Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-31
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Aug. 5-Mary Magdalene
ABY DR. MARION McH HULL

and her to His marvelously tender
heart.
And when she found that she was
free, that she was not now obliged
to do the things she had not wanted
to do but had done against her will
because impelled by the devils that
possessed her-when she found that
the chains Had been broken, her
heart found no limit to her graft
tude. Free, at liberty. no longer in
bondage. and made free by the word
of the Christ,
Free Indeed
Free, indeed, at liberty to do as
she chose. And what better could
she choose than to be in constant
fellowship with the One who had
liberated her. Therefore when He set
out on a new journey through Cali
lee, she was one of those who. went
along with Him, and ministered to
Him of her property.
That she was with Him as often
as she could be goes without say
ing But our next glimpse of her
is at the foot of the cross. She is
one of the group of women who have
dared to face that danger, another
one of whom was Mary the mother
of Jesus. But she fingers. He has
given up the ghost. The centurion
in charge of the curcifiXion had been
overcome with fear and said, Truly
this was the Son of God" The group
of women who had been ministering
to Him had followed Him from Cali
lee, and were loath to leave the
place. Joseph of Arimathea had
gone to PLATE to beg the body of
Jesus and had come back, and taken
it down from the cross. had wrap
ped it IN a clean linen cloth and laid
it in MS own new tomb. and rolled
a great stone before the door, and
departed-but after he had gone,
and everyone else who had been His
friend, Mary Magadelene and the
other Mary was it Mary of Beth
any0 were still there, sitting over
against the sepulchre. All, it must
have taken the darkness of the night
to drive them away from the place
that held the dearest thing in all the
world to them, the body of the Man
who had been their friend
Very early in the morning artel
the ocDDdlI, iIIc IL was yet udEh,
a company of women came bringing
spices to complete the embalming of
the body of their friend, for the hur-
ried burial had not given them time
to finish it the day before the Sab
bath. All four evangelists name
Mary Magdalene first in theis group.
Last>at the tomb on the day of His
Mary Magdalene first in this group
burial first at the tomb on the day OF
His resurrection from the terrible
bondage to the devil,
Before they reached the tomb they
had seen that the stone was rolled
away. Mary Magdalene runs back
to tell Peter and John, the other two
go on and see the angels; they go back
to tell the other women who are be-
hind. In the meantime Peter and
John reach the tomb and leave as
Mary Magdalene comes up, and
stands there weeping.
She is conscious of some one be
hind her, and turns to see a man
whom she supposes to be the gar,
dener-no one else would likely be
there at sunrise. ooh, sir, tell me
where you have laid Him and [ will
go and bear Him away" All. the
profligacy Of love! She couldn't even
have lifted that body. but she would
have spent every ounce of strength
she had in attempting it. Love never
sees any difficulties; they may be
mountain high, but they seem as
level as plain to love-
Just then the Man spoke to her
by name: Mary" She could not
mistake that tone; no ,other could
speak that way but Jesus. She REQ
ognlzed Him at once, and turning to
face Him fully now, she cried, "Rab-
boni."
She was about to clutch. His feet
until He commanded her, ''Touch ME
not, for / am not yet assembled to
my Father; but go to my brethren
and say unto them, l am ascending
unto my Father and your Father,
and to my God and your God"
When the other women met Him
a little lateg, He allowed them v.
cling to His feet Matt. 2S:9y, so he
must have assembled in the interval
and have entered into the Holy OR
Holes bearing the blood of atone
ment for the people.
Mary Magdalene was honored by
being the first gospel messenger. She
was the first witness of the resurrec.
ton. Let us give new meaning to
the term Magdalene, and let it rep
resent those who have been set fres
by Christ from the power of the
devil, whose gratitude prompts them
TO minister generously and continu-
ously Of their substance to the cause
of Christ, who face any danger to
serve Him if possible, who never
leave Him and who obey Him i'm.
plicitly by bearing willing and glao
witness to their living Lord This
was Mary of Magdalene, who first
YIELDED herself to the subtle sugges.
tons of the devil until he complete
ly possessed her, and then yielded
herself so thoroughly to God that
He possesses her still.
Who possesses you?