Reading about resurrection during this COVID season has caused a number of things to stand out afresh to me. In many ways, I’m grateful that this Lenten season is jarringly different. One of the things that captured me was something I knew, but hadn’t fully appreciated. It’s something that may not appear to be significant to some of us; however, in some churches, it might be just as shocking as it was that first Easter morning. It was a detail of the resurrection that the original gospel writers never would have included if it weren’t true. In many ways, it delegitimatized the resurrection in the minds of many in the first few centuries. It’s part of the account that may have even been embarrassing to the original readers. 

Women were the first witnesses to and preachers of the resurrection.

I think John’s account of the resurrection makes this point most compellingly. It’s the passage that I’m preaching from this weekend (I can’t wait!). Listen to the way John recorded this portion of his gospel:

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

I’d encourage you to read the whole chapter, but let me point a few things about this text. 

Allow me to highlight the obvious; Jesus commands Mary to go and tell what she has seen. Now, let me ask a question that has a clear answer. Could Jesus have appeared to men if he wanted to? Absolutely. There were two men at the tomb right before he appeared to Mary. His hands were not tied; he’s the king of the universe. He CHOSE to appear to Mary. Don’t miss that, it’s important and an often overlooked part of the resurrection story. Why in the world would Jesus choose to appear to Mary instead of Peter and John? 

As I previously stated, having women as the first witnesses to the resurrection was not an inherent benefit to the proclamation of the message. Celsus, a 2nd-century Greek philosopher captured the sentient when he wrote,

“Christianity can't be true because the written accounts of the resurrection are based on the testimony of women. We all know women are hysterical.”

“We all know women are hysterical...” Wow! Now, I think we might conclude that Celsus’ comments are a bit extreme, but they capture the prevailing thought of his day nonetheless. Women weren’t even allowed to give testimony in a court of law because they were deemed unreliable witnesses. 

So, why would Jesus appear to women first? We don’t know for sure, but it makes sense that because Jesus is announcing a whole new world through his resurrection, the old tired gender roles have to die for something new to emerge. Jesus is rising and with him there is a whole new way of being in the world that is coming to life with him. Patriarchy has to die for equality to come about - and his appearance to women and commissioning of them to share the gospel is the deathblow to patriarchy. 

Keep in mind that this whole scene is happening in a garden tomb. The garden is both a reality and an archetype. Jesus was buried and raised in a garden, but he’s also bringing his followers back to the garden. The garden of Eden. In doing so, he’s calling them to view gender in the same way it was viewed before the fall. He’s calling them forward by pointing them back. So what kind of arrangement was there in that original garden?

In the garden of Eden, woman was (symbolically) taken from the side of man (Genesis 2:22). That’s an important detail. She wasn’t taken out of his head, where she’d be above him. She wasn’t taken from his feet, where she would be below him. Woman was taken from the side of man because she was his equal.

In the garden woman was called “ezer.” That Hebrew word is translated “helper.” But it’s a different kind of helper than many people imagine. Most think of Eve as Adam’s helper in the sense that she was his weaker compliment. However, the word ezer is used 21 times in the Old Testament. Twice it is used in reference to Eve. Three times it is used of people helping (or failing to help) in life-threatening situations. And 16 times it is used in reference to God as a helper. God is our ezer just like Eve was Adam’s ezer. Without exception, these accounts are talking about a significant, strong, and powerful kind of help. Yet often when ezer is applied to the first woman, its meaning is usually diminished to fit with traditional and cultural views of women’s roles.

In a garden tomb, Jesus is bringing about new life, and he’s healing the divisions and oppressive systems that we have created. He’s giving women back their voice by entrusting them with the most important message the world has ever heard. “Christ is risen!” One of the subtle messages of John’s account of the resurrection is that if we don’t have room for women to preach the gospel, we don’t have room for the resurrection message. That’s an unfortunate truth for some who are more comfortable silencing the voices of women - but true nonetheless.

Think of the absurdity of telling Mary that she could announce the resurrection to the other disciples if they were in homes or small groups but not allowing her to proclaim it from a pulpit. Think of telling Mary that that her voice and message couldn’t be authoritative over men. Would we say that Mary’s resurrection announcement wasn’t authoritative even though Jesus himself commissioned her to announce it? It can’t mean that because it made it into the Holy Scriptures. It’s far more authoritative than any word coming from any pulpit this Sunday, regardless of who’s preaching. 

No, the resurrection resurrects equality. Jesus entrusts his whole resurrection event on shoulders of women who preach the gospel. This isn’t periphery to the message; it’s core, central, and essential. I know there are some who would argue that having women preach in public worship gatherings somehow compromises the gospel (because of a poor understanding of hierarchy within the Trinity), but I would argue just the opposite. If we don’t have women preaching, we have no resurrection account, and if we have no resurrection account, we have no gospel. Hierarchy isn’t core to the gospel (despite what some may say), but resurrection undoubtedly is. 

The only reason to record the gospel account the way John does is because that’s the way it actually happened. 

The only reason it happened that way is because God wanted it to happen that way. 

The reason God wanted it to happen that way is because he wants the church to value the voice of women in an authoritative way. 

The resurrection begs the modern church to wrestle with this question: will you believe and empower all people to be heralds of the gospel? Will you insist on holding onto old, tired systems, or will you follow Jesus into resurrection?

I pray that Jesus resurrects equality within our communities of faith. Let’s make room for the resurrection and the many ways it can be proclaimed.