Today is International Women’s Day! The UN theme for this year, is “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity”. So I just want to give a shout out to all the ladies out there for being beautiful, strong and driven. With that being said, I wanted to write something that shows that women are adored by Jesus. Did you read that? You ladies are ADORED by Jesus. He has so much compassion for women and there’s numerous stories in the Gospels about the love he feels and how he is moved to help women. He also longs for women to step into their calling for the Kingdom of God. Ladies, we all have a voice, so let’s use it.
The story I want to talk about is found in Mark 16. This is after Jesus has been buried and Mary Magdalene and 2 other women came to his tomb to anoint Him. But, to their surprise, they saw that the stone had been rolled away and when they entered the tomb, there was angel who had said to them “He is risen, do not be afraid but GO, tell His disciples!”. So, they went out quickly and fled from the tomb.
Then, Mark 16:9 tells us that Jesus FIRST appeared to Mary after his resurrection (Mark 16:9). In John 20:17, Jesus tells Mary to GO and tell the disciples that she’s seen the resurrected Lord. So, I’ve been thinking for the past few weeks why is it that women were the first to see the empty tomb, and why is it that Mary, a woman, is the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection? Like, what could be the significance of that?
Living in the United States, a woman’s word is not something that is typically questioned. So, reading this, I’m like, well that’s cool, no big deal, right? Wrong. It was a very big deal for a woman to claim something during this time, especially a claim that the Son of Man had risen from the dead. During this time period, 1 man’s word was found to be true, just 1 man, no witnesses.. whereas if a woman were to make a claim, it needed 3 witnesses to be found true. Women were not treated well and were not seen as a liable source of information. So again, it brings me back to my question. Why would women be the first to see the empty tomb and why would Jesus first appear to Mary after the resurrection?
I believe that through this event, God is affirming women as a unique and vital role in the Kingdom of God. He radically affirms the full dignity of women and the vital value of their witness. Mary is the first person that is given the responsibility to tell others about the resurrection of Jesus. He is entrusting her to share this news. But think about what kind of pressure that would put on Mary.. if it were me, I would be like, “That’s cool that you think I can carry this responsibility and all, but I need a few more witnesses to testify for me, so let’s bring them in here real quick. THEN, I can go into all the world and tell everyone that you’ve risen from the grave, sound good?”.
But Mary didn’t do that! She BOLDLY took on that responsibility with no question, and no hesitation. She went and told the disciples about it. And they at first didn’t believe. But Jesus actually rebukes them for their unbelief! (Mark 16:14). He’s boldly affirming her role in the kingdom to go out and use her voice to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus is basically saying that women have just as much responsibility in the Kingdom. He is trying to break the barriers of gender inequality.
We still live in a world where there’s gender inequality. Granted, in the United States it’s not near as bad off as other countries around the world, but it’s still prevalent. But even in the church sometimes we see gender inequality and view certain roles as “men only” or “women only”. But I just want to encourage all the ladies reading this to use your voice and BOLDLY go into all the world and tell others about the Gospel. God has already affirmed you of the responsibility so now it’s just time to rise up and claim it.
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#SendAlextoAsia #InternationalWomensDay
