The Red Easter Egg…
April 1, 2010 by KristinRedRose
Few people know it, but Mary Magdalene is a Christian saint by the Catholic church. Of course the most well-known thing she did according to the canon Bible, was being a woman that Jesus cast out seven demons, that turned her into a devoted and beloved disciple and later a forgotten apostle. (Of course for many centuries, she was painted a scarlet woman and prostitute that Jesus saved by turning her from her sins, this was NOT true)! She was also most famously, the first person who found Jesus’ empty tomb, greeted by the angel that announced that Jesus had risen and most importantly, she was the first to see the “resurrected Christ.” She was scoffed at by the male apostles when she returned and happily announced that she had seen Jesus alive and well, as they couldn’t understand why Jesus would appear to Mary and not them if he were truly alive. But all this aside, there is a even less known story that Mary Magdalene was part of and this was a great example of how Mary was as much a teacher of Jesus’ message as the other apostles. It also gives a background for why Christians are inclined to dye eggs at Easter.
Here is the story:
Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman, called a disciple of Christ, and was the first person to whom Christ appeared the morning after his resurrection. She worked to spread the gospel after his ascension to Heaven, and through her influence, obtained an invitation to the dinner table of Tiberius Caesar in Rome. Illustrating to Caesar that Christ had risen from the dead, she picked up an egg from the table. The egg had long been a symbol for rebirth. Caesar laughed at her claiming that a person rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand changing color. Before he finished speaking, the egg turned a bright red. Source: http://protestantism.suite101.com/article.cfm/mary-magdalene-and-the-easter-egg
This ritual is more widely practiced by the Orthodox church than the rest of the world, but it wouldn’t hurt to make it part of your Easter ritual as a great way of mixing the pagan egg dyeing with a Christian root! So when you are dyeing Easter eggs this weekend, dye a couple red, paint some crosses on them and give them to others as a sign of Christ’s resurrection. “Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.” Happy Easter!
Blessed be in Christ!
Very good. Have you read the Gospel of Mary Magdalene? It is very good and parallels the other gospels. For years it was hidden. I am glad I have a copy in my possession. It is good to see a miracle done by a woman apostle also. Women were some how put on the back burner by the church or subjugated by men, when Christ had them as equals. Thank you for sharing.
I have never heard the story of the red egg before–thank you so much for sharing!
There are many who believe that Mary of Magdalene was NOT a “lady of the night” but that this was a myth purported by males to reduce her (and women in general) for church politics.
And of course, we all know that there are also many who believe that she was married to Jesus. Maybe this is why He first appeared to her before all the others?
She was truly the First Evangelist, proclaiming the Good News that Christ has Risen!
Blessed Easter & Resurrection Day to all 🙂 Melody
Melody,
Have you ever read the writings of Margaret Starbird? She’s done extensive research into Mary Magdalene, including writing some interesting books about her. She was one of the first that stumbled upon the idea of Jesus and Mary Magdalene being married. She has her own website, Google her sometime, it’s quite interesting reading!
Happy Easter to you too!
Blessed be in Christ!