Mary Magdalene sees Jesus. Photo credit Waiting For The Word
Did Jesus give Mary Magdalene an apostolic commissioning? According to Dr. Eddie Hyatt of Hyatt International Ministries, Jesus did just that. In 1991 Hyatt claims to have had a life altering experience where he saw Mary Magdalene receive the first apostolic commission from the risen Lord (here). In the following piece, Anthony Wade raises a warning flag: The Church is quickly moving into “Christo-feminism.” Keep this term in mind brethren because it won’t be going away anytime soon. “Hyatt’s end game here,” says Wade, “is to blow up into significance that which is not significant at all.”
So the question is, did God keep Mary Magdalene’s apostleship a deep dark secret until 1991, as Hyatt claims? Did the Almighty set up some “deep gnostic knowledge that would stay hidden for thousands of years until Eddie Hyatt came along?” Hyatt would have us believe that God did this very thing.
In his piece over at 8:28 Ministries, Anthony Wade goes to the scriptures to dissect Dr. Hyatt’s claim that Mary Magdalene received the first apostolic commissioning. He writes:
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” — Matthew 28: 10 (ESV)
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” — Mark 16: 7 (ESV)
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. — Luke 24: 4-9 (ESV)
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” — John 20: 1-2 (ESV)
One of the more recent topics that is getting huge amounts of coverage is the move to expand Christo-feminism in the body of Christ. It seems at every turn someone else is writing a new book or slew of articles decrying the male-centered order that God establishes clearly in His Word as being somehow oppressive to women. Using any means to discredit God, these proponents will throw as much spaghetti against the wall as possible in the hopes that something sticks. One of the usual tactics is to mix apples and oranges. Consider this opening paragraph from the article linked above from Dr. Eddie Hyatt:
“In honor of March being Women’s History Month, I am sharing a life-altering experience I had in 1991. This experience opened my eyes in a new way as to how God wants to use women in these last days when He is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17).” — Dr. Eddie Hyatt
This is what is known as a strawman argument. No one is saying that God does not, has not or will not use women mightily. The verses Eddie highlights however have context he omitted. That says your daughters and female servants will prophesy. That’s it. It does not say that your women shall lead your men, teach your men, or have authority over your men and that beloved is what we are talking about.
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. — 1Timothy 2: 11-14 (ESV)
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. — 1Corinthians 14: 33-34 (ESV)
Beloved, these are clear instructive texts. They contain no ambiguity. They serve as cross references for themselves. The usual defenses are destroyed by the straightforwardness of the texts. Some argue that this problem was some sort of cultural phenomena occurring only at Corinth. Besides the fact that this notion is simply not in the Scriptures God went out of His way to say that “as in all of the churches.” He even gave us His reasoning, because Eve was deceived and became a transgressor. This destroys the Christo-feminist argument that Adam was somehow right next to her giving silent assent to eat of the forbidden fruit. Then there is the tired argument that this was somehow just the thinking of a women hating Paul. Putting aside the fact that this would mean God did not write the Bible through the individuals He chose, the continuing context clearly indicates this was not the case:
Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order. — 1Corinthians 14: 36-40 (ESV)
He should recognize the things I am writing you are a command of the Lord! Yet the forces of Christo-feminism march on with seemingly more and more ridiculous reasons why they think we can ignore God on a subject He has spoken so clearly about. Let us reason again together through the above linked article and see what God really says.
“My mind began to be flooded with thoughts of Mary Magdalene and how Jesus appeared to her first after His resurrection. It was being emphasized to my mind that this was no chance appearance but that He purposely appeared to her first to make a very important statement.
“I also saw, for the first time, that in this encounter with Jesus, Mary received the first apostolic commission from the risen Lord. The word “apostle” literally means “one who is sent,” and this apostolic commission came in His words to her, “Go and tell my brothers” (Matt. 28:10). — Dr. Eddie Hyatt”
See Berean Research’s White Paper on the New Apostolic Reformation