“Easter
2010 Topical Msg: Reconciling
Resurrection Accounts”
By
Jim
Bomkamp
1.
Background:
This message has come
about because of a Christian Worldview Blog that I had written and was managing
last year. I had introduced several
themes of an apologetic vein and had debated the existence of God and validity
of Christianity with a blogger. After
all of this, he asked me to reconcile the resurrection accounts saying that he
would believe if I could successfully do this.
At the time I had several other things that rose in importance in my
life and so I told him I would get back to him, and as of yet I have not. But, I have been meaning to do this, and this
subject has been on my mind since that time.
Noting that Bible skeptics have raved about discrepancies concerning
many Bible stories and teachings, and that the resurrection accounts is a major
point of debate, I think my presentation is very important. So, this morning I want to do my best to
provide a reconciliation of the resurrection accounts, and I will tell the
resurrection accounts using all of the Biblical texts.
2.
The major points of contention regarding the
resurrection accounts are these:
2.1.
The number of women who went that Easter
morning and found an empty tomb.
2.2.
The number of angels present at the tomb.
2.3.
The appearance and description of the angels
that appear at the tomb.
2.4.
Discrepancies between the four gospel writers
as to what was said and happened in the various stories.
3.
From what I have read the seminal work that was
accomplished and provided the solid basis for reconciling the various gospel
accounts of the resurrection is a book that was published in 1874 by Harvard
law professor and lawyer Simon Greenleaf called “Testimony Of The
Evangelists.” He wrote a harmony of
the gospels in this book and sought to reconcile all of the various
discrepancies in the gospel accounts, from the beginning to the end. His goal was to show that if you used the
precedence that is performed in a court of law for determining guilt or
innocence, that you could present enough evidence to show that the accounts
could be trusted and were reliable. He
dedicated special focus to the events of the resurrection since he realized the
importance of that event as well as the debates that had raged about those
accounts. Every writer whom I have read
who seeks to reconcile the resurrection accounts either quotes from Greenleaf’s
book or plagiarizes it. The book is fully
downloadable on the internet for free, and here is the book’s cover:
4.
A man named Andy Bannister (of whom I know
nothing) has written on his website what I believe are some good guidelines
accepting the historicity of and accepting events as described by different
witnesses:
Since Christianity stands
or falls on whether the resurrection of Jesus was an actual, real, historical
event (1 Corinthians 15:12-19), we need to ask the question, what marks the
five accounts above out as genuine, independent (or semi-independent) accounts
of actual historical events? In short, how can we trust them?
I will begin by making some general observations concerning eye-witness
accounts and historical writing in general.
1. Selection and ‘contradiction’. Whilst this may be stating the obvious, it is worth
pointing out that historians naturally select which details to include and
which to ignore when describing any series of events. This will usually depend
upon their purpose in writing. It is also common that eye-witnesses will
describe an event differently from each other, as different points will stand
out more strongly for different eye-witnesses. Therefore, historians are
usually of the opinion that accounts which claim to be from different
authors or eye-witnesses but which fail to show any differences of selection
or perspective are almost certainly the result of copying or collusion.
On the other-hand, if the event described by two or more eye-witnesses is
genuine, it should be possible to resolve any apparent contradictions between
their accounts.
2. Incidental corroboration. In the case of two independent accounts of the same
event, it is often the case that one report will only make complete sense taken
in the light of the other. Put simply, this is because both accounts may be
true, but both are incomplete. This kind of overlapping to build up the
whole picture is to be expected when the events described by multiple
witnesses is true. It is also virtually impossible to fabricate,
unless one writer sits down with the report of the other and
deliberately sets out to do so.
3. Historical credibility. Details of the events described should be in harmony
with known historical practices, background of the period in question, as well
as in harmony with details known from other sources from that period.
4. Coherence.
Historical accounts should be coherent, self-consistent, and make good overall
sense if we to learn from them.
The following is
evident from the way that the four gospel writers have treated their material,
and it is important to keep these two points in mind as we proceed:
1. Incompleteness in reporting the presence of
characters: for example, in John
19:25, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the wife of Cleopas are reported as
being at the foot of the cross. However, only Mary Magdalene is mentioned as
going to the tomb early on the Sunday morning. However, John hardly expected
his readers to assume that a young woman was wandering around alone in the dark
city streets. And when she arrived back from the tomb, her words were,
"they have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where
they have put him" (John 20:2). Her plural indicates that she had
companions there with her, but John has neglected to mention them. Luke also
shows this practice, where in Luke 24:12 he names only Peter as going to the
tomb, but in 24:24 refers to "some" who went there. It is clear
that, from the point of view of the gospel writers, mentioning one name only
does not preclude others being present. This principle was also applied to
the angels at the tomb, as we shall see later.
Telescoping: for
example, Luke clearly exhibits this principle. If we just read Luke’s account
of the resurrection, one would get the impression that all Jesus’ appearances and
his ascension took place in just one day. Yet in Acts, which was also written
by Luke, he clearly states that the events stretched over forty days. In his
gospel he telescopes events in order to bring out a particular perspective.
Matthew also uses telescoping; especially in the events surrounding the angels’
initial descent and later conversation with the women. Telescoping is not at
all uncommon in historical reporting.
5.
I will begin with
this quote from Rit Nosotro which I found on his website:
"The
apparent discrepancies of the four Gospel accounts of the resurrection can be
disconcerting to a believer. Christians might be tempted to wonder how they can
trust a book when the accounts do not line up. However, with standard exegesis
of the accounts, it is in the richness of the variation that a fuller picture
of this event is presented. Closer parallel accounts might suggest author
collusion or editing which would actually diminish rather than strengthen the
authenticity of the Gospel accounts. Yet none of the Gospels contradict each
other in essentials of doctrine and even details. They each reveal a different
aspect from the author's perspective as they were inspired to write. All agree
Jesus rose from the dead, that women saw the tomb empty - except for angles,
and that Jesus appeared to people after he had risen.”
6.
One final comment here is in order before
beginning. If each of the evangelists
had given identical eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, this would
have been proof of a plot to collaborate their stories, as Andy Bannister has
said. Eye witness testimony always
varies, yet cases of law are proven every day in spite of this.
7.
The first morning the angel descends and
rolls away the stone frightening the guards, and the women are making spices to
bring (Matthew 28:2-4, Mark 16:1):
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Mark 16:1 1And
when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. |
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Matthew 28:2-4 2And,
behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended
from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon
it. 3His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4And
for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. |
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8.
The first visit to the tomb, the women who
came (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2-4, Luke 24:1-3,
John 20:1-2):
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Matthew 28:1 1In
the end of the sabbath, as
it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary to see the sepulchre. |
Mark 16:2-4 2And
very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3And
they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of
the sepulchre? |
Luke 24:1-3 1Now
upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices
which they had prepared, and certain others with them. |
John 20:1-2 1The
first day of the week cometh
Mary Magdalene early, when
it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, |
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4And
when they looked, they saw
that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. |
2And
they found the stone rolled
away from the sepulchre. 3And
they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. |
and seeth the stone taken away from
the sepulchre. |
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2Then she runneth, and cometh
to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto
them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not
where they have laid him. |
8.1.
Discrepancy
#1: Who came to the tomb? John says it was Mary Magdalene. Matthew says that it was Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary. Mark and Luke simply say
that “they” came (with Mark referring to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome, and Luke referring to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the
mother of James, and others with them) …
8.1.1.
The writers compliment each other, they do
not contradict each other. John does not
say that “only” Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, nor does Matthew say
that “only” Mary and the other Mary came to the tomb. The same goes with Mark and Luke. The sum of the gospel writers’ accounts make
the full story. None of them produce a
complete story, and the details that each include pertain to their purpose for
writing.
8.1.2.
Even though John mentions only Mary Magdalene
as going to the tomb, he records her report when she returns indicating that
others were with her by using the word ‘we’ :
“They have taken away the LORD out of the
sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him”
8.1.3.
The fact that the accounts differ yet do not
in any way contradict, but rather supplement each other, is evidence of their
validity. Simon Greenleaf writes, “The instance here under consideration is parallel to that of the demoniacs
of Gadara, and the blind men at Jericho; where, in both cases, Matthew speaks
of two persons, while Mark and Luke mention only one.** Something peculiar in
the station or character of one of the persons, rendered him in each case more
prominent, and led the two latter Evangelists to speak of him particularly. But
there, as here, their language is not exclusive; nor is there in it anything
that contradicts the statements of Matthew.”
8.2.
Discrepancy
#2: The timing of the events. When did they occur? Matthew says this occurred: “as it began to dawn”, Luke: “very early in the
morning” , John: “when it was yet dark”, Mark:
“at
the rising of the sun”. Does Mark contradict the other accounts?
8.2.1.
Mark had already stated that the women came “very
early” in the morning, and thus Simon Greenleaf accurately states that this
statement by Mark is really just meant to be less definite and not a concrete
timeframe but rather at that point in time just before dawn when the rays of
the sun begin to light up the sky.
Greenleaf goes on to show examples of this sort of accounting for time
being used in other biblical stories: “Accordingly, we find such a popular usage prevailing among the Hebrews; and
several instances of it occur in the Old Testament. Thus in Judg. 9: 33, the
message of Zebul to Abimelech, after directing him to lie in wait with his
people in the field during the night, goes on as follows: “ and it shall be, in the morning, as soon as
the sun is up thou shalt rise early and set upon the city;” yet we cannot for a
moment suppose that Abimilech with his ambuscade was to wait until the sun
actually appeared above the horizon, before he made his onset. So the Psalmist
(104:22), speaking of the young lions that by night roar after their prey, goes
on to say: “The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down
in their dens.” But wild animals do not wait for the actual appearance of the
sun ere they shrink away to their lairs; the break of day, the dawning light,
is the signal for their retreat. See also Sept. 2 Kings 3:22. 2 Sam. 23:4. In
all these passages the language is entirely parallel to that of Mark; and they
serve fully to illustrate the principle, that the rising of the sun is here
used in a popular sense as equivalent to the rising of the day or early
dawn.”
8.3.
Discrepancy
#3: In Matthew’s account (looking at
Matt. 28:1-11) one could assume that the angel descended and rolled the stone
away while the women were there, and then talked with the women.
8.3.1.
In this instance, instead of the account of
the other three gospel writers contradicting what Matthew wrote, they simply
explain and interpret what Matthew had written.
8.3.2.
One thing to keep in mind when reading
Matthew’s accounts is that he used more brevity and therefore one can come to
wrong conclusions from what he wrote if you he does not compare with the other
evangelists. Matthew was telescoping
here!
9.
The vision of the angels to the women (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-8):
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Matthew 28:5-7 5And the angel answered and
said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which
was crucified. |
Mark 16:5-7 5And entering into the
sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white
garment; and they were affrighted. 6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of
Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; |
Luke 24:4-8 4And
it came to pass, as
they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining
garments: 5And as they were
afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? |
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6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that
he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into |
he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7But go your way, tell his disciples and
Peter that he goeth before you into |
6He is not here, but is risen:
remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in 7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8And
they remembered his words, |
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9.1.
Discrepancy
#4: The description of the angels
varies. Mathew simply refers to “the
angel”, Mark says it was a “young man”, Luke says it was “two men
stood by then in shining garments”, and John doesn’t mention this.
9.1.1.
Angels in the Bible when they appear to men
appear as men, so we should not doubt that Mark and Luke are describing angels.
9.1.2.
Matthew and Mark refer to a singular angel,
John mentions none, and Luke refers to two angels. This can be explained using the same logic as
that applied to the number of women who went to the tomb. Just because a writer mentions one it doesn’t
mean that there might not have been another one. Only one of the angels spoke so this angel
was the one who was important to the narrative, and therefore was
mentioned. In John’s case, he didn’t
deem it important to include this detail.
9.2.
Discrepancy
#5: What the angel declares various in
each account.
9.2.1.
We must be clear that what the angel is
recorded in each account does not contradict what the other gospel writer has
written. It is therefore to be
understood that what was said by the angel is a combination of what each gospel
writer wrote, not a contradiction. Also,
the angel may have said more than is recorded here. The Bible does not include all of the things
that God has done. John tells us in his
gospel that if all of the things had been written that Jesus did the world
could not contain all of the books.
9.2.2.
Note that Matthew, Mark and Luke all include
the angel saying this one key phrase, “He is not here”. This one phrase was primary in importance in
the narrative. Plus, each account
reveals that the angel is informing the women that they will see Jesus again
for He is risen from the dead.
9.2.3.
None of the gospel writers mention that he
has recorded “all” that the angel has said.
10.
The women return to the city and report to
the disciples what they have seen (Matthew 28:8-10, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9-11):
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Matthew 28:8-10 8And
they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples
word. 9And as they went to tell his disciples,
behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the
feet, and worshipped him. 10Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid:
go tell my brethren that they go into |
Mark 16:8 8And
they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and
were amazed: neither said
they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. |
Luke 24:9-11 |
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9And returned from the sepulchre, and
told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna,
and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told
these things unto the apostles. 11And their words seemed to them as idle
tales, and they believed them not. |
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10.1.
Discrepancy
#6: Jesus appears to the women here
according to Matthew’s account, however John records much later in the sequence
of events that Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18). How
can this be since the women came to the tomb together and they are likewise
recorded as leaving together?
10.1.1.That Mary’s trip to
the tomb is described earlier is explained by what I included earlier that
evidently Mary Magdalene turned around immediately upon seeing that the stone
was rolled away and ran and reported that Jesus was missing to Peter and
John. This interpretation is supported
by the fact that when Mary reported this to Peter and John that she said that
they didn’t know where Jesus’ body had been lain, plus the fact that she did
not mention any angels as appearing there.
10.1.2.Only Matthew
records Jesus appearing to the women here, but this doesn’t mean that there is
a contradiction between this account and the account of the other gospel
writers.
10.1.3.Tradition in the
church has usually included that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene,
however I believe that His appearance to the women minus Mary is His first
appearance. Later, John will tell us
that Jesus appeared to Mary.
10.2.
Discrepancy
#7: Luke records that the women reported
these things to the apostles that they had seen, and he records Mary Magdalene
as being with the women. But, we have
already declared that Mary must have returned earlier upon first sight of the
stone rolled up and out of the way?
10.2.1.This can evidently
be explained by Luke simply lumping together the accounts of the women as one
event when in fact they occurred at separate times and included different
testimonies by them.
11.
Peter and John run to the tomb and see Jesus
is not there (Luke 24:12, John 20:3-10).
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Luke 24:12 12Then arose Peter, |
John 20:3-10 3Peter therefore went forth, and that
other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4So they ran both together: and the
other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5And
he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he
not in. |
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and ran unto the
sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves,
and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. |
6Then
cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen
clothes lie, 7And
the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but
wrapped together in a place by itself. 8Then
went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he
saw, and believed. 9For
as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10Then
the disciples went away again unto their own home. |
11.1. Discrepancy #8:
Luke only mentions Peter running to the tomb, John records both Peter and
John running to the tomb, and Matthew and Mark omit this detail.
11.1.1.This is explained
by the same principle that we have seen a few times already. Just because one author mentions one party
present in a story you cannot automatically assume that there were not more
people there. John simply includes many
more details about this story.
12.
Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:11-18):
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Mark 16:9-11 9Now when Jesus was risen
early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had cast seven devils. |
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John 20:11-18 11But
Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped
down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And
seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And
they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they
have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And
when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and
knew not that it was Jesus. 15Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing
him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16Jesus
saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which
is to say, Master. 17Jesus
saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go
to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;
and to my God, and your God. |
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10And
she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11And
they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her,
believed not. |
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18Mary
Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he
had spoken these things unto her. |
13.
Discrepancy
#9: Mark states in Mark 16:9 that Jesus
first appeared to Mary Magdalene, how does this correlate with Jesus appearing
to the other women first and Mary Magdalene later, as we assume must have
happened?
13.1.
I believe that this can be reconciled by
considering how brief Mark’s gospel is in detailing the various events of Jesus’
ministry. Mary Magdalene is used her by
Mark as a representative of all of the women who saw Jesus on that morning, and
the main character to be considered. Simon
Greenleaf states this view this way: “There remains to be considered the circumstance, that Mark, in v. 9, seems
to represent this appearance of Jesus at the sepulchre to Mary Magdalene, as
his first appearance: “Now, being risen early the first of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene.” In attempting to harmonize this with
Matthew's account of our Lord's appearance to the other women on their return
from the sepulchre, several methods have been adopted; but the most to the
purpose is the view which regards the word first, Mark v. 9, as put not
absolutely, but relatively. That is to say, Mark narrates three, and only
three, appearances of our Lord; of these three, that to Mary Magdalene
takes place first, and that to the assembled disciples the same evening
occurs last, v. 14. A similar example occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8,
where Paul enumerates those to whom the Lord showed himself after his
resurrection, viz. to Peter, to the twelve, to five hundred brethren, to
James, to all the apostles, and last of all to Paul also. Now had Paul written
here, as with strict propriety he might have done, “he was seen first of
Cephas,” assuredly no one would ever have understood him as intending to assert
that the appearance to Peter was the first absolutely; that is, as implying
that Jesus was seen of Peter before he appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other
women.”
1.
The guard is paid off to tell that the body
was snatched (Matthew 28:11-15):
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Matthew 28:11-15 11Now
when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and
shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12And
when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave
large money unto the soldiers, 13Saying,
Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14And
if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15So
they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly
reported among the Jews until this day. |
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2.
Jesus appears to two disciples as they are
walking on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-15):
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Mark 16:12-13 12After that he appeared in
another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
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Luke 24:13-15 13And, behold, two of them went
that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from 14And they talked together of all these things
which had happened. 15And it came to pass, that, while they
communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16But
their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17And
he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one
to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18And
the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou
only a stranger in 19And
he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the
people: 20And
how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death,
and have crucified him. 21But
we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed 22Yea,
and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at
the sepulchre; 23And
when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a
vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24And
certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even
so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25Then
he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken: 26Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. 28And
they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he
would have gone further. 29But
they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and
the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30And
it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it,
and brake, and gave to them. 31And
their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their
sight. 32And
they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with
us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33And
they rose up the same hour, and returned to 34Saying,
The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35And
they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in
breaking of bread. |
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13And they went and told it unto
the residue: neither believed they them. |
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3.
Jesus appears to the disciples as they are
all gathered together (Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:36-49, John 20:19-23):
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Mark 16:14-18 14Afterward
he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which
had seen him after he was risen. |
Luke 24:36-49 36And
as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto
them, Peace be unto you. |
John 20:19-23 19Then
the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. |
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37But
they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38And
he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your
hearts? 39Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40And
when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41And
while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye
here any meat? 42And
they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43And
he took it, and did eat before them. |
20And
when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were
the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. |
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15And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. 16He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. 17And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18They
shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. |
44And
he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was
yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the
law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45Then
opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46And
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day: 47And
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations, beginning at 48And
ye are witnesses of these things. 49And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
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21Then
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even
so send I you. 22And
when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye
the Holy Ghost: 23Whose
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye
retain, they are retained. |
4.
Jesus appears to the twelve again, and to
show Himself alive to Thomas (John 20:24-29):
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John 20:24-29 24But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25The
other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said
unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will
not believe. 26And
after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be
unto you. 27Then
saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing. 28And
Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. 29Jesus
saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. |
5.
Jesus appears to seven of the disciples as
they are along the
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Matthew 28:16 16Then
the eleven disciples went away into |
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John 21:1-24 1After
these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the 2There
were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana
in 3Simon
Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with
thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night
they caught nothing. 4But
when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples
knew not that it was Jesus. 5Then
Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6And
he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall
find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the
multitude of fishes. 7Therefore
that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him,
(for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8And
the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land,
but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9As
soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish
laid thereon, and bread. 10Jesus
saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11Simon
Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and
fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12Jesus
saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who
art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus
then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14This
is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that
he was risen from the dead. 15So
when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I
love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He
saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep. 17He
saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said
unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus
saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and
walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt
stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither
thou wouldest not. 19This
spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had
spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20Then
Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which
also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that
betrayeth thee? 21Peter
seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22Jesus
saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
follow thou me. 23Then
went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not
die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he
tarry till I come, what is that to thee? 24This
is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and
we know that his testimony is true. |
6.
Jesus appears to the twelve and more than 500
on a mountain in
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Matthew 28:16-20 16 into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And
when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. 19Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. |
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7.
Sequence of events:
7.1.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and
Salome had bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus, doing so either because
they didn’t know that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already done this, or
because they didn’t think a good enough
job had been done (Mark 16:1).
7.2.
Sometime after sunset on Saturday (which
marked the end of the day) until before the sun had risen, the angel of the
Lord descends from heaven (Matthew 28:2-4)
producing an earthquake and rolls the stone from the tomb and then sat upon
it. The Roman guard that had been
assembled to guard the tomb to make sure no one stole the body fell over as
dead men, and then eventually ran away knowing that a death sentence awaited
them for allowing the stone to be removed and abandoning their post. Mark wrote that the women came very early on
Sunday morning to the tomb, and that Jesus had risen early on that morning
(Mark 16:2, 9). Matt. 28:11 tells us
that as the Roman guard was reporting what had happened to their employers that
the first women were making their way to the tomb.
7.3.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
Joanna, Salome, and perhaps others head to the tomb and when they get there the
find the stone has been rolled away (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2-4, Luke 24:1-3, John 20:1-2). I agree with Andy Bannister’s
comment about how Mary Magdalene immediately upon seeing the stone rolled away
ran back to the disciples to inform them, and this explains why Mary is not
mentioned along with the women going inside the tomb and talking with the
angels, as the other women did, nor does she mention the angels to Peter and
John in her report to them: “Still some way off the tomb, they see in the distance
that the stone has already been moved. Quickly jumping to the conclusion
that the authorities must have opened the tomb and moved the body, Mary
Magdalene turns on her heel, running back to in panic and grief to cry those
now famous words to John: "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we
don’t know where they have laid him!" (John 20:2)”.
7.4.
As Mary Magdalene is running back to report
to the disciples, the angel is informing the other women who had gone to the
tomb with Mary that they are to go and tell the other disciples that Jesus is not
there but is risen and that they will see Him again, and, that they are to go
to Galilee where He will meet with them (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-8).
7.5.
Peter and John (Luke 24:12, John
20:3-10) run to the tomb after hearing Mary Magdalene’s report,
however because of the route they chose, in the process of getting there they
miss running into the other women who were at this time running to meet up with
the disciples and tell them this story.
Peter and John observe the grave cloths in the tomb but Jesus nowhere to
be found. John now believed that Jesus
had raised from the dead.
7.6.
Peter and John return to the other disciples
yet they miss Mary Magdalene as she has now begun to return to the tomb to
search for the body of Jesus (John 20:10).
7.7.
Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:11-18) returns to the tomb by herself and when she
looks in she sees two angels there, one at the head and one at the foot of
where Jesus had been laid to rest. The
angels ask her why she is weeping and she tells them that they have taken
Jesus’ body and she does not know where they have laid it. Then, when Mary turns away she sees Jesus but
doesn’t recognize Him and supposing that he is the gardener she asks Him if He
knows where they have put the body.
Then, when Jesus says her name, “Mary”, she recognizes Him and
falls down at His feet. Jesus tells her
not to keep on clinging on to Him because He has not yet ascended to His
father.
7.8.
The Roman guard is paid to lie and say the
disciples stole Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:11-15).
7.9.
Jesus appears to two disciples as they are
walking on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-15).
7.10.
Jesus appears to the disciples as they are
all gathered together (Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:36-49, John 20:19-23).
7.11.
Jesus appears to the twelve again, and to
show Himself alive to Thomas (John 20:24-29).
7.12.
Jesus appears to seven of the disciples as
they are along the
7.13.
Jesus appears to the twelve and more than 500
on a mountain in