The question of who saw the Risen Christ first is often asked by both the faithful and those exploring Orthodox Christianity.
The Gospels mention several women at the tomb and describe Christ’s appearances to Mary Magdalene and the disciples. However, Orthodox Christian tradition preserves something deeper, something that transcends the written text.
According to the sacred tradition of the Church, the first person to behold the Risen Christ was not Mary Magdalene, but the Theotokos—the Virgin Mary, His Mother.
The Holy Scriptures were not written as exhaustive historical accounts, but to lead us to faith and salvation. The Gospel writers did not record every event, and some mysteries were preserved in the life of the Church.
The Orthodox Church, faithful to apostolic teaching, holds that the Theotokos was the first to see the Risen Lord, not because it is stated in the Gospels, but because of what the Gospel reveals about her role in the mystery of Christ.
The Mother of Christ at the Center of Salvation History
Orthodox Christianity teaches that the Theotokos was not merely the earthly mother of Jesus, but the chosen vessel of the Incarnation.
She bore God in her womb. She held His lifeless body after the Crucifixion. She stood at the foot of the Cross in complete agony, faithful and silent.
Could the One who was obedient to her in childhood and who entrusted her to John from the Cross truly leave her in grief after the Resurrection?
It is not merely emotional reasoning. It is theological. In Orthodox Christianity, every act of Christ is full of love and meaning. The Lord does not forget those who suffer with Him.
The Theotokos, who remained steadfast during His Passion, was surely to be comforted first in His glory.
Liturgical and Hymnographic Testimony
Though the Gospels are silent on this meeting, the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church proclaims it. The hymn of Pascha says: “The Lord appeared first to the Theotokos. He who was born of her appeared to her first.”
This is not poetic exaggeration. The Orthodox Church has always guarded and expressed theological truth through its hymns.
One powerful phrase from the Paschal Canon is: “You arose from the tomb and appeared first to the Theotokos.”
Orthodox Christians chant these words year after year because the Church bears witness to what was handed down by the early Christians and the Fathers.
The silence of Scripture is not a denial. It is an invitation to go deeper into the life of the Church, where the Holy Spirit speaks not only through ink, but through holiness, memory, and love.
The Theotokos held the Crucified Christ not with despair, but with the strength of faith.
The Spiritual Logic of the Resurrection
Orthodoxy teaches us to see the Resurrection not just as a historical event, but as the unveiling of divine love. In this light, the appearance of the Risen Christ to His Mother first becomes spiritually self-evident.
Who else more than the Theotokos could fully understand the mystery? Who else suffered more than she?
Looking for meaningful Orthodox gifts? Your search ends here. Get 10% off our collection now. 🎁✨!
She, who was pierced with a sword of grief at the Cross, must be the first to receive the joy of the empty tomb.
Saint John of Damascus, one of the great theologians of Orthodox Christianity, expresses this in his writings. He states that it is impossible to think that the Mother of God was not the first to see her Son risen.
The Resurrection was not only the defeat of death, but the healing of sorrow, beginning with the sorrow of the Mother of the Crucified One.
Why This Teaching Matters Today
In today’s world, many are searching for truth and comfort. Orthodoxy does not offer cold doctrine but living tradition.
The belief that the Theotokos saw the Risen Christ first reminds every Orthodox Christian that God never forgets those who are faithful in pain.
It is a truth that speaks to mothers who mourn, to hearts that wait in silence, and to souls longing to see the light of Resurrection after the darkness of the Cross.
This tradition also protects us from seeing the Resurrection as a distant myth. Instead, it becomes personal. The Theotokos represents every soul that has followed Christ to Golgotha. Her joy is our promise.
Living the Resurrection with the Theotokos
Orthodox Christianity invites us not just to believe that Christ is risen, but to meet the Risen Lord ourselves.
Like the Theotokos, we are called to keep our hearts open through the silence of Holy Saturday, through the darkness of trials, until the light comes.
The image of the Theotokos beholding her Risen Son is an image of perfect faith fulfilled. She did not run to the tomb, nor did she question.
She waited. And the Risen Christ came to her.
That is the heart of Orthodox Christianity—to wait with faith, to stand at the Cross without bitterness, and to believe that joy will rise again.
Every Pascha, the Orthodox Church reminds us that Resurrection is not just an event—it is a Person. And the Theotokos was the first to meet Him again.
Dive deeper: