3 Reasons the Women of Easter Deserve Our Applause and Imitation
March 15, 2024
As the calendar moves forward toward the sacred beauty of this coming Good Friday, Silent Saturday, and Easter Sunday, we have the opportunity to once again look to the scriptures that detail the passion of our Lord.
A careful reading of Luke 22-24, John 19-20, and the other gospel accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection, may cause your eyes to be opened afresh and for you to stand astonished at the courage of the women of Easter.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were among the women of Easter. They watched from a distance as nails pounded through the flesh of the hands and feet of Jesus, the Lord whom they loved.
These women had become steadfast disciples and followed Jesus, tenderly and generously caring for his needs. Joanna is also mentioned as one of the faithful women of Easter, and as a biblical narrative notes, “Many other women who had come up with him (Jesus) to Jerusalem were also there” (Mark 15:41).
The Easter story is alive with women whose quiet courage was exhibited from the garish heartbreak of the cross to the wonderment of the tomb and the first appearance of the resurrected Christ.
It is easy to slip past the women in these passages, overlooking them just as they might have been in the patriarchal system of their day. Women in their society were not considered to have a voice in community affairs, to be trustworthy messengers, nor were they counted as reliable witnesses to testify in court.
As biblical characters and disciples, these women could appear anecdotal to the greater drama of the unjust and brutal trial and crucifixion of the Son of God. They may even seem a small part of the Easter story when contrasted with the delight of a Savior risen on that early Sunday morn.
Courage and deep-rooted confidence were exhibited by each one of these women as they stood in the face of stark adversity and the death of their deepest longing and hope.
They believed they had found the promised Savior, but the events of that first Easter gave them every reason to be overwhelmed with fear and doubt.
Here are 3 elements of courageous faith shown by the women of Easter:
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