Why You Need to Hear About the Resurrection from Women

In Matthew 27:10, Jesus talks to some women. It wasn’t unusual for Jesus. His interactions with women are recorded throughout Scripture. In our 21^st century, we often overlook these encounters because they don’t seem out of place. But, make no mistake, it was not common for a man to speak to women in that day and age. At least not like Jesus did. The book of John records two of the most well-known examples of his dealings with women. People often confuse them but the Samaritan woman (or the woman at the well) and the woman caught in adultery are not one and the same. Jesus talked to many other women as well – of course, there was his own mother (Mary). There was also Martha and her sister named Mary. And then were at least two more women named Mary. That’s a lot of women with the same name!

These last two are who we find in Matthew 28:10. We know one is Mary Magdalene and the book of Luke tells us the other is the mother of James. Luke also records that Joanna and some unnamed women were present at this meeting with Jesus. So what was this meeting all about? Well, this group of women made up the first group of people Jesus revealed Himself to after His resurrection. In fact, He told them to go and tell the disciples that He was alive.

Think about that for a minute. Take yourself out of the modern day, “who runs the world – girls”, gender equality mindset, and reflect on the fact that almost 2,000 years ago, the Savior of the World chose to reveal His resurrected self first to women. And not for nothing, but Mary Magdalene was a former demon possessed gal. But when Jesus liberated her – as He has countless others – she became a faithful follower of His. And along with Joanna, Susanna, and others, Mary Magdalene helped support Jesus financially.  She loved Jesus. And He loved her.

The disciples first heard about the resurrection from women because the resurrected Christ first appeared to women and told them to spread the word. This is Holy Scripture and this is why you need to hear about the resurrection from women. The same women that Matthew and Luke tell us about. But, there’s one difference between you and the disciples. You see, the disciples didn’t have the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Even though they walked intimately with Jesus and knew He promised them He would return, they still did not believe the women. The NIV says that they thought what the women were saying “seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Of course, we know now that it is not. And the disciples caught on to that pretty soon after discounting the women, as so many before them had done. But women can’t be discounted. Because Jesus Christ didn’t discount women. He doesn’t today either. As Paul says in Galatians 3:26, there is neither “male nor female…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The resurrection of Christ Jesus is the most important event in history.  And it was for us all.

Take the word of a woman.