18.01.08 Mt. 28:8-10
JESUS APPEARS TO THE WOMEN
8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”
Again Scripture elevates the status of women.[1] And Jesus again demonstrated that He had no respect for the religious traditions of men and silently underscored the social and legal value of women. They would be the first witnesses to testify to the resurrection – a sharp contrast to the prevailing opinions of their testimony as noted in the following two documents:
But let not the testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, either out of hope of gain, or fear of punishment.
Josephus, Antiquities 4.8.15
Any evidence which a woman gives is not valid (to offer) … This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman.
Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashannah 1.8[2]
Critics have long said that the resurrection account was a creation of the disciples or early church fathers. If that were true, they certainly would not have recorded women as witnesses, but would have chosen honorable and respected disciples, such as Peter, James or John. No self-respecting Jew would have fabricated a story of this nature. Furthermore, among Gentiles the status of women was even lower, so therefore, no Gentile church leader would have created this account either.
[1]. For example, their testimony was excluded from legal court proceedings. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 3.9
[2]. Quoted in Gary Habermas and Mike Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. 72.