This is a prelude to some of the questions and objections regarding Matthew 28 especially components of the question, How can all the New Testament accounts of Jesus resurrection and related events be harmonized?. I decided to reconstruct a scene-by-scene account of the events first, and then show how the individual Gospels interlock with reconstruction. When all the Gospels are shown to interlock with the reconstruction, it will be evident that they interlock with one another as well. Not only does this help resolve the objections at the SAB, but it also provides a resolution to the "Easter Challenge" composed by Dan Barker and disseminated by various unbelievers.
Before reading my solution to the Easter Challenge, readers may want to read a couple of other proposed harmonizations: Gary Zeolla has one at www.dtl.org/bible/article/easter.htm and Peter Ballard has one at www.peterballard.org/easter.html (which, it seems, is a revision of a page which I referred to some time ago in another thread). Ballard seems to consider the New Testament to be infallible in matters of faith and doctrine but not inerrant. (He also seems to consider Mark 16:9-20 non-canonical.) Ballard also provides a list of other harmonization-attempts at www.peterballard.org/easter_others.html , one of which -- at www.answering-islam.org/A...l#theories -- features scene-by-scene diagrams (and some interesting calculated guesses about the identity of Jesus relatives, positing that the individuals known as Jesus brothers are actually His cousins).
A few words in advance about some assumptions that were in play in the production of this harmonization:
1. I ascribe to the teachings that Scripture is divinely inspired by God, and that God is a God of truth. A corollary of this belief is that the message which God intended to be conveyed by the inspired text is without error.
2. The narratives about Easter in the Gospel of John were intended to supplement and explain the account of the Easter-day events in the Gospel of Mark (and possibly the other Synoptics).
3. Johns source-material about Easter included the finished Gospel of Mark (1:1-16;20), an oral tradition which originated with Mary Magdalenes own account of what happened, and John's own recollections.
4. The Synoptics main source-material about the events that occurred Easter morning consisted mainly of a line of tradition which originated with Peters recollection of what the acquaintances of Mary Magdalene had claimed to have experienced.
5. Mark 16:9-20s status as a canonical text is granted, and it is included in this harmonization.
6. The authenticity of Luke 24:12 is neither granted nor denied.
In this reconstructed list of Easter-day events, I provide a real-time estimate at the beginning of each event. This is intended only as an estimate and frequently can be shifted considerably without really affecting the reconstruction. At the end of most of the list-entries, I list Scriptures which describe and/or pertain to that particular event.
Here we go.
*****************
2:00 a.m. An earthquake occurs and an angel descends from heaven and rolls away the stone, and sits upon it. (Matthew 28:2-3)
2:01 a.m. The guards, reacting to the angels manifestation, faint away. (Matthew 28:4)
3:00 a.m. The guards stir, see the angel again, and run away, regrouping elsewhere later.
4:30 a.m. The angel moves from the entrance-stone to the slab where Jesus body was placed, and is joined there by another angel.
5:00 a.m. Mary Magdalene, having planned on Friday to meet with the other women at the tomb where Jesus was entombed, arrives there very early. She is joined by the other Mary. (John 20:1a)
5:01 a.m. Mary Magdalene sees that the stone has been taken away from the tomb-entrance. The other Mary takes a closer look and notices the angels within the tomb. (John 20:1b, Luke 24:23)
5:15 a.m. Mary Magdalene, accompanied by the other Mary, runs to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple (John), announcing that They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. [If it were not for the "we" here, btw, I would have probably assumed that Mary Magdalene was all alone when she first visited the tomb.] The other Mary also tells about the angels she saw. (John 20:2; cf. Luke 24:22-23)
5:30 a.m. Peter and John race to the tomb. John arrives first but does not go in. When Peter arrives, he goes in and sees the wrappings in which Jesus body had been wrapped. The angels do not appear to Peter and John at this time. (John 20:3-9)
5:31 a.m. Peter and John return to their homes. (John 20:10)
5:35 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary return to the vicinity of Jesus tomb. (John 20:11)
5:32 a.m. The other women meet Mary Magdalene and the other Mary en route to the tomb. As they rendesvous, some of the newcomers ask the Marys, Who will roll away the stone for us? (Mark 16:3). The newcomers are Salome, Joanna, and at least one more who is not named. (Im going to call this woman Namelessa. Bear in mind that she may be one, two, or even three women.) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary do not reply, since the question is not asked until the tomb is almost in view. (Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2)
5:33 a.m. The women look up and see that the exceptionally large entrance-stone has been rolled away. (Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2)
5:34 a.m. Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa quite boldly enter the tomb and do not find Jesus body. Then, suddenly, two men in dazzlingly white apparel appear close to them. (Luke 24:4)
5:35 a.m. One of these men (who were angels manifesting themselves in human form) sits down. (Mark 16:5)
5:36 a.m. The angels within the tomb tell the women not to be afraid or bewildered; Why do you seek the living one among the dead? You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen.
5:34 a.m. (Rewind two minutes and place the narrative camera outside the tomb with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.) The angel who was previously stationed on the entrance-stone re-appears, in a form which suppresses his heavenly magnificence. Mary Magdalene is startled by his sudden appearance behind her (as she is facing the tomb-entrance) but assumes that he is an ordinary human being. (Matthew 28:5a)
5:36 a.m. Outside the tomb: the angel on the entrance-stone tells Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, Fear not; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. (Matthew 28:5-6)
5:36 a.m. Inside the tomb: the angels tell Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa, Behold, the place where they laid Him referring to the corpse-bed which they occupy. The angels tell the women to remember that when Jesus was in Galilee, He had told them to meet Him there after the Son of Man was risen from the dead. (See Mark 14:28 for an instance of this pre-instruction given about Galilee in Jerusalem.) Luke and Mark give the gist of this statement which was made to the women inside the tomb. (Luke avoided quoting the angels statement that Jesus would rendezvous with the disciples in Galilee, because Luke intended to connect the narrative about the end of Jesus earthly sojourn to the beginning of the church, both of which occurred in or near Jerusalem sort of like a drama-director who wants to reduce the number of scenery-changes for the sake of continuity.) (Mark 16:6-7, Luke 24:5-7)
5:37 Outside the tomb: despite the angels invitation to Come, see the place where the Lord lay, Mary Magdalene has no intention of entering the tomb. Shes already disturbed by the mornings events, and backs away from the tomb altogether. As a result she either fails to hear the angels next words, or else she is so shaken up that their true meaning fails to register to her. The angel proceeds to tell her and the other Mary to Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him; Behold, I have told you. The other Mary heeds the angels instructions, and joins the other women as they depart from the tomb. (Mark 16:8, Luke 24:8-9a)
5:40 Salome, Joanna, Namelessa, and the other Mary depart from the tomb, intending at first to go straight to the disciples and tell them the news. However, they did not find the disciples right away. Possibly they did not know where to find them all so early in the morning; possibly they decided to wait till a time later in the day at which they knew the disciples would gather together of their own accord. So the women did not find the disciples right away, and, quite aware that the atmosphere toward followers of Jesus in Jerusalem might be rather tense, they avoided telling anyone else about their experience at the tomb. (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9a)
5:41 The angel on the entrance-stone, having delivered his message, disappears.
5:42 As the other women depart, Mary Magdalene lingers near the tomb. (John 20:11a)
5:45 Mary Magdalene breaks down into tears, because she momentarily thinks that the man on the stone said something like this: Don't be upset. You must be looking for Jesus, who was crucified. Hes not here anymore. His body was raised during the earthquake [with the implication that, having been exposed, the body was collected and taken away by somebody]. See, look; this is the place where he was laid, but the body is gone. (See John 20:13)
5:46 Mary Magdalene decides to look into the tomb, and enters the antechamber. (John 20:11)
5:47 Mary Magdalene sees two angels in the tomb-chamber probably the same two who spoke to Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa previously sitting on the arcosolium. Again, though, their heavenly magnificence is suppressed and they seem to Mary to be men dressed in very white clothes. (John 20:12)
5:48 a.m. The angels ask Mary why she is weeping. She answers, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him, and continues to weep. (John 20:13)
5:50 a.m. Jesus arrives, and stands in the entrance of the tomb. Viewed from within the antechamber, only his silhouette is visible; sunlight shining into the tombs entrance obscures His facial features. Woman, why are you weeping? He asks. Mary hopefully thinks that this man might be the caretaker of the garden, and that he might know where Jesus body was taken. (John 20:14-15a, Mark 16:9)
5:51 a.m. Mary Magdalene, thinking that Jesus is the gardener, says to Him, Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away. (John 20:15b)
5:52 a.m. Jesus calls Marys name. (John 20:16a)
5:53 a.m. Mary says Rabboni (which means "Teacher," a term which Bartimaeus also used, in Mark 10:51), either as an exclamation or a half-breathed question as she realizes that Jesus is standing before her, alive. (John 20:16)
5:54 a.m. Mary embraces Jesus. John 20:17 doesnt come out and say this (and it's possible that she hugged His ankles or held His feet on this occasion), but the text pictures Jesus telling Mary Magdalene (right after she calls Him Rabboni), Stop clinging to Me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. (NASB, John 20:17)
5:55 Mary lets go of Jesus, and leaves the tomb to go tell the disciples what has happened.
6:05 - Mary Magdalene catches up with the other women who were at the tomb. They have not yet reached/found the disciples.
6:10 Jesus meets them and greets them. They hold His feet and bow before Him. (Matthew 28:9)
6:11 Jesus repeats His instructions to get word to His brethren to go to Galilee. (Matthew 28:10)
7:00 Mary Magdalene, who knows where to go to find the disciples, leads the other women to them, and announces that she has seen the Lord. (Matthew 28:11a, Luke 24:9b-110, John 20:18)
7:15 The soldiers who had been guarding the tomb report what they experienced to the chief priests. After consulting one another, the religious leaders give the soldiers a large sum of money and instruct them to claim that Jesus disciples came by night and stole Jesus body while they were asleep. The soldiers receive assurance that the governor will not be a problem. The soldiers agree to take the money, and start spreading the story that Jesus disciples came and stole away his body during the night. (Matthew 28:11-15)
7:20 a.m. The disciples do not believe Mary Magdalene or any of the other women. (Mark 16:10-11, Luke 24:11)
7:25 a.m. [If Luke 24:12 is considered an original part of the Gospel of Luke, then Peters actions described therein occur at this point. This would imply that after Peter visited the tomb earlier that morning, and went to his home, he then went to the place where the disciples were gathered (or was taken there at the insistence of one or more of the women who were looking for as many disciples as they could find the spread the good news) and then traveled again to the tomb. If Luke 24:12 is not considered an original part of the Gospel of Luke, then the default assumption would be, I think, that Peter remained at his own quarters in Jerusalem until ]
12:00 noon Simon Peter is not with the other disciples. As John 20:10 said, those two had departed to their homes after their earlier visit to the empty tomb.
(Whether Peter remained in his own house, or went to where the disciples had been gathered, is a separate question, depending somewhat on whether or not one considers Luke 24;12 to be an authentic Lukan statement, but all that is needed for the narrative-flow to continue smoothly is to posit that at some point, Peter is not with the other disciples. A scenario in which Peter was in one place, and the disciples were in another, may be suggested by the instructions given to the women in Mark 16:7 to go tell His disciples, and Peter etc.) Jesus appears to Simon Peter, who later rejoins the other disciples and tells them about his encounter. (See Luke 24:34 and I Cor. 15:5a).
1:00 p.m. Cleopas and another disciple depart from Jerusalem, headed to the village of Emmaus. (See Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13)
3:00 p.m. Jesus joins them, though in a form that they do not recognize (Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13-32), and He talks with them as related in Luke 24:17-27. They mention the first report of Mary Magdalene that she had found the tomb empty, but had not seen Jesus, and the resultant expedition to the tomb by Peter and John. But Cleopas and his companion do not know about the later announcements made to the disciples by Mary and the other women (because Cleopas and the other disciple were not present when Mary Magdalene announced that she had seen the Lord; they had only witnessed, or heard about, her first report, the one about the empty tomb, and the other Mary's report about the angels.) (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13b-24)
5:00 p.m. Jesus spends some time discussing Scripture with Cleopas and his fellow-disciple. In or near Emmaus, He sits down for a meal with Cleopas and the other disciple, and vanishes during the act of breaking bread. Cleopas and the other disciple realize that it was Jesus, and they rush back to Jerusalem at once. (Luke 24:25-33)
7:30 p.m. Cleopas and the other disciple, after rushing back to Jerusalem at a brisk pace (or on horseback or other transportation), find the disciples. Before Cleopas and the other disciple start talking, the disciples inform them, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! but when Cleopas and his fellow witness tell their story, the other disciples are averse to believe it. After all, wasnt Jesus busy appearing to Simon? How could Jesus get to both places Simons house in Jerusalem, and the road near Emmaus in one afternoon? The other disciples did not immediately accept Cleopas story. (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:33-35)
7:35 p.m. Before the disciples are persuaded that Cleopas and the other disciple really met Jesus, Jesus Himself appears in their midst and greets the disciples with Peace unto you. (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36, John 20:19-20)
7:40 p.m. Jesus chides the disciples for not believing Mary Magdalene and the women and Cleopas and his fellow-disciple. Even when Jesus is standing before them, some of the disciples think He is a ghostly apparition. (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:37-39)
7:41 p.m. Jesus affirms that He is alive, and demonstrates that His body, whatever form-altering abilities it might have, is tangible and capable of digesting food. The disciples are elated to the point of giddiness. (Luke 24:40-43, John 20:20b)
7:42 p.m. Jesus again says Peace be with you, calming the agitated disciples. He says "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you. He then breathes on the disciples (an act which is capable of layers of significance: it is another demonstration that His body is physical, and perhaps a sort of miraculous or miracle-like remedy for giddiness, and perhaps an acted-out parable about the apostles' future reception of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus proceeds to mention. The Greek word "pneuma" is capable of meaning both "spirit" and "breath"), and says, 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. He also begins to instruct them regarding what was written pertaining to Him in the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets. (John 20:21-23, Luke 24:44-45)
8:00 p.m. Jesus leaves the disciples.
8:30 p.m. Thomas shows up, and the rest of the disciples share the news that they have seen the Lord. Thomas does not believe them, and declares, Unless I see in his hands the imprints of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. (John 20:24-25)
Eight days later, 4:00 p.m. -- The disciples are again gathered together, somewhere in a room in a house in or near Jerusalem, the doors of which were shut tight (though it is not mentioned that this was on account of fear of the Jews, as in John 20:19). . [Idea: they may have been staying at the house of Mary and Martha, in Bethany.] Jesus appears and stands in the midst of the disciples and greets them. (John 20:26)
4:01 p.m. Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger into the wounds on Jesus hands, and to feel the wound on Jesus side and to be not unbelieving but believing. (John 20:27)
4:02 p.m. Thomas responds: My Lord and my God! Jesus tells Thomas, Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who do not see, and yet have believed. (John 20:28-29)
Shortly after this, the eleven apostles travel north to Galilee. (Matthew 28:16)
The encounter at the Sea of Galilee between Jesus and a group of eight disciples including Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James & John the sons of Zebedee, and two others happens a few days later. (John 21:2-23)
Days after the encounter at the Sea of Galilee, the apostles gather at a mountain (Mount Tabor?) and again see Jesus. Some of the disciples are still doubtful about something (but Matthew does not say what). At this point He begins to teach them to spread the good news everywhere, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:17-20) [Matthew may be compressing two events one in Galilee, and one that occurred later on the Mount of Olives -- into one scene here. If this is the case, then Mt. 28:18-20 should be understood to have historically originated at a later appearance, namely the one which concluded with Jesus ascension, and to run parallel to Mark 16:15-18 and Luke 46-49.]
The appearance to more than 500 at once which Paul mentions in I Cor. 15:6 may be a different occasion, but its also possible that the eleven apostles invited many other followers of Jesus to the mountain. Jesus had told the women to take word to His brothers to meet them in Galilee (in Matthew 28:10), so although Matthew explicitly only mentions the eleven disciples in Matthew 28:16, many other disciples the brethren may have been present.
At some point after the appearance to the multitude, Jesus appears to James before again appearing to all the apostles. [By apostles Paul probably doesnt mean just the eleven Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and so on but the whole group whom Jesus commissioned just before His ascension, the total number of which totaled about 120 people, according to Acts 1:13-15.] (I Cor. 15:7)
Forty days after Jesus resurrection, Jesus meets His disciples again this time in Jerusalem. (Luke compresses this meeting, beginning in Luke 24:46, with the one which concluded in Luke 24:45. He makes it clear in Acts 1, though, that the reader should understand that Jesus appeared to the disciples over the course of 40 days after His resurrection.) He commissions them to invite people to preach that people should repent and have their sins forgiven, and that they should testify about Him to all nations. He then leads them out to the Mount of Olives, issuing final instructions about the kingdom of God, and giving them some other instructions, including a command to tarry in Jerusalem. (Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:3-8)
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus ascends skyward, and disappears from view in a cloud. (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9)
The disciples return into Jerusalem. (Luke 24:52-53)
Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, the Christian church is established as the Holy Spirit indwells the disciples and they invite their fellow-Jews from throughout the Roman Empire and beyond (visiting Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival) to become followers of Jesus the Messiah. (See Acts 1-2.) Eventually the disciples travel as Jesus says in Acts 1:8 all over, spreading the good news, accompanied by various miracles and the life-transforming power of the good news. (Acts 1:8, Mark 16:20)
Three miscellaneous points:
(1) I consider the terms The Twelve and The Eleven to have been used in a titular sense in I Cor. 15:5 and 24:33.
(2) Although, as Dan Barker has pointed out, Matthew 28:2-3 is presented in the aorist tense, that doesnt preclude the idea that it is a parenthetical reference to something that happened before Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived. It looks to me like Dan Barker underestimated the degree of narrative compression which Matthew applied to his material.
(3) One thing that makes the harmonization I propose here different from most others is that I posit two visits by Mary Magdalene to the tomb: one which begins while it was still dark in which Mary Magdalene visits the tomb (apparently joined at this time only by the other Mary) and the second of which begins very early in the morning when the sun had risen (Mark 16:2), at which time the two Marys are joined by the other women, and after which Mary lingers at the tomb and meets Jesus there. This may indicate that John was using his knowledge of Mary Magdalenes testimony, as well as his own remembrances, to supplement the Gospel of Mark. Rather than intentionally introduce a question-raising description of the same visit which Mark describes as happening after the sun had risen, when John states that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark John is referring to a separate earlier visit.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Before reading my solution to the Easter Challenge, readers may want to read a couple of other proposed harmonizations: Gary Zeolla has one at www.dtl.org/bible/article/easter.htm and Peter Ballard has one at www.peterballard.org/easter.html (which, it seems, is a revision of a page which I referred to some time ago in another thread). Ballard seems to consider the New Testament to be infallible in matters of faith and doctrine but not inerrant. (He also seems to consider Mark 16:9-20 non-canonical.) Ballard also provides a list of other harmonization-attempts at www.peterballard.org/easter_others.html , one of which -- at www.answering-islam.org/A...l#theories -- features scene-by-scene diagrams (and some interesting calculated guesses about the identity of Jesus relatives, positing that the individuals known as Jesus brothers are actually His cousins).
A few words in advance about some assumptions that were in play in the production of this harmonization:
1. I ascribe to the teachings that Scripture is divinely inspired by God, and that God is a God of truth. A corollary of this belief is that the message which God intended to be conveyed by the inspired text is without error.
2. The narratives about Easter in the Gospel of John were intended to supplement and explain the account of the Easter-day events in the Gospel of Mark (and possibly the other Synoptics).
3. Johns source-material about Easter included the finished Gospel of Mark (1:1-16;20), an oral tradition which originated with Mary Magdalenes own account of what happened, and John's own recollections.
4. The Synoptics main source-material about the events that occurred Easter morning consisted mainly of a line of tradition which originated with Peters recollection of what the acquaintances of Mary Magdalene had claimed to have experienced.
5. Mark 16:9-20s status as a canonical text is granted, and it is included in this harmonization.
6. The authenticity of Luke 24:12 is neither granted nor denied.
In this reconstructed list of Easter-day events, I provide a real-time estimate at the beginning of each event. This is intended only as an estimate and frequently can be shifted considerably without really affecting the reconstruction. At the end of most of the list-entries, I list Scriptures which describe and/or pertain to that particular event.
Here we go.
*****************
2:00 a.m. An earthquake occurs and an angel descends from heaven and rolls away the stone, and sits upon it. (Matthew 28:2-3)
2:01 a.m. The guards, reacting to the angels manifestation, faint away. (Matthew 28:4)
3:00 a.m. The guards stir, see the angel again, and run away, regrouping elsewhere later.
4:30 a.m. The angel moves from the entrance-stone to the slab where Jesus body was placed, and is joined there by another angel.
5:00 a.m. Mary Magdalene, having planned on Friday to meet with the other women at the tomb where Jesus was entombed, arrives there very early. She is joined by the other Mary. (John 20:1a)
5:01 a.m. Mary Magdalene sees that the stone has been taken away from the tomb-entrance. The other Mary takes a closer look and notices the angels within the tomb. (John 20:1b, Luke 24:23)
5:15 a.m. Mary Magdalene, accompanied by the other Mary, runs to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple (John), announcing that They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. [If it were not for the "we" here, btw, I would have probably assumed that Mary Magdalene was all alone when she first visited the tomb.] The other Mary also tells about the angels she saw. (John 20:2; cf. Luke 24:22-23)
5:30 a.m. Peter and John race to the tomb. John arrives first but does not go in. When Peter arrives, he goes in and sees the wrappings in which Jesus body had been wrapped. The angels do not appear to Peter and John at this time. (John 20:3-9)
5:31 a.m. Peter and John return to their homes. (John 20:10)
5:35 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary return to the vicinity of Jesus tomb. (John 20:11)
5:32 a.m. The other women meet Mary Magdalene and the other Mary en route to the tomb. As they rendesvous, some of the newcomers ask the Marys, Who will roll away the stone for us? (Mark 16:3). The newcomers are Salome, Joanna, and at least one more who is not named. (Im going to call this woman Namelessa. Bear in mind that she may be one, two, or even three women.) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary do not reply, since the question is not asked until the tomb is almost in view. (Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2)
5:33 a.m. The women look up and see that the exceptionally large entrance-stone has been rolled away. (Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2)
5:34 a.m. Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa quite boldly enter the tomb and do not find Jesus body. Then, suddenly, two men in dazzlingly white apparel appear close to them. (Luke 24:4)
5:35 a.m. One of these men (who were angels manifesting themselves in human form) sits down. (Mark 16:5)
5:36 a.m. The angels within the tomb tell the women not to be afraid or bewildered; Why do you seek the living one among the dead? You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen.
5:34 a.m. (Rewind two minutes and place the narrative camera outside the tomb with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.) The angel who was previously stationed on the entrance-stone re-appears, in a form which suppresses his heavenly magnificence. Mary Magdalene is startled by his sudden appearance behind her (as she is facing the tomb-entrance) but assumes that he is an ordinary human being. (Matthew 28:5a)
5:36 a.m. Outside the tomb: the angel on the entrance-stone tells Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, Fear not; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. (Matthew 28:5-6)
5:36 a.m. Inside the tomb: the angels tell Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa, Behold, the place where they laid Him referring to the corpse-bed which they occupy. The angels tell the women to remember that when Jesus was in Galilee, He had told them to meet Him there after the Son of Man was risen from the dead. (See Mark 14:28 for an instance of this pre-instruction given about Galilee in Jerusalem.) Luke and Mark give the gist of this statement which was made to the women inside the tomb. (Luke avoided quoting the angels statement that Jesus would rendezvous with the disciples in Galilee, because Luke intended to connect the narrative about the end of Jesus earthly sojourn to the beginning of the church, both of which occurred in or near Jerusalem sort of like a drama-director who wants to reduce the number of scenery-changes for the sake of continuity.) (Mark 16:6-7, Luke 24:5-7)
5:37 Outside the tomb: despite the angels invitation to Come, see the place where the Lord lay, Mary Magdalene has no intention of entering the tomb. Shes already disturbed by the mornings events, and backs away from the tomb altogether. As a result she either fails to hear the angels next words, or else she is so shaken up that their true meaning fails to register to her. The angel proceeds to tell her and the other Mary to Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him; Behold, I have told you. The other Mary heeds the angels instructions, and joins the other women as they depart from the tomb. (Mark 16:8, Luke 24:8-9a)
5:40 Salome, Joanna, Namelessa, and the other Mary depart from the tomb, intending at first to go straight to the disciples and tell them the news. However, they did not find the disciples right away. Possibly they did not know where to find them all so early in the morning; possibly they decided to wait till a time later in the day at which they knew the disciples would gather together of their own accord. So the women did not find the disciples right away, and, quite aware that the atmosphere toward followers of Jesus in Jerusalem might be rather tense, they avoided telling anyone else about their experience at the tomb. (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:9a)
5:41 The angel on the entrance-stone, having delivered his message, disappears.
5:42 As the other women depart, Mary Magdalene lingers near the tomb. (John 20:11a)
5:45 Mary Magdalene breaks down into tears, because she momentarily thinks that the man on the stone said something like this: Don't be upset. You must be looking for Jesus, who was crucified. Hes not here anymore. His body was raised during the earthquake [with the implication that, having been exposed, the body was collected and taken away by somebody]. See, look; this is the place where he was laid, but the body is gone. (See John 20:13)
5:46 Mary Magdalene decides to look into the tomb, and enters the antechamber. (John 20:11)
5:47 Mary Magdalene sees two angels in the tomb-chamber probably the same two who spoke to Salome, Joanna, and Namelessa previously sitting on the arcosolium. Again, though, their heavenly magnificence is suppressed and they seem to Mary to be men dressed in very white clothes. (John 20:12)
5:48 a.m. The angels ask Mary why she is weeping. She answers, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him, and continues to weep. (John 20:13)
5:50 a.m. Jesus arrives, and stands in the entrance of the tomb. Viewed from within the antechamber, only his silhouette is visible; sunlight shining into the tombs entrance obscures His facial features. Woman, why are you weeping? He asks. Mary hopefully thinks that this man might be the caretaker of the garden, and that he might know where Jesus body was taken. (John 20:14-15a, Mark 16:9)
5:51 a.m. Mary Magdalene, thinking that Jesus is the gardener, says to Him, Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away. (John 20:15b)
5:52 a.m. Jesus calls Marys name. (John 20:16a)
5:53 a.m. Mary says Rabboni (which means "Teacher," a term which Bartimaeus also used, in Mark 10:51), either as an exclamation or a half-breathed question as she realizes that Jesus is standing before her, alive. (John 20:16)
5:54 a.m. Mary embraces Jesus. John 20:17 doesnt come out and say this (and it's possible that she hugged His ankles or held His feet on this occasion), but the text pictures Jesus telling Mary Magdalene (right after she calls Him Rabboni), Stop clinging to Me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. (NASB, John 20:17)
5:55 Mary lets go of Jesus, and leaves the tomb to go tell the disciples what has happened.
6:05 - Mary Magdalene catches up with the other women who were at the tomb. They have not yet reached/found the disciples.
6:10 Jesus meets them and greets them. They hold His feet and bow before Him. (Matthew 28:9)
6:11 Jesus repeats His instructions to get word to His brethren to go to Galilee. (Matthew 28:10)
7:00 Mary Magdalene, who knows where to go to find the disciples, leads the other women to them, and announces that she has seen the Lord. (Matthew 28:11a, Luke 24:9b-110, John 20:18)
7:15 The soldiers who had been guarding the tomb report what they experienced to the chief priests. After consulting one another, the religious leaders give the soldiers a large sum of money and instruct them to claim that Jesus disciples came by night and stole Jesus body while they were asleep. The soldiers receive assurance that the governor will not be a problem. The soldiers agree to take the money, and start spreading the story that Jesus disciples came and stole away his body during the night. (Matthew 28:11-15)
7:20 a.m. The disciples do not believe Mary Magdalene or any of the other women. (Mark 16:10-11, Luke 24:11)
7:25 a.m. [If Luke 24:12 is considered an original part of the Gospel of Luke, then Peters actions described therein occur at this point. This would imply that after Peter visited the tomb earlier that morning, and went to his home, he then went to the place where the disciples were gathered (or was taken there at the insistence of one or more of the women who were looking for as many disciples as they could find the spread the good news) and then traveled again to the tomb. If Luke 24:12 is not considered an original part of the Gospel of Luke, then the default assumption would be, I think, that Peter remained at his own quarters in Jerusalem until ]
12:00 noon Simon Peter is not with the other disciples. As John 20:10 said, those two had departed to their homes after their earlier visit to the empty tomb.
(Whether Peter remained in his own house, or went to where the disciples had been gathered, is a separate question, depending somewhat on whether or not one considers Luke 24;12 to be an authentic Lukan statement, but all that is needed for the narrative-flow to continue smoothly is to posit that at some point, Peter is not with the other disciples. A scenario in which Peter was in one place, and the disciples were in another, may be suggested by the instructions given to the women in Mark 16:7 to go tell His disciples, and Peter etc.) Jesus appears to Simon Peter, who later rejoins the other disciples and tells them about his encounter. (See Luke 24:34 and I Cor. 15:5a).
1:00 p.m. Cleopas and another disciple depart from Jerusalem, headed to the village of Emmaus. (See Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13)
3:00 p.m. Jesus joins them, though in a form that they do not recognize (Mark 16:12, Luke 24:13-32), and He talks with them as related in Luke 24:17-27. They mention the first report of Mary Magdalene that she had found the tomb empty, but had not seen Jesus, and the resultant expedition to the tomb by Peter and John. But Cleopas and his companion do not know about the later announcements made to the disciples by Mary and the other women (because Cleopas and the other disciple were not present when Mary Magdalene announced that she had seen the Lord; they had only witnessed, or heard about, her first report, the one about the empty tomb, and the other Mary's report about the angels.) (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13b-24)
5:00 p.m. Jesus spends some time discussing Scripture with Cleopas and his fellow-disciple. In or near Emmaus, He sits down for a meal with Cleopas and the other disciple, and vanishes during the act of breaking bread. Cleopas and the other disciple realize that it was Jesus, and they rush back to Jerusalem at once. (Luke 24:25-33)
7:30 p.m. Cleopas and the other disciple, after rushing back to Jerusalem at a brisk pace (or on horseback or other transportation), find the disciples. Before Cleopas and the other disciple start talking, the disciples inform them, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! but when Cleopas and his fellow witness tell their story, the other disciples are averse to believe it. After all, wasnt Jesus busy appearing to Simon? How could Jesus get to both places Simons house in Jerusalem, and the road near Emmaus in one afternoon? The other disciples did not immediately accept Cleopas story. (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:33-35)
7:35 p.m. Before the disciples are persuaded that Cleopas and the other disciple really met Jesus, Jesus Himself appears in their midst and greets the disciples with Peace unto you. (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36, John 20:19-20)
7:40 p.m. Jesus chides the disciples for not believing Mary Magdalene and the women and Cleopas and his fellow-disciple. Even when Jesus is standing before them, some of the disciples think He is a ghostly apparition. (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:37-39)
7:41 p.m. Jesus affirms that He is alive, and demonstrates that His body, whatever form-altering abilities it might have, is tangible and capable of digesting food. The disciples are elated to the point of giddiness. (Luke 24:40-43, John 20:20b)
7:42 p.m. Jesus again says Peace be with you, calming the agitated disciples. He says "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you. He then breathes on the disciples (an act which is capable of layers of significance: it is another demonstration that His body is physical, and perhaps a sort of miraculous or miracle-like remedy for giddiness, and perhaps an acted-out parable about the apostles' future reception of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus proceeds to mention. The Greek word "pneuma" is capable of meaning both "spirit" and "breath"), and says, 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. He also begins to instruct them regarding what was written pertaining to Him in the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets. (John 20:21-23, Luke 24:44-45)
8:00 p.m. Jesus leaves the disciples.
8:30 p.m. Thomas shows up, and the rest of the disciples share the news that they have seen the Lord. Thomas does not believe them, and declares, Unless I see in his hands the imprints of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. (John 20:24-25)
Eight days later, 4:00 p.m. -- The disciples are again gathered together, somewhere in a room in a house in or near Jerusalem, the doors of which were shut tight (though it is not mentioned that this was on account of fear of the Jews, as in John 20:19). . [Idea: they may have been staying at the house of Mary and Martha, in Bethany.] Jesus appears and stands in the midst of the disciples and greets them. (John 20:26)
4:01 p.m. Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger into the wounds on Jesus hands, and to feel the wound on Jesus side and to be not unbelieving but believing. (John 20:27)
4:02 p.m. Thomas responds: My Lord and my God! Jesus tells Thomas, Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who do not see, and yet have believed. (John 20:28-29)
Shortly after this, the eleven apostles travel north to Galilee. (Matthew 28:16)
The encounter at the Sea of Galilee between Jesus and a group of eight disciples including Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James & John the sons of Zebedee, and two others happens a few days later. (John 21:2-23)
Days after the encounter at the Sea of Galilee, the apostles gather at a mountain (Mount Tabor?) and again see Jesus. Some of the disciples are still doubtful about something (but Matthew does not say what). At this point He begins to teach them to spread the good news everywhere, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:17-20) [Matthew may be compressing two events one in Galilee, and one that occurred later on the Mount of Olives -- into one scene here. If this is the case, then Mt. 28:18-20 should be understood to have historically originated at a later appearance, namely the one which concluded with Jesus ascension, and to run parallel to Mark 16:15-18 and Luke 46-49.]
The appearance to more than 500 at once which Paul mentions in I Cor. 15:6 may be a different occasion, but its also possible that the eleven apostles invited many other followers of Jesus to the mountain. Jesus had told the women to take word to His brothers to meet them in Galilee (in Matthew 28:10), so although Matthew explicitly only mentions the eleven disciples in Matthew 28:16, many other disciples the brethren may have been present.
At some point after the appearance to the multitude, Jesus appears to James before again appearing to all the apostles. [By apostles Paul probably doesnt mean just the eleven Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and so on but the whole group whom Jesus commissioned just before His ascension, the total number of which totaled about 120 people, according to Acts 1:13-15.] (I Cor. 15:7)
Forty days after Jesus resurrection, Jesus meets His disciples again this time in Jerusalem. (Luke compresses this meeting, beginning in Luke 24:46, with the one which concluded in Luke 24:45. He makes it clear in Acts 1, though, that the reader should understand that Jesus appeared to the disciples over the course of 40 days after His resurrection.) He commissions them to invite people to preach that people should repent and have their sins forgiven, and that they should testify about Him to all nations. He then leads them out to the Mount of Olives, issuing final instructions about the kingdom of God, and giving them some other instructions, including a command to tarry in Jerusalem. (Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:3-8)
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus ascends skyward, and disappears from view in a cloud. (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9)
The disciples return into Jerusalem. (Luke 24:52-53)
Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, the Christian church is established as the Holy Spirit indwells the disciples and they invite their fellow-Jews from throughout the Roman Empire and beyond (visiting Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival) to become followers of Jesus the Messiah. (See Acts 1-2.) Eventually the disciples travel as Jesus says in Acts 1:8 all over, spreading the good news, accompanied by various miracles and the life-transforming power of the good news. (Acts 1:8, Mark 16:20)
Three miscellaneous points:
(1) I consider the terms The Twelve and The Eleven to have been used in a titular sense in I Cor. 15:5 and 24:33.
(2) Although, as Dan Barker has pointed out, Matthew 28:2-3 is presented in the aorist tense, that doesnt preclude the idea that it is a parenthetical reference to something that happened before Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived. It looks to me like Dan Barker underestimated the degree of narrative compression which Matthew applied to his material.
(3) One thing that makes the harmonization I propose here different from most others is that I posit two visits by Mary Magdalene to the tomb: one which begins while it was still dark in which Mary Magdalene visits the tomb (apparently joined at this time only by the other Mary) and the second of which begins very early in the morning when the sun had risen (Mark 16:2), at which time the two Marys are joined by the other women, and after which Mary lingers at the tomb and meets Jesus there. This may indicate that John was using his knowledge of Mary Magdalenes testimony, as well as his own remembrances, to supplement the Gospel of Mark. Rather than intentionally introduce a question-raising description of the same visit which Mark describes as happening after the sun had risen, when John states that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark John is referring to a separate earlier visit.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
