Four Women Named Mary

The most common female name in the New Testament is Mary, and it can be difficult to keep the various women of that name straight.  The first Mary is of course the mother of Jesus, she who was commended by the angel, “Thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28).  She showed her incredible faith then at the time of Jesus, but she also played an important role in His ministry.  Mary was there with Him at the wedding of Cana and showed her trust in His power (John 2:2-5), she was mentioned visiting Him while He was teaching (Mark 3:31), and she was there at the cross when He was crucified (John 19:25-26).  Her continued faithfulness is attested to by the fact that she was even mentioned with the apostles after the resurrection (Acts 1:14).

               Mary the sister of Martha also played an important role in the New Testament.  She showed her devotion to the Lord as she “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word” when He was in their house, having “chosen that good part” (Luke 10:39, 42).  When her brother Lazarus was sick she and Martha sent for the Savior, and she expressed her faith in the Savior’s healing power when He came: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:32).  Her gratitude was shown for Him soon thereafter when she anointed Him: “Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment” (John 12:3).  When some criticized this action He defended her as having done this good deed in preparation for His burial.  This was done at the house of “Simon the leper” in Bethany and the Savior commended her saying, “She hath wrought a good work upon me” (Matt. 26:6, 10).  This event, though, was different than that which Luke recorded earlier in the Savior’s ministry when in Galilee “a woman in the city, which was a sinner” likewise brought ointment and washed His feet (Luke 7:37).  Jesus’s prophecy about Mary after she anointed him attest to her great faithfulness, “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:13).

               Mary Magdalene was another faithful woman who loved the Savior.  Luke recorded that she was with Jesus as He was preaching throughout Galilee, “Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils” (Luke 8:1-2).  She must have been with Him at important parts of His ministry, but the only other accounts we have are at the time of His death and resurrection.  She was present at the crucifixion (Matt. 27:56).  She went to the sepulchre after His body was laid to rest (Matt. 27:61), and she went back on the morning after the Sabbath (Matt. 28:1).  And it was to her that the risen Lord first appeared, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).  That Jesus would choose to appear to her first—even before the apostles—is evidence of her faithfulness of love of the Lord. 

               There is at least one other woman named Mary of significance mentioned in the New Testament.  With Mary Magdalene at the crucifixion was “Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome” (Mark 15:40).  This Mary mother of James was mentioned by Matthew and Mark at the cross, while John mentioned “Mary the wife of Cleophas” at the cross (all three mentioned this second Mary with Mary Magdalene), suggesting that Mary the mother of James likely was the same as Mary the wife of Cleophas.  Matthew also mentioned “the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre” with Mary Magdalene, likely another reference to this same Mary (Matt. 27:61).  This “Mary the mother of James, and Salome” also came with Mary Magdalene to anoint Jesus at the tomb where they found two angels there and the stone rolled away, and “they, entering into the sepulchre, saw the place where they laid Jesus.” So even though it was to Mary Magdalene that Jesus first appeared, this Mary the mother of James was also one of the first witnesses of the resurrection, seeing the empty tomb and hearing the angel declare, “Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; he is risen; he is not here” (JST Mark 16:3-6).  All four of these women named Mary were examples of faithfulness to the Lord and powerful witnesses of His life, death, and resurrection.