Peter figures so heavily in the earlier Passion narratives that it’s natural to believe that Jesus would first appear to the fisherman from Galilee. But Jesus first appears not to Peter, nor to any of the other male disciples, but to women. In Matthew’s Gospel, He appears first to “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.” In Mark, he appears first to Mary Magdalene. And in John’s Gospel, the distinction of Mary Magdalene is even more pronounced: Early on Easter Sunday, she comes to the tomb, finds it empty and then races to Peter and the person known as the “beloved Disciple.” The two return with her, peer into the tomb, enter briefly and then leave. After they have gone, as Mary is weeping by the tomb, Jesus appears to her. He addresses her by her Aramaic name, which is preserved in the Greek manuscripts, tenderly calling her “Mariam.” At the end of the story in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Mary to announce the news of the Resurrection to the disciples. Thus my favorite title for her: “Apostle to the Apostles.” This is a needed reminder of the central place of women in the story of Jesus, as well as in the early church
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 02:41:15 +0000
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