THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB:
EARLY WITNESSES TO THE RESURRECTION
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Sermon from Easter Sunday, 2004
But on the first day of the week, at
early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that
they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from
the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the
body...and returning from the tomb, they told all this to
the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with
them who told this to the apostles... Luke
24:1-12
We hear a lot about the twelve apostles in New Testament
writings, but not much about the women who followed Jesus.
The accounts of Easter morning are a notable exception. The
first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection were the women
among his followers. What do we know about them? According
to Luke 8:1-3, Jesus traveled through cities and villages
with an entourage of both men and women: “The twelve
were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of
evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from
whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of
Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others,
who provided for them out of their resources.” Mary
Magdalene is mentioned in all four Gospels as being present
at the tomb on Easter morning. According to Luke 8, she was
restored to wholeness of spirit by Jesus. There is much
speculation about whether she is the sinner forgiven by
Jesus in Luke 7:26-50 or even Mary, Martha’s sister.
If Mary was the sinner referred to in Acts 7, it may well
be that Luke protected her identity out of respect for an
honored member of the Church. Another hint at her identity
can be found in her name. Mary was a common name, likely
inspired by the name of Moses’ sister Mariam (Numbers
12:1). The etymology of the name is contested, with
opinions ranging from bitter, corpulent, beautiful, or lady
in Hebrew to “beloved” if the name is of
Egyptian origin. Regardless of its origin, it was a common
name within the Judaism of Jesus’ day, as can be seen
from the number of women bearing this name. In order to
distinguish her from the other Marys, she was given the
nickname of “Magdalene.” There are two main
hypotheses about this name. First, it could indicate that
her home town was Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Second,
the Talmud uses the term Magdalene to refer to an
adulteress (curling women’s hair)- the idea being
that in Aramaic, the term refers to women who curl their
hair and otherwise make themselves attractive in order to
engage in adultery. If this is how the term was used with
respect to Mary, it may well connect her either to the
sinner who came to Jesus for forgiveness in Luke 7 or to an
unreported occurrence that was similar in nature. On the
other hand, this usage of the term so pejorative that one
wonders whether the disciples and the early Church would
have used it as a nickname for her- Mary, the adulteress,
or Mary, the hooker, especially given her conversion and
exemplary role in following Jesus to the cross. It is more
likely that it refers to her hometown. If this Mary was the
sister of Martha and was visited by Jesus (Luke 10:28-42),
it is difficult to understand why Luke would not have
identified her as Magdalene, given that Mary is cast in a
positive light here.
Luke 8 tells us that Joanna was the wife of Herod’s
steward, Chuza. The Herod in question is Herod Antipas, son
of Herod the Great, who ruled Galilee and Perea on behalf
of the Romans from 3 B.C. to A.D. 39. His capital was at
Sepphoris, about three miles from Nazareth. The office of
steward is mentioned in various places in the Gospels and
refers to a person who administers the estate of another
person. In this case, Chuza would have been the chief
financial officer of the tetrarchy, a very powerful
position indeed.
Mary, the mother of James, is one of three women mentioned
in Matthew 27:56: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James
and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James
and John). Mark 15:40 refers to her as the mother of James
the Younger and Joses (Joseph). The James referred to here
is James, son of Alphaeus, another of the apostles (Matthew
10:3, Acts 1:13), not Jesus’ brother or the brother
of John.
According to Luke 8, the women who followed Jesus made
material provisions out of their own resources. .When the
men fled on Good Friday, the woman witnessed Jesus’
crucifixion. Their desire to properly prepare Jesus body
for burial on Easter morning made them the first to
recognize that Jesus had risen.
The Gospels give us a glimpse into the nature of
Jesus’ followers. Rather than being limited to twelve
disciples (from the point of view of being pupils of a
rabbi), Jesus’ entourage includes unsung heros whose
contribution has been undervalued. The Easter accounts help
to correct this picture, particularly with respect to the
women who followed him. While listening to Jesus’
teachings is important, humble service can often lead to
encountering Jesus in unexpected, but glorious, ways.
Thanks be to God!