Was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, the same Mary as Mary Magdalene?
No indeed, my good friend, I believe these two women named Mary were quite different, the first being from a town called Magdala, near the Sea of Galilee, and the other Mary being from Bethany near Jerusalem. Now, Mary Magdalene was identified in Scripture as the one out of whom the Lord Jesus cast 7 demons (Mark 16:9); she also was identified as one who ministered to the Lord out of her substance (Luke 8:1-3). She appeared to have a special attachment of heart for the Lord as she was described as the first one to whom the Lord Jesus appeared after His resurrection from the dead (Mark 16:9; John 20:1-16). We also find her mentioned in Matthew 27:56 and John 19:25. Mary of Bethany, on the other hand, was the one who, along with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus, entertained the Lord Jesus in their home in Bethany, and the one who sat diligently at the feet of Jesus learning of Him, while Martha was occupied with much service (Luke 10:38-42). Mary of Bethany was also the one who anointed the Lord at Bethany as we read in John 12:1-3, “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” (Also read Matthew 26:6-7, and Mark 14:3.)
Now, there was yet another Mary, the mother of James and Joses who could have been the wife of Alpheus (see Matthew 27:56), who we read about along with Mary Magdalene at the cross in Mark 15:40-41, “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and ministered unto Him;) and many other women which came up with Him unto Jerusalem.” We also see at the cross Mary Magdalene, Mary the human mother of Jesus, and the wife of Cleophas in John 19:25, ”Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Summary: Well, as you see, there are several women named Mary in the New Testament, and it can be easy to get confused about who is who; but, the scriptures show that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany are two different people from different towns. The one thing that they truly do have in common is that they both loved and ministered to the Lord Jesus, and both believed that He is the Christ.
And, my dear friend, do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? I pray that you do; and just in case there is anyone reading this response who does not, please consider the words of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in John 20:30-31: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” (SF) (574.5)