Introduction to the Gospels Part 5 – Wounded for Our Transgressions

Introduction: Wounded for Our Transgressions
(A harmonized account of Jesus’ resurrection)

The heart of the Christian faith rests upon the true identity of Jesus Christ, and especially upon His death, burial, and resurrection. Due to the differing gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, the following flow of events is offered for the sake of harmony. In your study of Lesson 10, “Resurrection!”, a thorough review of this summary may be helpful.

“Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and at least one other woman (Luke 24:10), left before sunrise, heading for Jesus’ tomb with the spices they had prepared. While they were enroute, there was an earthquake at the tomb. An angel appeared; he rolled away the stone in front of the tomb and sat on it, frightening the guards. (The second angel may have appeared at this time also, or not appeared until the women reached the tomb.)

“The women approached the tomb just after sunrise. As they approached, they asked each other who would roll away the stone blocking the entrance; but then they reached the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved. Mary Magdalene ran to get the disciples.

“The other women entered the tomb and saw that it was in fact empty. They wondered about this, and then saw two angels there. Frightened, they bowed down to the ground, but the angels said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ The women fled from the tomb, not speaking to anyone on their way back out of fear.

“Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene found Peter and John and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’ Peter and John then ran to the tomb, John reaching it first. They saw the linen that had been used to wrap Jesus’ body lying there, then entered the tomb and saw the burial cloth folded up as well. They went home, but Mary, who had followed them back to the tomb, stood outside the tomb crying. Looking inside the tomb, she saw the two angels, one seated where Jesus’ head had been and the other seated at the foot. Then follows her interaction with the angels and Jesus in John 20:13-17. Perhaps she clung fiercely to Jesus, which prompted him to say, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.’

“After this took place, the other women were still on their way to find the disciples; perhaps they were headed to a known meeting place that was further away than where Peter and John lived, or perhaps they first tried to look for Peter and/or John but of course didn’t find them. Jesus then appeared to them, saying, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’ The women found the other disciples and told them what had happened. Mary Magdalene arrived and also shared her story with everyone.” 1

Putting Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10 together, at least five women visited the tomb, four of whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna. While John’s account only refers to Mary Magdalene, it implies other women went with her to the tomb, since Mary’s words to Peter and John are, “We do not know where they have laid him!” (John 20:2). Some possible harmonizations of the visit to the tomb have all the women arriving together; while others have multiple groups of women going to the tomb at different times.

There are three common responses to this question: the first is that the women left while it was still dark, and arrived at the tomb just after dawn; the second is that when sunrise begins, the sky gradually grows lighter but it is still effectively dark outside; the last is that the women traveled to the tomb in separate groups, some leaving or getting there while it was still dark, others leaving or arriving later.

Matthew’s account of the angel rolling away the stone probably occurred while the women were enroute to the tomb, so that only the guards saw the angel sitting on the stone.

John’s account of Mary Magdalene and the angels is a separate event; Mary had likely gone back to get Peter and John before the other women encountered the angels.

Clearly there were two angels, as described in Luke and John. The second angel may or may not have appeared to the guards, but did appear to the women entering the tomb. It’s likely that only one angel spoke, hence Mark only mentions one angel. While Mark and Luke refer to men instead of angels, the men are wearing white “shining garments” (Mark 16:5) and their appearance caused the women to be greatly distressed, which is consistent with Matthew and John’s descriptions of the angels (as well as other descriptions in the Bible of people encountering angels).

Were the angels standing or sitting? Apparently, the phrase “stood by” (Luke 24:4) could also be translated “appeared.” Therefore the angels were probably sitting when the women saw them; they may or may not have been seated as Mary Magdalene saw them later, one at the head and one at the foot.

May you be blessed in your study of God’s infallible Word!

1 https://web.archive.org/web/20081120034748/http:/www.rationalchristianity.net/jesus_tomb.html

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