Was Mary Magdalene the sister of Lazarus?
Mary the Magdalene was the sister of Lazarus and Martha, as well as the unnamed repentant sinner, in the house of Simon the Pharisee. I'll explain why below.
I. An unnamed repentant woman, a well-known sinner, in the house of Simon the Pharisee in Galilee
"
A woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining
in the Pharisee’s house,
brought an alabaster jar of ointment. Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to
wet his feet with her tears, and she
wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and
anointed them with the ointment." (
Lk. 7:36-50)
II. Lazarus's and Martha's sister, Mary, or Mary of Bethany, in Simon the Leper's house in Bethany
"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. (
Jn. 11:1-2)
"Now when Jesus was
in Bethany,
in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. "Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world,
what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.” (
Matt. 26:6-13)
"While he was
at Bethany,
in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table,
a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head. "Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world,
that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her.” (
Mk. 14:3-9)
"Then six days before the Passover,
Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Therefore
Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and
anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment." (
Jn. 12:1-8)
Bearing in mind all of the scriptural verses above, it's reasonable to deduce that Lazarus and Martha's sister, Mary, or Mary of Bethany, and the unnamed repentant woman, a well-known sinner, in the house of Simon the Pharisee, were the same person.
Second, let's go over what we know of Mary the Magdalene from Scripture:
Recap:
In Simon the Pharisee's house, a repentant woman, a well-known sinner, came to Jesus having brought with her an alabaster jar filled with ointment, already feeling repentant for her many sins, and weeping she accused herself, humiliating herself in a humble public confession represented by her tears. Using her hair, she wiped the tears, as well as the ointment, onto Jesus's feet, thus consecrating herself as a disciple of His. In return, Jesus said to her that she was forgiven and saved, because she loved much. (
Lk. 7:36-50)
In Simon the Leper's house, Mary of Bethany displayed the same personal gesture as the woman in Simon the Pharisee's house, though it was not humiliated so much, and it was more confidential in its reverent adoration. She came to Jesus having brought with her an alabaster jar filled with ointment, which she had kept for him, and poured the ointment onto His head and feet, without shedding any tears. She felt that Jesus was about to die, and she wanted to anticipate the burial anointing for His body. (
Matt. 26:6-13,
Mk. 14:3-9,
Jn. 12:1-8)
So, yes, at Simon the Leper's house, the personal gesture was not humiliated so much as it was in Simon the Pharisee's house, and it was more confidential in its reverent adoration, and both took place in different locations, but still the same personal gesture in each instance, and it's not unheard of for a person to repeat a personal gesture for different reasons or with a different feeling behind it. There are personal gestures which are repeated and are peculiar to a person, like the person’s style. They are unmistakable gestures.
Final word to those who currently
mistakenly believe that Mary of Magdala and Mary of Bethany were
not the same person. Bearing in mind what you just read, remember that
seven demons were cast out from the former (
Lk. 8:1-2), indicating that she would've been a well-known and great sinner as well. Do you consider it impossible that these women were the same person? Do you consider it impossible, if these Marys were the same person, that she was a well-known prostitute, and thus the disgrace of her family, which is why she lived apart from them for a time in Magdala? Do you consider it impossible, if these Marys were the same person, that Mary's conversion was a process, rather than an event? Do you consider it impossible, if these Marys were the same person, that the gesture made in Simon the Pharisee's house marked the dawn of her redemption? Do you consider it impossible that one of the most beautiful conquests of God was Mary the Magdalene, a great sinner, a great convert, and a great disciple?
Additionally, Maria Valtorta, another true spokesperson of God, received and described visions of scenes from Jesus's life on earth. And, according to her account, she confirms that Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany, and the unnamed repentant woman, were the same person. The parents of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were Theophilus—a Syrian, who was the governor of Antioch, a faithful servant of Caesar—and Eucheria. Mary was a well-known prostitute, even among the Romans in Israel, and thus the disgrace of her family. By extension, her family was affected. They couldn't go among people without having to put up with their mockery, including from the Pharisees and scribes, and Martha never married, because no one married the sister of a prostitute. Mary's conversion was a process, rather than an event. She, once a great sinner, became a great convert and disciple. I highly recommend reading
The Story of Mary Magdalene (extracts from
The Gospel as Revealed to Me, or
The Poem of the Man-God), as well as
A Summa and Encyclopedia to Maria Valtorta's Extraordinary Work, especially the chapters on the proofs in support of her writings having a supernatural origin.