Karen Kingsbury - Divine

KAREN KINGSBURY

DIVINE

TYNDALE and Tyndale's quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Divine

Copyright 2006 by Karen Kingsbury. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of woman by Eric Robert/Corbis Sygma. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of building by Ingram Publishing/Alamy. All rights reserved.

Cover photographs of the Capitol and Jefferson Memorial by Digital Vision. All rights reserved.

Designed by Jennifer Lund

Edited by Lorie Popp

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973,

1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street,

Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the

author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-0765-7 (hc)

ISBN-10: 1-4143-0765-9 (hc)

Printed in the United States of America

I bring you the novel God placed on my heart. It couldn't have come together without much help. Therefore, thanks goes to my great friends at Tyndale House Publishers, especially Karen Watson, who stepped into a new role as fiction director and led me through what was a particularly intense project. Also a special thanks to my Tyndale friends in sales and marketing. It is an honor to work with you.

A big thank-you to my agent, Rick Christian, president of Alive Communications. I am amazed more as every day passes at your integrity, your talent, and your commitment to getting my Life-Changing Fiction out to all the world. You are a strong man of God, Rick. You care for my career as if you were personally responsible for the souls God touches through these books. Thank you for looking out for my personal time with my husband and kids. I couldn't do this without you.

As always, I couldn't have finished this book without the help of my husband and kids, who are so good about eating tuna sandwiches and quesadillas when I'm on deadline and who bring me plates of baked chicken and vegetables when I need the brainpower to write past midnight. Thanks for understanding the sometimes crazy life I lead and for always being my greatest support.

A great thanks to my only brother, Dave, who helped me research various aspects of Washington, DC, in the early goings of my work on this book. On October 1, 2005, as I was coming into the final stretch of editing this novel, Dave died unexpectedly in his sleep. He was 39, and he will be missed very much. He had just come to a place of much deeper faith in the weeks leading up to his death and had found a favorite song in MercyMe's "I Can Only Imagine." Well... you don't have to imagine anymore, Dave. You are missed, but we rejoice to know you are safe in His arms.

Also, thanks to my mother and assistant, Anne Kingsbury, for having a great sensitivity and love for my readers. And to Katie Johnson, who runs a large part of my life. The personal touch you both bring to my ministry is precious to me, priceless to me... thank you with all my heart.

And thanks to my friends and family who continue to surround me with love and prayer and support especially in this time of loss. Of course, the greatest thanks goes to God Almighty, the most wonderful author of allthe Author of Life. The gift is Yours. I pray I might have the incredible opportunity and responsibility to use it for You all the days of my life.

Dedicated to...

The memory of Mary Magdalene, a woman who understood and believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ ...

The memory of my brother, David, who understood the importance of this project and helped make it possible...

Also dedicated to:

Donald, my prince charming

Kelsey, my precious daughter

Tyler, my beautiful song

Sean, my wonder boy J

osh, my tender tough guy

EJ, my chosen one

Austin, my miracle child.

And to God Almighty, the Author of Life, who hasfor now blessed me with these.

Author Note

History and Scripture combined have given us very few facts about the real Mary Magdalene, the woman who so fascinates our generation, our culture. In fact, though it is widely held that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, there is no concrete evidence supporting this notion. The idea that Mary had more than a deep discipleship relationship with Jesus is absolutely unfounded. Worse is the popular thinking that Jesus may have been married to Mary Magdalene. This, of course, is absolutely false, heresy by the Bible's standards.

So who was Mary Magdalene?

Scripture tells us for certain that Jesus saved Mary from seven demons (Luke 8:2). What those demons were, we aren't told. But once she was free, we know that Mary and a few other women were so devoted to Christ that they helped support His ministry out of their own means (Luke 8:1-3). In other words, they were vital to His ministry and the furthering of His message.

We also know that Mary stayed with Jesus until the end and was one of the women at the foot of the cross, witnessing the horrifying death of their Savior (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40-41, John 19:25). In addition we are told that Mary Magdalene was one of the women who went to the tomb that brilliant Sunday morning to anoint Christ's body with oils (Mark 16:1-9).

But maybe most telling of all is the account we are given in John 20:1-18. On that resurrection Sunday, when Mary and a few women found the tomb of Jesus empty, the others returned to their homes.

Not Mary. Mary stayed outside the empty tomb by herself, weeping.

Because I write emotional fiction, this part of Mary's story touches me the most. At one time she belonged completely to the darkness. Jesus saved her, as only God can do, and she became devoted to Him for the rest of His days on earth. Devoted in time and financial resources, devoted with her whole heart. When Jesus was killed on a cross, when His body wasMary assumedstolen from the tomb, she felt as if her entire world had come undone.

She was devastated.

Jesus saw that, the way He sees us when we are crushed. He had compassion on her because He sent two angels to comfort her. They asked her why she was crying. "Because," she said, "they have taken my Lord away. I don't know where they have put Him."

She must've heard something behind her, because she turned around and there stood Jesus. The sight was such a shock that at first she didn't recognize Him. But when she did, she must have run to Him and taken His hands, or maybe she hugged Him.

Even thenin what might've been their greatest act of friendshipJesus is clear about who He is, what His purpose is. He said to Mary, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father, and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Basically He told her, "Don't hug me because this isn't about us. Instead, go tell the others that I'm doing what I said I would do." Don't get this wrong. Jesus wasn't angry with Mary. He cared enough for her to send the angels and to appear first to her, above all the powerful men He might've appeared to.

But still, He was clear about His role in her life. He was her Lord, not her lover. Her Father, not merely her friend.

This is where many struggle todayunderstanding the relationship between Mary and Christ.