What does John 20:18 mean?
Mary Magdalene was present to see Jesus maimed and killed (John 19:1–4, 18, 34), then hastily buried (Matthew 27:60–61). She saw His empty grave the following Sunday morning (John 20:1) and watched two disciples investigate the tomb before leaving (John 20:2–10). She was shocked to discover, moments later, that Jesus was standing there and speaking to her (John 20:11–17).In that era, women were assumed to be mentally inferior, and unreliable. No one would have invented the claim that it was women who first learned something so important. Even in the details of His resurrection, Jesus' ministry continues to overturn those prejudices and raise the status of women (John 11:28; Luke 10:39; Galatians 3:28).
Those prejudices won't die easily. Mary will go and tell the disciples exactly as she's been commanded by Jesus. Apparently, they don't believe her. Despite all that's happened, they seem to dismiss her message as feminine hysteria (Luke 24:10–11, 22–24). When Jesus comes to see the disciples in person, they will be huddled in fear and shocked to see Him (John 20:19–23).
