The story of the resurrection of Jesus in the Bible contains many remarkable details. One of the most surprising is often overlooked.
The first witnesses to the empty tomb of Jesus were women.
All four Gospels record that women discovered the empty tomb of Jesus early on the first Easter morning. According to Jewish custom, burial spices were used to prepare a body for the tomb, but because Jesus needed to be buried quickly before the start of the Sabbath, the hurried circumstances of Friday afternoon meant the work had not been finished. Several women went to the tomb of Jesus to complete the burial preparations that had been interrupted by the Sabbath.
They were not expecting a resurrection. They were simply coming to care for a body. The Gospel of Mark records their conversation as they walked:
Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? (Mark 16:3).
When they arrived, however, they discovered something astonishing. The stone had already been rolled away, and the tomb was empty. And the angel at the tomb told them the news that would change history:
He is not here; for He is risen (Matthew 28:6).
At first glance this part of the Easter story might not seem unusual. Yet in the cultural world of the first century, this was actually quite unexpected. In Jewish and Roman society, women’s testimony was often not accepted in legal settings. Their words carried less public authority than those of men.
For that reason, if someone were inventing a story meant to persuade others, women would be an unlikely choice for the primary witnesses. Yet the Gospel writers all record the same thing: The first people to discover the empty tomb of Jesus were women.
Mary Magdalene at the tomb appears in every account of the empty tomb. Other women were present as well, depending on the Gospel writer’s perspective. These women had followed Jesus faithfully during His ministry. Some of them had even helped support His ministry and remained nearby and watched the crucifixion when many of the disciples had fled. They saw where Jesus was buried. And now they were the first to see that the tomb was empty.
It is a beautiful and often overlooked part of the story. The message of Easter was not first announced to powerful leaders or public figures. It was given to ordinary followers who had come simply to care for their teacher.
And those women were then entrusted with an important task. They were told to go tell the disciples. Matthew records the moment clearly:
Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead (Matthew 28:7).
In other words, the first witnesses of the resurrection were also the first messengers of the news. This detail reminds us of something important about the Easter story:
God often works through people the world overlooks.
The first witnesses were not chosen because of status or authority. They were simply faithful followers who showed up when others did not. Because they came to the tomb that morning, they became the first to hear the words that would echo through history:
He is risen.
For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7.
God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️
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