One of a 1000 ways of reconciling the resurrection accounts

If you are a believing Christian and have a young person in your family-and-friends circle who has recently become a Muslim, you may have experienced that they keep coming back to you with questions. It is not due to eagerness for answers as much as it is the eagerness to grow their polemic skills. In a very short span of time, these young people are taught information about Islam and supposed issues with Christianity. For studious scholars of the Bible, these barbs cannot hurt, because the questions are not new, and we know to de-thorn them. To communicate the answer back to the questioner is the skill we often lack. To do this, we have to be on top of things, know dates, and names, and also have the energy. It’s that last one that I lack the most. To be fair to myself, it is easy for said young person to learn a question and then come and ask me, and these questions come in quick succession. It takes effort to construct the answer.

If winning the argument was all that were at stake here, then I would slide over a little to the polemics side and go on the offensive. To poke holes at the Quran and Mohammad is not hard to do, and at this stage in my life, I am not afraid of my safety so much. But what would I gain? Whereas, I feel, that if I can use every opportunity to answer questions and also share the gospel in the process, I create an opportunity for the dispensing of truth. Moreover, every time I engage with my young friend and take the effort to frame an answer, I have a quick answer ready for the next time with another person.

Most answers do not take as long as this one did. The question: The Bible cannot be true because the various accounts of the resurrection of Jesus are so different. Obviously the accounts are all made up.

At first my reaction was to roll my eyes. This question seemed so worn out by the asking. I had read the accounts so many times, knowing that many ways of aligning them up are possible. But I had not actually sat down and tried to do the aligning myself. Suddenly it felt like an interesting puzzle to put together.

At first I put the the four accounts in a table and tabulated some of the information in them to help me understand the facts better. Once I started creating a possible scenario, I realised that there are literally as many possibilities as there are people looking for them. One thing you cannot say by going through the accounts is that that they are all made up. It is quite hard to make up something like this. The variation in the accounts is exactly the kind of thing you would expect of eye-witness accounts.

Passage	Matthew 28:1-8	Mark 16:1-8	Luke 24:1-10	John 20:1-8
Text	Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples.	When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.	But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marvelling at what had happened.	Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
When?	At dawn	Just after sunrise	Very early in the morning	While it was still dark
Who comes first?	Mary Magdelene and the other Mary	Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome	Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others	Mary Magdalene
What do they find?	Earthquake with angel who rolls back the stone	Stone rolled away	Stone rolled away	Stone removed from the entrance
Whom do they see?	Angel sitting on the stone	Young man in white robe, sitting on the right	Two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning	No one
What do they do?	Ran to tell his disciples	Fled from the tomb, afraid to say anything	Told what had happened to the Eleven and others	Ran to tell Peter and the disciple, the one Jesus loved
What happens next?	Jesus met them		Peter goes to the tomb to investigate	Peter and the other disciple investigate
Other information	Guards report to chief priests and are bribed		Story of two disciples on the Emmaus road	Mary sees two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been

Disclaimer Section

These accounts can be reconciled in a thousand ways. Here is one way. Because I can see so many possible ways of reconciling the accounts, I am quite sure that my story below is almost certainly NOT completely the way it happened. Then why do I take the trouble to write this? I write it to prove that the four different accounts do not prove that the resurrection accounts are not reliable. On the contrary, one would expect exactly something like this if several people were reporting a true event.

I include a woman called Rachel in my story because she and Salome can be “the other women” who Luke mentions.

When I read my story out to my daughter Prisy, she objected saying that the women probably did not know about the Roman guard securing the tomb. Well, I assumed that they did. If you think like Prisy, then may be you can make a game out of changing my story to accommodate for that. As we have said before, possible variations are practically endless.

Now for my Story

This was a Sabbath like no other. Their Master who they had thought was the Messiah had been killed. Their world had come crashing down. Nothing made sense anymore. They had seen Him walk on the water. Lazarus who had been raised was with them in the flesh. What had they missed? And then, they had to lie low because the Jewish authorities could be wanting to arrest them all, who knew.

More than anything else, Jesus had been their friend and mentor. His words had been wise and gracious and true. He had taught them a new way of looking at everything. He had taught them by example. He loved the poor and downtrodden. How they would miss Him. They would have to pick up the broken pieces of their lives somehow.

The Sabbath was over. It was the night of the first day of the week (Saturday Night). Earlier, the women had all gathered to prepare the spices, weeping as they went about it. There were the three Marys, Martha, Joanna, Salome, and her cousin Rachel.

They had asked the men to accompany them. Peter was too demoralised to say anything. John said that there was no point; the tomb was sealed with a Roman seal, which meant that the guards were protecting the tomb with their very lives. The Jews had asked for this protection because they remembered that Jesus had said that he would rise from the dead. Obviously, no one rises from the dead, but the disciples might steal the body and claim that he had risen. This was their concern. And Pilate had sealed the tomb. Through the Sabbath day, the women had remained hopeful that somehow, they would be able to access the precious body in the tomb and anoint it with spices.

Now that night had fallen, they needed to catch some sleep. They had hardly slept in the last 60 hours. .  Salome and her cousin Rachel went home to catch some sleep. The others did not leave, but just spread a big mat on the floor with some pillows and they lay down to rest.

Well before daybreak, they got up and started the long walk towards the tomb. They waited in the shadows till they could see the silhouette of Salome and Rachel, before they all made their way to the tomb, taking turn to carry the bags of spices. On the way Mary of Bethany was overcome with grief and stopped. Martha and Joanna decided to wait for a few minutes with her. Mary Magdelene and James’ mother had turned the corner and did not know that they had stopped. So, Salome took the spices and caught up with them. They decided to keep walking. It was good to use the cover of darkness. They had the spices with them, so the others would be able to catch up quickly. They took turns carrying the spices. The mother of James said: After all this effort, we still do not know who will roll away the big stone for us. Maybe if we request the guards, they will let us go in.

As they neared the tomb, suddenly there was an earthquake. This was the second big one, after the one when Jesus was on the cross. The earthquake marked the coming down of an angel from heaven and he had rolled away the big stone covering the mouth of the tomb. Jesus was not inside the tomb. Death could not hold Him. He was the firstborn from the dead. Everyone who would put their trust in this Saviour would also similarly rise from the dead one day.

After rolling away the stone, the angel sat on the stone and looked at the guards. His appearance was bright like lightning, he had a youthful appearance, and his clothing was white as snow. The earthquake, the sudden brightness, and now the angel left the guards petrified with fear, and they could not move.  Another angel, also in dazzling white clothing joined the first one. They went inside the tomb, lighting it up in the process. Sometimes they stood, sometimes they sat on the very platform where the body of Jesus had lain some moments before.

Let us come back to what the women were doing. The earthquake stopped them on their tracks. Everything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong. Did they need an earthquake when they were already so frightened? Slowly they began to walk again towards the tomb. Mary Magdelene walked behind. She felt lost. But the other two women went ahead and when they come closer, it was clear that the stone had been rolled away. “The tomb is open,” Salome shouted and then stopped when she saw some men inside. James’ mother went closer. She looked at the stone that had been rolled back. It was huge. However, were we going to roll this thing, the idea flashed in her mind. She stepped closer and peeked inside and saw a young man seated on the right side. He was dressed in white.  Close behind her was Salome who had seen the guards and the fear on their faces. So, she was also filled with fear. James’ mother was also very frightened, especially to see this strange young man inside. If she had looked around carefully, she would have seen another “young man” standing not far from them on the left. Everything about the moment felt strange. Meanwhile Mary Magdelene reached the entrance of the tomb, just as the young man began to speak. “Do not be afraid,” the young man said, “You are looking for Jesus. He is not here.” A sob escaped the throat of Mary Magdelene when she heard this, and she turned around and ran. She was now convinced that that haters of Jesus had stolen his body and taken it away. She had to find Peter and John and tell them about it. They were the only two, who would be able to overcome their fear a little and do something. The others had all abandoned Jesus on Thursday night and all through the day on Friday. So she hurried back towards the place where the two were.

After Mary Magdelene ran back out of the tomb, the James’ mother and Salome heard the young man continue and say: “Jesus is risen. See the place where He lay till He rose from the dead. You must go and tell the disciples and also Peter that Jesus is going to meet you all in Galilee. You will see him there.” The women were perplexed and unsure about what to make of these words. Slowly they made their way back.

As they were going back, they met the other ladies. They did not say anything. They did not have the clarity to explain what had happened. The morning was becoming brighter, as those ladies, including the other Mary and Martha and Joanna walked towards the tomb. They found the stone rolled away. They spotted the bag of spices that Salome had brought, but no body. What in the world does this mean? Who has taken Jesus? Why? Where? Suddenly, they noticed two men standing near them in dazzling bring robes. They knew that the light they saw was something supernatural. So, they were very afraid and fell on their knees and put their heads down to the ground.

The men said: Why are you looking for a living Jesus in a tomb that is meant for dead people? He is not here. He is risen. Remember, how Jesus told you that the Son of Man must be handed over to wicked men and that he would be crucified? Did He not say that He would rise in the third day? And what is today? The listening women remembered. Slowly, joy began to replace sorrow. They could not see the bright men anymore. They knew they had seen angels. They knew that Jesus had risen. The ladies turned to go back and tell the disciples.

They hurried back. As they were doing so, they met John.

Mary Magdelene had rushed back to alert them that Jesus’ body had disappeared. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him,” she had told them. So Peter and John, who had been listless up to that point suddenly came alive. They had abandoned their friend on Thursday and Friday. The least they could do was to find his body and give him a decent burial. But they were also not so sure whether to fully believe Mary Magdelene or not. They knew that she must be hurting terribly, just as they themselves were. And with the lack of sleep, how much of a reliable witness was Mary? Just as they were thinking about the next plan of action, James’s mother and Salome, still looking very confused, although not as distraught as Mary Magdelene, entered the house. This was enough to get Peter and John run towards the tomb.  

At first Peter and John ran together. But John was younger and outran Peter quite easily. And that is how he came to meet the excited women. “He is risen!” they said to him. And they began to speak to him all at once. He left them and ran towards the tomb to find out for himself what all this was about. But when he came to the tomb, he hesitated and decided to wait for Peter. He studied the scene. The big stone rolled away from the door and the guards were nowhere to be seen. Then he bent down and looked inside the tomb without actually going in. With no dazzling men to distract him, he could clearly see the cloths in which Jesus’ body had been wrapped lying on the platform. He could also see the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head folded up separately. His heart was ready to believe.

Soon Peter came to the tomb huffing and puffing. He had also met up with the happy women on the way and he too wanted to see for himself before he let his heart believe. He was an older man, and his running days were over. He did not hesitate to enter like John had done. Hesitating was not Peter’s style. Peter always acted before thinking, and this had got him into trouble many times. But this time, it was right to go straight in. Both Peter and John believed.

They rushed back home joyfully but did not realise that poor Mary Magdelene had made her way back to the tomb. This time she came alone to weep. She bent down and looked in the tomb again. The two angels were now visible, but she did not recognise them as angels. It could be that her eyes were too full of tears. “Why are you weeping,” the angels asked her. Not caring if it was going to be of any use, she blurted out that her Lord had been taken away somewhere and she did not know where they have taken Him. How she wished that she could see the body of Jesus, so that she could weep over Him. She would see the body of Jesus, alright. Finally, the moment had come for human eyes to see the risen Lord. The very first person ever to see Jesus after He rose from the dead was this Mary, and you can read this wonderful account in John 20:13-18.