Jesus Trusted the Women

Earlier this week Bronwyn Lea wrote an article about What Easter Says About Trusting Women on the Huff Post Religion Blog.  In it she notes:

But in the hours and days after his death, God in His sovereignty entrusted a group of women to be the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. Women, whose opinion counted for nothing in court. Women, who couldn't vote. Women, who were regarded as less able, and innately less trustworthy. But it was to these that the Angel first testified that Jesus had risen from the dead, and to these that Jesus first appeared and commissioned to bear witness to his resurrection.

Of course, the disciples didn't believe their story. Of course they didn't trust the women -- "these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them" (Luke 24:11) Surely the women were mad? Or frightened? Or too full of feelings? And so wasting no time, the disciples ran to see for themselves.

That first Easter, nobody trusted the women.

But I'm reminded on Easter that Jesus did. He trusted the women.  

And it tells me that somehow, when it comes to bearing witness to Him, He trusts me too.

I have always loved the story of the women encountering the empty tomb on Easter morning.  Luke 24:1-12 says:

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. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, 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. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

While we celebrate Jesus' resurrection tomorrow morning, let's make sure we remember how radical Jesus was in his ministry.  That radical love and trust for those society put no stock in continues to have repercussions for us almost 2,000 years later.