Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples
Mary Magdalene, a devoted follower of Jesus, is the first to witness the resurrected Christ. Her role highlights the significant place women held in Jesus' ministry, despite the cultural norms of the time that often marginalized them. The act of announcing the resurrection to the disciples underscores her importance as a witness. This moment fulfills Jesus' earlier promise that He would rise again, and it sets the stage for the Great Commission, where the disciples are sent to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.

“I have seen the Lord!”
Mary's declaration is a profound statement of faith and a pivotal moment in Christian history. Her encounter with the risen Christ transforms her grief into joy and certainty. This phrase echoes the personal and transformative nature of encountering Jesus, a theme prevalent throughout the Gospels. It also serves as a fulfillment of Jesus' promise in John 16:22, where He assures His followers that their sorrow will turn to joy. Her testimony is a precursor to the apostolic witness that forms the foundation of the early church.

And she told them what He had said to her.
Mary's recounting of Jesus' words emphasizes the importance of the message she received. Jesus' instructions to Mary, as recorded earlier in the chapter, include the command to inform the disciples of His impending ascension. This highlights the continuity of Jesus' mission and the preparation of His followers for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Her role as a messenger parallels the prophetic tradition in the Old Testament, where individuals are chosen to deliver God's word to His people. This moment also prefigures the role of the disciples as bearers of the Gospel message to the world.

1. Mary Magdalene
A devoted follower of Jesus, Mary Magdalene is the first to witness the resurrected Christ. Her encounter with Jesus marks a pivotal moment in the resurrection account.

2. The Disciples
The group of Jesus' closest followers, who are initially in hiding and mourning after His crucifixion. Mary brings them the first news of the resurrection.

3. The Resurrection of Jesus
The central event of Christian faith, where Jesus rises from the dead, confirming His divinity and the truth of His teachings.

4. The Empty Tomb
The place where Jesus was laid to rest, which Mary Magdalene visits and finds empty, leading to her encounter with the risen Christ.

5. The Announcement
Mary’s declaration to the disciples that she has seen the Lord, which is a foundational testimony to the resurrection.The Role of Women in the Gospel
Mary Magdalene's role as the first witness to the resurrection highlights the significant place women hold in the Gospel account. This challenges cultural norms and affirms the value of all believers in the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Importance of Testimony
Mary's announcement to the disciples serves as a model for believers to share their encounters with Christ. Personal testimony is a powerful tool in witnessing to others about the reality of Jesus.

Faith in the Resurrection
The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith. Believers are called to live in the power of the resurrection, trusting in the victory over sin and death that it represents.

Overcoming Doubt
The initial skepticism of the disciples reminds us that doubt is a natural part of faith. However, the truth of the resurrection invites us to move beyond doubt into belief and action.

The Transformative Encounter with Christ
Just as Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Jesus transformed her, believers are called to seek and experience the transformative power of Christ in their own lives.(18) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples.--Better, Mary Magdalene cometh, and announceth to the disciples. The coming is described from the point of view of the writer, who was one of the disciples.

Verse 18. - Mary the Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples. She rushes at once with speed and zeal, and the word is on her tongue, I have seen (she does not say, I have grasped him by the hand, or kissed his feet) the Lord, and how that he said these things to her. This special message, not recorded in Matthew 28:10, was clearly not given to the women who held his feet. Some harmonists endeavor to identify the narrative in Matthew with this passage and others to make Matthew's narrative identical with the account of the revelations made to Joanna's party at a later hour, and therefore entirely distinct from this (see Commentaries on Matthew, Luke, and Mark). John's account is free from ambiguity in itself, whereas the rapid summary given in Luke and the general impression produced by the whole group of events, as recorded by Matthew, suggest the need of supplementary intelligence. The narratives of the synoptists, then, record that in the course of this Easter Day a company of women who may reasonably be supposed to be those who bore the names of Joanna, Susanna, and others, and who had gone to the tomb with their spices, had been met by the Lord himself, either going or returning, and had received the summons to tell the disciples that he would see them in Galilee. The two disciples on their way to Emmaus had at length discovered that the mysterious stranger who accosted them and discoursed so fully was the Lord himself. They returned to Jerusalem to affirm the fact, and found the eleven rejoicing that the Lord had risen indeed, and that "he had appeared to Simon Peter." It would certainly seem, and is at length admitted by all, that the narrative given in the following verses of events occurring on the late evening of the Easter Day could be none other than that which Luke describes (Luke 24:36). This is rendered somewhat perplexing by the record of Mark 16:12, that the language of the two disciples was not accepted by τοῖς λοιποῖς, "the rest." But it is obvious from every one of the narratives how slow of heart even the apostles themselves were to accept the assurance of such unexpected and wonderful phenomena. The extreme dejection of the disciples, followed by their vigorous and invincible faith, is testified by each evangelist; but from the nature of the ease the resurrection of Jesus was, during the course of the entire day, doubted by some. The nature of the doubt, and the method in which it was put to rest, is portrayed in some detail by John (see note on ver. 1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Mary
Μαριὰμ (Mariam)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3137: Or Mariam of Hebrew origin; Maria or Mariam, the name of six Christian females.

Magdalene
Μαγδαληνὴ (Magdalēnē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3094: Magdalene, a woman of Magdala. Feminine of a derivative of Magdala; a female Magdalene, i.e. Inhabitant of Magdala.

went
Ἔρχεται (Erchetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

and announced
ἀγγέλλουσα (angellousa)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 518: To report (from one place to another), bring a report, announce, declare. From apo and the base of aggelos; to announce.

to the
τοῖς (tois)
Article - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

disciples,
μαθηταῖς (mathētais)
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

“I have seen
Ἑώρακα (Heōraka)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Lord!”
Κύριον (Kyrion)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

And [she told them]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[what]
ταῦτα (tauta)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

He had said
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to her.
αὐτῇ (autē)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Gospels: John 20:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples (Jhn Jo Jn)