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Chronological Credibility: The True Testimonies of the Resurrection

Table of Contents

Resolving the Unresolved Tension

In our exploration of the Scriptures in the previous sermon (“The Dilemma of Different Reports”), I hope there was a healthy tension—the sort of unresolve resulting from an honest assessment of the data that might have left you uncomfortable, but not despondent. I hope our exercise inspired a critical curiosity and left you with a faithful expectation that the story we’re telling—the Story we all believe in—is and always has been not only incredible but also credible in the most common of senses.   

The story of the resurrection … is and always has been not only incredible but also credible in the most common of senses.   

As we looked at the four Gospel narratives, and we filled out a table that had columns differing in data,1You can find a copy of that filled-in chart here. I hope some of your doubt was eased as we also looked at contemporary testimony about modern events and discovered that the modern judge was right when he claimed, “False testimony appears on the surface to be in harmony, but discrepancies appear when you dig deeper. True accounts appear on the surface to be contradictory, but are found to be in harmony when you dig deeper.”2Herbert C. Casteel, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Thirteen Lessons on Christian Evidences, rev. ed. (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992), 211. Casteel is a retired judge and lawyer.

We discussed in that last sermon several options for how to respond to the “dilemma of differing reports” about the resurrection of Christ.

I hope you didn’t choose apathy as your response (Who cares if there were one or two angels at the empty tomb of Jesus!?).

I also hope you didn’t choose to too quickly admit to contradiction or error (Yep, when it comes to reporting the time when Jesus’s disciples arrived at His tomb on the third day after His crucifixion, there’s just no way you can reconcile the phrases “when the sun had risen” with “while it was still dark”).

I hope you didn’t compromise what it means for something to be true (Listen, these reports are close enough—one angel, two angels, close enough!).

But, let’s play that game for a moment. When it comes to facts of the resurrection, let me offer what I’ll call a strong, weak defense.

A Strong, Weak Defense

Suppose that Scripture is merely the accounting of man, subject to errors such as historical accuracy and various corruptions that occur in the transmission process such as editing or mistranslation. Suppose that the differences in the Gospels are a result of both such processes, and that they arise as a result of the authors trying to tell their version of the story, because maybe they find some fault with previous versions. Even if this were the case—if the differences we see in the Gospel accounts cannot be fashioned together so as to form an accurate whole—the following would still hold:

[T]he accounts all tell a story which, in general terms, can be summarized without doing violence to any of them. All four agree that the key events took place early in the morning on the first day of the week on the third day after Jesus’ execution. All four agree that Mary Magdalene was at the tomb; Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that another woman was there, too, and Mark and Luke add others. All agree that the stone presented an apparent problem, but that the problem was solved without the women having to do anything. All agree that an unusual stranger, an angel or near equivalent, met and spoke to the women. Matthew and John agree that Mary Magdalene then met Jesus. … All except Mark agree that Mary (and the other women, if they are mentioned) go off to tell the male disciples; Luke and John agree that Peter and another disciple then go to the tomb to see for themselves. …

[W]hen placed side by side, they tell a tale which, despite the multiple surface inconsistencies, succeeds in hanging together. To put it crudely, the fact that they cannot agree over how many women, or angels, were at the tomb, or even the location of the appearances, does not mean that nothing happened.3N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 613.

The above quote comes from author and theologian N.T. Wright, who has written and spoken extensively and authoritatively on the resurrection of Christ. But with due respect to Wright, who does not favor “forcing” the details of the story to form what he calls an “over-simple harmony,” I think we can do better than that. An inerrant view of the Scripture demands such.

Whether you believe that (what Wright says), or you believe anything at all about the reported resurrection of Jesus, what you’ll see in this sermon is a plausible recreation of the events, showing you not only how these things could have taken place, but also offering explanations for the differing reports in a way that strengthens the credibility of the testimony given.

As I said in my last sermon, the author’s intent and perspective influence a text. Now we examine our sources more carefully to see why, potentially, the authors’ narratives took the shape that they did. There are two major questions to be asked:

  1. From whom did the author get his information?
  • Was he a direct witness?
  • Did he get information from someone who was a direct witness?
  • If neither, did he get his information from some other reliable source?
  1. In what way does the physical location of a witness affect the testimony?

A Recreation of the Events

If you want to watch the events unfold, I invite you to follow along in the video above, in which we did a live recreation with audience participation, showing possible locations and movements of people mentioned in the resurrection narratives. That same information is arranged and illustrated below.

Introducing the Gospel Writers

  • Matthew (eyewitness): An apostle who heard firsthand the women’s report.
  • Mark (probably not an eyewitness): A close associate of Peter who later retold the life of Christ based on what Peter (a direct witness) had preached.
  • Luke (not an eyewitness): A traveling companion of Paul, an apostle taught by the resurrected Christ.
  • John (eyewitness): An apostle and direct witness of the events that took place.

Geographical Consideration

Clues from Scripture

We do have some clues from Scripture that help us place where certain individuals might have been during the events surrounding Jesus’s arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

  • At Jesus’s arrest, the disciples left Him and fled (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).
  • Peter and John stayed together, and later followed Jesus to the court of the high priest (Matthew 26:58; Mark 14: 54; Luke 22:54–62; John 18:15–16).
  • We know some names of those who witnessed the crucifixion (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; Luke 23:49; John 19:25):
    • Mary, the mother of Jesus
    • Mary Magdalene
    • Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, the wife of Clopas
    • Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee and Jesus’s aunt (Mary’s sister)4It’s obvious from this list that Mary was a popular name during this time. While it’s possible that Mary of Bethany (Lazarus’s sister) is one of the Marys, and it is also possible that Clopas is the same as Cleopas who was on the road to Emmaus, most contest these points. I’m operating under the assumption that these are separate individuals, but even if that assumption is wrong, no great damage is done to the chronology or major points argued here  
  • Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, stayed to see the burial (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55).
  • John took Jesus’s mother, Mary, into John’s own house (John 19:27).

Possible Locations on the Morning of the Resurrection

Use the tabs below to see proposed starting locations of the individuals and groups named in Scripture that visited the tomb or interacted with those who had.5 Two sources inspired me to create my own accounting of the events. My account differs slightly from each source, but was heavily influenced by (1) “The Resurrection of Jesus: A Harmony of the Resurrection Accounts” (http://answering-islam.org/Andy/Resurrection/harmony.html), which is a source based upon an outline found in (2) Reason, Science, and Faith by Paul Marston and Roger Forster (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2001).

Assuming that John’s house is in Jerusalem, the following people might be at this house:

  • John, naturally, who lived there
  • Peter, who was with John earlier in the evening and also seems to be with John when Mary Magdalene reports to them (John 20:2–3)
  • Mary, the mother of Jesus, who John was to look after (John 19:26–27)
  • Salome, who was John’s mother and Mary’s sister; it seems natural that she would be there to comfort Mary
  • Cleopas + another disciple, who we know will later travel from Jerusalem to Emmaus and who report having been with both men and women who went to Jesus’s tomb (Luke 24)

Bethany is only a suggested location; others could have gathered at another house in Jerusalem. Bethany was chosen because we know that Jesus often visited there, even as recently as the week of His crucifixion (Matthew 21:17; 26:6) and is the site from which Jesus ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50). The following might have gathered together at a place like Bethany: 

  • 8 apostles (missing were Judas Iscariot and Thomas as well as Peter and John):
    • Matthew
    • Bartholomew
    • James
    • Andrew
    • Philip
    • James
    • Simon the Zealot
    • Jude
  • Mary Magdalene
  • Mary (Mrs. Clopas)

Prior to and/or just after the resurrection, the following would be at the tomb: 

  • (The body of) Jesus
  • At least 2 guards
  • At least 1 angel

An Illustrated Account

Each (collapsible) section below illustrates possible locations and movements of witnesses to the resurrection. Accompanying each image are bullet points describing reasons for details we see in the Gospel accounts.

Christ Is Resurrected; the Women Set Out to See the Tomb

On the morning that Christ is resurrected, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Mrs. Clopas) set out to see the tomb, with plans to stop by John’s house to pick up Salome. At some point that morning, Christ is resurrected, and an angel rolls away the stone that covers the tomb. The Roman guards see the angel (Matthew 28:2–4).

  • Matthew: If Matthew is one of the disciples present at Bethany, it makes sense that he records only that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the grave since it is their leaving that is his first memory of that morning. 

The women are joined by Joanna at some point, who had either come to John’s house or was picked up at different location in Jerusalem 

  • Mark: Mark is the one who records Salome being present, which makes sense if his account largely draws from Peter, who was at John’s house when the two Marys picked up Salome to go to the tomb. 
  • Luke: Luke records the additional woman, Joanna, whose only other mention in Scripture comes from earlier in Luke’s Gospel (8:3).
  • John: John tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark. He knows that if she arrived at his house around sunrise, she must have set out while it was still dark.

Upon arriving at the tomb, the women find the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus not there. It would make sense that all of the women entered the tomb to inspect what happened.

Upon discovering that Jesus’s body is missing, Mary Magdalene runs off to tell Peter and John. The other women stay at the tomb, and this is when two angels appear.

  • John:
    • John mentions only Mary Magdalene because it is she who tells him of the empty tomb. 
    • Mary tells John, “We do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:2). Even though it is Mary alone, the use of “we” to indicate others present is not strange to John because Mary and the other women had left from his house earlier that morning.6“John still records [Mary’s] use of ‘we’ because that [is] how he remembers it. If John had simply been making things up [as] he had gone along, he would have written ‘I’ in Mary’s report, not ‘we.'” (The Resurrection of Jesus: A Harmony of the Resurrection Accounts)

Upon hearing Mary Magdalene’s report, Peter and John run ahead of Mary to see the tomb for themselves. Following the angels’ instructions, Mrs. Clopas, Salome, and Joanna go to find the disciples. The women probably head first to John’s house, where they would have found John and Peter absent. Next, they either waited on them to return or went ahead to Bethany to report to the other disciples. 

  • Mark: Mark reports that the women “said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (16:8). Here are some possible explanations:
    • This could mean that they did not tell anyone in the city (that is, they did not tell anyone else, other than the disciples); or
    • This could mean that they were too afraid to tell even the disciples, but changed their mind after encountering Jesus, who told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and take word to My brethren” (Matthew 28:10; see last item in this section, titled “Jesus Appears to the Apostles”).
    • Mark certainly did not mean that the women never told anyone. How else would Mark have known the story if they had maintained perpetual silence?

After seeing the empty tomb, Peter and John return home 7Peter, perhaps stopped back by John’s on his way home, but eventually returned to his own home. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb after Peter and John have left, and she sees the two angels inside and Jesus outside, but she initially mistakes Him for the gardener. The other women are still en route to find the disciples.

  • John: Notice, again, the details of the pronouns used by Mary. When talking to the angels, she tells them, “I do not know where they have laid Him” (20:13), indicating that she is now alone at the tomb. 

Mary Magdalene goes to tell the disciples as Jesus told her. While the other women are still en route to Bethany, Jesus appears to them with instructions for the disciples as well.

Having told Peter and John, Mary rushes back to Bethany to tell the other disciples. Peter returns to his house. Cleopas and an unnamed disciple make their way toward Emmaus, and Jesus appears to them, though they do not recognize Him until after arriving at their destination. 

  • Matthew: Matthew reported what the angel said to the women and then immediately what Jesus said because this would have been the first version he recalled from being at Bethany (28:5–10). Though Mary Magdalene and the other women saw the angels and Jesus at two different times, both groups reported the same story, and Matthew heard both. For Matthew, the way he tells the story makes the most sense and remains true to what actually took place. He has no problem using “they” to refer to all the women, for the same thing happened to all of them, just not simultaneously.
  • Luke: Luke’s climactic ending involves the appearance of Christ to the disciples on the Emmaus road; up to that point, all preceding events receive only a summary. Had Luke reported the appearances of Jesus to the women, it would’ve taken away from the dramatic style of the Emmaus appearance.

With all of the stunning reports, it makes sense that everyone would return to Jerusalem. At some point prior to everyone gathering, Jesus appears to Peter.

As Cleopas and the other disciples are reporting what they have seen, Jesus appears to all those who have gathered in Jerusalem. 

Differences Explained

Who went to the tomb?

At least four women and two men went to the tomb. Mentioning one person does not preclude the others from being there. Thus, when John says that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, he is reporting accurately a truth. He does not deny that there were others there. There is a difference in reporting “Mary Magdalene went to the tomb” versus “only Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.”

Compare Luke 24:12 with Luke 24:24:

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened. (Luke 24:12)

“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” (Luke 24:24)

Notice that in the first verse, Luke reports that Peter went to the tomb. In the second verse, he tells us that more than just Peter went to the tomb. Just as Luke does not contradict himself in his own Gospel, the other Gospels do not contradict one another in their reports on the number of angels or people present.

When did they go to the tomb?

All four of the Gospels agree that the women went to the tomb very early. Whether this was reported as before dawn while it was still dark, at dawn when the sun was rising, or right after the sun had risen depends on whether the Gospel writer was recording the arrival at the tomb or the departure from the tomb. The language allows for either case.

Why did they go to the tomb?

The women planned to anoint Christ’s body with spices. Though Matthew says they were going to look at the grave, this can be understood in a very general sense. Matthew certainly does not mean to say that the women were going to simply eyeball the tomb or figure out where it was. In fact, earlier in his account, he records that the women had already seen the tomb (they knew exactly where it was); see Matthew 27:59–61.

What about the angels?

In terms of the number, as I’ve already said, a writer may report one angel being there without precluding the presence of others.

In terms of the location of the angel, Matthew refers to one angel sitting on the stone (28:2). This is what the angel was doing after rolling away the stone, however. This was the position of the angel when the guards, not the women, were present. Matthew then telescopes to the women at the tomb (in 28:5).

Mark’s angel is sitting inside the tomb, but Luke says two angels were standing in the tomb. The word “stood” (used in Luke) can be misleading; it can also carry the meaning “to be present.” Therefore, to say two angels “suddenly stood near them”8The NASB translation of Luke 24:4. can mean “suddenly appeared near them.” In fact, this same word for “stood” is translated “appeared” in the book of Acts (which Luke also authored):

And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. (Acts 12:7, italics added)

John’s two angels are sitting, but this is irrelevant for comparison with the other accounts because he is reporting what happened while Mary Magdalene was alone at the tomb.

Do the women enter the tomb?

Yes, as you can surmise from the question above, the women enter the tomb.

We know that Matthew’s account is telescoped, so things do not at first appear as they really are. When the angel invites the women to look where Jesus was lying, he is not inviting them into the tomb—he is inside the tomb and is directing them toward the slab on which Jesus had been and where the grave clothes still lay.

Mark clearly states that the women enter the tomb, as does Luke, who informs us that they were in the tomb for a little while before the angels appeared.

John reports Mary Magdalene only looking into the tomb, but as we have said, this is a record of her visit alone, after the other women had left (and she probably had already been inside).

To whom does Jesus first appear?

Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene. Just because one account first mentions an appearance other than Mary Magdalene, it does not mean that appearance is the first one or the only one.

The Reports Combined

Just like I did for the crucifixion, I have compiled the four Gospel stories of the resurrection, with the events put in chronological order as they possibly occurred. Here are the reports combined, with Jesus’s words in red:

Now after the Sabbath, behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll the stone away for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. So Mary Magdalene ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” While the other women were perplexed about this, behold, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed; suddenly two men suddenly appeared near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?” And one said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen, just as He said; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words. “But go quickly, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ Behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[Meanwhile], Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple [John] who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes, Peter marveling at what had happened.

But Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”

And behold Jesus met [the other women] and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

And [the women] returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now there were Mary Magdalene (who came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her) and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So [Jesus] went in to stay with them.

When he had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and [Jesus] vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. While they were telling these things (when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews), Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He said this, He showed them His hands and His feet and His side.

The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” But Thomas, one of the twelve called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side, and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”9There are other appearances and sayings of the resurrected Christ that happened after that which I’ve recorded here. For those, see John 21; Matthew 28:16–19; and Luke 24:44–53.

A Blessing for All of Us

Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe: That is a blessing for all of us—we who didn’t see all of those events that took place, but who have been given the opportunity to believe.

I hope this exercise has increased your faith and helped you believe in the credibility of the Scriptures that have been delivered to us.