By resurrection occurrences I am referring to the time, people, heavenly witnesses, places, and events involved when Jesus rose from the dead as reported by the four narrative writers, Matthew, Andrew (so-called Mark), Luke, and John. They give many details about this epochal event with much discrepancy among them. This is a real concern. Not only is it concerning because of the amount and kinds of disagreements, but because of the very subject matter dealt with; the resurrection of Jesus, the pivotal door of our eternal life in Him.
The discrepancies among the authors are:
| In order per → | Matthew | Andrew | Luke | John |
| The time: at first light – at dark, before first light |
The beginning of dawn | The sun had risen | At early dawn | It was still dark |
| The arriving women:
two – three – five or more - one |
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
(2 women) |
Mary Magdalene, Mary of James, and Salome (3 women) | Mary Magdalene, Mary of James, Joanna, and the other women (at least 5 women – perhaps more) | Mary Magdalene (1 woman – “we” used by her is most likely the personal plural, which John employs at key times) |
| The heavenly witness(es) – nature and appearance - number | One angel descended from the Lord out of heaven, clothing flashing like lightening, and white as snow (1 angel) | One Young man wrapped in a white robe (1 young man) | Two men in flashing clothing (2 men) | Two angels in white (2 angels) |
| The heavenly witness(es) – actions and communications | Caused a great earthquake that rolled away the stone upon which he sat (outside the tomb); caused the guards to faint; told the women to enter to see where Jesus laid before He rose; told the women to go quickly to tell Jesus’ disciples that they were to go the Galilee where they would see Jesus Who was awaiting them there. Emphasized his word to obey his command. | Sitting inside the tomb on the right side; told the women that Jesus was risen and to see where He was laid; told the women to go tell His disciples and Peter that He was going ahead of them to Galilee as Jesus had told them and that there they would see Him. | Appeared and stood inside the tomb; told women that Jesus had risen as He told them He would. | Sitting, one where Jesus’ head was and one where His feet were as He was previously laid. They asked Mary why she was weeping. |
| The female response | They ran in awesome joy to report as commanded; Jesus met them on their way and they worshiped Him; Jesus respoke the words of the angel that the women tell the disciples to leave for Galilee and there they would see Him. | After seeing that the stone was rolled away from the entrance, they entered the tomb; when entering they were amazed when they saw the young man sitting inside on the right side of the tomb; after receiving the word of command from the young man, they ran in trembling and bewilderment saying nothing because they were frightened. (Here Andrew’s narrative ends and church scribes quickly added various endings as they thought appropriate.) | After seeing that the stone was rolled away from the entrance, they entered the tomb; upon not finding the body of Jesus, while they were thinking in perplexity about the missing body, the two men appeared to them; the women became terrified and bowed their faces to the ground; after receiving the word of reminder from the two men they left the tomb and reported everything to the eleven disciples and others who were with them in Jerusalem. | Upon seeing the stone rolled away from the tomb she ran to Peter and John and told them that someone had removed the body of Jesus from the tomb. After the response of Peter and John, Mary, who had returned to the tomb, stood outside weeping. She looked into the tomb and then she saw the two angels who asked her why she was weeping. She repeated to them what she had previously said to Peter and John. At that point she turned and saw Jesus. He asked her why she was weeping and whom she was seeking. Thinking Him to be the gardener, she asked Him if He had removed the body. Jesus revealed Himself to her and she recognized Him. He told her to go and tell the disciples that He was ascending to God. She obeyed Him. |
| The other (non-female) disciples’ responses and experiences – including Luke’s informative material | The eleven went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had appointed; When they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some of them wavered concerning His identity; Jesus commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations through full obedience to Him (as they themselves had done) and that He would be with them in this mission to the end of the Age of the Law. | Andrew’s narrative abruptly ended with the women fleeing from the presence of the young man in the tomb. | All of the apostles (in Jerusalem) judged the women’s report as nonsense and would not believe them; Nevertheless, Peter ran to the tomb, looked inside, saw the burial cloth strips only, and returned wondering about this; That very day two disciples traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus; unrecognized by them Jesus joined them; after telling Him of the women’s report which occurred that very day and that some of their company immediately went to the tomb but did not find Jesus, He taught them the Scriptures concerning Himself; soon thereafter He revealed Himself to them; immediately (that very hour) they returned to Jerusalem and told the eleven and those with them that Jesus had risen from the dead and did disclose Himself to Peter (the proper interpretation of the empty tomb); during their testimony Jesus appeared to the group; they thought He was an apparition so He calmed their fears and doubts; He taught them just as He taught the two on the road and told them to remain in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from heaven; afterwards, He led them to Bethany and ascended into Heaven; they returned to Jerusalem and continually worshiped in the temple. | When Mary previously told Peter and John that Jesus’ body was missing they ran to the tomb and entered it, Peter first; they examined everything and went back; that same day, after Mary told them what Jesus said as they were gathered together in concealment Jesus appeared to them; Thomas was not with them and doubted that Jesus rose from the dead; eight days later Jesus appeared to them all again while Thomas was with them and he believed. |
Concise summary of discrepancies:
- Time: After sunrise (the sabbath was over) or Before sunrise (the sabbath was happening)
- The women at the tomb: one or two or three or five or more than five
- Heavenly witness(es): one or two angels or one young man or two men
- Attire of heavenly witness(es): white and flashing or white robe or simply white
- Action of heavenly witness(es): caused a great earthquake which rolled away the stone, then sat upon the stone outside of the tomb or was sitting inside and on the right side of the tomb when the women entered or appeared standing next to the women when they were standing in the tomb and were perplexed about the missing body of Jesus or were sitting where Jesus formerly laid, one where His head was and one where His feet were
- Communication of witness(es): told women to go inside the tomb and see where Jesus was laid, then told them to go to Galilee to meet Jesus, then restated his word of authority or while inside the tomb told women to look at where Jesus was before He rose, then told them to tell Peter and the disciples to go to Galilee to meet Jesus or simply told them while in the tomb that Jesus had risen as He said or asked Mary why she was weeping
- Female response(s): ran in joy in obedience to the angel and met Jesus while running to the disciples and worshiped Him and then continued running to tell the disciples that Jesus said He would meet them in Galilee or ran in silent awe of the young man and his word to tell His disciples that Jesus was raised from the dead and would meet them in Galilee or bowed their faces to the ground in awe of the appearing angels inside the tomb and then ran and told the disciples what the angels had said about His resurrection or ran to tell Peter and John that Jesus’ body was missing and returned and wept over the missing Jesus and conversed with Jesus about His missing body and then recognized and worshiped Him and then went back told the disciples in Jerusalem that Jesus was risen Who said He was ascending to the Father.
- Other disciples’ responses/experiences: the eleven went to Galilee and saw and worshiped Jesus, but some wavered. Jesus commanded them to go from there to all nations and make disciples or all apostles remained in Jerusalem and doubted the women’s report of Jesus’ resurrection and Peter ran to the tomb but remained in his condition. Then two believers saw the resurrected Jesus during a short travel. They immediately returned to Jerusalem and while reporting this fact to the disciples Jesus appeared to them all and He told them to remain in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from heaven, which they did or Peter and John ran to the tomb, did not see Jesus after thoroughly looking, and returned. Then Jesus appeared to all gathered in Jerusalem except Thomas, who was not there. Eight days later He again appeared to them all in Jerusalem with Thomas present.
This momentous subject cannot be both ways. One way cannot be established at the expense of the other way(s) when all ways are very important to establish the truth. This epochal subject is not like other general ones wherein rectifying scriptural incongruities is normal and expected in the use of certain language and customs in that ancient culture. For example, it is a proper and expected remedy to explain the differences between partial-days and whole days as representing full days without contradiction, or to explain the difference of using Jewish time-keeping or Roman time-keeping to clarify the same referenced events.
It is not the same with this very weighty subject of the resurrection of Jesus and the attending testimonies of truth of the particular witnesses and events. This is not a cultural-custom phenomena which only needs a cultural-historical explanatory response. In short, the same one-time unique things cannot have happened simultaneously only before sunrise and only after sunrise. There could not have been only one mighty angel and only one youthful man and only two mature men and only two cherubim-like angels each with different communications. The angel(s) could not have been only outside of the tomb and only inside the tomb when the words were spoken to the women. He or they could not have worn only lightening-like sparking clothing and worn only a white robe. He could not have been only sitting outside the tomb and only sitting inside the tomb. They could not have only afterward appeared to the women as standing inside the tomb and only been seen by Mary as already seated inside the tomb. The heavenly messenger could not have only said go to Galilee where the disciples would first see Jesus and the disciples only first see Jesus in Jerusalem. Added to all of this, Jesus could not have only told His disciples to go to all nations and make disciples and only told them to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from heaven. All of these things cannot be operative as simultaneous events, filling the same time and same space. But that is precisely how the resurrection of Jesus is witnessed to by the four narrative writers. They each wrote their detailed record that factually witnessed to the event! Those were and are the proofs of the resurrection.