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Reconciling Accounts of the Resurrection
According to the Apostle Paul, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is of “first importance” (1Cor. 15:3). And yet, if this is such a crucial doctrine, then why are there important differences between John’s version of the story and the Synoptic accounts? How many women arrived at the tomb, and in what order? How many angels did they actually encounter? Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Lydia McGrew, author of Hidden in Plain View: Unexplained Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts.
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 itself. 8 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.
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:1-29)
Show Quote:
Lydia McGrew: This is what we get when have oral history. In oral history, people tell things that stand out in their mind and they don’t always explain everything. If you talk to someone about his memories of the war, you might have to ask him further questions to figure out how it all fits together.
Shane Rosenthal: Which is what we’re going to get into when we talk about harmonizing the accounts of the resurrection. Sometimes it is difficult but the reason you’re saying it’s difficult is because it’s real history.
Lydia McGrew: Absolutely. Exactly. So this is the way people talk in this kind of unpremeditated way.
Term to Learn:
“Biblical Account of Resurrection”
Resurrection is the claim that on the third day after He was crucified and buried, Jesus was resurrected from the dead by the power of God for the purposes of testifying to Jesus’ authority to say and do the things He did as the Son of God who would save his people from their sins. There are many points of support for this claim, including the empty tomb being attested by very early and hostile sources, the discovery of the empty tomb by witnesses whose testimony would not be allowed in court, the testimony of the Gospels (which are eyewitness accounts), and the radical change in the disciples after that Sunday.
The earliest Christians believed that Jesus was buried, rose on the third day in fulfillment of messianic prophecy in the Tanakh, and then appeared to numerous people, most of whom, according to Paul, were still alive at the time of his writing. The information about Jesus’ appearances in His resurrected state infers that these people could be questioned. There is no doubt that the earliest Christians believed that Jesus died and was resurrected in bodily form. And this belief remains the best explanation for the events surrounding Jesus’ death, in spite of the various contrary theories. (Adapted from Doug Powell, “The Biblical Account of Resurrection,” Holman Quick Source Guide to Christian Apologetics, 294-300)
(This podcast is by White Horse Inn. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)