Unlikely Witnesses
They were unlikely witnesses. 2,000 years ago women were considered unreliable witnesses in legal proceedings. Yet, it was women who were the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, and the first followers entrusted to carry the message that “He is risen!”
The four accounts of Jesus resurrection (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) differ slightly in which women were the first to encounter the resurrected Jesus, but all agree that it was women. John, whose account we will read on Sunday (click here to read it) mentions only Mary Magdalene. The other Gospels mention at least four others and the likely truth is that all these women had gone to the tomb and, perhaps, even more.
Are you an unlikely witness? Perhaps there are reasons others might not trust you or take you seriously. Perhaps you’ve not been taken seriously in the past. Perhaps you don’t feel like you know what to say, or how to say it. Perhaps you fear you’ll be questioned and won’t have a good enough answer.
These first women had no education, no sophistication and they certainly did not understand what they had seen. No Bible training (women didn’t study at the synagogue), no seminary, no theology degree and probably illiterate. Yet, they are the most well known witnesses to this central event in human history!
Jesus walked the the Palm Sunday Road, all the way to Good Friday and finally to Easter Day. All that’s left is for us to celebrate it, live it as Jesus told us, and share it with others. Even without wisdom, eloquence or degrees. The only qualification is our own experience of Jesus! Be like the women!
This column appeared in the April 9, 2023 edition of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at a different time, you may click here for the current eNews.
