Director Martin Scorcese’s 1988 movie “The Last Temptation of Christ” included a dream sequence in which Mary Magdalene married Jesus, the Son of God. This was after a guardian angel visited Jesus on the cross to tell Him that He wasn’t the Messiah, and God wanted Him to have a happy life. Evidently, according to the book’s author, happiness would include marrying Mary Magdalene and having intimate relations with her (which was also depicted in the film). As this story goes, this was actually “the last temptation” that the enemy tried to use against Jesus to make Him give in.
At the time it was such a controversial film among Christians of all denominations that it was soundly denounced as heresy and highly disrespectful to Jesus and His followers. The belief that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife is a notion that modern and ancient scholars have theorized about from the gnostic "Gospel of Mary" to Dan Brown’s book The DaVinci Code in which Brown writes that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had a daughter together. Is there even a shred of truth that this was possible, or is this just controversy for the sake of controversy (and book and movie sales)?
Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?
Mary Magdalene (so named because she was from the city of Magdala) is mentioned in all four gospels, making her a person that God wanted to highlight among all of the people who followed Jesus. Though Jesus had 12 men that He was directly discipling, there is also mention of a handful of women who helped with Jesus’ ministry. At times, readers may confuse Mary Magdalene with Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Joses, Mary of Bethany (the sister of Jesus’ friend Lazarus), or even with an unnamed woman who was caught in the act of adultery. There were many other women who followed Jesus in his teaching and travels. Yet Mary Magdalene is spoken of most after Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
The Gospel of John mentions Mary Magdalene the most, as her name appears five times in his writing. The only details about her life before Jesus are in Luke’s gospel, in which he says that she was one, “from whom seven demons had come out” (Luke 8:2). She was cured by Jesus, which led to her becoming a devoted follower.
Strictly reading from the gospels (she’s not mentioned in any other books in the Bible), this is all we know of her. We don’t know any more details about the “seven demons” or why they were tormenting her.
What Does the Bible Say about Mary Magdalene’s Relationship with Jesus?
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Mary Magdalene had a romantic relationship with Jesus. Of the 13 depictions of her in the gospels, only Luke says anything about her before the crucifixion. Therefore, she is written about 12 times at the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. In all of these cases, the focus was not on her but on Jesus; she was merely a faithful witness who ended up receiving special revelation from Jesus.
Here are a number of verses from the end of Jesus’ life that tell us of Mary Magdalene’s faith, love, and support of Jesus. She acted as one who had lost her foundation–her Messiah–and wanted to show the utmost respect to Him in His burial.
“Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons [Salome]” (Matthew 27:55-56).
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body” (Mark 16:1).
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons” (Mark 16:9).
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying?' 'They have taken my Lord away,' she said, 'and I don’t know where they have put him.' At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?' Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."' Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: 'I have seen the Lord!' And she told them that he had said these things to her” (John 20:11-18).
Mary Magdalene displayed a remarkable love for Jesus in her agony at the cross. She was not afraid of being recognized by Jewish or Roman leaders as one who had been a follower of Jesus (though perhaps they didn’t care what women thought). She was insistent on a proper burial, and again fearlessly went to the tomb where Roman guards should have been watching the tomb. Jesus gave her the greatest gift of all on Easter morning when He appeared to her in His resurrected body and told her to go tell the 12 disciples who were hiding in fear. She became an apostle to the apostles that morning, and many years later, we still celebrate His tender care for her.
Where Did the Idea of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ Wife Come From?
Even before The DaVinci Code and "The Last Temptation of Christ," there was speculation in the ancient church because of a papal theory. Unfortunately, in 591 A.D., Pope Gregory the Great preached a homily in which Mary Magdalene’s “seven demons” detail was mixed with the story of an unnamed adulteress who the people wanted to stone, and a woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair in an act of penitence.
According to a BBC History Magazine article entitled “Mary Magdalene: Why Do People Want to Believe She Was a Sinner and a Prostitute?”, “Pope Gregory’s mistake stuck. Nowhere in the Gospel are details given about the demons which Jesus supposedly casts out of Mary Magdalene. But, after Gregory’s homily and its attribution of adultery to Mary, her possession is usually associated not just with sin, but with sexual sin.”
This misinterpretation took root in tradition and storytelling, leading many over centuries to believe unfounded claims about Mary Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus.
The idea of Mary Magdalene being Jesus’ wife may also have come from the errant belief that Mary Magdalene wrote a gospel of her own. In the article “Should Christians Read the Gospel of Mary?” Vivian Bricker notes that this was a Gnostic gospel, meaning it was not included in the canon of Scripture. More than that, since this writing was found in 1896 in Egypt, people have been debating whether or not it was written by/about Mary Magdalene or another Mary.
One point stands out that may cause readers to believe that, indeed, Mary Magdalene is the gospel’s writer: “There are many heresies and false teachings contained within the Gospel of Mary, which simply are not true,” writes Bricker. “One of the main problems with the Gospel of Mary is a sentence claimed to have been spoken by the Apostle Peter [where]...he says, ‘Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of the women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember — which you know (but) we do not, nor have we heard them.’”
This, combined with Pope Gregory’s writings, could cause one to believe that, not only was she loved most, but she was Jesus’ spouse as well. But, as Bricker notes, Romans 2:11 contradicts this belief when it states that “God does not show favoritism. “The Gospel of Mary is advocating for major errors which drastically go against the teachings of the Bible,” Bricker continues. “The Lord loves all people equally. He doesn't love one person more than someone else.”
Does the Bible Support the Claim That Jesus Was Married?
Nowhere, either in Old Testament prophecy, or in New Testament narrative does the Bible even hint at the fact that Jesus wanted to be, could be, or was married. There is debate among biblical scholars, however, whether or not Jesus would have sinned if He had married. In her article "Did Jesus Have Children?" Candace Lucey writes, "The Bible and historical records provide no evidence that Jesus was married or had children. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus dedicated solely to His ministry, with no mention of a wife or children. In fact, Jesus emphasizes that His purpose was to fulfill God's mission, saying in John 6:38, 'For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.' His teachings frequently focused on spiritual family rather than biological lineage."
To the dedicated follower of Jesus who has a strong familiarity with Scripture, the question of Jesus being married is nonsensical. But for those who don’t know the Lord or who wonder if this is a detail that may have just been omitted, it is a somewhat logical question. God made humans to be in relationship with one another and gave the first humans to each other to “be fruitful and multiply.” There are marriages throughout the Bible, including King David’s who was considered “a man after God’s own heart” and from whose line Jesus would be born. But Jesus said He came to earth to do His Father’s will, which was to save humanity–a role that took all of His time, heart, soul, and attention.
Why Does This Question Matter for Christians Today?
Whenever there is a debate about Scripture, it’s important for Christians to know how to respond. Invariably, as in the case of The DaVinci Code and "The Last Temptation of Christ," you will find people who want to fit Jesus into a mold of their own choosing and make Him into something He is not.
Jesus prayed that His disciples would have the ability to “be in the world, but not of the world.” As followers of Jesus, we will always come up against the Devil's lies and those who don’t believe in Jesus, who aim to discredit what the Bible says and doesn’t say. We have to be girded with the truth of God’s word in order to address others and to know to the depth of our being that we can trust what God has said and done. If not, we may be tossed by the wind and the waves, especially when we come up against opposition. As the Apostle Paul said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). And we’ll be able to share that good news with others.
Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
