Women Witnesses of the Easter Events
March 30, 2026 - Women Witnesses of the Easter Events
Discussion Material:
Women Witnesses of the Easter Events - By Gaye Strathearn - https://rsc.byu.edu/he-was-seen/women-witnesses-easter-events
What We Know About Mary Magdalene - By Camille Fronk Olson, Elspeth Young - https://www.ldsliving.com/what-we-know-about-mary-magdalene/s/90992
BYU Radio with Camille Fronk Olson - https://www.byuradio.org/f07964e5-3860-4d3e-a280-7a0d5f4a1736/ep-135-camille-fronk-olson-the-holy-family
Heather Farrell’s Walk with Women of the New Testament
Discussion:
Mary stayed with and helped Elisabeth for the birth of her son, John—
Elisabeth wanted the relationship/friendship with Mary — friends of different ages — both having their first baby
Mary — knew she was the Lord’s handmaiden and did it until the end — staying with Jesus as he was crucified
Some will know what others need before it’s needed - sometimes this can be uncomfortable
These examples are not going to Plan B but letting the Lord prevail in their lives—and taking it one step at a time, not looking too far down the road
Joseph - helped by the angel Gabriel (Noah), who gave Joseph the opportunity and assignment to be the protector
Book mentioned: The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Women Witnesses of Christ’s Crucifixion Named in the Four Gospels: Mary Magdalene, Mary Mother of James and Joses, Mary Mother of James, Mary Wife of Cleophas, Joanna Wife of Chuza, Jesus’ Mother, Jesus’ Mother’s Sister, Mother of Zebedee’s Children, Salome, Other Women - from Christ’s Emancipation of Women in the New Testament by Lynne Hilton Wilson
Women have so many intimate responsibilities —birthing and dying—carrying 75 pounds of spices—for the sacred experience of handling the body of Jesus Christ—a different breed of women —
Note regarding the weight of the spices used to prepare the body of Jesus Christ:
“In some of the other translations of John 19:31, you see that they have to take him off the cross because it is on the eve of the Passover. And then the next day is the Sabbath. So they cannot work for two days.
But these women who assist Joseph of Arimathea in the tomb and Nicodemus' servants, who have all come to carry the body of our Lord and to bring the spices, it says a hundred pounds in King James, but the pound then was only 12 ounces. So it was about 75 pounds of spices and ointments. But those women hurry back after they've begun helping the servants in the preparation, after they know that the Lord is being buried in a tomb close by this main road, a garden setting that's close by where the crucifixion took place.”
From Scripture Central: “The Women of Easter —Come Follow Me —Handmaidens, Harems and Heroines” by Lynne Hilton Wilson, Mar 23, 2026
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scripture-central/id1067020550?i=1000756755819&r=1396
John 19:39 talks about the weight of the spices in the King James Version. Incredible!
Women had a strong community and worked together. These women were brave every day
Mary Magdalene - re-interpreted as a prostitute by a pope, without evidence
The name Mary/Miriam - the same - and so many are named in the Jewish and Christian faiths
Note: For more examples of women witnesses of Christ, read: https://seekthecovenantpath.substack.com/p/christs-emancipation-of-women-in