Jesus Heals Mary Magdalene

Objective
Students will be able to recognize the love of Christ and the transformative power of His love in the life of Mary Magdalene. Then, they will make a connection to their own lives and the impact of the transforming love of Christ in them.

Warm Up
Caterpillar To Butterfly – Have each student think of one way they have transformed or grown throughout the past year – it can be large or small.

Then, go around the group (if you have a large group, you can break into smaller groups for the sharing) and have them share their “caterpillar” (before) and their “butterfly” (their transformation).

After having everyone share, invite students to reflect on the following:
How did love (God’s love, the love of family members, or friends) play a role in their transformation?

Feel free to spend as much time as you need to digging deeper with the students.

Transition
In The Chosen, there are a series of encounters that the various characters have with Christ.

You can think about these stories which you have read in the Scriptures with the different Apostles and other men and women Christ meets in His ministry. In these moments, we witness the authentic love and compassion of Christ for each person. We also see a transformation in the one who encounters Christ. Today, we are going to take a look at one of those personal encounters with the love of Christ and the transformation that takes place with Mary Magdalene.

The Clip
Play “Jesus Heals Mary Magdalene” from Season 1, Episode 1 of The Chosen.

Discuss:

• What do you notice about Mary Magdalene’s mood and disposition in the beginning of the clip?
• What do you notice about how Mary Magdalene first reacts to Jesus?
• What do you notice about how Jesus speaks to her?
• What happens after Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene?
• What is Mary Magdalene’s disposition towards Jesus after the encounter?

Transition

In this encounter, Jesus didn’t speak a random message or miscellaneous thoughts that were on His mind. Christ gazed upon Mary Magdalene and approached her personally, knowing her. He approached her with love and spoke truth to her.

Mary Magdalene at first was annoyed by the encounter but recognized that there was something happening within her. And, by the end of this exchange with Christ, Mary was transformed and in awe of what she experienced. We are left wondering what happened next.

• In what ways do we encounter Christ in our own lives?
• In what ways might we find ourselves stuck in patterns or habits that aren’t giving us life?
• How might we be opening ourselves to the love around us that invites growth and transformation?
• How can we surrender ourselves to this transforming love of Christ?

Bible Study
Give students 5 minutes on each passage to answer the questions, then come back together as a large group to discuss their answers:

Read Luke 8:1-15

• What does it say Jesus is setting out to do in the beginning of this passage? Who is with Him?
• What does it say that Mary Magdalene was cured of?
• What does Jesus say is the meaning of the Parable of the Sower?
• What does the message of this parable mean for our own lives?

Read Isaiah 43:1

• What could be the significance of Jesus quoting Isaiah in his encounter with Mary Magdalene?
• What does Jesus quoting Isaiah tell us about Who He is?
• What could it have felt like for Mary Magdalene to be told by Jesus, “I have called you by name, you are mine”?
• Do we recognize that we, too, have been called by name and belong to Christ?

Wrap Up
We are never too far away from the transforming love of Christ. There is nothing in our lives that we could have done or have experienced that would remove Christ. He is always there, beside us, waiting to engage with us and share His love with us. It’s us who may feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or distraught and not worthy of Him. Even at our lowest moments, Christ is there, beside us, loving us, and waiting for us to respond to His invitation.

Remind students:

• You are never too lost to encounter the living Christ.
• The word of God has the power to transform our lives.
• We are called by name to bring the word of God to life and engage in authentic relationships with Christ and with one another.