7 April 2026

In the Matthaean account of the resurrection, two women are the first to visit the tomb on Easter Day. They are both called Mary. The first was Mary Magdalene, who had suffered much in her life and had been exorcised of seven demons by Jesus.

Whilst the second was called Mary, she is referred to as ‘the other Mary’. Is this part of an othering process by which some people are marginalised and treated as inferior to the dominant group, dividing the world  into them and us?

Was she the mother of James and Joseph or  the wife of Clopas or  was she simply ‘the other Mary’, not the most important one, carrying in that title an unenviable anonymity and insignificance? She was one of the women who followed Jesus, supported his ministry and witnessed  his death, burial and resurrection!

The inclusion of ‘the other Mary’ in the Gospel narratives is evidence of the counter-cultural ministry of Jesus and the early Christian Church. It was inclusive in nature and was instrumental in breaking down the current barriers in society.

What is most significant on Easter Day is that ‘the other Mary’ was one of two female witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. In this way, she underscores the reliability and authenticity of the resurrection accounts!

Since  the testimonies of women were not given much credence in those days, the fact that it is ‘the other Mary’ who is recorded as a first witness and not somehow  erased from the record, validates the truth of the Easter Day events!

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