Women Witnesses

“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.” Mark 16:9

A Shocking Discovery

It was early Sunday morning, and the women disciples went to finish the job of preparing Jesus’ body for proper burial practices. Can you imagine the shock they must have felt when they saw the heavy stone rolled away, the Roman guards no longer there, and the tomb empty? Then, an even greater shock happened when they turned around to see two men (angels) glowing like lightning and declaring that Jesus had risen!

Women First to Proclaim the Good News

It’s no wonder the ladies bowed their faces to the ground—they must have been so frightened! As they left, they had a remarkable encounter with Jesus Himself, and they hurried off to tell about it. What is significant about this event is that it was the women who were the very first to witness this miracle, and then go to proclaim the good news to the others.

Cultural Significance of Women Testifying

This story is unique to that ancient culture because women were not regarded as reliable witnesses, which is why they weren’t allowed to give testimony in a court of law. Skeptics claim this event was a lie perpetuated by new converts. If that was the case, it’s more likely that they wouldn’t have included women as the first to see the Resurrected Jesus. Liars would have said the first eye-witnesses were men, which better fit the practices of that ancient culture.

Jesus’ Acceptance and Validation of the Value of Women Believers

The fact that women’s eye-witnesses were recorded in the Gospels gives credibility to the story. It also shows Jesus validated women by appearing to them first, approving of women believers in a culture where women were considered less valued.

Think Divinely: Women were the first to see the evidence left behind from the miracle of the Resurrection event. A myth would not use women as the first eye-witnesses.