Was Martha’s sister Mary a prostitute?
Was Martha’s sister Mary a prostitute? What about Mary Magdalene? Was Martha’s sister Mary the same person as Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons were cast?
I hear these questions surprisingly often. Here’s why.
Stained glass of Martha and Mary in St. Nicholas Church, Orebro, Sweden. Public domain photo by David Castor.
The gospels have an account of Mary of Bethany—the sister of Martha and Lazarus—anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair, and an account of a sinful woman doing the same. Many people wonder if both accounts are of the same event.
Additionally, popular culture often identifies the sinful woman as Mary Magdalene and depicts her as a prostitute. For example, medieval paintings, the musical Jesus Christ: Superstar, and Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ all show Mary Magdalene as a prostitute.
Thus it’s no wonder people ask if Mary of Bethany was a demon-possessed prostitute.
But was she?
The short answer: Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were different women and neither Mary was a prostitute. Let’s break this into separate issues.
Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were different women
The New Testament differentiates between about eight women named Mary by noting to whom they’re related or from where they come. The siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived in Bethany, a village in Judea. “Magdalene” means “of Magdala,” so Mary Magdalene came from the town of Magdala in Galilee.
- Mary of Bethany: This Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha took care of guests. She watched Jesus raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. She anointed Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume. (See Luke 10:38-42; John 11; and John 12:1-7 for passages about this Mary.)
- Mary Magdalene: Jesus cast seven demons from her. She traveled with Jesus and the disciples, taking care of their needs. Mary Magdalene was at the cross and was the first to see the resurrected Jesus. (Passages about Mary Magdalene include Luke 8:2; Mark 15:40; and John 20:11-18.)
Mary of Bethany and Luke’s sinful woman were different women
The gospels recount similar events in which a woman wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair at the house of someone named Simon. John’s account speaks of Mary of Bethany and Luke talks of an unnamed sinful woman. This is why people sometimes think Mary of Bethany is the sinful woman. But Luke’s account differs significantly from the others and must be a separate event:
Mary of Bethany |
Unnamed “woman of the city who was a sinner” |
| wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair | wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair |
| after anointing his feet and head with expensive nard | after anointing his feet with her tears and an unnamed ointment |
| at the house of Simon the leper | at the house of Simon the Pharisee |
| in Bethany in Judea | in Galilee |
| offending Judas Iscariot because of wastefulness | offending Simon the Pharisee who wouldn’t let a sinful woman touch him |
| at the end of Jesus’ ministry | at the start of Jesus’ ministry |
| in preparation for his burial | as an illustration of Jesus’ ability to forgive sins |
| Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8 | Luke 7:36-50 |
Additionally, Simon the leper and Simon the Pharisee cannot be the same person because a leper could not be a Pharisee.[ref]Darrell L. Bock, Luke Volume 1: 1:1-9:50, BEC (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 690.[/ref] While it might seem odd that both foot perfumings happened in the house of someone named Simon, that name was extremely popular in Jesus’ day: The New Testament lists about nine men named Simon, including two of Jesus’ disciples and one of his brothers.
The Bible calls neither Mary a prostitute
No Scripture portrays Mary of Bethany as a prostitute. It’s only when people confuse her with Luke’s sinful woman that this becomes a question.
Luke’s account does not name the forgiven sinful woman’s sin, but the possibilities include prostitution, adultery, debt, and being married to someone with a dishonorable occupation (such as tax collecting).[ref]Bock, 695.[/ref]
It’s popular to identify this unnamed woman as Mary Magdalene and to see her as a prostitute. But the Bible nowhere links Mary Magdalene to her. In fact, there is no Scripture anywhere suggesting Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.
What drove calling Mary a prostitute?
How did the idea become so prevalent? One reason, according to AmericanCatholic.org, is this: “Pope Gregory, who became pope in 590 A.D., clinched Mary’s mistaken reputation as sinner when he delivered a powerful homily in which he combined Luke’s anonymous sinful woman (Lk 7:36-50) with Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene.” Vatican II corrected this notion and confirmed Mary Magdalene was neither the forgiven sinner of Luke 7 nor Mary of Bethany.[ref]Carol Ann Morrow, “St. Mary Magdalene: Redeeming Her Gospel Reputation,” The Catholic Update, AmericanCatholic.org, May 2006,http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0506.asp [accessed 2/15/2014].[/ref]
Bottom line: neither Mary a prostitute
So there we have it: The Bible depicts neither Mary as a prostitute, but all three women as forgiven of their sins and followers of Jesus the Christ.
🙏 Thank for the exellent explanation of the characters of Mary ‘s ,its really helpful to me.
You’re welcome!
Dear Jean, I wondered about your comment that a leper couldn’t be a Pharisee but they weren’t exempt from leprosy just because they were a Pharisee. Is it possible that a Pharisee could contract leprosy. No-one would go to the house of a leper – is it possible that Jesus healed the leper who had been a Pharisee. This would be the way a Pharisee would know and welcome Jesus. Perhaps he had been healed from leprosy by Jesus.
The Pharisees were an exclusive group and wouldn’t have permitted a Pharisee who contracted leprosy to remain a Pharisee. New Testament scholar Darrel L. Bock points out that no Pharisee would have dined at Simon the Leper’s house. Additionally, “Simon is one of the most common names of this period (nine NT figures and twenty-nine in Josephus).” While there are similarities between anointing accounts, there are many significant differences, making it clear they are different accounts.
Thank you for “clearing up” the confusion.
Excellent! Thank you for clearing this up.
You’re welcome!
Thank you, this is helpful.
Oh wow! What an amazing explanation! Extremely helpful. We’re using this as a group discussion in a bible reading plan bible study. Thank you thank you!
Glad to hear it, Jason. May the Lord bless your Bible discussion group abundantly.
Hello, does this mean then, that the gospels are contradicting each other?
No, not at all.
Thank you sister. Beautifully explained. Encourage more such articles come from your end. Love from India!
Thank you!
I agree Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are separate women. But two books speak of Jesus casting out seven devils out of Mary Magdalene so she was a sinner but not sure if she was a prostitute. She was definitely not poor because she and other women provided for Jesus’ ministry from their own sustenance
You explained very clearly! Thank you!
This is an excellent explanation and changes the way I have thought and think of Mary Magdalene. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Thanks for this vivid clarification
This is an excellent explanation, my understanding is better now
Grace be up on you, it helped me a
lot 🙏
Glad to hear that. Thanks.
I’m a former student of Prof. Clay Jones. Thank you for clearing this up for me.
Did Mary of Bethany go to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body? I ask because John 12:7 Jesus states “…It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.” (NIV) or is “day of burial” refer to the time she anointed Jesus’ feet?
Hi, George. That’s a great question. The Marys at the tomb are Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger. If Mary of Bethany had gone, the Gospel writers would probably have mentioned her since she was well known.
I always understood John 12:7 to mean some of the scent lingered on Jesus’s clothes and body (the anointing was likely Tuesday and the burial Friday). But it turns out, that’s not what the Greek scholars think. They say it’s unclear whether “keep” refers to the act or the nard or both. According to D.A. Carson, John 12:7 can be translated in various ways. 1) “Leave her alone, in order that she keep it [keep the rest of the nard] for the day of by burial.” But verses 3 and 5 suggest she poured all of it out. 2) “Leave her alone. [She has done this] in order to keep it for the day of my burial.” In this sense, Mary had kept the nard for such an occasion, and Jesus sees it as preparation for burial. 3) “Leave her alone. Let her keep it for the day of my burial,” meaning “keep in mind” the act. 4) “Leave her alone. Let her keep [the credit of having poured out this perfume] for the day of my burial.” Carson prefers #2 and says Jesus sees it as prefiguring the anointing that Joseph and Nicodemus performed. Blessings.
Thanks for this carefully given evidence on these two Mary’s
Even this Easter Sunday I presented Mary Magdalene as the Prostitute/Sinner Woman in my Sermon… But I’m truly thankful for your rich exposition… It has helped my understanding. God bless you!
Bless you, Rev’d. Your humility is humbling. As another who frequently teaches others in Truth, I am aware of the burden of being correct in my teaching of the Word. I realize that, in my humanity, I will at times be mistaken. I aspire to be as receptive to correction as you. Only then can I serve with a clean heart.
Isn’t that the joy of these kind of forums, that it really is OK to have our minds changed? The most important thing is that we have a humble and teachable spirit. God bless you brother!
God bless you abundantly for breaking down this issue of the “Mary’s”. What an awesome explanation !
Thank you for your clarification of the women named Mary. It also helps to confirm that May Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her might have had them from childhood through no fault of her own. Jesus once asked a woman how long a child had been afflicted by an unclean spirit and the woman replied since childhood before Jesus cast out the spirit. Mark 9:17-29. Thus demonic possession does not always come about through sin. We know that it can come about through trauma which can provide an entrance for a demonic spirit.
Hi Mark 9:17-29 talks about a father and his son.
Awesome explanation Jean. It is nice to find a sister that understands that nowhere in the Bible does it say any of the Mary’s were prostitutes. Just because it says they were woman of sin, people automaticly assume it means she was a prostitutes as if it is the only sin. We were all women of sin before we came to Jesus for cleansing. Doesn’t mean we were prostitutes. And just because these women has her own money, does not mean they were of harlotry. Mary Magdalene has always been portrayed by the Roman Catholic church as being a prostitute, so everytime a Movie is made Mary is portray as one. People that don’t read the bible have had this speculation seared into their minds as fact. So sad. Great blogging. Awesome subject. People need to hear the truth.
Thank you Jean. I really appreciate the concise info for this Mary. The stories often confuse me, kinda leading me not able to use these truth to apply in life.
We have a group of passionate friends who are very into the crowdfunding series ‘Chosen’. The first episode depicts Mary Magdalene as prostitute heavily. Although I do accept that Angel is somewhat entertaining production, but in this case according to the truth who Mary Magdalene is (not a prostitute) it changes my whole ‘attitude’ toward this bible series cos I am serious about my Lord and His life.
You’re welcome, Kitty.
Am still confused about
Who the prostitute was among the three figures,
Unnamed
M.magdalane
M. Of Bethany
The Bible labels none of them a prostitute. People often assume the unnamed sinful woman was a prostitute, but her “sin” could be prostitution, adultery, indebtedness, or even being married to a tax collector.
Hello Jean! Great blogging! I would like to know if you have any article on a one-year (preferably weekly) reading plan for the chronological events of the Bible?
Thanks, Janice. I have two suggestions. First, in the Free Resources > Subscriber Specials library, I offer a downloadable study called “The Story: Personal Journal and Discussion Guide.” It’s a companion to Zondervan’s “The Story,” which is sections of the Bible printed chronologically with segues between them. My guide provides timelines, more historical detail, and personal applications. It goes through the Bible’s story line in (I think) 32 weeks. Second, reading through a chronological Bible is an easy option. If you want to go through it in a year, divide the page count by 52 and you’ve got your weekly goal.
John 11:1-2?
Lazurus sister is the the one who wiped Jesus feet?
She was one of the two mentioned as doing so: “So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:2–3, ESV)
According to John 11 & 12 it seems The resurrection of Lazarus happened before the dinner of chapter 12; then if the anointing of Jesus’ feet happened at that dinner how can the writer mention the action before it happened?
John is identifying which Mary he’s writing about, not trying to insert something in chronological order.
Thankyou so much you make it very clear , may God bless you abundantly . Shalom
Thank you for this clarification. Very apt. God bless you.
A very powerful rebuttal and a clear, concise explanation of the TWO Mary’s. Thank you. ☺
Then why is John 12:2 says
“It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.”?
In John 11:2, John is simply telling his readers which Mary he’s talking about (he mentions quite a few in his Gospel). Apparently her fame over this was widespread. Notice in 11:1, John writes that she’s Martha’s sister. He describes the anointing in 12:2-8.