Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-31

The followers of Christ must bear
His reproach; although He was the
purest Of men, He was numbered
with the transgressors, and villified
be1rond any man. So it has been
with the Magdalene. The term has
come into common usage as descrip-
tive of the woman of the street, who
has lost her virtue and sells her
body for lustful qualification. To
have taken this term from Mary
Magdalene and to imply that she
was ever such a woman is to vii
lily the character of a pure woman
against whom there is nothing to
be found in the Bible that would
even lend the slightest color to such
a charge.
In the. closing verses Of the sew
enth chapter of Luke there is a story
of such woman who came into
S.mon's house when Jesus was dln-
ing there and anointed Him with
ointment, washing His feet with her
tears and wiping them with the hair
of her head, in token of her great
love for Him springing out of graft
tude for what He could do for her.
In the opening verses of the eighth
chapter, there begins another sec
ton. of Luke's story describing the
beginning of a new missionary tour
through Galilee, and incidentally he
tells that Jesus was accompanied
on this tour by the twelve disciples
and also by some women who had
been healed by Him of devils and in
firmties, and who now went along
and supplied His physical needs
from their own property. In this
list he mentions Mary of Magdala,
out of whom seven devils had been
cast, and Joanna the wife of Chusa,
Herod's steward, and Susanna, spe-
officially by nameN To identify
Joanna or Susanna with the woman
who was a sinner (of Luke y would
be just as reasonable as to identify
her with Mary Magdalene.
There is one other reason. how
ever. why Mary Magdalene was so
Identified: and that is because Mary,
the sister of Martha and Lazarus,
anointed Jesus with ointment at
dinner party given in His honor.
The most superficial study of the
Bible. however. ought to make it
clear that the differences in these two
incidents were far more than the
resemblances. Three only will be
noted: In Luke the dinner is at
the home of Simon, a Pharisee of
Capernaum; in John u it is in the
home of Mary and Martha and Lag
arus at Bethany. In the former it
is in the second year of His min
istry; in the latter it is six days be-
fore the Crucifixion. In the former
the woman who was a sinner hears
that He is at dinner at Simon's
house and finds her way in, standing
behind Him weeping, washing His
feet with her tears and wiping them
with her hair, and then amounting
them with ointment; and finally is
given salvation by Jesus because
OF her faith. In the latter, it is in
their home. Mary knows already
about it, comes in and anoints His
feet with the ointment and then
wiped them with her hair. There is
no thought of her salvation-that
had already been accomplished be-
fore Lazarus died and was resus-
citated.
Besides this there is no reason on
earth for identifying Mary of Beth
any with Mary of Magdala. No,
Mary Magdalene was not a woman
Of the street; and let us protest
against the association of her name
with THOSE pitiful women, somebody's
daughter, somebody's sister, who
have first been deceived by some
scoundrel and who continue to be
dragged through the mire by equally
scoundrels of men who would dis.
own their own sisters or daughters
~ Of
conduct.
Then and Now
How different Mary Atagdalene
was before she knew Jesus and aft
erward. We see her only after the
devil had been cast out. Let GUS get
q mental picture of her when she
was full of devils. Devil possession
was not a disordered mind, nor some
nervous disease like epilepsy. Matt.
4:25 makes that plain. Devil pos
session was a distinct condidtion in
which the one possessed acted in
way not natural, but because con-
trolled by another personality. 1t
manifested itself in various ways
sometimes the person possessed re-
fused to speak, sometimes they
would fall into a frenzy and throw
themselves on the ground; some
times they would withdraw from
the haunts of men and live alone;
sometimes they would do unclean
things: sometimes they would show
unusual strength; sometimes they
would secry and cut themselves;
sometimes they would pretend to
foretell the future.
Demons, according to the Scrip
ture teachings, are spirits who crave
for embodiment, they belong to the
kingdom of Satan. and are extreme
Iy numerous. They obey Satan's
orders implicitly. They knew Jesus
as the Son of. God. and knew Paul
and knew what their end would be.
They take possession of men who
yield to them
Demon-infIuence is different from
demon possession. The fqTmer mani
tests itself in a tendency to depart
from the faith and TO give heed 10
the teachings Of the devil. Read
I Tim. Alb. Men today are in dan
ger of yielding TO demon influence,
and if they continue TO yield, to be.
come demon-possessed
The writer a few years ago had
the privilege of reviewing the manu-
script off a book on the subject
which has recently been issued
from the press by Rev. Hugh w.
White, Southern Presbyterian
missionary, in China. Mr.. White
records cases in his experience in
China today that are exactly the
counterpart of those dealt with by
Christ in the days of His flesh
The outsta nding feature of these
cases is the effect of the name of
Jesus on them, the mere mention of
it causing those possessed to throw
themselves in a violent convulsion
oftentimes. And all of those who
have been cured have been cured
by prayer in that all-powcrful
name. DR.. White suggests that
demon possession may he soon
found in America if we continue to
dabble in Spiritism and other doc
trines of devils.
Now Mary Of Magdala was de-