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| Easter leftovers: Different resurrection stories? |
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(Written days after Easter. My choices? Post a slightly stale blog, or save it until next year. Sorry, can't save a blog that long, so here it is, for what it's worth! lol)
On our way to church on Easter morning, our family read together the four gospel accounts of the discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb (Matt 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18). As we read, the first things we noticed were several obvious differences (contradictions?) between the four narratives.
For example, Mark’s gospel says “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome” went to the tomb just after sunrise on the first day of the week. Matthew says “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” went, omitting Salome. Luke merely says “the women” went, and John limits his discussion to Mary Magdalene.
In another obvious difference, Mark wrote about a “young man dressed in a white robe” waiting at the tomb. Matthew seems to describe the same fella, calling him the “angel of the Lord”, whose “appearance was like lightning”. Luke says there were “two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning”, and John says there were “two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been”.
As a family, we talked about the differences, and we realized how much these minor “disparities” actually add to the credibility of the story of the empty tomb! Think about it! If the story of the empty tomb was merely a fabrication, wouldn’t the writers (who certainly knew each other well) have carefully compared their accounts before going public, to insure that they matched as closely as possible?? Don’t the guilty work hard to “get their stories straight” when attempting to pass false testimonies in court? In fact, it would have been easy for the gospel writers to insure their stories agreed had this been important to them, since they were actually written years apart. Our family concluded that the differences point to earnest efforts on the part of the witnesses to tell their stories exactly as they remembered seeing it!
There were also a couple of things we all immediately noticed that the four gospels had in common. For instance, we noticed that in all four, the first witnesses of this amazing event were women. Recently I’ve read that women were considered unreliable witnesses in Jewish culture. Men fabricating a story would almost certainly not choose to pin its believability on the testimony of witnesses widely accepted as unreliable!!
And of course, all four gospels are unambiguous about the empty tomb. And oddly matter of fact about it, too. (Perhaps a fabrication would have sensationalized this miraculous occurrence somewhat?) A body was expected, but none was found. The whole point of the resurrection stories in the gospels is, the tomb was found empty. In fact, the whole point of our faith is, the tomb was found empty. None of the gospel writers would have debated this, and certainly no one who calls Jesus “Lord” would question or debate this fact. Why?
Because, it is a matter of fact, he arose. Thus proving, he is Lord!!
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| Good points! Even though it is late, but in my mind we should celebrate His resurrection all year long! |
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Cheryl |
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April 24, 2008 at 9:06am |
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singing...He is Lord, He is Lord,
He has risen from the dead and He is Lord,
EVERY kness shall bow,
EVERY tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord!
BTW: SO glad you shared! |
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Thank you for not saving it!
Mike...I have never thought about the differences...before now. Very valid point concerning a mere fabrication. And I love the part about it being all women. That is another one that I never really paid attention to. This was a ver thought provoking post and I think I am going to discuss this one with my hubby...there is a future teaching point in this blog. :)
Wonderful job as always! |
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| Mike, Fun blog. I can just see you guys enjoying this discussion in the car and pouring over it together. |
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| Great perspective, Mike. I never thought about it that way. Thank you. |
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Ed |
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April 24, 2008 at 9:29am |
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| Soooo...I'm wondering...just how long IS your drive to church? I mean, you had time to read several gospel accounts AND discuss it along the way? Seriously, a great thought provoking blog, good job! Thank you! |
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I have noticed the differences in the Gospels as well, and my husband's old boss got a bunch of contradictions such as those off the internet and gave them to my husband, spitefully...........that same guy? On the worship team at church and really on fire for Christ, over a year later!!! So does it really hinder the credibility? Obviously not. And I like how you put it here. I just figure that stuff is minor; one or two angels; who really cares? 2 or 3 women; who cares? You only need at least 2 for your witness to be credible....even though they were women. lol WOW! You should see how big the snowflakes are coming down right now! I don't know where I've ever seen them that big before! Sorry! Just typing and staring out the picture window. |
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BHEK |
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April 24, 2008 at 9:40am |
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Now you got me reading for the day. We have discussed the witnesses being women before, but never the differences in tomb attendant(s). What you wrote about them all seeing different things struck me particularly hard. They all told a story about what the women found. None of them ever claimed to have been there with them, so is it possible that as the truth was divinely given to them they came up with different interpretations of the presence in front of the tomb? GOD is not always easy to understand but he is very clear about the point he is trying to get across. The point being He is Risen! Could it be that they got the stories from the women themselves, and in a telephone game like way some of the details were relayed differently.
So many questions, so little time.....
Thank you for this one.
B |
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| Great! I liked the comparison of the Gospels you did, it is so true that no two people see the same event exactly alike, thus the slight differences in the accounts. People that try to say the Bible contradicts itself hasn't read it carefully. I have found no contradictions, I've only found that not all people get the same meaning out of the same portions. |
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Glenn |
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April 24, 2008 at 11:13am |
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Glad you didn't save this one Mike. "The whole point of the resurrection stories in the gospels is, the tomb was found empty. In fact, the whole point of our faith is, the tomb was found empty." Amen to that one! and we can all say He is risen indeed!
peace |
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Trukki |
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April 24, 2008 at 1:35pm |
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| The women as witness' is key. If you never have please read Lee Strobel's "Case for Christ" Quite possibly the best book I ever read. Reads like a novel~ but full of amazing facts to support our faith. |
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Mike n Laura,
I have never thought about the women being unreliable witnesses before and I've never heard any one speek about it either. Your blog was like an ah ha to me. More evidence. Thank you for the left overs. :0) |
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Gene |
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April 24, 2008 at 4:01pm |
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Maybe this is cold water - but the Gospels were written at very different times in different locales. That fact that they are different is indicative of the way any story could be told differently after making the rounds. Ever play telephone? You can even get a changed story at the end of five minutes let along several years and miles.
Still the critical point is as you say Mike - that Jesus arose and that the women were the first to bear witness to that fact. I always find it amazing how egalitarian Jesus was in that women were part of His inner circle and that regardless of Jewish tradition/customs at the time Jesus took women in and blessed them and forgave them when the rest of the world thought so very little of women. It's only appropriate that women should be the first to see Jesus being brought into this life, passing from it and then rising to it again. In fact, I am convinced that women were among those who were there when Jesus was lifted up into the clouds. The word used in Acts 1:11 by the angles who spoke to those gazing at the sky is "aner" which loosely translated means "you guys" - a term used for any group with both men and women.
That fact that women held such an important role when nothing else in society woudl point to that at the time is the most convincing consistent part of the story for me. |
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Deb |
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April 24, 2008 at 6:45pm |
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| Great blog Mike, even if it was a little late. I am glad you didn't wait a year to post it. A very good lesson! |
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Thanks Deb! Always appreciate your vote of confidence!
Gene, cold water? Nah. I recognized the gaps in time between the writing of the gospels as an opportunity for the writers to sync up their accounts, had that been their goal. And yes, maybe the amount of time did contribute to the differences we see in the stories. (I'm especially honored by your post, given your busy schedule!!)
Thanks Robin! Yes, that was recently an a-ha to me too!
Trukki - read "A Case for Faith", not the "Case for Christ" yet. We have a copy though, so at some point I will. At least that's the plan!
Thanks Glenn. Yep, let's remember that year round, shall we? (As Elizabeth points out above!) Good to hear from you too, oh busy one!
Shirley - those "contradictions" are never what the doubters claim, are they? Thanks for the comment! |
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| He's Alive! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart! |
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Cheryl |
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April 24, 2008 at 9:45pm |
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| Mike, Lee Strobel just came to our church and spoke on the Case for Christ....EXCELLENT!!! |
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Rosie |
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April 25, 2008 at 2:31am |
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| Good blog Mike i'm glad you set it free for us to read....HE IS ALIVE AND WELL AND WORKING IN MY LIFE............Thank you Jesus |
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Debora, it was fun. I love talking about spiritual stuff with my kids....I love their take! It's so naive, so full of wonder and curiosity, so....refreshing! Well, as long as they aren't in their "silly mood"!
Steve...thanks. Coming from you that really means a lot!
Cheryl, your joy is infectious! I've read Strobel, but haven't heard him. I'll bet that was a great talk he gave!
hehe Rosie, you make me laugh! I really need that today. 
Todd....AMEN brother!! |
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Everyone has their own point of view, and I beleive that is all these discrepancies are... period, as you said the main fact here no matter who tells the story, "The tomb was found empty, the "jist" is the same OUR LORD ROSE from the dead, just like He said He would."
I can so see your family discussing this, and all the contradictions, it must have been a fun and interensting discussion time. |
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Tammy, the discrepancies make for an interesting discussion! But you're right on, what they all say in harmony is the most important thing!
Lara...amazing story about your husband's old boss! That is so cool...I love to hear those kinda stories, they give me chills. (Not unlike your snowflakes!)
Bhek...eventually all questions will be answered, my friend.
lol- thanks Ed! The drive is 18 minutes, plenty of time to read the resurrection in MML&J, plus discuss! :-) |
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| Valarie, thanks so much for your nice words. I wonder, how'd the discussion w/your husband about this go? (I'll be he knew all this stuff!) |
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Dear Mike- this one was really inspiring. Your post put down those stark facts- the empty tomb, the women as witnesses and the apparent discrepancies which strengthen the credibility of the accounts. i have had just a few questions about the resurrection really. "The whole point of the resurrection stories in the gospels is, the tomb was found empty. In fact, the whole point of our faith is, the tomb was found empty." 1) No empty tomb supports the fact that the dead person has resurrected. So how can we state that so confidently? 2) The only hope here is the Eyewitnesses who saw Jesus AFTER the resurrection. My question- WHY should i believe them? 3) Then comes the conversion of Paul. Nothing short of a resurrected Lord could achieve Paul's turning. so is that proof enough that Jesus has resurrected? 4) 1Cor.15 mentions 500 people who saw Jesus after the Resurrection. Who are these 500? What about their testimonies? 5) One assuring fact- the NT writers keep mentioning the statement "the resurrection..as YOU ALSO know.." showing that somehow the Jews could not deny the Resurrection. How come? 6) Finally. If you ask me how do i know if the Resurrection is true? I have only my slowly transforming life to show.. whatever little progress is here with me, is not SURELY because of a Jesus who is still in some unknown grave..that Jesus MUST have resurrected ! i 'know' from my personal life that Jesus HAS resurrected. But why should anyone value that? Looking earnestly for your reply. (is this a comment or a letter?) :D TDK. |
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| Hey Mike...you know, when we were talking about it...it actually was a discussion with our mentor Pastor too, and...neither of them had really put that much thought into it. They both agreed that the accounts had all the differences and that there would be no way that anyone could say that it was a "let's get the story straight" kind of thing. I think what gripped them both more than anything was the aspect of the women. Which for me this was pretty cool...being the only woman in the room and all. I find it pretty cool that Jesus really did hold women in high esteem and I wish that more men in our churches today would realize that truth. I think my hubby might talk to our Senior Pastor and use this in a teaching series perhaps. We do different things in the summer. Might work it in somewhere. |
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| This is a really good post Mike. I think these were some real critical points that Lee Strobel made in his book "A case for Christ." the four Gospels match but not exactly. thats what you would want in court. the Whole things amazing. An Itinrant preacher from Judea crucified on a cross 2000 years ago by some women, and were still lovin' him 2day!!! |
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Mike I love the post!
I have a different take on the women. I think that God did that on pupose. Woman was the force of effort in the fall, man fell by his inaction, woman by her action. By both the act of childbearing in Mary, and the act of the proclamation of the ressurection, women, by their action, brought the Ressurection to us men, instead of an apple. The restorative act of both healing and warfare is an amazing act. Womankind, as a whole, acting to overthrow the fall, working with God, in union and partnership! We men came along a bit grudgingly, don't you think? |
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Dennis, I'm getting chills....that is awesome!!! (and deep!) Um, as for your concluding sentence....yeah, I might even agree w/that. hehe
Dave, thanks! We read "A Case for Faith" like 7-8 years ago, it was awesome. Never read A Case for Christ, but feel like I'm gonna have to squeeze that one in too. The story of Jesus....amazing!
Valarie...cool. This would indeed fit nicely into a teaching on the importance of women in the kingdom of God. See Dennis' brilliant comment above!  |
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DK, I just got back to this blog....was overwhelmed yesterday, but now I've got a little time to address your rather excellent questions (as best I can).
1) The empty tomb proves resurrection, because it was sealed with a huge stone, then guarded by a contingent of soldiers, then first thing on the third day found empty. No body was ever produced! No story, credible or otherwise, ever surfaced on the "true" whereabouts of Jesus' body -- today this might be like the body of Elvis disappearing, I would think.
2) Regarding the eyewitnesses, there were over 500 of them!!! And there is no account anywhere that these people were lying! Think about that, if the sightings of Jesus after his death were a lie, this would show up all over the place in ancient literature...I would expect. But it shows up...nowhere.
3) The story of Paul is rather amazing. What else would explain such a sudden turnabout in a man formerly vehemently opposed to the Christian sect? Then to actually become one of them??? Supernatural, my friend. And not Satanic supernatural either, considering what Paul did for Christianity!
4) I touched on the 500 already. Apparently they were just common, everyday people? Interestingly, if it was a lie, how would you get all 500+ to agree to propagating that, then have none of them ever come forward admitting to the lie for the rest of their lives?
5) I am assuming this was just the NT writers' way of acknowledging an existing faith on the part of their readers.
6) Add your transforming (slowly or otherwise) life to the millions of others worldwide over the years, and suddenly you become part of something larger than your life or mine, something vast and undeniable. And I'm praising God that you are part of that, my friend!!!
Sorry it took a couple of days to get back to this! Forgive me DK??  |
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Whoop !! yippee..! :) Mike, u know how notoriously irregular i am in blogging or even replying-(remember how long u waited for a response the last time? :D) The best part is,i just opened ur blog now after posting that comment,so u have been J.I.T (Just In Time)- thats Cool !! Thank U so much for taking the time !!! And ur reply is awesome,but i still have questions man..in response to ur points,here they are. 1) Mike,i dont want to be unbelieving... but believing-trouble is,i have questions! See, they found an empty tomb with no soldiers around. Anything could have happened to the body! Even stealing and Burying it deep! But then there is the eyewitness accounts of Jesus being seen.. sigh.(Man..! Thomas couldnt beat me at doubting..sheesh..) 2) Yeah there is no Ancient lit to show that it was all a hoax! Phew- gud one Mike ! 3) Exactly..! Paul's Conversion.. wow. Thank God for that huh? 4) "f it was a lie, how would you get all 500+ to agree to propagating that, then have none of them ever come forward admitting to the lie for the rest of their lives?" AMAZING point- Praise be to Jesus :) i have no reply to that one..lets say i am stumped by grace! 5) Amen, AMEN ! 6) Undeniable.. UNDENIABLE UNDENIABLE YEAH ! God bless Mike.. hope to God more and more people read this blog.. as for me, i wish i would stop believing and doubting(!) at the same time ! :) TDK |
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TDK, love your exhuberant replies! 
Everyone of us has a nagging doubt come along...as long as there is a satan and demons and all, the doubts will come. May I recommend to you an excellent book, that has been through some reprintings. Called Who Moved the Stone: A Skeptic Looks at the Death and Resurrection of Christ. As for your follow-up to 1) Matthew includes details about the soldiers that the other gospels don't. Being a former employee of the Romans, is it possible he had some inside info? (I don't think a secret burial in the ground would be likely, because a) burial would be difficult in this region due to the exceedingly hard, rocky ground and primitive digging tools (thus folks buried in tombs- see also Lazarus), b) again how would anyone live with such a secret all their lives w/o spilling to anyone.
I hope you check out that book. I've read it, it is awesome. The author researched the resurrection while an unbeliever, in order to disprove Christianity. Through the effort, he ended up becoming a believer!!
God bless |
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DK,
If I may hop onto this thread.
Why is the "believing/doubting" a problem? Are you letting your "western mindset" get in the way of your personhood? We, that is us who were raised in western culture, forget that there are mysteries out there. We want complete and absolute knowledge, not understanding that Christianity developed out of a cultural mindset of "mysteries". Remember the child's father in Mark 9? here was his response when asked if he believed. 9:21 And he asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child. 9:22 And oft-times it hath cast him both into the fire and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. 9:23And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth. 9:24 Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
I also am always reminded of how the Orthodox view Thomas, the "western church" is the only group that calls him "doubting" Thomas, in the east he's referred to as "Thomas the Believer". His end wasn't his unbelief, but his belief. I think that we "doubt" God goodness and grace when we question.It's like when my children would come to me and ask questions. They were just curious and were finding ways to engage my time. I mean, how many ways can you find to answer "why"? DK, keep asking, eventually, in all this, there is wisdom. You may find yourself in good company, if you do indeed chose wisdom, Daniel, Solomon, C.S. Lewis, among a few. Just remember, like my own kids, after you spend time asking those questions, spend time loving on your Father, He likes that even more than the questions, I know this also from my own experience. |
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thanks a Ton for dat one Mike ! greetings from beyond the tomb TDK ! :) |
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