Scripture: Isaiah 43:1 – “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
It’s one thing to be rescued. It’s another thing to be renamed.
Mary Magdalene didn’t just experience freedom—she experienced an identity shift.
In The Chosen, we first meet her as Lilith, a woman tormented by demons, carrying a past so heavy it had swallowed her whole. She wasn’t just lost—she was unrecognizable, even to herself. The name “Lilith” was a cage, a label that fit the version of herself that had been defined by darkness, shame, and hopelessness.
And then, Jesus.
He doesn’t recoil from her. He doesn’t ask for an explanation. He doesn’t remind her of all the reasons she should stay bound to her past.
He just calls her by name.
“Mary.”
And in that moment, everything changes. The weight of Lilith falls away. She remembers who she really is—not what she’s done, not what’s been done to her, but who she was always meant to be.
Because redemption isn’t just about removing the past—it’s about restoring identity.
The Labels We Carry
We do this, don’t we? We carry names that were never ours to keep—Failure, Unworthy, Not Enough. We hold onto labels given to us by past mistakes, by other people, by the voices that whisper we’ll never really be free.
But God doesn’t speak to us in those names.
Jesus never calls Mary Lilith—because that was never her true name.
And Jesus never calls you by the labels of your past, either.
You Are More Than Your Past
When Jesus calls our name, it’s not an invitation to try harder or be better—it’s an invitation to step into who we were always meant to be.
So maybe today, it’s time to let go of the name you’ve been answering to. Maybe today, Jesus is calling you not by your failures, not by your wounds, but by your true identity.
Reflection & Application
What labels have you carried that Jesus is inviting you to let go of?
If you could hear Jesus call your name today, what do you think He would say about who you are?
Take time in prayer today to hear God call you by name—not by your past, but by your redeemed identity.
You are not your mistakes.
You are not your trauma.
You are not who they said you were.
You are redeemed.
You are called.
You are His.
And when Jesus calls your name, you don’t have to stay where you’ve been.
You can rise.
Grace and Peace,
Andrea