When Jesus first rose from the dead, He was seen by one person first -- and it was very unusual. Who was this person -- and why was it so unusual?
Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and was laid to rest in a tomb. On the third day, as He had foretold, He rose from the dead.
His followers, even though He had told them He would rise, were confused and perhaps demoralized. On the first day of the Jewish week, which was the Sunday we now know as Easter, Mary who was one of Jesus' followers went along with some other women to the tomb to bring spices to anoint the body of Jesus.
When they arrived, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb and an angel standing there. The angel said, "Why do you seek the living among the dead. He is not here, He has risen!"
Mary was there outside the tomb when she saw someone. At first she thought it might be the gardener, but then He spoke to her and she recognized it was Jesus. So as far as we know, the first person to see Jesus was Mary.
In ancient society, women often did not have the same recognition and status as men. Jesus blessed and saved both men and women, so it is significant that, for such an event as His rising from the dead, the first person to see Jesus was a woman. Mary then ran and told the other disciples, and soon all of them saw Jesus for themselves.