MBTI Type: ESFP

She is quick to act, and not always heedless of how it will be interpreted or where her actions will lead; Mary bravely approaches the cross to watch the crucifixion, even though her life is in danger in doing so. She slips into the prison to reassure John and Peter, and bring them food and water. She stands up to Cornelius when he searches the house for the disciples. When she needs money, and Pilate needs servants, even though it is dangerous, Mary enters the household and spreads her beliefs under his nose. Mary likes to see things for herself; she is the first to go to the tomb, and the first to see Christ. Seeing Him, she believes He is resurrected and runs back to inform the others. Mary does not shy away from danger, nor involvement in the physical aspect of establishing the new following. She had no problem dropping everything to follow Jesus. Sometimes her risks backfire, such as when she causes Tabitha to be executed for urging her to embrace Christianity. Mary does not openly share her ideas, nor are we allowed to hear whether she believes Jesus will rise again before it happens – she appears to take in external information and opinions, and turn them over inside herself before reaching a single-minded conclusion. She embraces the idea of a new church wholeheartedly. Mary has a gentle heart and quiet faith. She intensely internalizes things and tends to judge others based on her own standard of behavior. Her grief over the loss of the Messiah is profound, but she does not speak openly of it with the disciples; instead, she deals with her inner turmoil and doubts in private. She tells off Peter, for his traditionalism and for adhering to male standards of behavior, telling him that he should not fear his emotions but embrace them — that women are able to weep and wail in grief, and he should feel no shame in doing the same. Mary is defiant and feels the need to assert herself, even to Roman centurions. Her words are straightforward and pull no punches; she wants the facts of a situation (“Jesus said you would deny Him three times, Peter… tell me you didn’t”), and she is not afraid to assert them when challenged by the authorities. But her decisions are often not tactically rational (defying Roman authorities, for example).

Enneagram: 2w1 so/sp

Mary is more proactive and less fearful than some of the other disciples in actively recruiting others, spreading the love of Jesus, and telling them about Christ, which she sees as the ultimate gesture of love. She can be so eager to “help” them in this way that she oversteps the bounds of safety and winds up hurting them in the process, because she underestimates the danger involved in sharing the gospel. Her 1 wing can be critical of others and disappointed in their failures, as well as judgmental of people in general – she shows disappointment in Peter for “running away and denying Christ,” and also for men repressing their feelings (“Women… we weep, and we wail… but not men”); her correction of his behavior leads him to become a more effective disciple.