In this episode, you’ll meet my dear friend Katie, hear some of her story, and listen in on our conversation about women’s stories in the Bible, complex characters, and the realities of living with complicated faith. You’ll also hear the inspiration behind the Jesus Speaks to Women Series and some things I’ve learned through writing the Bible studies.

Hope you enjoy!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

*These Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning I get a small percentage of any purchases from the links.

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In today’s Friday Chat, I give an update on the plan for the podcast, and then I talk about why I loved the BBC’s new series, The Other Bennet Sister (currently on Amazon), based on the novel by Janice Hadlow. I’m a long-time Pride and Prejudice fan, and I loved this new spin-off of the original Jane Austen story. I talk about the complexity of the characters, Mary’s growth, defining beauty, and some characters that were downright unlikable.

Note: I kept saying “novels” in the podcast, but there is only one Pride and Prejudice novel.

Happy weekend everyone!

Image Source: the BBC

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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How do we know what Scripture means? In today’s episode, I share Professor of Old Testament John Walton’s five principles for faithful reading. These are the principles that I try to work under when I write Bible studies.

I reference the following:*

Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation by John H. Walton

The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart

Principles for Faithful Bible Interpretation

Here are the five principles for faithful interpretation from Old Testament scholar, John Walton (from his book, Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation).

1. “The author’s message carries the authority of Scripture, and of God.”

2. “The author’s message is couched in his language and culture.” As authors were inspired by God, they wrote within specific genres of the time (law, narrative, prophecy, wisdom literature, poetry) that don’t always correspond to our modern-day genres. They also chose specific words that don’t always map easily onto another language.

3. “Our accountability in interpretation is to track with the author in the text that he produced.” The text can’t mean what the author could never have intended!

4. “Our interpretation should be supported with evidence that can identify the author’s literary intentions.” This includes “linguistic, literary, cultural, historical, and theological” examination.

5. “Our task is to find our place in God’s story, which he has communicated so that we can know him and be in relationship with him, thereby becoming whole-hearted participants in his plans and purposes as he has revealed them in Scripture.” We get to know God by knowing his stories, just as we do with each other!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

*These Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning I get a small percentage of any purchases from the links.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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In place of a Friday newsletter, I’m sharing this “Friday Chat” podcast. I have dealt with anxiety since I was in college, and over the years, I’ve developed strategies for coping. On today’s podcast, I’m sharing some of those strategies along with Scriptures I have found encouraging. You can download a printable version of what I share below:

Categoriesfordealingwithanxiety Marydeandraws

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I’d love to hear what you think and your own strategies for dealing with anxiety!

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In this very first episode of the podcast, I share about this new podcast, how I got here, and what I’m excited to share with you!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Hello there and happy Friday!

I’ve recorded today’s newsletter as a podcast (audio at the top of the page)! Here’s what I’m talking about on today’s episode:

The podcast is not going to be pretend anymore! Here is an updated version of the branding that I’ve been working on this week:

THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Joan Taylor’s Boy Jesus: Growing up Judean in Turbulent Times (2025) and how I relied on it for my latest Luke study on Boy Jesus in the Temple for setting the context of the story. It has me thinking about the limits of political power.

• Adam Grant’s essay, “Silence is Not Violence,” and the idea that it’s not practical or healthy to think that we need to say something or take a position on every issue all of the time.

• The Art and Theology article, “Joy, Faith, and Strength in the Mixed-Media Art of Missionary Mary Proctor” by Victoria Emily Jones. Proctor currently has a two-year show at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Here is a quote from the article:

  Proctor acknowledges that some may look at her art and see only messy pictures or rubbish. But paraphrasing the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 1:26–31), she says God uses foolish things—like scrap wood or twisted wire decorated with cheap paint and baubles—to confound the wise.

• Russell Moore answers the question, “How should Christians read the media?”

  This was such a great mini-lecture on media literacy. He talks about the difference between bias and propaganda, and how reputable news sources have accountability structures. I found it very helpful!

Lastly, I ponder some inspiring comebacks in local and national sports this week.

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Introduction to this Luke Series

I am writing a series of Bible study guides through the book of Luke. Each study highlights a piece of art and comes with a printable study guide and coloring page (for paid subscribers).

Previous studies:
Advent Study 1: Luke 1:1-4, An Introduction to Luke
Advent Study 2: Luke 1:5-25, John the Baptist is Coming
Advent Study 3: Luke 1:26-38, Jesus is Coming
Advent Study 4: Luke 1:39-45, 56, Mary, Elizabeth, and the Community of Women
Advent Study 5: Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s Song
Advent Study 6: Luke 1:57-66 | The Birth of John
Advent Study 7: Luke 1:67-80 | Zechariah’s Song
Advent Study 8: Luke 2:1-20 | The Birth of Jesus
Advent Study 9: Luke 2:21-40 | Jesus Presented in the Temple
Study 11: Reintroducing Luke

Scroll to the end of this post to download a printable version of this study with a coloring page available for download for paid subscribers.

The Scripture: Luke 2:41-52

Read the passage through 1-2 times, noting anything that catches your interest or that you haven’t noticed before. Does anything speak to you? What questions do you have?

Introduction

In stories of famous historical figures around the time of Jesus, it was common to include childhood stories that foreshadowed the unique powers or abilities of the future king or philosopher (Taylor). Would Luke do the same with his careful account of Jesus’ life? What would a childhood story about Jesus tell us about who he would become?

Up until this point in Luke’s Gospel, we’ve heard about Jesus from angels, from the songs of Zechariah and Mary, and in the prophetic words of Elizabeth, Anna, and Simeon. We know that something monumental is happening, but we haven’t yet heard from Jesus himself–until now.

The Setting

Jesus is growing up in a faithful and devout Jewish family, and has come to Jerusalem with his mother and father to celebrate the Jewish Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in what would be March or April for us (Bock). At the end of the week’s celebrations, Mary and Joseph become separated from 12-year-old Jesus, but don’t discover that he’s missing from their large caravan until they are a whole day into the 80 mile (and probably three day) trip from Jerusalem to Nazareth (Bock). Given their own brush with violence when Jesus was just a baby (Matthew 2:16-18) and the volatile political situation of the day, this must have been a terrifying situation for his parents.

Luke tells us that the young Jesus had taken the opportunity while in Jerusalem to be in the holiest of all places and learn from the best teachers of the Torah. It was the custom of the religious teachers to have an open forum for questions and answers as they sat among students in the temple (Bock). Apparently, it wasn’t too unusual for them to host the young boy and make sure he was fed and had a place to sleep in the temple (Morris and Taylor).

What might they have talked about and discussed over the few days he was with them in the temple? Part of their discussion would likely be about the reason he was there–the Passover. God had delivered his people from nearly 400 years of enslavement to Pharaoh in Egypt through miraculous signs of his power and authority, performed by his servant, Moses. The last plague to fall was death, but God provided a way of salvation through the sacrifice an innocent lamb, whose blood was spread over the doorway of a home, causing the angel of death to pass over (Exodus 12).

Any discussion of the Passover and the Exodus would likely have led to talk of their longing for a new Exodus, a rescue from evil authorities, Roman rule and oppression, and maybe even a modern Moses. Herod the Great’s rule, under which Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1), had been marked by “terror, torture, and murder” and had been disastrous for the Jews (Taylor). About ten years earlier, Herod had finally died and named his son (one of the few he hadn’t murdered), Archelaus, as his successor in 4BCE when Jesus was about two years old (noted in Matthew 2:19-20).

The Jews breathed a sigh of relief with the death of Herod, but peace was not to be had. The same year Herod died, protestors soon gathered in the temple during Passover. Archelaus responded by sending 1000 Roman troops to monitor the situation from the Roman fortress, Antonia, that overlooked the temple courts. When that didn’t calm the protests, he sent the entire army, and 3000 people were said to have been killed. Seven weeks later, during Pentecost, Jewish freedom fighters attacked Roman troops and then retreated into the temple. In retaliation, the Romans set the temple on fire, killing many inside (Taylor). Later, when Judean fighters succeeded in occupying Jerusalem, the Roman general Varus arrived with his troops and gained control of the city. In retaliation against the men who were unwilling to bow to Rome, Varus had 2000 Judean men crucified. Herod’s sons Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip returned to their rule as tetrarchs over Palestine with Roman support and backing (Taylor).

So much hope for revolution, and yet so much blood and suffering, had been mixed in the temple, where Jews hoped that God would once again take their side and defend their cause (Wright),

We don’t know what Jesus asked or what was discussed that day, but I wonder if Jesus pondered with them the ways that God had delivered his people in the first Exodus. Deliverance had come through powerful acts of God, not violent revolution. God had sent a man to be his messenger and mouthpiece, not to lead an army. It had been God himself who had fought for his people, and in the end, it had been through sacrifice that they had been delivered from death (Wright).

The story pictured

William Holman Hunt’s painting The Finding of the Savior in the Temple brings this scene to life with incredible detail, symbolism, and foreshadowing.

Hunt had traveled to the Middle East to research the people, structures, and objects he painted. Jesus is to the right of the painting, embraced by his relieved parents. On the doorway above the circular design behind the family are inscribed the words of the prophet Malachi in Latin: “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (from Malachi 3:1-3). A single stalk of wheat has fallen to the ground next to Mary’s feet, a reminder of Jesus’ words in John 12:24.

A distraught man sits in rough clothing with a crutch lying across his lap sitting just outside the lavishly furnished room, his hand open and begging. He goes unnoticed by those inside who enjoy their wine, music, fine clothes, and jewelry.

To the right of Jesus, we see that the temple is still under construction. The workers are preparing to lift and fit into place a large cornerstore, but they are inspecting it and look doubtful, a reference to a frequent image of Jesus in Scripture (see Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6).

Lining the left side of the painting are the teachers, each having their own reaction to Jesus. The oldest man is blind and clutches a large scroll. Another looks at Jesus intently and has a smaller scroll. One man holds a phylactery while another has one strapped to his forehead (Deuteronomy 6:8). One man appears to be poking his finger with a needle, possibly a reference to Jesus’ teaching about the difficulty a rich man has in entering the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25).

In the background, we can see a shepherd selling lambs out of a small stall while another carries a lamb on his shoulders, reminding us of the Passover lamb’s sacrifice. A woman cradles a small child, reminding us of Mary’s dedication of Jesus at the temple and identifying Jesus with the lambs to be sacrificed (credit to this article by Amy Giuliano for help with this analysis).

While Luke’s account doesn’t seem to imply any tension between Jesus and the teachers, Hunt’s painting looks ahead to the tension that will grow and lead to violence when Jesus enters into his ministry as a man many years later. Will any of these men be alive when Jesus arrives again at the temple to preach and declare God’s kingdom? Will they follow him like Nicodemus and Joseph or Arimathea or will they reject him like the cornerstone in the courtyard?

What Mary and Joseph didn’t understand

Luke tells us that everyone listening to Jesus in the temple was “amazed at his understanding and his answers” (2:47). When Mary and Joseph finally find Jesus, they question why he has stayed behind and caused them such anxiety. Jesus responds to his mother by saying literally, “Didn’t you know I had to be in the . . . of my Father.” How to fill in the ellipses left here in the Greek is debated, but most scholars believe it means that Jesus needs to be here in his Father’s house and reveals his special intimacy with God (Bock).

It’s clear that the fullness of Jesus’ identity is still a mystery to his parents, and not something they understand all at once (Bock). We’ll see over and over in Luke how people vary in their understanding of Jesus’ identity. Some will misunderstand him and call him possessed. Some, like Martha, will have clear-eyed insight and understanding (John 11:27). Some will have moments of profound doubt like John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-15). Others, like Peter (Matthew 16:13-20), will have flashes of insight, but don’t fully understand his identity until after the resurrection.

Luke doesn’t seem to condemn Jesus’ parents for not understanding his words. I imagine it was reassuring for Luke’s readers that even the people who knew Jesus most intimately–his parents–didn’t fully understand who he was.

Luke tells us that Mary observes and “treasures all these things in her heart” (2:51). Mary provides the model for all who try to follow Jesus (Bock). Even when we don’t completely understand him, we can learn his stories, examine the evidence, contemplate these in our hearts, and be patient as he reveals himself to us.

A new Exodus

Luke closes the nativity and origin stories of Jesus with this scene in the temple. The next time we see Jesus in the temple during Passover will be the week of his crucifixion (Luke 22:1). I don’t think it’s by accident that Luke has framed his account around Passover.

Like Moses, Jesus was saved from death at a violent ruler’s hands as a young child. Both men came out of humble circumstances to deliver their people. Moses delivered his people with only the use of a shepherd’s staff and through a demonstration of the power of God. Jesus, too, would not follow the pattern of violent revolutionaries, but of the humble shepherd Moses.

But instead of being God’s servant as Moses had been, Jesus related to God uniquely as a Son. The author of Hebrews makes this comparison in Hebrews 3:2-6. And unlike the deliverance of Moses, which was incomplete and needed repetition even in Jesus’ day, the deliverance of Jesus would be of a different character.

A new and better Exodus was coming.

Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions are valued and welcomed in the process of writing these studies. I consider you part of my writing team, and I appreciate you joining me. If you have time and would like to, let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at mary@marydeandraws.com.

All writing and images copyright Marydean Draws 2026

Sources:

Bock, Darrell L., Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Luke (1994).

Morris, Leon. Luke, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (1988).

Taylor, Joan, Boy Jesus: Growing up Judean in Turbulent Times (2025).

Wright, N.T., Luke for Everyone (2004).

Wright, N.T., Simply Jesus (2011).

“Finding of the Savior in the Temple” at Magnificat Online.

“Finding of the Savior” at The Main Story Gallery

To download the study guide with the full study text, discussion questions, and a coloring page, please become a paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

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Hello there and happy Friday!

I’ve recorded today’s newsletter as a podcast (audio at the top of the page)! Here’s what I’m talking about on today’s episode:

• My strange week of back pain, colonoscopy prep, and the end of the school year.

• Thoughts on spiritual disciplines, de-yo-yo-ing an up and down relationship with God driven by false guilt. How can we reshape how we think about these things and disciple others into them?

• Recommending Marissa Franks Burt’s writing about “Christian scrupolosity” and her research for a new book called Spiritual Treadmills: How Christian Excellence Became a Heavy Yoke (forthcoming fall 2027 from IVP).

  Storybound Faith

  Heavy Yokes of Christian Excellence

  Every Friday in April and May, I’m sharing past posts I’ve written about scrupulosity and spiritual drivenness. If this topic resonates with you, I hope you’ll consider filling out my survey—I’d love to hear about your experience! In the meantime, here is an article about Christian excellence and biblical womanhood…

  Read more

  a month ago · 44 likes · 7 comments · Marissa Franks Burt
  Storybound Faith

  The Stranglehold of Christian Scrupulosity

  More than a decade ago, I weaned my 3rd child in 4 years and soon after experienced debilitating panic, ruminating thoughts, and an entrapping agoraphobia. My world closed in as I read my Bible for hours each morning, memorized chapters of Scripture, systematized my domestic duties according to spiritual ideals, and prayed…

  Read more

  2 years ago · 198 likes · 69 comments · Marissa Franks Burt

• A podcast update. I think I am settled on the title, “The Pictured Word” podcast, but I’d love to hear you suggestions on the title and the artwork. I’ll give you some options below to vote on!

Leave a comment with your favorite image and any suggestions!

• Defining Christian nationalism (see post below):

Holy Post Media

The REAL Problem with Christian Nationalism

Christian Nationalism has been in the news a lot lately, but what exactly is it, what's the real problem it poses, and what does pudding have to do with it…

Listen now

3 years ago · Holy Post Media

• A reminder of the new prints in the shop and more on the song, Lift Every Voice and Sing. See this post for more:

Shop the new print collection

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2026.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Hello there and happy Friday!

I’ve just listed my newest collection of prints in the shop! I realized after I painted them that they are out just in time for America’s 250th birthday. You can see all the new things HERE.

The collection includes the following:

• Two versions of America the Beautiful. I have always preferred this patriotic song to the Star-Spangled Banner, and I loved Sharon McMahon’s chapter on the author, Katherine Lee Bates, in her book The Small and the Mighty. One print features well-known landmarks, wildlife and flowers, and the other features “amber waves of grain,” “purple mountains,” and red poppies.

• Lift Every Voice and Sing (also known as the “Negro National Anthem”) written by the Johnson brothers. This is such a beautiful song and an important piece of our shared history. You can read more about it in this previous post!

• Be Thou My Vision in peach and pink peonies

• Come Thou Fount in neutral green/white camellia flowers

• Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee in an abstract stained glass design, something different than my normal florals!

• O Love That Will Not Let Me Go (an older painting in 5x7” only)

• The Nature Lover’s Color Wheel featuring a bunch of my teeny tiny watercolor paintings. I had a blast painting this one.

• Watercolor Mixing Chart Print (with hearts). This one is just fun and pairs well with the color wheel print.

Shop the new print collection

In other news, I reintroduced my study through the book of Luke this week with a coloring page of basic information about Luke. I love how it turned out and am excited for what’s ahead!

Happy weekend everyone! What’s your favorite of the new prints??

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Introduction to this Luke Series

I am writing a series of Bible study guides through the book of Luke. Each study highlights a piece of art and comes with a printable study guide and coloring page (for paid subscribers).

Previous studies:
Advent Study 1: Luke 1:1-4, An Introduction to Luke
Advent Study 2: Luke 1:5-25, John the Baptist is Coming
Advent Study 3: Luke 1:26-38, Jesus is Coming
Advent Study 4: Luke 1:39-45, 56, Mary, Elizabeth, and the Community of Women
Advent Study 5: Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s Song
Advent Study 6: Luke 1:57-66 | The Birth of John
Advent Study 7: Luke 1:67-80 | Zechariah’s Song
Advent Study 8: Luke 2:1-20 | The Birth of Jesus
Advent Study 9: Luke 2:21-40 | Jesus Presented in the Temple

Scroll to the end of this post to download a printable version of this study with a coloring page available for download for paid subscribers.

The Scripture: Luke 1:1-3, Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 23-24

Read the passage through 1-2 times, noting anything that catches your interest or that you haven’t noticed before. Does anything speak to you? What questions do you have?

We are jumping back into our study of the Gospel of Luke, so I wanted to do a brief review of Luke and his gospel. It’s always helpful to reorient ourselves to what Luke was trying to create for his readers. You can read my previous introduction HERE.

Based on that previous study, I’ve put together a coloring page of some of the facts we know about Luke and his book.

In many of the illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament, you’ll find portraits of the Gospel authors. This image of Saint Luke writing was created by an unknown Byzantine (modern Turkey/Eastern Roman Empire) Bible illuminator from the early 13th century. You can find images of the whole manuscript HERE.

I think it’s helpful to remember that the Gospel writers were real people, with real experiences, families, cultures, and reasons for writing. Understanding this doesn’t take away from the reality that God inspired their writing. In fact, it reminds us that God, through the Holy Spirit, does amazing things through humans just like us!

Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions are valued and welcomed in the process of writing these studies. I consider you part of my writing team, and I appreciate you joining me. If you have time and would like to, let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at mary@marydeandraws.com.

All writing and images copyright Marydean Draws 2026

Sources:

Bird, Michael F., A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts (2023).
Achtemeier, Paul J, Joel B. Green, and Marianna Thompson, Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology (2001).

To download the study guide with the full study text, discussion questions, and a coloring page, please become a paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Read more

Hello there and happy Friday!

Here’s what I’m talking about on my pretend podcast this week (audio above):

1. Wrapping up the Jesus Speaks to Women Bible study series with a look back that includes a chart and a coloring page with all the women we have studied. What I learned about the tradition of Christian art. What I’m learning teaching through it with a group.

   

   

2. I’ve been playing around with this “pretend podcast” for a week, and I think I’m going to launch a real one! Below is the idea where it stands now. This would be the same content I’ve been sharing here on Substack, but in podcast form! Your feedback would be helpful. The image is from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting of The Creation of Adam, which I’ve switched to make the shadow of the hands and the words match.

1. Art I made this week, and trying to snap a new profile picture:

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Introduction to the Jesus Speaks to Women Series

The Gospel writer John records these words of Jesus to the religious people who opposed him: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). The Scriptures are meant to introduce us to a person—Jesus. And our friendship with that person is meant to change everything. My goal with this studies is to help you see and hear the real Jesus more clearly by meditating on the words he spoke specifically to women. Do you know there are more than 20 accounts in the Gospels of Jesus’ words to women? Would you step into these stories with me and imagine how they experienced Jesus? Will you listen to what Jesus might have to say to you too? Thanks for joining me here!

Previous Chapters:
Chapter 1: Mary at the Temple
Chapter 2: Mary at the Wedding
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 1
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 2
Chapter 4: The Woman Caught
Chapter 5: The Widow
Chapter 6: The Sinful Woman Anoints
Chapter 7: The Family of Jesus
Chapter 8: The Bleeding Woman and Jairus’ Daughter
Chapter 9: The Canaanite Woman
Chapter 10: Mary and Martha at Home
Chapter 11: The Bent Woman
Chapter 12: Mary and Martha Mourning
Chapter 13: Mary Anoints
Chapter 14: The Daughters of Jerusalem
Chapter 15: Mary the Mother at the Cross
Chapter 16: Mary Magdalene, Part 1
Chapter 16: Mary Magdalene, Part 2
Chapter 17: Two on the Road

Scroll to the end of this post to download a printable version of this study with a coloring page (for paid subscribers).

The Poem

Find me in my Father’s house
Son returns

My time has not yet come
Wine overflows

If you knew God’s gift, you’d ask for
Living water

Neither do I condemn you
Leave a life of sin

Don’t cry
Risen son

Your sins are forgiven
Go in peace

Blessed are those who hear and obey
Welcome to the family

Be comforted
Your faith has made you whole

Don’t fear, only believe
Little girl rises

Great is your faith
Daughter healed

You are anxious and troubled by many things
Choose the good

You are freed from your infirmity
Woman straightens

Whoever believes in me will never die
Brother rises

Leave her alone
Jesus anointed

Weep for yourselves
Jesus crucified

Here is your son
The Son dies

Why are you weeping?
Jesus risen!

How slow you are to believe
Jesus revealed

Meditations on the Scripture

Looking Back

I wrote these studies for “the wounded, weary, and wondering” because that’s how I found myself when I started this project. I really didn’t know where it would take me or what I would learn. I never doubted that Jesus cared for women, but I had never looked closely at the stories of women in the Gospels. This study was inspired by a pastor who told women to “go home.” What if he was right? Would I be disappointed in Jesus?

As you can see in the poem above, which contains a short stanza for each of the stories in this study, the story of Jesus from birth to death to resurrection is interwoven with the stories, the testimonies, and the ministry of women. There is no way to be faithful to the Gospels and remove women’s influence from them. I think any discussion about a woman’s place in the Kingdom of God and the church today has to be rooted in these stories.

I included a chart in the printable version of the study to help you process what you learned from each study.

I hope that you’ve come away from these studies with a clearer picture of the real Jesus, that you’ve seen “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Through this study, I am less “wounded, weary, and wondering” today and more “healed, rested, and curious.” I hope you are too.

Questions for Personal or Group Reflections:

1. How has studying these stories affected your view of women in the Bible?

2. What women did you most identify with and why?

3. What do you think these women’s stories have to teach us about a woman’s place in God’s kingdom?

4. What have you learned about the Christian art tradition, and what place do you think it has in Bible study?

5. Some Christian artists place Jesus in their own historical context. Others study Jesus’ original historical context and try to represent it in their art. What do you think about the value of each approach?

Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions are valued and welcomed in the process of writing these studies. I consider you part of my writing team, and I appreciate you joining me. If you have time and would like to, let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at mary@marydeandraws.com.

All writing and images copyright Marydean Draws 2026.

To download the study guide below with the full study text, discussion questions, and a coloring page, please become a paid subscriber!

*If you’re unsure how to become a paid subscriber, you can read detailed instructions HERE or simply go to my Substack page and click on the box that says, “upgrade to paid.” The paid subscriber tier is $5/month of $50/year.

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Hello there and happy Friday!

Here’s what I’m talking about on my pretend podcast this week:

1. Reflecting on writing The Jesus Speaks to Women series, especially learning about female Bible scholars.

2. The last Jesus Speaks to Women study on Mary and Clopas on the road to Emmaus, and thinking about the Old Testament’s influence in the Gospel of Luke.

3. My ideas for what’s next after I wrap up this study.

4. Starting The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. My initial thoughts after one week of writing daily journal pages. I’m sharing a printable I made of the creative affirmations from the book here:

   

   

   Juliacameronartistsway Creativeaffirmations

   1.22MB ∙ PDF file

   Download

   Download

5. Art I created this week:

6. A reminder that I have six new stickers in the shop:

I’ll leave you with this picture of me writing this newsletter and my cat Oreo being needy and thinking about nipping at my fingers:

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Introduction to the Jesus Speaks to Women Series

The Gospel writer John records these words of Jesus to the religious people who opposed him: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). The Scriptures are meant to introduce us to a person—Jesus. And our friendship with that person is meant to change everything. My goal with this studies is to help you see and hear the real Jesus more clearly by meditating on the words he spoke specifically to women. Do you know there are more than 20 accounts in the Gospels of Jesus’ words to women? Would you step into these stories with me and imagine how they experienced Jesus? Will you listen to what Jesus might have to say to you too? Thanks for joining me here!

Previous Chapters:
Chapter 1: Mary at the Temple
Chapter 2: Mary at the Wedding
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 1
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 2
Chapter 4: The Woman Caught
Chapter 5: The Widow
Chapter 6: The Sinful Woman Anoints
Chapter 7: The Family of Jesus
Chapter 8: The Bleeding Woman and Jairus’ Daughter
Chapter 9: The Canaanite Woman
Chapter 10: Mary and Martha at Home
Chapter 11: The Bent Woman
Chapter 12: Mary and Martha Mourning
Chapter 13: Mary Anoints
Chapter 14: The Daughters of Jerusalem
Chapter 15: Mary the Mother at the Cross
Chapter 16: Mary Magdalene, Part 1
Chapter 16: Mary Magdalene, Part 2

Scroll to the end of this post to download a printable version of this study with a coloring page (for paid subscribers).

The Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Read the passage through 1-2 times, noting anything that catches your interest or that you haven’t noticed before. Does anything speak to you? What questions do you have?

The Poem

time seems scrambled
since we witnessed
his surrender to

the leering leviathon
that had its way
and swallowed the sun

the nails, the spear
the mess of blood and tears
appear when I close my eyes

my ears ring
with the ripping of garments and flesh
cruel laughter and rattling breaths

even as we turn toward home
we trip and stumble over
our betrayed hopes

Didn’t he say?
Didn’t he do?
Didn’t we understand?

our meager words can’t mend
what’s torn in two
top to bottom

now to a stranger
we find ourselves
pouring out lament

We had hoped

we plod forward into
his determined steps
as he untangles history

Didn’t he say?
Didn’t you read?
Don’t you understand?

his words ignite
a familiar hope
a crack of light

then through breaking bread
and nail-scarred hands
our eyes can see that

his death was not a
breaking down
but a breaking open

it could swallow
but not devour
the son

that earth’s shaking
was the buried seed
erupting into life

from Moses to Messiah
upending, unending
promises

and he is the tree
where we make our home
and eat anew

an Adam and Eve
not turned out of the garden
but on the road back

Meditations on the Scripture

Introduction

For two and a half years when I was just out of college and still single, I lived in Thailand and taught English classes in the evening. I would work out at the gym before work, but the mornings were my own. My apartment sat on a guesthouse property at the end of a side road, or “soi,” that jutted off a major thoroughfare in the heart of Bangkok. It sat just in front of one of the many canals that run through Bangkok. There was a constant hum of construction, motorcycles, stray dogs, birds, bugs, and canal boats.

In those free mornings, I poured over books of the Bible, filling notebook after notebook with thoughts, Greek word studies, and connections to other Scriptures. As I read, my heart often burned within me as the Holy Spirit opened my mind to the beauty and depth of his words and ways. That time studying Scripture reshaped my life and my understanding of Jesus, a process that continues today!

In our Scripture, Jesus meets two disciples on the day of his resurrection as they walk away from Jerusalem in confusion and grief. Just like the Holy Spirit did for me all those years ago in a Bangkok apartment, Jesus’ words illuminating the Scriptures make their hearts burn within them. He gives them the interpretive key that makes sense of Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus’ place in God’s big plans, and the events they’ve just witnessed.

The Unnamed Disciple

We pick up the resurrection story after the women have seen angels at the empty tomb and Peter and John have confirmed that the tomb is indeed empty. After hearing this story, two of Jesus’ followers decide to leave Jerusalem and make the seven-mile trip to Emmaus, presumably their home.

Luke tells us that one of the disciples’ names is Cleopas (24:18), an unusual man’s name for the time. The Semitic form of the name was Clopas, but it’s possible he was known by the Greek version, Cleopas, as well. He is the only other male disciple outside of the 12 named by the Gospel writers. Richard Bauckham writes that when a person who isn’t famous or powerful is named in the Gospels, it usually means that he or she is someone well-known to the early church (Gospel Women).

Cleopas is remembered in church tradition as the brother of Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, and the father of “Simon of Clopas,” a well-known leader in the Jerusalem church (Bauckham, Gospel Women). Although commentators aren’t in agreement, many think that the Cleopas here in Luke is the same “Clopas” listed as the husband of one of the Marys in John 19:25:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

This would make Cleopas and Mary Jesus’ uncle and aunt. They had become disciples of Jesus, had followed him to Jerusalem, and had witnessed his death and betrayal at the hands of their religious leaders.

Was the unnamed disciple in our story Mary of Clopas? We can’t be 100% sure, but nothing in the story discounts this possibility, so I am including it in our study of the words Jesus spoke to women!

The Road Back Home

Instead of waiting around in Jerusalem with the rest of the disciples, they have decided to return home. Maybe they have children, family, or business to attend to. Maybe they are dealing with shock or trauma and their hearts are broken. Maybe they are afraid of what the Jewish leaders and the Romans might do to them.

On the road, they try to piece together everything they thought they knew and reconcile it with what they’ve just witnessed. Was Jesus who he said he was? Why had the evil powers won? Why had his body gone missing? Nothing made sense.

Luke tells us that when a stranger approaches and asks them what they’re talking about, they stop in their tracks and look down sadly. How can anyone coming from Jerusalem not have heard about these things? Cleopas answers the stranger first, but then together they begin to pour out the story of what they’ve seen, who Jesus was, and what was done to him. For some reason, just like Mary Magdalene in the garden, their eyes are kept from recognizing Jesus.

Jesus then calls them “foolish,” a Greek term meaning “not understanding” (also used in Galatians 3:1), and begins a conversation that changes everything. Instead of starting with the events they are so focused on and confused by, Jesus takes them back to the Scriptures they’ve known since childhood, starting with Moses.

Scripture Fulfilled

As they walk along that long road, he shows them through Scripture how everything happened just as it should, as had been planned from the beginning. Luke opens his Gospel with the clearly stated purpose of writing “an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us” (1:1). In this conversation, Jesus shows them how everything that happened is a fulfillment of God’s plans, not a failure of them. Jesus shows them that the whole story of Scripture, not just isolated verses, points to him (Wright).

You might be wondering why Luke didn’t include Jesus’ actual words. I wonder if the absence of Jesus’ words points us to the fact that Luke’s whole account is filled with quotations, references, echoes, and allusions to these very Old Testament Scriptures, especially to Isaiah and the Psalms (Michael Bird, A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts).

Abide with us

Evening approaches as the three arrive at Emmaus. The two disciples, who apparently share a home (further evidence that they are a couple) invite Jesus to stay and eat with them. It is there, as Jesus breaks the bread for them, that their eyes are finally opened and they see that it is Jesus. When he disappears from view just after breaking the bread, they ask each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).

This is the moment Rembrandt Van Rijn painted in his Supper at Emmaus painting. One disciple looks at Jesus in shock, and the other, not visible at first glance, seems to have knocked over a chair and fallen at Jesus’ feet in worship. Jesus’ face is in shadow, but illuminates the room.

This story itself contains echoes of the very first story in the Bible. N.T. Wright points out that when Adam and Eve share the first meal in the Bible (Genesis 3:6-7), their eyes are opened and they see their exposure and feel shame. But when the Emmaus couple’s eyes are opened at the breaking of the bread, they eat “the first meal of the new creation” and are filled with unrestrained joy (Wright, Luke for Everyone).

Jesus’ presence and conversation have caused a complete reversal. No longer are they confused or despondent. Their eyes are open and they are filled with joy! It’s all true! We understand now!

Despite just making the trip after an exhausting weekend, they return immediately to Jerusalem to tell their friends the good news.

The legacy of Mary and Cleopas

It’s entirely possible that Mary and Cleopas were a well-known couple and ministry partners in the early church, like Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:26, Romans 16:3, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19) or Junia and Andronicus (Romans 16:7), or many of the ministry pairs Jesus sent out (Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1, Bauckham).

We learn from church historian Eusebius that their son, Simon/Simeon of Clopas, became an important church leader and successor to James, the first leader of the Jerusalem church and brother of Jesus. Simon of Clopas was the “most important Christian leader in Palestine for half a century” and was leading at the time Luke was writing. It is thought that he was martyred under Emperor Trajan around 120 AD (Bauckham).

Did Simon grow up hearing this story from his parents, about the long walk and amazing conversation, Jesus in their home breaking bread, and the nail-scarred hands?

Conclusions

Over the course of these studies, we have seen Jesus come alongside women with compassion and heal them of their suffering. We have seen him challenge and teach women. We have seen him forgive women and make them whole. This is the same work that Jesus does in our lives today.

The circumstances of our lives can be heartbreaking and bewildering. Sometimes God’s response to these struggles is to help us zoom out onto the larger story he is writing. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God is the God of the long, patient plan, never forgets a promise, and pursues his people, even in their faithlessness and confusion.

Jesus finds us on the road, falls in step with our shuffling feet, and begins a conversation. Luke invites us to join that conversation with Jesus on the road as he opens our eyes to the Scripture and to his presence among us.

Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions are valued and welcomed in the process of writing these studies. I consider you part of my writing team, and I appreciate you joining me. If you have time and would like to, let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at mary@marydeandraws.com.

All writing and images copyright Marydean Draws 2026.

Sources:

Bauckham, Richard. Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (2002).

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (2008).

Bird, Michael F., A Bird’s-Eye View of Luke and Acts (2023).

Wright, N.T. Luke for Everyone (2004).

To download the study guide below with the full study text, discussion questions, and a coloring page, please become a paid subscriber!

*If you’re unsure how to become a paid subscriber, you can read detailed instructions HERE or simply go to my Substack page and click on the box that says, “upgrade to paid.” The paid subscriber tier is $5/month of $50/year.

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Hello there and happy Friday!

I’m trying something new again with my newsletter this week and recording the bulk of it in audio form.

Here’s what I’ll cover in the “pretend podcast” that you can listen to at the top of this post:

1. Adjusting to a new weekly schedule.

2. Six new stickers in the shop and why I created them:

2. Art I created this week

3. The next Bible study I’m working on: Luke 24:13-35 and the two disciples walking with Jesus on the way to Emmaus. Was one of them Mary of Clopas?

4. The 60 minutes interview with former senator Ben Sasse on the future of America, what the digital revolution and AI mean, the centrality of community and the loss of it in our current culture, what politicians miss, and living with imminent death. The short version is HERE and the extended version is HERE.

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

STICKERS | GREETING CARDS | NOTEPADS
POSTCARDS | ART PRINTS | BIBLE CARDS | BIBLE PRINTABLES
STUDIO SALE | 2026 CALENDARS

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Hello there and happy May 1st!

I am sitting here at my desk with my tuxedo cat Oreo, who is desperate for attention but can’t resist intermittently nipping at my hands.

I recorded this week’s newsletter as a “pretend podcast.” You can listen to it by clicking the audio above! Let me know if you like this format.

Last night in Bible study, we were going through the words Jesus spoke to a woman in the crowd (this one). We were looking back at the passage in Luke 8:16-18 where Jesus compares his words to a lamp whose light changes a whole room, but is useless when hidden under a basket or a bed. Jesus concludes, “Therefore consider carefully how you listen.” This is a passage that I have never understood in context before.

That sparked a conversation about how important it is to read Scripture in context. As I am thinking about it this morning, I thought of another example of that principle of Scripture interpretation, so I’d like to share that with you today.

I love the movie Frozen, maybe because we watched it a million times when my girls were little and belted out the song. There is a point when Princess Elsa, after years of hiding her magical ice and snow powers, can no longer hold them in. She leaves her sister, her kingdom, and all restraints to build an ice castle for herself on the mountain. She belts out the most famous song from the movie, “Let it Go”:

Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care what they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway

. . .

It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free

. . .

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never goin' back, the past is in the past

We belt out the song as an anthem of liberation and independence, but the movie’s story tells a much more complicated and ultimately beautiful story.

The truth is that Elsa’s “freedom” had a cost. She had abandoned her only living relative, Anna, who desperately needed her love. Her uncontrolled powers left her kingdom in a dangerous and perpetual snowstorm. When her sister Anna comes to plead with her, she reacts in fear and anger and nearly kills her.

The past wasn’t in the past (a theme further explored in Frozen 2), and Elsa wasn’t free all on her own on the mountain. It was only in channeling her power through love and care for other people—starting with her sister and then her kingdom—that she was able to banish the fear that ultimately kept her trapped. The giant ice monster she creates in her “freedom” is a picture of what is let loose when she “lets it go” and is ultimately tamed at the end of the movie when he dons a dainty crown.

All this is to illustrate the importance of reading the Bible in the context of the whole story, just like we can misunderstand “Let it Go” if we don’t put it in the context of all of Frozen. People talk about taking the Bible literally, but sometimes, as we can see with this analogy, taking the Bible literally can lead to a misinterpretation that doesn’t take it seriously or as the author intended.

That means we have to be a little more patient and work a little harder to understand the Bible. We have to approach it with a little more humility, or maybe a lot more! But this work pays off when we can see the full and beautiful story of Scripture.

What do you think? Does this analogy work?

Here’s your reminder that the shop Mother’s Day (on Sunday, May 10 this year) sale is running now through May 6. You can use the code MOMLOVE on my website for 20% off any purchase.

SHOP MY WEBSITE

Happy weekend everyone!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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POSTCARDS | ART PRINTS | BIBLE CARDS | BIBLE PRINTABLES
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Introduction to the Jesus Speaks to Women Series

The Gospel writer John records these words of Jesus to the religious people who opposed him: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). The Scriptures are meant to introduce us to a person—Jesus. And our friendship with that person is meant to change everything. My goal with this studies is to help you see and hear the real Jesus more clearly by meditating on the words he spoke specifically to women. Do you know there are more than 20 accounts in the Gospels of Jesus’ words to women? Would you step into these stories with me and imagine how they experienced Jesus? Will you listen to what Jesus might have to say to you too? Thanks for joining me here!

Previous Chapters:
Chapter 1: Mary at the Temple
Chapter 2: Mary at the Wedding
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 1
Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, Part 2
Chapter 4: The Woman Caught
Chapter 5: The Widow
Chapter 6: The Sinful Woman Anoints
Chapter 7: The Family of Jesus
Chapter 8: The Bleeding Woman and Jairus’ Daughter
Chapter 9: The Canaanite Woman
Chapter 10: Mary and Martha at Home
Chapter 11: The Bent Woman
Chapter 12: Mary and Martha Mourning
Chapter 13: Mary Anoints
Chapter 14: The Daughters of Jerusalem
Chapter 15: Mary the Mother at the Cross
Chapter 16: Mary Magdalene, Part 1

Scroll to the end of this post to download a printable version of this study with a coloring page (for paid subscribers).

The Scripture: John 20:1-18

Read the passage through 1-2 times, noting anything that catches your interest or that you haven’t noticed before. Does anything speak to you? What questions do you have?

The Poem

I knew his hour had come
I believed his words, yet
my body now betrays me

rising panic
dreaded and familiar
squeezes the breath in my throat

how can I return to the torment
distant and cut off
from even my own soul?

the sun just graying the sky
I plead undeterred
with angels and a strange gardener

“Woman, why are you weeping?
Who are you looking for?”

for my Lord and his body
–all I can think of
to expect here

“Mary”

sun breaks over the trees
on the living, smiling face
of my Great Teacher and friend

and I know him
and myself
again

I cling
to him
warm and alive

“Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them,
I am ascending to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.”

I didn’t need to
cling to him
because he was here to stay

his house—my home
his father—my Father
his God–my God

with the sun now ablaze
I run to tell his story
and never stop

Meditations on the Scripture

Introduction

I don’t know if you’ve ever had an experience that completely rocked your life’s foundations. At one point years ago, I thought our (now 18-year-old) marriage might be over. Enveloped in anxiety and fear, I struggled to complete the most human job of breathing. I didn’t know my next steps because the whole landscape of my life had seemed to shift.

I imagine the death of Jesus may have felt something like that for Mary Magdalene. In our last study, we took a deeper look at her backstory, one marked by deep trauma and torment until she met Jesus. That meeting was the turning point for her whole life. From there, she became a disciple and provided ministry out of her own means. For a woman not known for any family association, the disciples became her new family.

Mary the Magdalene, or “Mary the Tower,” is always first in lists of the female disciples, except for John 19:25, where his mother is listed first. This is similar to the way Simon Peter is always listed first among the 12 male disciples (Bauckham).

Mary Magdalene is recorded as a witness at the crucifixion, the entombment, and the resurrection (Matthew 27:56, Matthew 27:61, John 20:1). While each Gospel writer records their own account of resurrection morning (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18) and has slightly different details, all record that Mary Magdalene was on the scene.

Matthew records Jesus meeting the group of women at the tomb, but it is John alone who includes this one-on-one encounter and conversation between Jesus and Mary.

After the crucifixion

John tells us (John 19:28-42) that Jesus dies the same day he is crucified, at around 3 pm. The next day is the Sabbath (our Saturday), and while dead bodies could be cared for on the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for Jesus’ body and, along with Nicodemus the Pharisee, he removes it from the cross, wraps it with linen and 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and places it in a new tomb in the garden where Jesus was crucified (not to be confused with the Garden of Gethsemane where he was arrested).

Wrapping Jesus’ body in aloes and spices would keep his body from smelling until it could be fully anointed and cared for later (Carson). Matthew notes (Matthew 27:58-61) that Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” watch Joseph of Arimathea entomb Jesus’ body and roll a large stone across the entrance of what was probably a tomb carved into a cave (Carson).

The whole experience must have been deeply traumatic. Mary had watched from a distance as Jesus had been stripped, humiliated, beaten, taunted, and tortured. She had seen him speak his last words, gasping for breath. She had seen him surrender his Spirit and say, “It is finished.”

The day had also been marked by other terrifying phenomena. The sun had gone dark for three hours during the crucifixion (Matthew 27:45). When Jesus gave up his spirit, the thick temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, and there was an earthquake that split rocks and broke open tombs, releasing and raising the bodies of “many holy people who had died” (Matthew 27:5-56).

Can you imagine the talk in Jerusalem after such a day? Normal processes of nature were being reversed and long-sealed holy places were breaking open!

Had Mary Magdalene even slept since Jesus’ arrest late on Thursday night after celebrating Passover? The trial had gone all night and into the early morning when Pilate had condemned him to death. Likely unable to sleep on Saturday, she arrives at the tomb on Sunday morning before the sun has risen, intending to anoint Jesus’ body as soon as she can see (20:1).

At the empty tomb

What would it mean for Mary if Jesus were dead? Would her demon tormenters find and overpower her again? They had obeyed Jesus, but would his name still have power if he himself were overpowered? Would the ministry she had done in his name, maybe even casting out demons from other women, be in vain? Were they all ultimately defenseless against the power of evil and the empires of men?

When she arrives at the tomb, there is just enough light for her to see that the massive stone has been rolled away. She doesn’t look inside, but runs to Simon Peter and “the disciple Jesus loved” and tells them that Jesus’ body has been taken. We could assume that she is jumping to conclusions, but perhaps she is more logical than she first appears. The tomb is open, but perhaps she does not smell a dead body!

Peter and the other disciples arrive at the tomb and go inside. At this point in the morning, there is enough light to see that the body is gone, but the linens that wrapped Jesus remain.

John gives us some really interesting details about the state of these linens. Remember that Jesus’ body had been bloody, torn, and beaten. Those linens must have been soaked not only with the anointing oils and spices, but also with Jesus’sweat, the water/blood mixture that flowed from his side, and lots of blood. Where his head had been lies a cloth “in its place,” separate from the linens that had been around his body. These are significant pieces of evidence of something miraculous.

This detail about the face cloth should remind us of Lazarus’ story (John 11:44), where he was also wrapped with strips of linen with a “cloth around his face.” The Greek word soudarion is used in both instances, and was a sweat cloth worn around the neck and also used in burials (Carson). When Lazarus came out of the grave wrapped head to toe, he had to be unwrapped, but here we see Jesus unwrapped already (Carson)!

Mary remains

Instead of returning with the disciples, Mary remains outside the tomb crying. This time, she looks inside the tomb herself and sees two angels, one sitting where Jesus’ head had been and one where his feet had been. They ask her why she’s crying, and she tells them that they have taken her Lord.

She then turns around and sees a man standing behind her. He repeats the angels’ question, adding, “Who are you looking for?” Whether because of the dim light of the morning, her distress, her unending tears, her fatigue, or because of some supernatural reason, she doesn’t recognize Jesus immediately. She thinks he’s the gardener and pleads with him to help her get Jesus’ body back.

And then he says her name–just “Mary.”

How many times had she heard her name from his lips? Had he said her name when he cast out the seven demons, instantly quieting the raging sea her mind had become.

I imagine his words and his presence break over her just as the sun begins to light up the garden. With its rising comes the realization that it is all true.

Edward Manigault’s painting of this moment is bathed in joyful light and color. The shadows are quickly fading as the sun rises. The darkened entrance of the tomb is off in the distance as Mary Magdalene tentatively stretches out her hand to meet Jesus’ outstretched and pierced hand.

As Mary reaches out to him, maybe even falling and grasping his feet, Jesus tells her, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (20:17). Jesus’ words have been interpreted in many ways, but D.A. Carson argues that Jesus is basically saying to her something like this:

“I am in the process of ascending to my Father (pass it on–he’s your father too!), but I haven’t ascended yet, so you don’t have to cling to me. Don’t worry! This is a time of joy–I’m not disappearing like a ghost!”

Jesus gives her a job and a message–to tell the “brothers” that he will be returning to the Father soon. It is because of her witness and the message entrusted to her that Mary is called an “apostle of the apostles” (here, for example, by Thomas Aquinas) and an “isapóstolos ” (equal-to-apostles) in the Eastern Orthodox tradition (Gupta).

Back to the garden

Why did Jesus appear to Mary first and not the other two disciples who were at the tomb with her? Maybe it is because she was the most desperate, with nowhere else to go. Or maybe it was because she had a role to play in the new church.

A woman in a garden in the Bible should remind us of the first woman in a garden, Eve. According to McNutt, Mary Magdalene, paired with Mary the mother of Jesus, is a “type of a new Eve.” In the first garden, the good and attentive God walks among his creations in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), but soon the two humans’ tendency towards independence and deception gets them barred from the garden. But as the whole of Scripture depicts, God never ends his pursuit.

That haunting place of public humiliation and suffering–”Golgotha”in Aramaic or “calvaria” in Latin meaning “the skull”--also had a garden. But in this new garden, a new kind of “Eve” walks with God and finds that she is a new creation, living in a new kingdom, and part of a new family.

Mary the Magdalene leaves the garden a towering witness to the resurrection of Jesus and the goodness of God.

In those desperate moments when my marriage was in crisis, I felt crushed. But as I slowly moved forward, I found that I was not abandoned. My own Golgotha contained incredible pain, but it also had a garden.

And a gardener.

Your thoughts, corrections, and suggestions are valued and welcomed in the process of writing these studies. I consider you part of my writing team, and I appreciate you joining me. If you have time and would like to, let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at mary@marydeandraws.com.

All writing and images copyright Marydean Draws 2026.

Sources:

Bauckham, Richard. Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (2002).

Carson, D.A. The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John (1991).

Gupta, Nijay K., Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (2023).

McNutt, Jennifer Powell, The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (2024).

To download the study guide below with the full study text, discussion questions, and a coloring page, please become a paid subscriber!

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Hello there!

We have a busy weekend coming up of prom and birthdays for my daughters. Here are a few throwback posts from way back in the blog archive (when they let me post pictures of them) of funny things they said. We still laugh about these:

• Baby Silas and conversations with my three year old

• Conversations with my three year old: Volume 2

• Conversations with my four year old: Volume 3

• Heard Around Here Volume 4

• Heard Around Here Volume 5

Here’s your reminder that the shop Mother’s Day (on Sunday, May 10 this year) sale is running now through May 6. You can use the code MOMLOVE on my website for 20% off any purchase.

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Refugee Update

I have been sharing updates from World Relief on the Temporary Protected Status of refugees in the United States. There was good news for Haitian refugees in this category last week when the House voted to extend their TPS until 2029, with Republicans joining Democrats! The bill now faces serious opposition in the Senate.

The Trump administration is currently threatening to deny entry to Afghan allies currently taking refuge in Qatar. They propose giving them the choice of either returning to the Taliban or being sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo. President of World Relief, Myal Greene, stated in a press release:

“Afghans who risked their lives to stand alongside the U.S. military were promised protection. To abandon them now – either to the Taliban forces whom they fled or to a separate country beset by war, conflict and extreme poverty – is morally wrong, and I hope and pray that the administration will not pursue this reported plan.”

Let’s pray that the administration does the just thing on behalf of these people who sacrificed for our country.

New Art

I finished up a few paintings this week. Two were for a show at Friendly City Clay and Art Center:

And these landscapes for The Lady Jane shop:

If you missed it, I shared a post this week filled with some inspiring watercolors from art history.

That’s it for this Friday. Have a good weekend!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

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Most art museums these days have searchable digital databases of their art collections. You can search by artist or medium. I’ve been going through some museum collections and thought I’d share a few of the watercolors I loved.

Some of these artists work mostly in other mediums and use watercolor for their planning while ohers use watercolor primarily.

I hope you enjoyed looking at this beautiful art!

All writing copyright Marydean Draws 2026.

Hello there!

I hope that this newsletter finds you well today! I have a few things to share with you today:

1. Mother’s Day is May 10, so I’m running a sale starting now through May 6. You can use the code MOMLOVE on my website for 20% off any purchase.

   SHOP MY WEBSITE

2. I published the first part of the Jesus Speaks to Women Mary Magdalene study yesterday! Have you ever heard that she was a prostitute? Where did that come from? Is it Biblical? I was fascinated by how her story has been told through history, the origins of her name, what it means that she had been possessed by seven demons, and her place among Jesus’ disciples. I was trying to fill out her backstory so we can make sense of her interactions with Jesus on resurrection day in John 20. You can read it all and see the artwork I picked here:

3. I really enjoyed this conversation on the Holy Post Podcast between Skye Jethani and Bri Stensrud, the director of Women of Welcome, “a community dedicated to diving into the whole of scripture to understand God’s heart for the immigrant and refugee.” She talks about the diverse political backgrounds of the women in her organization, and the barriers she faces in trying to talk about the ethical treatment of refugees in churches. I think you’ll find it really interesting!

Have a good weekend!

All content copyright Marydean Draws LLC, 2025.

If you are able and want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber for only $5/month of $50/year by clicking on the button below or HERE.

STICKERS | GREETING CARDS | NOTEPADS
POSTCARDS | ART PRINTS | BIBLE CARDS | BIBLE PRINTABLES
STUDIO SALE | 2026 CALENDARS

SHOP MY ART

BIBLE WITH ME

Share

SUBSCRIBE or UPGRADE your subsription