How many women went to the tomb?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The resurrection of Jesus was first witnessed by at least five women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna, though there may have been more (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:1–2). Each gospel account names different women, reflecting the authors’ selective eyewitness perspectives rather than contradictions, and Luke and John imply the presence of additional unnamed women, highlighting a larger group. Significantly, three of the named women had also witnessed Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; Luke 8:3), making them credible and consistent witnesses to both the crucifixion and the resurrection. The presence of women as the first to see the risen Christ was countercultural, emphasizing God’s valuing of women and the unlikely inventiveness of the accounts, which lends credibility to the gospel narrative. These accounts remind us that God works through ordinary people to reveal His glory and accomplish His purposes. More importantly, the empty tomb confirms that Jesus’ death fully satisfied God’s wrath, and all who trust in Him receive forgiveness and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 5:9; 1 Peter 2:24). Harmonizing these accounts teaches us to appreciate multiple perspectives in Scripture while celebrating the faithfulness and courage of those God used to confirm the central truth of the resurrection.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The women who went to the tomb are not recorded in the Old Testament.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Each gospel account gives a partial list of the women who went to Jesus' tomb, but none of the accounts contradicts another (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:1–2). Readers cannot know for certain the exact number because some lists refer to unnamed women.
• Mary Magdalene is named in all four accounts. She was a devoted follower of Jesus (Luke 8:1–2), and was at the cross with Jesus' mother when He was crucified (Matthew 27:56; John 19:25). This might explain why all four gospel writers name her among the women present at the tomb. Additionally, the John passage records her as the one speaking to the disciples, so she may have been the first or primary speaker of the group.
• A second woman, known as “the mother of James,” was also an eyewitness to Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:56). She is in three of the lists (Matthew, Mark, and Luke); however, Matthew refers to her as “the other Mary.”
• A third woman, Salome, is named only in Mark’s account. She was also an eyewitness to Jesus’ death (Mark 15:40). No additional information about Salome is known from the rest of the New Testament.
• Likewise, the fourth woman, Joanna, is only in the Luke account. She may be the same "Joanna" mentioned once more in Luke’s Gospel as a follower of Jesus (Luke 8:3).
• Beyond those four named women, Luke's account implies there were at least two more. He records three of the women (Mary Magdalene, “the mother of James,” and Joanna) and then said, “also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles" (Luke 24:10; emphasis added). This indicates other women were present— perhaps Salome and at least one other—-bringing the total to at least five women, maybe more.
• John, who names only Mary Magdalene, also implies the presence of other women. He records Mary Magdalene saying, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him" (John 20:2; emphasis added). Saying “we” means Mary was speaking on behalf of a group of women, that is, the women mentioned in the other three Gospel accounts.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

How many women visited Jesus' tomb? We can infer but can’t know for certain. But even more interesting questions that believers can ask Bible skeptics are . . .

Why would an invented story insert women "characters" at the most critical moment?

In the culture of the time, a woman’s testimony was often disregarded. No fictional piece would insert them at such a critical point in the "story."If the gospels were made-up accounts, why would the women be named? It’s one thing to say, “some women saw Jesus,” and an entirely different thing to name specific individuals known throughout the community who could confirm what the authors wrote.While Jesus would reveal Himself to all the disciples (John 20:19) and even to as many as five hundred people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6), the resurrection story begins with a reminder of the high value God places on women by making them the first witnesses to the resurrection.

More important than all of these, though, is that the tomb was empty! The Father had sent Jesus, who was eternally God (John 1:1), to take on humanity and die for sinners (Philippians 2:6–8). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that His death had fully satisfied the Father’s wrath. This means that all who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus already have had their sins paid for on the cross (1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:14) and have eternal life (John 3:16), having been saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9).

UNDERSTAND

• The gospel accounts each name some of the women at the tomb, with none providing a complete list.
• Combined, the gospel accounts identify four women by name and indicate that additional unnamed women were also present.
• At least three of the four named women also witnessed Jesus' death, making them good witnesses to confirm his resurrection.

REFLECT

• How does seeing multiple perspectives across the Gospel accounts affect your confidence in their reliability?
• How do you react when Bible skeptics point out supposed "contradictions" in Scripture?
• What does the presence of multiple women as witnesses teach you about how God chose to reveal the resurrection?

ENGAGE

• What principles should guide how we harmonize different gospel accounts?
• What does the presence of multiple women as the first witnesses to the resurrection reveal about God's valuing women?
• Why might each gospel writer have chosen to highlight different women in recounting the same event?