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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ002105A
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00:26 Two thousand years ago the world was ruled by Rome from England 00:30 to Africa and from Spain to Syria. One of every four people 00:35 on earth lived and died under Roman law. The Roman emperors 00:39 ruled supreme and woe betide anyone who dared challenge their 00:46 power and authority. Rome's response was swift, brutal and 00:49 merciless as the people who lived here in Magdala discovered 00:54 Magdala was a prosperous first century port on the northwestern 01:00 shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of 40,000 and a 01:05 fleet of 230 boats. It was a center of trade and commerce. 01:10 But the city chafed under Roman rule. The people wanted to be 01:14 free. And so Magdala became a center of rebellion against Rome 01:21 and a fortified base for rebels during the first Jewish revolt 01:24 that began in A.D. 66. Rome's response was immediate. In A.D. 01:37 67 three Roman legions commanded by Vespasian reached Magdala and 01:44 surrounded the city. After its defeat many of the rebels tried 01:47 to escape by boat across Galilee with disastrous results. The 01:53 Romans engaged them in sea battle and killed so many of 01:57 them that the water here in Galilee turned red with their 02:01 blood. Another 1200 were executed nearby Tiberius. Of the 02:09 remaining Magdala citizens 6000 were sent to build a canal in 02:15 Greece and 30,000 were sold as slaves. But Magdala's most 02:21 famous citizen escaped the tragedy. Years earlier she left 02:25 Magdala searching for freedom, freedom from the demons that 02:30 plagued her life. She joined a radical new social movement. At 02:34 its head was a charismatic young leader, Jesus of Nazareth, who 02:40 promised not only to change the world but to change people's 02:43 lives as well. In her desperate search for freedom Mary of 02:50 Magdala was drawn to follow Jesus' inspirational message. 02:53 It changed her life and got rid of her demons. She became a 02:58 leader among his followers and when the men in the group 03:02 abandoned him in his hour of mortal danger, Mary of Magdala 03:07 was one of the faithful who stayed with him even to the 03:10 public execution. She was present at the tomb. She was the 03:22 first to see him alive after his resurrection and the first to 03:26 tell others about him. But still we seem to know so little about 03:31 this other Mary, Mary from Magdala, here near the shores 03:35 of the sea of Galilee. But today we'll find out about the secret 03:40 that transformed her life and brought her peace and happiness. 03:44 ♪ ♪ 04:18 After the Romans destroyed Magdala in A.D. 67, the once 04:22 thriving city was never reestablished. Soon it was lost 04:26 and forgotten, buried beneath layers of soil deposited by rain 04:32 water and floods over 2000 years. The only real source of 04:37 information about Magdala and its demise was Josef ben 04:42 Matityahu, the leader of the Jewish forces in Galilee during 04:45 the third Jewish revolt. He was eventually captured by the 04:50 Romans at the Battle of Jotapata and taken prisoner. After being 04:54 freed by the Roman emperor Vespasian he defected to the 04:59 Roman side took on a Roman name Josephus Flavius and became the 05:04 emperor's official historian. But even his famous eye witness 05:08 account of the fate of Magdala couldn't keep the town from 05:12 drifting into oblivion. Soon it disappeared. And then in the 05:20 1960s something remarkable happened. Archeologists 05:24 discovered Magdala's ancient port and the city grid with 05:29 paved streets, water canal's, a market place, grand villas and 05:34 mosaics, one even depicting a sailing boat. Buried in the mud 05:39 covering a thermal bath complex they discovered ceramic pottery, 05:44 perfume jars, jewelry, hair brushes and comb and bronze 05:48 applicators for makeup. They also discovered the massive 05:52 foundations of a tower that may account for the city's name. 05:56 Both Magdala in Aramaic and Migdal in Hebrew mean tower. The 06:02 pieces were all falling into place. Ancient Magdala was 06:08 coming back to life. More archeological remains were 06:14 uncovered nearby in 2009. They found three interconnecting 06:18 ritual baths. They were the first found in Israel that used 06:23 ground water from springs which for purification purposes was 06:28 considered living water rather than rain water. In the remains 06:35 of one building under a thin layer of soil archeologists 06:39 found a stone block engraved with motifs including a seven 06:42 branched menorah, the type of lamp stand used in the Jerusalem 06:47 temple. This amazing discovery led to the identification of the 06:52 building as a synagogue. It's the only first century synagogue 06:57 along the Sea of Galilee and one of only seven synagogues from 07:02 this period in all the world. It's almost certain that Jesus 07:07 visited and taught right here in this synagogue. Here's what the 07:14 Bible says in Mark chapter 1 and verse 39: 07:28 It's quite likely that Mary of Magdala first heard the 07:33 inspiring message of Jesus right here and that the first seeds of 07:38 faith were sown here that transformed her life, got rid of 07:43 the demons and brought her peace and happiness. As archeologists 07:56 dig in Magdala, Mary's home town, as they peel back the 07:58 layers of 2000 years they're shedding light on one of the 08:02 most mysterious figures of the Bible. Mary Magdalene was real. 08:07 Her challenges, struggles and joys were real. Her life was 08:13 truly transformed by Jesus. So let's dig a little deeper and 08:18 find out more. The first encounter between Mary and Jesus 08:28 isn't described in detail. We don't have the complete story. 08:33 But what we do have is this statement in the Gospel of Luke, 08:38 chapter 8, verses 1 and 2: 09:00 Now let's think about this for a moment. How many people get 09:06 down to the point where they're actually possessed by demons. 09:10 But many are controlled by some single compulsion. Mary had 09:16 somehow reached the point of demon possession, some evil 09:19 thing had control of her. Her life was a mess and she 09:23 certainly had lots of problems. Now the Bible doesn't tell us 09:28 exactly what the problems were but more importantly it tells us 09:33 that she experienced a profound kind of deliverance from her 09:37 encounter with Jesus. Something happened that transformed her, 09:42 turned her life around, took her problems away and replaced them 09:47 with peace and happiness. Yes, something happened that turned 09:53 her into a loyal and faithful follower of Jesus, one who was 09:57 even prepared to stand by him at the cross when the rest of his 10:01 disciples, those strong men, ran away and abandoned him. 10:09 So what made the difference. What turned Mary Magdalene, 10:13 from a broken woman, a seven time failure into a loyal and 10:18 faithful follower of Jesus. Well perhaps we start to see the 10:22 answer in something Jesus said. Once Peter, a leading disciple 10:28 of Jesus, asked him how many times he was obliged to forgive 10:32 someone who continued to mess up, to fail. Peter thought he 10:38 was being generous when he said up to seven times. And Jesus 10:42 replied with these words in Matthew chapter 18 and verse 22: 10:54 In other words, just keep on forgiving. Jesus didn't want to 11:00 put any limits on forgiveness. And it was more than just 11:03 quantity, pardoning someone over and over and over again numerous 11:07 times. It was more than that. The quality of Jesus' 11:10 was also limitless. When Mary came to Jesus with huge 11:12 problems and repeated failures he didn't just wave off the 11:21 the offense like some judge reluctantly giving a seven time 11:25 offender one more chance. Jesus accepted her graciously. He 11:29 forgave her generously, unconditionally. He was willing 11:34 to wrestle with the demons on her behalf. I believe it was the 11:39 quality of Christ's forgiveness that transformed this woman so 11:43 profoundly. That was the key element in her encounter with 11:48 Jesus. The Bible itself suggests that. Let's look at a certain 11:51 thing Luke tells us about in his Gospel in 11:54 Luke chapter 23 and verse 49: 12:06 Mary Magdalene kept her vigil with a group of other women, 12:09 women who kept their devotion alive in the darkest hour, the 12:13 crucifixion hour. Think of some of the women that Jesus 12:28 encountered during his ministry. Think of some of the failures he 12:33 encountered. There was the woman who was caught by the Pharisees 12:36 in the act of adultery. Now Adultery in Jesus' day was 12:41 something that got you stoned to death. But Jesus disarmed her 12:46 accusers with one deft stroke. Notice what he declared in 12:49 John chapter 8 and verse 7: 12:58 And the vengeful men just melted away. I think it significant 13:04 that when Jesus asked her, has no one condemned you? She 13:09 answered very meekly, No one. This woman called Jesus Lord. 13:16 He had quietly removed her tormentors from the scene. When 13:19 she looked up they were gone. It's no wonder she called him 13:23 Lord. Jesus showed such a gracious way, almost an 13:29 understanding way of expressing forgiveness. If all those angry, 13:32 indignant people aren't condemning you anymore, well I 13:36 certainly won't either. At the worst moment in her life this 13:42 woman heard those gentle words of encouragement. Of course she 13:47 called him Lord. Now we see the quality of Christ's forgiveness 13:50 even more clearly in another encounter he had with a failure. 13:55 One evening Jesus went to dine at the home of a Pharisee named 14:00 Simon. It was rather early in Jesus' ministry. He was just 14:04 beginning to attract attention. Some thought he might even be a 14:09 prophet. So of course the best people in town were there to 14:12 check him out. But one person managed to slip in uninvited 14:18 through the open courtyard mingling further with the 14:21 servants, then up the veranda steps and into the dining hall. 14:25 No one noticed her at first. The room was crowded with people 14:29 conversing. But then they began to smell something pungent, 14:33 something very different from the aroma of the food on the 14:37 table. It smelled like perfume. As the guests paused to take 14:42 this in they heard the sound of a woman sobbing. Simon spotted 14:46 her bent over Jesus' feet as he reclined at the table. Here was 14:51 his guest of honor accosted by a stranger. The woman's tears fell 14:57 on Jesus' feet and she was wiping them with her hair and 15:01 pouring expensive perfume on them from an alabaster vial. 15:05 Simon was unnerved by this rude interruption but he really got 15:09 upset when he got a glimpse of her face. This woman was well 15:14 known all over town. How could it be that Jesus was allowing 15:18 her to touch him. If he really was a prophet, Simon thought, 15:22 then surely he would know what kind of person she was. In the 15:27 middle of all this disturbance Jesus proceeded to tell Simon 15:31 a story. A certain money changer had two debtors. One owed 5000 15:37 dollars, the other 50. Both were unable to pay and so the money 15:41 lender just cancelled both their debts. Which of them, Jesus 15:46 asked, will love him more. Simon had listened patiently. Then he 15:51 answered, I suppose the one who was forgiven more. So Jesus told 15:55 him plainly, when I came in you didn't wash my feet, but this 16:01 woman has bathed them with her tears. You didn't anoint my head 16:04 but she has anointed my feet with perfume. And then he 16:15 uttered these words found in Luke chapter 7 and verse 47: 16:31 Then Jesus turned to the woman and whispered, Your sins are 16:38 forgiven. Everyone in that room had expected this woman, who 16:42 they regarded as a social outcast, to be put in her place. 16:46 Well, Jesus did. Her put her at the head of the table. He 16:53 explained that she only truly understood what it means to be 16:56 forgiven and she had responded with a wealth of devotion. Jesus 17:01 made this notorious failure an example for them all. He who is 17:07 forgiven much loves much. That's the secret behind those women 17:12 keeping their vigil at the cross. Jesus had many other 17:17 followers at that time. Many others continued to be loyal, 17:19 many others wanted to believe in him, but they weren't there. 17:23 Almost all the disciples had fled the scene. But he who is 17:29 forgiven much loves much. That's what those women at the foot of 17:34 the cross had. They had an appreciation for the quality of 17:38 Christ's forgiveness and it inspired a devotion that no dark 17:42 night, no terrible execution could blot out. Have you ever 17:47 felt like a failure? Maybe you've struggled with a habit 17:51 that tripped you up over and over again. Maybe you felt 17:54 imprisoned by the same destructive emotions over and 17:58 over again. Maybe you know what it's like to try to come to God 18:02 in repentance for the same old thing when you've already come 18:06 countless times before. Well I want you to take heart from an 18:12 extraordinary group of people keeping their vigil at the cross 18:15 I want you to know that Jesus' forgiveness is like nothing else 18:21 Jesus' forgiveness can ennoble. He who is forgiven much can love 18:28 him much. We have to grasp the words of the Forgiver. We have 18:32 to receive forgiveness in the same wholehearted way as that 18:37 woman wiping Jesus' feet with her hair. Your failures can be 18:41 redeemed by Christ's forgiveness if you really come to appreciate 18:46 what that act means. If you sense how graciously Christ 18:49 forgives. If you touch the heart of the Great Forgiver. If you 18:54 understand the worth of the one who extends forgiveness. That's 19:00 how we're changed. A lot of human forgiveness is really kind 19:04 of like a condescending put down People may not be genuine. They 19:10 say sure I'll forgive you, but in their heart there is no 19:14 genuine forgiveness. We've all experienced that. Jesus' 19:19 forgiveness though lifts us up. It lifted Mary Magdalene. She 19:24 knew that she was accepted in him. She knew he loved her 19:29 unconditionally and it made her the first to bear witness to the 19:33 most glorious event in human history. Early Sunday morning 19:44 after Jesus' crucifixion Mary came to the tomb of Christ with 19:48 spices and ointments to care for his body. But to her 19:51 astonishment the stone had been rolled away from the tomb's 19:55 entrance and the body had disappeared. The tomb was empty. 19:59 Mary hurried back to Jerusalem to tell Peter and John that 20:04 someone had taken Jesus Christ's body. We don't know where they 20:08 laid him she said. She still couldn't grasp the idea of a 20:13 resurrection. The two disciples ran to the garden tomb and saw 20:18 the grave clothes lying inside but no body. Peter and John went 20:23 back to tell the others the strange news. But Mary couldn't 20:28 leave the scene. She couldn't bear the thought of never being 20:32 able to honor her master at his grave. She just stood there 20:36 weeping for some time. Mary was keeping another vigil. And then 20:43 she heard a voice ask, Woman why are you crying and who are you 20:48 looking for? Mary looked up and at first didn't quite recognize 20:52 the man through her tears. She assumed he was the caretaker and 20:57 asked about Jesus' body. You can hear the pleading, the longing 21:01 longing in her voice when she asked as recorded in John 21:05 chapter 20 and verse 15: 21:16 Then the Man called her by name, Mary and that voice went right 21:23 through her. It was the same loving voice that had given her 21:27 hope as a seven-time offender, the same strong voice that had 21:32 cast out her demons. Mary looked up and exclaimed, Raboni, 21:39 teacher. She rushed to where Christ stood, threw herself down 21:43 at his feet. This was too wonderful to be true. She'd 21:46 watched at the crucifixion and yet there he stood healthy and 21:51 radiant. It was overwhelming. Yes, as overwhelming as Christ's 21:58 forgiveness. And there by that garden tomb clutching Jesus' 22:05 feet, Mary Magdalene was the woman who loved much. She was 22:09 was the woman saved from the demons, saved from humiliation, 22:14 saved from despair. She was saved from all of her problems. 22:20 She represents all those who fail terribly, all those who've 22:25 been terribly shamed. And above all, she was all she was the one 22:30 who was dignified by forgiveness She was the one whom forgiveness 22:35 had made heroic. Jesus gave her the most important of 22:39 commissions. It's found in John chapter 20 and verse 17: 22:55 And so Mary Magdalene became the first and foremost witness of 23:00 Christ's resurrection. She was the first to say, I have seen 23:04 him alive from the dead. Have you discovered the quality of 23:11 Christ's forgiveness? Have you grasped the worth of the one 23:14 who extends this grace? Have you experienced his unconditional 23:20 love. Your failures, your humiliations can become a tool 23:24 in God's hands. They can help you finally know the depths of 23:30 Christ's forgiveness. Why not ask for that forgiveness right 23:34 now as we pray? 23:36 Dear Father, we come to you with all our failures and our 23:41 problems. We lay them out before you right now. We lay all of 23:46 our guilt and all of our sins and all of our problems at your 23:51 feet. We want to do more than take forgiveness casually. We 23:55 want to do more than simply take it for granted. We need to be 23:59 overwhelmed by the depth of your forgiveness. We need to know 24:04 on a deeper level that we are forgiven much and so we want 24:08 to respond right now to your forgiveness. We thank you for it 24:12 in Jesus' name as we receive it Amen. 24:17 ♪ ♪ 24:28 I'm so thankful for the story of Mary Magdalene in the Bible. It 24:33 gives such hope to all of us. Hope that even in our worst 24:37 failures we can go to Christ to transform us, a Christ who 24:41 forgives, a Christ who takes failures and changes lives. 24:45 There's something wonderfully inspiring in the way Jesus 24:51 reached out to all kinds of people. He had such a skillful 24:54 way of dealing with problems. Such a caring way of getting to 24:58 the heart of the matter and sharing forgiveness. If you'd 25:02 like to experience forgiveness and hope in your life, if you'd 25:06 like to experience inner peace and true happiness, then I'd 25:10 like to recommend the gift we have for all our viewers today. 25:15 It's a booklet Forgiving the Unforgivable. This book is our 25:19 gift to you and is absolutely free. There are no costs or 25:23 obligations whatsoever. So make the most of this wonderful 25:27 opportunity today. Here's the information you need: Phone or 25:34 text us at 0436333555 or visit our website www.tij.tv to 25:45 request today's free offer and we'll send it to you totally 25:49 free of charge and with no obligation. So don't delay. Call 25:54 or text 0436333555 in Australia or 0204222042 in 26:06 New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv to request today's 26:14 offer. Write to us at: 26:35 Don't delay. Phone or text 0436333555 in Australia or 26:43 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv to 26:53 request today's free offer. 27:04 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Magdala and our 27:09 reflections on Mary Magdalene and the hope and forgiveness 27:12 Jesus can give us, then be sure to join us again next week when 27:17 we will share another of life's journeys together. Until then 27:22 remember the ultimate destination of life's journey. 27:25 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. And God will wipe away 27:29 every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death nor 27:33 sorrow nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former 27:36 things have passed away. 27:39 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-02-18