The other day, one of my sons asked, “Why did Mary Magdalene follow Jesus, but she wasn’t one of the disciples?” He was referring to the depiction of Jesus and the disciples in The Chosen, where Mary and other women are very much part of the traveling group that served with Jesus, but she was not one of the 12 disciples. I think the portrayal in The Chosen is reasonable, and so is the question.
I think the most likely answer has to do with ancient society and ministry effectiveness. Jesus had a hard mission for His disciples. They were the means by which the gospel message would spread across the globe after Christ’s ascension. Though the mission was difficult, Jesus wasn’t setting them up to fail; quite the opposite. He gave them everything they needed to succeed.
In ancient society women were not respected teachers. It was a thoroughly male-dominated society (even moreso than today). There were a few exceptions, where women rose to positions of power (think of Queen Esther or Cleopatra), but they were the exceptions that proved the rule. The respected rabbi and leaders of the various religious sects were all male. For a woman to attempt to become a spiritual teacher at that time would have been considered ridiculous. No one would have given a woman teacher the time of day.
Knowing this, for Jesus to have made Mary Magdalene one of the disciples would have been to set her up for failure. It also would have added problems for the entire group. Jesus was as sly as a fox when it came to knowing the culture in which they ministered. And we shouldn’t be quick to downplay the role Mary played, even if she wasn’t one of the 12. Often times, the supporting roles that we undervalue are absolutely critical. We know very little about Mary’s personal ministry following the ascension of Jesus, but it’s reasonable to assume she continued to play an important role assisting the disciples in any way she could.
