I have in previous posts expressed my opinion that Mary the Magdalene (the tower) is the Lord’s wife. There are evidences in scripture that support this idea. For example Christ was anointed before His crucifixion. In the account of Matthew it was in the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany. “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he sat in the house.” (Matt. 12:1 RE, Matt. 26:6-7 LE) In Matthew’s account there was no name mentioned other than it was “a woman” who anoints His head, and it took place in the house of Simon the leper. In the book of John it is written: “Then took 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 odor of the ointment.” (John 7:9 RE, John 12:3 LE). In this account Mary is mentioned but it is unclear which Mary it is but it takes place in the house of Martha and Mary and she anoints His feet.
It is always interesting to look at the different versions of events in the four gospels. We might ask: what is the significance of this event as it is described in all four gospels? To add some clarification we can look at the same event in the recently revealed “Testimony of St. John” which is found in the RE Teaching and Commandments.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus returned to Bethany where he had raised Lazarus from the dead. They made supper for him and Martha served. Lazarus was among those who sat at the table with him. Many came to be there to see the man who was raised from the dead and to hear Jesus who had raised him.
And among those who were present were his mother, and Mary, the Elect Lady who was companion with Jesus. She cut off the seven locks of his hair that had not been cut before because of the vow, which fell at her feet. This troubled his disciples who feared his strength would depart from him but said nothing because Jesus permitted it to be done. Jesus, seeing their concern, asked, Is not a lamb shorn before it is sacrificed? But they did not understand his meaning. And she took royal oil used to coronate a king, containing spikenard, frankincense and myrrh, and applied it to the head, arms and hands, legs and feet of Jesus. And the house was filled with the smell of the royal anointing oil. (Teaching and Commandments, Testimony of St. John 8:12-13)
Here we learn a little more about the situation, Mary, the Elect Lady, administers specific ordinances to symbolize and prepare the Lord for what was to happen within a few days. I point this out just to illustrate what I believe to be true, and you are welcome to disagree.
I would like to share another event and then get to my point. In John we read:
The first day of the week, Mary Magdalene comes early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and saw the stone taken away from the sepulcher and two angels sitting thereon. Then she runs and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and says unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying there, yet went he not in. Then comes Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and sees the linen clothes lying there, and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple who came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed — for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
But Mary stood outside at the sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher, and sees two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto her, Woman, why do you weep? She says unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus says unto her, Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek? She, supposing him to be the gardener, says unto him, Sir, if you have borne him from here, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. Jesus says unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and says unto him, Rabboni — which is to say, Master. Jesus says unto her, Hold me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. (John 11:1-2 RE, John 20:1-17 LE)
This morning at the end of our online scripture study, a video was shared plucked, I assume, from the LDS video library, and shown along with a beautiful song about our Savior. In the video it shows Mary in the garden when she is greeted by the risen Christ. As I watched that a more detailed version ran through my thoughts. Please, I am not saying I had a vision or any type of manifestation, what I am about to describe is just what came into my mind.
As John above describes it was early in the morning “when it was yet dark”. The two apostles had seen the sepulcher and departed; Mary was outside and has spoken with the angels. In her sorrow I doubt she recognized them as angels. As she turns away from the sepulcher she hears someone speak to her, not recognizing his voice until He speaks her name “Mary”. At that moment she looks up and sees her Lord and Master, her husband. I imagined her running to Him and jumping into His arms, weeping and kissing Him, as I think my wife would do. Nobody fully understood what He was teaching them about His resurrection including Mary until after the event. I also imagined them having a conversation still wrapped in each other’s arms that may have been something like; Mary: “your alive!”. Jesus: “Yes! We did it, we attained to the resurrection, we have done what the Father has asked us to do.” At this point Jesus gently puts His hands on her shoulders and moves her out of the embrace and says “Hold me not, I must now ascend to my Father. Thank You! I will see you soon.” As she steps back He ascends.
We are to become one, husbands and wives, community, Covenant Christians. Jesus has showed us how to do that.