Women at the resurrection

Women at the resurrection
John 20:1-18, Luke 24: 1-12, Mark 16: 1-11, Matthew 28: 1-10

The sun had barely cracked the horizon.

Perhaps there was an early morning chill in the air.

The women—some identified, some nameless—approached the tomb apprehensively to anoint the body of their beloved Jesus.

His death had been so shocking and the crowds so violent. Who knew what might happen to them alone in the graveyard?

They spotted the open tomb and were terrified.

But then, these words broke through their fear, “Do not be afraid.”

It was proclaimed by the angel, and then, by Jesus himself. Do not be afraid; Death has been conquered. Do not be afraid; Life has won.

Each Gospel differs slightly in its account of what happened next, save for one thing.

It was the women, the named and the unnamed, who first shared the Gospel of the Risen Christ. Every word written in these chapters made it there because of the voices of these women.

Let’s follow their example.

Be brave in sharing the Gospel. Tell it with joy and abandon. It’s your story, too.

Allison Lynn Flemming, St. Catharines.