Mary Magdalene in The Chosen, Scripture, & Tradition

Kevin Keating
Aug 11
7 min read

From the beginning, Mary Magdalene has been one of the most compelling and interesting characters in The Chosen. That's why one of my very first blog posts on The Chosen analyzed its portrayal of Mary in light of her future role in Scripture and her portrayal in past Bible films. Over the past few weeks, I've been sharing a wide range of my favorite insights into Mary through my YouTube Shorts. But because I know that many readers of my blog aren't big fans of short-form video content, I've stitched those shorts into a compilation video focused on Mary Magdalene in The Chosen - and I thought I'd also share the content of those videos below in blog form as well.

Mary Magdalene (played by Liz Tabish) in The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper — Mary Magdalene (played by Liz Tabish) in *The Chosen* Season 5: Last Supper

Mary Magdalene in The Chosen Season 1

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? The Bible, Tradition, & The Chosen

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? The Chosen nods at that possibility by placing her in the Red Quarter of Capernaum and suggesting that she slept with men outside of marriage and frequented dens of ill repute. And The Chosen didn't invent the idea - Mary has been portrayed as a prostitute in dozens of Bible films and other adaptations - but the strange thing is that the Bible itself never associates Mary with prostitution or sexual immorality. The idea actually comes from Medieval interpreters like Pope Gregory, who identified Mary with the sinful woman that wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair - a story that happens in Luke 7 immediately before Mary is introduced in Luke 8. But the story itself never actually identifies Mary with the sinful woman. The only reason this idea is so common is because of how most Bible films are drawing on and responding to one another

Was Mary Magdalene possessed by the evil spirit, Lilith?

In Luke 8 we’re told that Jesus cast seven spirits out of Mary Magdalene. We aren’t told what those spirits were called, but in The Chosen, they’re associated with the name Lilith. The word "lilith" only appears once in the Bible in Isaiah 34:14. In most Bible translations, it is rendered as something like "night bird" but some scholars think it refers to a Mesopotamian demoness. In post-biblical Jewish legends, the name Lilith was assigned either to an evil wife Adam had before Eve or to a demonic succubus. At the start of Season 1 of The Chosen, Mary has been possessed by Lilith for years. Nicodemus, a teacher of the Pharisees, tries and fails to cast the spirit out of her. At the end of her rope, Mary almost dies by suicide but is ultimately saved by Jesus who calls her by her real name, Mary.

Why does The Chosen introduce us to Jesus through Mary? (Part 1: Resurrection)

Did you notice how Mary Magdalene’s first encounter with Jesus in Season 1 of The Chosen echoes her first encounter with Jesus after his resurrection? In John 20 we’re told that after Jesus rises from the dead, Mary finds his tomb empty. After reporting the news to Peter and the apostles, Mary goes outside the tomb and weeps - and that's where Jesus finds Mary and approaches from behind her back. When Mary notices him, however, She mistakes Jesus for a gardener. It's not until he says her name that she recognizes Jesus and tries to embrace him. Episode 1 of The Chosen follows this same pattern - Jesus finds Mary weeping, approaches from behind, she mistakes him, this time for a bar patron, but he eventually says her name and she realizes who he is and embraces him, setting the show into motion in the same way it will conclude.

Why does The Chosen introduce us to Jesus through Mary? (Part 2: Symbolism)

Do you know why The Chosen first introduces us to Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene? Before I pointed out how it connects to her role as the first witness to his resurrection. But there's another reason. The Old Testament prophets frequently portray Israel as a young woman who has lost her way and is getting abused by her lovers and other men, which represent the surrounding nations and their demonic gods. Mary’s story is almost an allegorical embodiment of the story of Israel. Whether you think she's engaged in prostitution at some point or is just an alcoholic gambler, she's clearly lost herself and along the way she's suffered horrific abuse at the hands of a Roman soldier and a demonic spirit - just as the Jews in Jesus’ day were being abused by Rome and evil spirits. But just as God promised to show up and redeem Israel from oppression, Jesus shows up and redeems Mary, quoting a prophecy about God's redemption of Israel.

Mary Magdalene in The Chosen Season 4

Why does The Chosen portray Mary Magdalene as a mountain hermit?

Do you know why The Chosen Season 4 flashes forward to an elderly Mary Magdalene living on her own in a mountain cave? This scene isn't just a flight of fancy on the part of the creators of the show - it's based on an ancient tradition that Mary Magdalene traveled as a missionary to southern France, or Gaul as it was known at the time, and lived as a hermit in a mountain near the modern town of Saint Maximin. The legend is tied to an ancient relic, a skull believed to be the skull of Mary. This legend gained some credibility in the seventies when the skull was carbon dated to the 1st century and determined to belong to a Mediterranean. That being said, there's no record of this legend about Mary until several hundred years after her death, so historically speaking we should probably take it with a grain of salt.

The Origins of Mary Magdalene's Poem/Prayer in The Chosen Season 4

Episode 7 of The Chosen Season 4 begins with a flash forward that takes us farther into the future than anything we've seen so far. If I had to guess, I'd place the scene in the early 60s AD since it sounds like Paul is still alive although that would be a very early date to place the completion of the Gospel of Matthew. We learn that Mary Magdalene has been writing a poem reflecting on her past experiences. At the end of the episode we finally hear the poem - a meditation on darkness, the resurrection of Lazarus, and Jesus' death. This poem appears to be invented by The Chosen. It's definitely not the pseudopigraphal Gospel of Mary Magdalene which was written centuries later. However the poem does have the ring of scripture because it quotes Psalm 139 the darkness is not dark to you and obviously Isaiah 53.

Mary Magdalene in The Chosen Season 5

Why are John and Mary Magdalene the only disciples who get Jesus in The Chosen Season 5?

Do you know why The Chosen Season 5 establishes John and Mary Magdalene as the only disciples who understand what’s about to happen to Jesus? On more than one he Gospel of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, John’s way of referring to himself, seems to perceive and understand what Jesus is doing better than the other disciples. For example after Jesus is raised, John is the first disciple to reach the tomb and unlike Peter we’re told that after he sees the linen lying in Jesus’ tomb, he believes. Mary on the other hand is the first disciple to meet Jesus after his resurrection, a hint that she seems to have an intimate understanding of him.

What Mary Magdalene teaches Shmuel about redemption in The Chosen Season 5

The exchange between Mary Magdalene and Shmuel in The Chosen Season 5 is a beautiful illustration of one of the most important - and most under-appreciated - concepts in the Bible: redemption. When the Bible says Jesus redeemed someone, most people think it’s exactly the same thing as saying Jesus saved someone. But redemption is about more than saving someone from a bad situation. It’s about to taking someone out of the possession of one master and claiming them as your own possession. Jesus didn’t just set Mary free from the evil spirits that possessed her – he claimed her as his own – an act that radically redefined her identity, so much so that she went from going by Lilith to going by her birth name, Mary.

Why does Mary Magdalene get so emotional in The Chosen Season 5?

Do you know Mary Magdalene gets so emotional in Episode 6 of The Chosen Season 5? On her way back from seeing Nicodemus, Mary sees a Roman centurion who reminds her of the soldier who raped sometime back before the beginning of the show. For a moment, Mary is triggered by the trauma, just like she was in Season 2 when she backslid into drinking. But this time Mary is able to deal with her trauma, by recalling the words of Isaiah 9 and how when she was dwelling in darkness, she saw a great light, Jesus, the light of the world. It’s a really beautiful moment but it’s easy to miss.

How The Chosen Season 5 Highlights Mary Magdalene's Greatest Strength

In The Chosen, Mary Magdalene has one key habit that allows her to hold tight to Jesus, even when she's struggling with trauma, and we see it again here in Season 5. Out of all of the disciples, Mary seems to be the one most dedicated to memorizing and meditating on Scripture. In Season 1, we see her first establish this habit as a child memorizing Isaiah 43, "Fear not I have redeemed you," and it plays a big part in her struggle with Lilith. In Season 2, she memorizes part of Psalm 139, and it plays a part in her restoration to Jesus. And now in Season 5 she clings onto Isaiah 9 when the memory of her past trauma resurfaces yet again.

More Resources on Mary Magdalene in Scripture & The Chosen

Engaging The Chosen at a Scholary Level

Ever wanted to know what serious biblical scholars, theologians, and other academics thought of The Chosen? Watching The Chosen is a collection of essays in which scholars from a broad range of fields engage with and analyze various aspects of the Chosen, including its portrayal of Jesus and its biblical interpretation. It's a great resources for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into the show.

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