The Resurrection:

Complementary Gospel Accounts

Non-Christians maintain that the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John contradict one another in terms of how the Resurrection events unfold, thereby proving that it is a fabrication. And in fact, as you read the Gospel accounts they may appear on their face to be at the very least inconsistent and at worst hopelessly self-contradictory.

Examining the Resurrection and the Bible’s narrative

We are going to offer a chronology of what happened on that first Easter Sunday by integrating all four Gospel accounts into one narrative. We will use both the language of the Gospels and some background information, along with a few reasonable premises, to present one alternative of how the Resurrection occurred. This account will harmonize the four Gospels and at the same time reveal a remarkably cohesive account written from four different vantage points. The pieces of the puzzle fall into place. There are alternative explanations, but for right now we’ll explore this one.

Different vantage points

If your 12-year-old daughter (let’s call her Freda) visited Disneyland with her friends Joanna, Edith, and Nicole, as part of a church group, you might write in your annual Christmas letter or on Facebook that Freda went to Disneyland with some friends and had a great time. Or if you were writing to Freda’s grandmother you might just say that Freda went to Disneyland and had a wonderful trip. If you were also the church group leader you would probably tell the world that you took your daughter and your church group to Disneyland, etc. Vantage point and who and why you’re telling them are everything. Keep this in mind as you piece together the events surrounding the Resurrection, the descriptions of which were undoubtedly written at least 15 years after the event. It is generally believed:

• Mark witnessed much of what happened during the passion and later became a disciple of Peter. He listened to Peter describing Jesus and his ministry, the Passion, and the Resurrection. When you read Mark you are for the most part reading the recollections of Peter through the pen of Mark. Much of the Resurrection account, however, may have been written later and not directly by Mark, and would have incorporated in part the Resurrection narratives of Matthew and Luke, and possibly John.
• Matthew was one of the original disciples and his Gospel reflects his recollections, as well as other sources.
• Luke was a historian and accompanied Paul on his many travels. His motivation was to provide a careful, accurate and historical record. He gathered his information from diverse sources, including the Blessed Virgin, and may have had either or both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels in front of him.
• John was the beloved disciple. It is generally acknowledged that his was the last Gospel account written and he almost certainly had access to those written by Mark, Matthew and Luke. John’s Gospel reflects his experiences and recollections.

If these four (or their followers) were silent conspirators to present a fictitious Resurrection account, they did a lousy job. You would have thought they would have presented a storyline which on its face would be consistent. Instead, they present descriptions which could be confusing and inconsistent to the casual reader. By exploring the subtleties, however, a different picture emerges. What unfolds is a mosaic of Resurrection accounts that weave together a profound and powerful story.

Jesus taught in parables so that the truth would be revealed to those who cared enough to take the time to reflect upon these stories to uncover and retain the messages and the truths they taught. Perhaps the different ways the writers describe Resurrection history is intended to be consumed by those who wish to take the time to reflect and understand.

A likely timeline

With this brief introduction we can now reconstruct a possible, and perhaps likely, timeline of events following the Resurrection.

First, except for Peter and John, the Bible doesn’t mention the whereabouts of any of the Apostles immediately after Jesus is arrested. They fled, but to where? One logical answer would be away from Jerusalem and to the safe harbor of someone they knew. That could very likely be the home of Mary of Bethany, Martha, and Lazarus. These were siblings who lived in Bethany [now Al-Eizariya or el `Azareyeh (there are other different spellings as well)]. Bethany had been used as a base by Jesus when he was near Jerusalem and is located about two miles east of Jerusalem and about 2 ½ miles east of Jesus’ tomb.

Second, only Peter and John remained in Jerusalem following Jesus’ arrest. Tradition has always held that John had a home in or near Jerusalem, a fact that Jesus would have known when he entrusted his mother to John’s care. Peter remained in Jerusalem during the Passion, denying the Lord three times. When all was lost and in his moral agony he could have traveled to Bethany to join the other disciples. Another and more likely alternative, however, would be for him to go with John and stay with him in his Jerusalem house along with the Blessed Mother and possibly Mary Magdalene. These were the other two witnesses who are recorded as remaining close to Jesus throughout his crucifixion.

All four Gospels describe the resurrection of Jesus. The complete accounts of the burial, resurrection, and aftermath are contained in Matthew 27:57 – 28:20; Mark 15:42—16:20; Luke 23:50—24:53; and John 19:38—20:31. The following chronology is supported by scripture and by common sense. Type in regular black font indicates that the statement is directly supported by scripture, giving chapter and verse; type in bold face indicates reasonable inferences from the context.

1.  Following Jesus’ crucifixion, the grieving women that had accompanied him from Galilee continued to follow him after his body was taken down from the cross. They saw the tomb in which he was laid and agreed to meet at the tomb at the break of day following the Sabbath to anoint his body (Luke 23:55-56).

2.  Departing from John’s house, Mary Magdalene arrived early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb (John 20:1). Shortly thereafter and as dawn approached, the other women arrived and they saw that the stone sealing the tomb had been rolled back (Mark 16:2-4; Luke 24:2). Matthew explains that there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone (Matthew 28:2).

3.  Fearing that someone had taken the body of Jesus, all the women approached the tomb. There an angel told them that Jesus had risen and pointed to the tomb so they could see for themselves. He told them to go and tell the disciples and Peter (Matthew 28:5-7 and Mark 16:3-7). The fact that the angel separately referred to Peter and the other disciples seems to imply (and that’s all) that Peter was in a different location than the other disciples. Since John was with Peter he would hear the news at the same time. Mary Magdalene immediately ran off to tell Peter and John, both of whom were at John’s house in Jerusalem with the Blessed Virgin (John 20:2).

4.  When Mary Magdalene departed, and following the angel’s instructions, the other women entered the tomb and there was no body. They were now completely perplexed, but two men in dazzling attire stood by them and asked why they sought the living among the dead, and reminded them of how Jesus said that he must die and rise again (Luke 24:2-7).

5.  Mary Magdalene arrived at John’s house and told Peter and John that the body was missing. They immediately departed for the tomb, with John running ahead of Peter (John 20:2-3), followed by Mary Magdalene.

6.  By the time John and Peter arrived at the tomb the other women had left to tell the other disciples of what they had seen and what the angels (men) had told them. They were immersed with joy and fear. They knew Mary Magdalene was going to tell Peter and John and so they went east to Bethany to tell the other disciples, but no one else (Matthew 28:8 and Mark 16:8).

7.  John “outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple [John], who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:2-9).

8.  After a short time spent in wonderment and disbelief, Peter and John went back to their homes. John believed (John 20:10) and a short time later Peter joined John at his home.

9.  Mary had followed Peter and John back to the tomb. When she arrived, they were gone. She stood outside the tomb weeping, not yet understanding that Jesus had risen. Jesus then appeared to her, but she did not recognize him until he turned to her and said, “Mary!” He then told her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:11-17 and Mark 16:9).

10.  Shortly thereafter, and somewhere on their 2 ½ – 3-mile journey to Bethany, Jesus appeared to the other women and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:9-10).

11.  Now confusion must have reined! Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women. The other women arrived in Bethany and told the other disciples of what had transpired at the tomb and of their meeting with Jesus on the road to Bethany. None of this made sense to the disciples, but they knew they had to be with Peter and John.

12.  Also staying in Bethany were Cleopas, the husband of the other Mary, who was one of the women at the tomb and telling them this fantastic tale. Consequently, Cleopas and some other disciples accompanied the women to John’s house to be with Peter and John.

13.  All the disciples now gathered at John’s house in Jerusalem. Mary Magdalene told Peter, James and the other disciples what had occurred at the tomb and that she had seen Jesus (John 20:18). “They told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary [wife of Cleopas] the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” (Mark 16:10-11; Luke 24:8-11; and John 20:18). They all wanted to believe, but how could they? This was just too fantastic!

14.  At some point some of the disciples also went to the tomb and found it empty, but did not see the Risen Lord (Luke 24:23). This was reported to the disciples, including Cleopas and another disciple.

15.  For unknown reasons Cleopas and another disciple left the group and journeyed to Emmaus, which is about seven miles northwest of John’s house. As they walked they discussed these recent events and the stories given by Mary Magdalene and the other women, including Cleopas’ own wife. Then they were joined by a stranger, who after explaining the Scriptures and breaking bread with them, was revealed as Jesus. They too had seen the Risen Lord (Luke 24:13-32 and Mark 16:12).

16.  Cleopas and the other disciple returned to Jerusalem and there excitedly told the disciples and the others who were then present that “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:33-35). But still the disciples didn’t believe (Mark 16:13). [Note: Mark’s Gospel is really Peter’s Gospel, but the final verses in Mark describing the resurrection events are thought to have been added at a later date, and not by Peter (writing through Mark) so none of the Gospels state directly the appearance(s) by the Lord to Peter as related by Cleopas.]

 17.  In the evening of that first day the Lord appeared to the disciples (except Thomas who was not present) as they gathered together (Luke 24:36-43 and John 20:19-23).

 18.  The following Sunday when all the disciples were gathered Jesus appeared again and Thomas believes. Jesus says, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:24-29).

This reconstruction weaves together all four Gospels and reconciles supposed discrepancies. The truth is that when you view the four Resurrection accounts they all supplement one another and present a magnificently thorough but condensed account of what happened. To be sure there are other possible scenarios to explain what on their face appear to be contradictions or inconsistencies, and you need to look at them. The point is that the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection can be trusted as a chronicle of that sacred event as viewed and reported by four disciples of Jesus and his church.

Some websites and references

• The complete accounts of the burial, resurrection, and aftermath are contained in Matthew 27:57 – 28:20; Mark 15:42—16:20; Luke 23:50—24:53; and John 19:38—20:31.

Last modified July 30, 2019