  A sudden rush of emotions flooded Mary. Her uncle? Responsible for her father’s stabbing—for her ordeal with those two terrible men? Anger began to rise within her. How could she forgive such an act that had ruined years of her life? She covered her face with her hands. She could not forgive. Then, though no one actually touched her, she felt her hands gently being pulled from her face. She looked up at Jesus and suddenly realized that she herself had been set free and given new life. How could she turn away and deny forgiveness to one who had suffered as much in his own way with guilt and remorse?

  One word came to her mind. Forgive.

  The anger slowly dissipated and she took a deep breath and turned to her uncle. Putting a hand on his cheek, she looked at him with new eyes of compassion. “As I have found healing today, Uncle, so may you also. I do forgive you with all my heart.”

  Zerah wept in relief and embraced her.

  Eliab stepped forward then and knelt before Jesus. “I have waited, Teacher, for what I knew not. Now I know why I stayed. I too believe you are from God. The one true God.”

  “Well done, faithful Eliab. Return to your home and your people. You have much to share with them.”

  Eliab rose. He could not speak, for his emotions overwhelmed him. He turned to Mary and Nathan.

  Mary looked at the ebony face, now wrinkled with age, of the man who had watched over her family for so long. “Go in peace, dear Eliab. May the Most High, blessed be his name, watch over and protect you.”

  Nathan clasped him on the shoulder, but no words came, nor were they needed. Eliab nodded his head slightly and turned. He walked through the crowd and was soon swallowed up in the masses.

  Mary felt laughter bubbling up inside her. Not the raucous laughter of a deranged woman, but one very much full of life. The past years seemed but a moment, blurred and distant. She laughed, a wonderful, freeing laugh, a laugh of joy and wonderment. Then she turned to her husband. She had years to make up for.

  She whispered in his ear. “I believe I would like a bath.”

  27

  Five days after Nathan left, Mary was awakened early by the sound of rain. Her first thought was that she was glad she’d brought her small cooking stove and kitchen items into the main room of the house the night before. Suddenly another thought pierced her consciousness. Nathan. Was he out on the sea? He would be returning home by now. She listened to the wind and knew there was a storm.

  She fell to her knees and cried out to HaShem, “Oh Lord, protect him and bring him safely home to me.” She stayed on her knees for a long time, praying for her beloved husband and the men in the boat with him. Finally, peace flowed over her being, yet as her head was still bowed, she saw the face of Jesus as he spoke to the crowd of people. There was majesty in his presence. How he put the Pharisees and Sadducees in their place. They watched him with disdain and asked him questions, yet seemed astounded at his answers. He spoke as one taught by the scribes, not a simple carpenter from Nazareth. Surely he was the one her people had waited for throughout the centuries.

  She reasoned to herself that there must be some way she and Nathan could send money to Jesus and his followers. Surely they needed funds for food and lodging. She would speak to Nathan when he returned. It was the least they could do to show their gratitude for what he had done for her.

  There was a knock at the door. Huldah and Merab came to stay with her.

  “There will be news soon, Mary.” Huldah sounded like she spoke with more confidence than she felt.

  The next morning Mary stood at the window of her room upstairs and shivered as she felt the cold, moist air come through the latticework. As a child she had moved her bed as far from the window as she could and then snuggled down under a heavy lamb’s wool rug. Safe and content with her parents nearby, she’d not thought of the storms and the fishing boats that were lost. It was beyond her immediate world and meant little to her.

  Now, as she’d gazed out at the dark clouds and the restless sea, and watched the wind churning the waves, she knew Nathan was out in that storm. She struggled against the fear that threatened to rise up within her.

  Word spread quickly and Mary’s friends rallied around her, keeping her company while she waited. Huldah brought mending to do and Merab twirled her spindle, pulling the lamb’s wool into a fine thread. Mary worked on her loom, weaving a new tunic for Nathan. This one would be one piece and she worked steadily, sending the shuttle back and forth. Keeping her hands busy helped keep her mind from dwelling on the storm.

  Samuel came at evening and ate with them. He had been checking the docks for word of any of the fishing boats, but no one had heard anything as yet.

  When Mishma returned from Hebrew school, and the rain stopped for a little while, Keturah hurried over with the new baby and remained awhile. Mary held little Seth and her heart constricted as he cu
rled his small hand around her finger. As he looked up at her, with eyes that seemed so wise in such a tiny face, he captured her heart. She was reminded of the first time she held Mishma, who was growing tall. He would soon be ready for his Bar Mitzvah, the ceremony that made him a man in the eyes of the Law.

  As the evening mealtime approached, Keturah took the baby from Mary. Calling to Mishma, who had been looking at one of the scrolls, she returned home. Merab had a sick neighbor to attend to, and she and Keturah assured Mary they would return in the morning. Samuel went to feed their animals, but Huldah stayed so Mary would not be alone.

  The women kept their vigil until the seventh day, when Samuel pounded on the locked gate. “Mary, open the gate. There is news.”

  She threw a warm mantle over her head and pulled it around her as she hurried across the courtyard to let him in.

  “A merchant ship has brought Nathan and Amos to our port.”

  She searched his face and her heart beat faster as she sensed there was more to his news. “What of Nathan?”

  Samuel shook his head. “They are bringing him home. He is alive, but seriously wounded.”

  Mary gasped as four men came to the gate, carrying someone on a litter. It was Nathan. His face was pale and his eyes closed. The side of his head was matted with blood and a large lump had formed at his temple.

  She had the men gently lift Nathan and place him upon his bed. He let out a small groan, but his eyes remained closed.

  Someone had already sent for Merab and she came quickly with her goatskin bag of herbs and powders. She looked down at the unconscious man and shook her head. When Mary finished cleaning the dried blood from the wound, Merab made a poultice and applied it to the side of Nathan’s head to stop the bleeding. Mary helped her wind a clean cloth around his head to hold the poultice in place.

  One of the men went to bring Nathan’s father from the boatyard.

  Merab watched Nathan carefully, and as he began to stir, he suddenly rolled to one side. Anticipating his next act, she grabbed the basin of water Mary had used to clean his wound with. She held it for Nathan, who vomited into the basin and then lay back, his breathing heavy and labored.