Did the gospel writers get confused?

What happened at Jesus’ tomb?

The four gospels give us a core set of facts. These four accounts compliment each other rather than contradict each other. The writers didn’t attempt to give a detailed word for word account of every thing that happened during the approximately three years in the life of Jesus. The gospels were written 30 or more years after the events that they describe.

They were not acting in collusion trying to make their stories agree. Matthew and John were eyewitnesses. Mark was a disciple of and interpreter for Peter and Luke was a companion of Paul’s. Both of them had plenty of opportunity to meet the disciples and learn the facts from them and others in the area.

On the day before the Sabbath sometime before sundown “It was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who came with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” (Luke 23: 54-56). [We have no idea how many women were in this group. Jesus had a large following of women. We do know that “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb” Matthew 27:51]

The Sabbath ended at Sundown or about 6:00 P. M. So, sometime after 6:00 P. M., “Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James and Salome bought spices so they might anoint Jesus’ body (Mark 16:1). [They may or may not have been with the women mentioned in Luke 23:54-56]

Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:2-3). [The three women mentioned in verse one] “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” (Mathew 28:1). “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” (Luke 24:1). [ The undetermined  women fro Luke 23:54-56]

We know from these verses that some women went to the tomb. What we can’t say for sure is:

1.      How many women there were

2.      How many of the women came to the tomb at the exact same time

3.      How many women came at another time than some of the others

Matthew 28 tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb and

·        There was a violent earthquake [we aren’t told if the women experienced the earthquake and saw the angel move the stone. This information could have been learned later]

·        An angle of the Lord came down, went to the tomb and rolled the stone back and sat on it

·        The guards shook and fainted

·        The angel spoke to the two women

·        The women ran to tell the disciples

·        On the way to the disciples Jesus met the women

·        The women clasped Jesus’ feet

·        Jesus told them to go tell the disciples to go to Galilee and they would see him

Mark 16 tells us that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome went to the tomb and

·        On their way they asked each other who would roll away the stone

·        As they got there they saw that the large stone had been rolled away

·        They entered and saw a young man in a white robe sitting on the right side

·        The man told them to go tell his disciples and Peter that Jesus was going to Galilee

Luke says the women he mentioned in chapter 23 went to the tomb that

·        Found the stone rolled away from the tomb

·        Entered the tomb

·        Suddenly two men clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them

·        The men asked the women why they were looking for the living among the dead and reminded them what Jesus had told them about his crucifixion and resurrection

·        The women left the tomb and went and told the eleven disciples “and all the others” about their experience at the tomb

·        The women who told this were Mary Magdalene,  Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them

John recounts that

·        While it was still dark Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed from the tomb.

·        She came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him.”

·        Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb

·        The other disciple out ran Peter and got to the tomb first. He looked in and saw the linen strips, but didn’t go in the tomb

·         Peter arrived and went into the tomb

·        Finally the other disciple also went inside the tomb

·        Having seen the burial cloth and linen strips the other disciple believed

·        They still didn’t understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead

·        The disciples went back to their homes, but Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb crying

·        She bent over to look inside the tomb and saw two angles in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

·        They asked her why she was crying she told them that “they have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him.” She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t realize that it was Jesus

·        When Jesus said her name “Mary” she recognized him.

·        She went to the disciples and told them that she had seen the Lord and what he had said to her

All of the gospels agree on the most important core facts. These were the focus and essence of their message. They weren’t interested in including each and every minute detail. Each writer used just enough periphery details to get to the core facts. The fact that they each used differing amounts of detail doesn’t make them contradictory.

·        Jesus was dead and buried

·        The disciples were not expecting his death

·        They were totally confused and numb

·        The tomb was empty

·        The empty tomb didn’t convince the disciples that Jesus had risen

·        Mary thought the body had been stolen

What about these apparent contradictions?

            At the time each of these accounts were written there were still eyewitnesses alive as well as many who had heard about these events from eyewitnesses. These gospels were circulated among the churches and no one challenged these writers or accused them of contradicting each other. (Luke 1:1-4)

            Keep in mind that the accounts of the visits to the tomb are not likely consecutive step by step details of what happened but are most likely a summarization of the events of that day.

Angles vs. men –

·        In the Bible angles always looked like men and were perceived as men and are sometimes described as men (Genesis 19:1-19).

·        Some of the women thought they were men who helped take Jesus’ body. Mary Magdalene even thought that Jesus was just a gardener.

·        The two disciples on the road to Emmaus thought that the risen Jesus was just an ordinary man who had just arrived in the area.

·        This is no big issue that two writers called them men and two called them angles

The number of angels –

·        None of the writers claimed that there was “only” one angel. It was not uncommon in those days to mention only one especially if one was the spokesman for two or more.

·        Matthew’s account appears to have occurred while the women were on their way to the tomb, and that only the guards saw the angel sitting on the tomb.

·        John’s account was a separate event. Mary had come back to the tomb.

·        There were two angles, the second angel may or may not have appeared to the guards, but they did appear to the women entering the tomb. The men/angels were wearing white clothes that gleamed like lightening. There appearance caused the women great distress.

·        Were the angels standing or sitting. First, it is very possible that the angels were sitting and then stood. Also in Luke 24:4 the Greek word translated “stood by” or “stood beside” can also be translated “appeared” or “present” as in KJV Acts 28:2.

The time of the women’s arrival at the tomb –

·        Matthew says at dawn they went to the tomb

·        Mark says very early, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb

·        Luke says that very early in the morning they went to the tomb

·        John says early while it was still dark Mary Magdalene went to the tomb

Are these contradictions? No! Consider that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James were in Bethany two miles from Jerusalem where Salome was at John’s house and Joanna was at the Hasmonaean Palace. So they could have started before dark and arrive at the tomb as the sun was rising or had just risen. There is no contradiction here.

The women touching Jesus –

Some people have a problem with the fact that some of the women grasped Jesus feet and worshiped him and he didn’t stop them in Matthew 28: 9-10 and in John 20:17 Jesus tells Mary Magdalene “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.”

John says nothing about Mary Magdalene touching Jesus in any way. She was clinging to Jesus emotionally. She had been back to the tomb crying in anguish and confusion. After all Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. She was deeply attached to him emotionally and spiritually. I have no idea what it must have been like for her to have had seven demons in her. It had to be a harrowing experience for her. To have been set free from that had to have been unimaginably exhilarating and then to see her savior brutally murdered and buried and then see his empty tomb thinking someone had stolen his body, then to actually see him alive again! What an emotional roller coaster ride she had been on. Jesus was saying in essence “Let go Mary I’ve got to return to the Father and you have to get on with life, we’ve got work to do.”  We tell people things like that all the time when they face the loss of a loved through divorce or some other break up. We tell them not to keep clinging to that person.

How it may have happened –

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and possibly some other women, went to look at the tomb (Matthew 28:1). “But”(as they approached) when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large,  had been rolled away (Mark 16:4) [The earthquake and the angel coming down from heaven and rolling the stone and sitting on it has already happened].   Mary Magdalene came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus love [John], (John 20:2). As they [the women who stayed behind while Mary Magdalene ran to get Simon Peter] entered the tomb they saw they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them [ one of these may well have been the young man seen at the right in Marks account]. These women take the message of the angels to the Eleven [Eight of them had been in Bethany and John and Peter were at John’s house where Mary Magdalene had gone earlier].  Meanwhile Mary Magdalene has reached Peter and John with the message of the open tomb and her fear that “they” have taken the body of Jesus. Peter and John run for the tomb with Mary following close behind. At about the same time the other women are running back with the message from the angel. John reaches the tomb and waits for Peter. Peter arrives and enters the tomb and now John enters the tomb. They see the empty grave clothes, but don’t see the body of Jesus or any angels (Luke 24:24; John 20:2-9). In the mean time the other women have reached John’s house and told the others that they have seen the angels. Since Peter has gone to the tomb they wait at John’s house for Peter to return so they can give him the message that was specifically for him. Peter and John now go to Jerusalem to tell the others, leaving Mary Magdalene at the tomb crying (John 20:14-17). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene as recorded by john and Mark (Mark 16:9). Peter and John arrive back at John’s house and the women give Peter the message from the angel and then head for Bethany to tell the other disciples. [Mary and Salome have sons who are disciples. The disciples were at the house of Mary and Cleopas. Cleopas was one of the men who met and didn’t immediately recognize Jesus later that day on the road to Emmaus.] On their way back to Bethany these women meet Jesus and when they get to Bethany they tell the disciples and others about the angels and Jesus.

We do know that some highly unusual things happened that day. Jesus’ followers and friends had seen him horribly beaten and mutilated and hung on a cross. In spite of what he had told them they did not expect this and they sure never began to dream that they would ever see him again. They were in an unimaginable shock. Initially the women didn’t realize what they were seeing and didn’t believe it themselves. As they with a mixture of fear, joy and confusion shared their experiences they were not believed. As others saw the risen Jesus they too were dismayed. Even those who began to believe at the same time couldn’t believe “because of joy” (Luke 24:41).

            The four gospel writers chose various and different bits of information to tell about the events that took place during these amazing, distressful, exciting life changing forty days. The fact that they didn’t all choose exactly the same events or report them in exactly the same order with exactly the same words does not merit calling them contradictory. They are simply complimentary accounts. Today we can go on the internet or TV and watch a news story from several different sources and they will all give a little different slant to the story. Some will have more details while others will leave out some parts of the story.