He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils.
Mark 16:9
"Mary of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil.
She was possessed by
not one devil only, but seven.
These dreadful inmates caused much pain
and pollution to the poor frame in which they had found a lodging.
Hers
was a hopeless, horrible case. She could not help herself.
But Jesus passed that way.... He uttered the word of
power, and Mary
of Magdala became a trophy of the healing power of
Jesus.
All the seven demons left her, left her never to return, forcibly
ejected by the Lord of all.
Straightway she became a constant follower of Jesus, catching His every word.
When Jesus was lifted up in crucifixion, Mary remained the sharer of His
shame: we find her first beholding from afar, and then drawing near to
the foot of the cross.
She was the faithful and watchful believer, last at the sepulchre where
Jesus slept, first at the grave whence He arose.
Her holy fidelity made
her a favored beholder of her beloved Rabboni, who deigned to call her
by her name, and to make her His messenger of good news to the trembling
disciples and Peter."
Charles Spurgeon
