"Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50)

Jesus is clearly stating here that the woman - Mary Magdalene as we established with Luke 7:40-48 - was saved by her "faith."

This reality contradicts teachings that proclaim that we can only be saved by Jesus' physical body dying on the cross.

If the death of Jesus' physical body on the cross is the only thing that can save people, how was Mary Magdalene saved, according to Jesus himself, by her "faith?"

Was no one saved before Jesus died?

Jesus' own statement contradicts the notion that no one was saved before Jesus' crucifixion. Some of these teachers claim that every righteous person who lived and died prior to Jesus' death would have to remain in a state of purgatory until Jesus' crucifixion. Some have since adjusted this to be about Jesus' so-called second coming.

The reality is that people were indeed 'saved' prior to Jesus' crucifixion. Just as Jesus states here, their faith and devotion to God and the teachings of those representatives of God who came before Jesus saved them.

Those that trusted in and followed Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Eli, Samuel, David, Job, Solomon, Zechariah, Noah, John the Baptist and other Prophets were saved, as Jesus indicates here. Each of these teachers delivered those who followed them with faith.

And just what is this "faith" that saved Mary? What does "faith" really mean? Does "faith" mean becoming a member of a particular religion or religious sect? Does "faith" mean going to church? Does "faith" mean saying "I am saved"?

The word "faith" here has been translated from the Greek word πίστις (pistis) which means, according to Thayer's lexicon, "conviction of the truth of anything" and "the character of one who can be relied on."

Let's consider this word and its meaning a little more carefully. Let's say a person is going to the hospital to get surgery, and they say to the surgeon prior to their operation, "I have faith in you." Does this have anything to do with being a member of a religion or religious sect?

No. A patient's saying that "I have faith in you" to their doctor simply means the person has complete confidence in the doctor. They trust in the doctor's skills, and trust that the doctor will perform the surgery flawlessly.

Why did Mary's faith save her?

Because she trusted in God and in Jesus.

This is what Jesus is describing: Mary Magdalene had complete confidence in Jesus and his teachings. She trusts that his teachings were coming from God. And she trusts in God.

What else was Jesus doing that she should have confidence in? Is Jesus talking about her having confidence in his miracles? Or is Jesus talking about her having confidence in his existence?

No, because those things were obvious to see. Anyone seeing Jesus' miracles would have confidence in Jesus having those abilities. (We know that Mary traveled with Jesus so she had witnessed those.)

And anyone seeing Jesus standing or sitting in front of them as Mary had, would certainly have confidence in Jesus' existence.

And Jesus had not created any type of religious sect: He didn't erect temples or churches and did not put together an organization. Therefore his use of the word "faith" had nothing to do with joining any religion or sect.

So the "faith" that Jesus was speaking of had nothing to do with the faith in a particular sect or institution.

The "faith" that Jesus was referring to with Mary was her confidence that Jesus' teachings were true, and were coming from God.

Jesus' teachings were his primary mission. He traveled from town to town through an inhospitable desert region, sometimes with little water or food, just to preach to the people of these different towns. He would teach from hillsides, boats, and courtyards. Teaching was Jesus' purpose and mission.

And those who believed his teachings - those who had confidence in or faith in those teachings - were saved by Jesus' teachings.

Why is trusting Jesus so important?

Because Jesus' teachings introduced people to the Supreme Being. Those who heard Jesus' teachings and trusted in them were saved because they were introduced to God: They were given the opportunity to revitalize their lost relationship with the Supreme Being.

And what is that relationship? It is based upon love and loving service. This is who we are and why we were created by God: To love Him and serve Him.

This is why Jesus declared that his most important teaching ("first and greatest") was:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

By following this instruction - having confidence or "faith" in this teaching - we are effectively saved. Why? Because by loving God we are effectively reunited within our natural position as His loving servant. This saves us from the tempest of material existence - driven by self-centeredness. It saves us from the ravishes related to desiring things that won't fulfill us and suffering the consequences of hurting others as we attempt to get what we want.

A life of loving and serving the Supreme Being effectively eliminates the consciousness of selfishness - the root of sin.

What does he mean by "go in peace"?

What does Jesus mean by "go in peace"? Is he saying Mary is an enemy combatant and he is trying to make peace with her?

Don't be ridiculous.

The word "peace" is being translated from the Greek εἰρήνη (eirēnē), which can refer to tranquility among nations or groups, but in this context, according to the lexicon, it means "the tranquil state of a soul" and "the blessed state of devout and upright men."

Jesus is communicating contentment. Fulfillment. When someone has a loving relationship with the Supreme Being they are contented. They are fulfilled. Jesus wants everyone to feel this way.

We also cannot disconnect the word "peace" from Jesus' statement regarding Mary's "faith" and the fact that this "saved" her. The "peace" that she would be experiencing is directly relating to her having confidence and trust in Jesus' teachings - and thus following them.

This means that it was the following of Jesus' teachings that was bringing Mary this tranquility in the first place.

That is the nature of loving the Supreme Being. It is fulfilling. When we are in love with God we are completely satisfied. God is the Perfect Person. He is our Soul Mate. He is the One we've been looking for our entire lives to make us complete. Loving the Supreme Being is the only thing that can bring us real peace within.

And this is ultimately how we are saved.

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things ..." (Luke 10:41-42)

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

Why is Jesus telling Martha this?

Jesus is clarifying an important lesson regarding our consciousness. What does it mean? Here is the context of Jesus' statement to Martha:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" (Luke 10:38-40)

So we find that Martha is hosting Jesus and some students including Martha's sister Mary. Martha was busy with the arrangements while Mary was focused on what Jesus was teaching. Martha became upset that Mary wasn't helping her. She then interrupted Jesus to voice her concern. So Jesus was responding to this.

What Jesus is speaking of relates to our consciousness and focus in life. Where was Martha's focus and where was Mary's focus? Mary's focus was upon hearing from her teacher, Jesus - and thus learning about God and how to learn to love God.

Martha's focus was on herself. She was upset that Mary wasn't helping her.

While some might say that Martha was doing an important thing - as someone had to make the preparations to host Jesus and his students at her house - Jesus is acknowledging this necessity but stated that "few things are needed" - this means that Martha didn't need to make extravagant preparations. She also did not need to become upset and worried about them.

Then Jesus focuses on the prime reason for his being there in the first place: He is teaching his students about the Supreme Being. He is helping re-introduce them to God and helping them re-develop their relationship with God.

What is the 'better' thing that Mary has chosen?

Jesus also indicates Mary has chosen "what is better," and this better thing "will not be taken away from her." What does this better thing?

Each of us is occupying a physical body for a temporary period of time. This means that all of this stuff around us - our house, our job, our money, our reputation, and all the other trappings of this world - will dissolve when our physical body dies.

This means that this is all temporary. The physical body is temporary and all the trappings of the body - including family, job, house and so on - are all temporary. Why should we get so worked up about all this temporary stuff? Why get so worked up about our reputation and our car and so many other things that will simply dissolve in a few years?

But our relationship with the Supreme Being is eternal. It continues after the death of the physical body. This is "what is better" according to Jesus.

You see, beneath these physical bodies we are each an eternal spirit-person. And this eternal spirit-person has a spiritual form. This spirit-person also has a particular relationship with the Supreme Being.

We are here to achieve our eternal relationship with the Supreme Being. Our ultimate success is reclaiming our lost relationship with God. This is the purpose of our learning experiences here in the physical world, a place that provides us with choices.

Jesus is teaching us how we can return home to God. How we can re-develop our loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus was trying to encourage Martha to focus on his teachings and not on the mundane aspects of the physical world. This is also why Jesus' most important instruction was:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38)