Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Matthew 28:9-10 (NIV)
9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Women in the ancient world were not considered to be credible witnesses. Obviously, things have changed for the better! But in this passage, it is not men who are the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, but women! And women are the first people that Jesus sends out to tell others that he had risen! It does not matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from that determines your qualification to share the good news of Jesus with others. And being a “preacher” does not mean giving sermons on Sunday morning at church. It means sharing the love, mercy, forgiveness, and gospel of Jesus with people in your normal, everyday social circles. Who can you love today? Who can you forgive? Your spouse? Kids? Your neighbor? Someone at work? You are qualified by Jesus!