Can you tell me what book in the Bible it says that Mary was a prostitute?
The Bible does not say Mary was a prostitute. This is something that has been falsely documented and promoted. There are several “Marys” spoken of in scripture, but none of them were prostitutes. They are as follows:
1. Mary the mother of Jesus and His brothers – “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? – Matthew 13:55.
2. Mary Magdalene – “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons” – Mark 16:9.
3. Mary, the sister of Lazarus who was raised from the dead – “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” – John 11:1-2.
4. Mary, wife of Clopas, sister of Mary (Jesus’ mother) –“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene“- Matthew 19:25.
5. Mary – mother of Mark and sister of Barnabas – “And when he (Peter) had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying” – Acts 12:12.
6. Mary – a Christian woman in Rome to whom the apostle Paul sent greetings – “Greet Mary, who labored much for us” – Romans 16:6
The error made by those who say Mary, the sister of Lazarus was a prostitute, confuse the events recorded in Luke chapter 7 and John chapter 12. They assume these two women are the same persons. Unfortunately, some Bible expositors have also made this error and held to a traditional interpretation rather than a scholarly one. Luke writes that there was a woman who poured perfume on Jesus feet and wiped them with her hair. The woman’s name was never recorded and she was simply called a “sinner”, although she was most likely a prostitute. This event took place at the home of a Pharisee (a religious leader) in Galilee. The woman in John’s gospel (Mary, the sister of Lazarus) did the same thing at the home of her sister Martha in Bethany. These were two different events which involved two different people and took place in two different locations – Galilee and Bethany, which are also many miles from each other. Therefore, associating Mary Magdalene or any other Mary with the “woman” in Luke 7 is erroneous.
