Why Did God Choose Women as the First Witnesses of the Resurrection?
Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2011
by Joel Kontinen
http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/
When Jesus was put to death on the cross, His male disciples fled, probably because they feared for their lives. After all, Peter had cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant and none of the others had attempted to stop him. Or perhaps the disciples thought that the end had come for their great expectations.
However, the Gospels tell us that Jesus’ female followers never left the cross. On resurrection morning, it was the women who first saw the empty tomb. “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them … told these things to the apostles.” (Luke 24:10, NKJV).
First-century Jewish society was very patriarchal. As in many other male-dominated societies, the place of women was at home. They would definitely not have been the first choice for witnesses of one the greatest events in Christian history if the men could have had their say in the matter.
At the first Christmas, God first revealed His newborn King, born to a humble small-town girl, to shepherds, who did not have a very dominant place in society. A similar trend is seen in the Easter account.
The resurrection account was an embarrassment for the chosen apostles. While Peter and the others had promised to defend their Master with their own lives, if necessary, they had failed miserably. The leaders of the early church were definitely not men of great faith – at least not yet.
One might have expected that Peter, John and James would have been the chief witnesses of the resurrection. They were not.
The choice of the women as the first witnesses shows that the resurrection accounts in the Gospels are genuine. In the first-century A.D. Jewish society, the testimony of women was thought to be less reliable than that of men.
Resurrection Sunday also tells us that contrary to what Bible-skeptics might say, Christianity has a high regard for women.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Interesting Joel, the role of women with Jesus.Thanks, David.
Jesus was/is a liberator - of both men, women, slaves, free, rich, poor.... if we/they will just allow Him! Love this piece Joel!Thanks, Marijo.
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