What Characterizes the Resurected Jesus According to the Gospels

Jesus' Resurrection: How Each Gospel Records the Resurrection

Wayne Grudem is a professor of New Attestation at Phoenix Seminary. He is author of "Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine", a well-crafted tool that I keep to refer to for answers. Before moving to Arizona some years ago, Dr. Grudem had a long tenure at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. That'due south where I experienced his New Testament class. He brought the corporeality of free energy that is expected when a football motorbus huddles his team together before a game. Every class began with a hymn, a very dissimilar, but memorable way to bring the Gospel downwardly into our hands and to set up our hearts for its report. From that point on, information technology was become time. One particular day, he gave a seemingly easy assignment: take all iv Gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection and systematize them. In other words, brand them menstruation as one story… because it is 1 story.

Jesus' Resurrection: How Each Gospel Records the Resurrection

It took me forever, but what it forced me to exercise was to fill in the details while keeping the biblical business relationship and its inerrancy solid. As nosotros all know, the resurrection of Jesus is everything to our organized religion and to the completion of God's story, so, now, and at the sentence seat. How we instruct our congregants on defending and keeping the doctrinal truth of Jesus' resurrection is pivotal in today's post-Christian world. I would encourage yous to take on systematizing the stories of resurrection, dividing your church building members into four groups in a Bible study session, or preaching information technology from the pulpit (with a detailed handout in the bulletin, maybe).

Hither is a synopsis of each account and my notes on how I bring the stories together. Information technology might be helpful reference every bit y'all explore cementing the truth of Jesus' resurrection into the hearts and minds of your congregation.

Matthew

Sunday at dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary get to expect in the tomb. They run across a violent earthquake and then see an affections come up down from the sky and curl back the stone. The angel sits on the moved stone, looking similar lightning with his clothes as white as snow. This made the guards faint. Then the angel speaks to the women telling them to non be afraid because Jesus is no longer dead. He is risen! The angel invites them to see the emptiness in the tomb and instructs the two women to hurry along to tell the disciples of the smashing news. They are as well to instruct the disciples to become to Galilee to meet Jesus, who is already on his fashion there. They leave to do what the angel instructs. Along the path, they meet Jesus! "Greetings," he says as they virtually tackled him in their joy and begin to worship him. He tells them the same matter as the angel. Meanwhile, the guards who fainted wake up and go tell the chief priests what just happened. The chief priests consult with the elders and they come up upwardly with a believable lie. They give the soldiers a lot of money and instruct them to say, "During the night, someone stole Jesus' body while you were sleeping." The story seems to satisfy many because it becomes something many people hear. The disciples go to Galilee to meet Jesus on a mountain and he gives them the commission to go and make disciples.

Mark

On Sunday, just subsequently sunrise, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome go to the tomb with spices. They want to anoint Jesus' body. Along the mode, they ask each other, "How are we going to do this? Who's going to curlicue abroad the rock from the tomb?" When they get there, they wait upwardly and see that the stone is already moved. They enter into the tomb and run into a man in a white robe sitting down. "Don't be agape," he tells them, "You are looking for Jesus just he's not hither. He was crucified but is at present risen! See right here. This is where he was laid. And then, get and tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus is alive and going to Galilee to encounter them." The women are bewildered and frightened by the news. They run from the tomb and don't say anything to anyone. [Cut to Mark'due south second catastrophe.] Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and she goes ahead and tells the disciples who are weeping and mourning. Jesus then appears to ii others on a country road. The two render and report what they see to the other disciples who however are reluctant to believe. Later, Jesus appears to the Xi as they eat dinner. He rebukes them because they don't believe the accounts that he certainly is risen from the dead. And then he gives them the telephone call to become and preach the news to the whole earth (and mentions something almost snakes and poison, too).

Luke

Very early on Sunday morning, the women (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the female parent of James and others) get to the tomb. They enter and see information technology's empty. While they wonder why, ii men in clothes like lightning appear before them. The women panic and bow downwardly in reverence. The men say, "Why are you looking for the living among the dead? Jesus is non here. He'south live! Didn't he tell y'all this?" They remember Jesus' words and go to tell the disciples. The disciples don't believe the story. They think it's nonsense. Only Peter stands up and runs to the tomb. He goes within and sees strips of linen lying by themselves. He wonders what is going on. 2 disciples go out for Emmaus, seven miles away. Along the road, Jesus appears to them in disguise. They are baffled that the foreign man hasn't heard most Jesus' death and supposed resurrection. Still in disguise, Jesus says they are foolish not to believe and explains God'south plan from Moses onward, especially about himself. Only when they sit down down to consume, and Jesus gives thanks and breaks the bread, do they realize Jesus' identity. Jesus disappears and they render to Jerusalem to tell the others. While they tell the Eleven the story, Jesus enters the room. He asks them why they are troubled. He knows they think he'south a ghost. "Don't doubt," he says. "Look at my hands and feet. Impact me and see for yourself. A ghost doesn't have flesh and bones." He then asks for some nutrient and eats. He tells them over again about why he suffered and rose from the expressionless, and commands them to get and exist his witnesses.

John

Early on Sunday morn, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and discovers the stone moved from the entrance. She is frightened and runs to get Simon Peter and John. She says, "Come quickly. They've taken his body." So Peter and John race to the tomb. John gets in that location first and looks within the tomb. He sees the strips of linen just doesn't go inside. Peter finally arrives and barrels past John. He sees the linen and also the material that was around Jesus' head folded up by itself.  They leave and still don't understand what is going on. Mary returns to the tomb on her own and is weeping when she looks inside. To her anaesthesia, she sees two angels in white, i seated at the human foot and ane at the head of where Jesus' body in one case laid. They ask her why she's crying. She'southward honest with them. "They've taken my Lord away and I don't know where." She turns around in grief and sees who she thinks is a gardener. He asks her who she'south looking for and she explains the same affair, asking him if he knew anything. Then Jesus but says, "Mary." Mary turns to him and cries out, "Rabboni!" Jesus asks her to go and tell the others. She runs back and exclaims, "I accept seen the Lord!" That evening, Jesus enters into a locked room of frightened disciples. Jesus says, "Peace be with yous," and breathes on them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Jesus leaves before Thomas arrives. (He isn't with the others). Thomas says to his fellow disciples that he doesn't believe their stories about the resurrection. A calendar week later, Jesus returns to the upper room and says to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your manus and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Later on, Jesus appears to the disciples by the Body of water of Tiberias (or Galilee). The fishing isn't going well so he shouts from the shore to try the other side. When they practice, the catch begins to break their nets. Jesus cooks and eats fish with them on the shore. He likewise tells Peter, "Feed my sheep," three times.

Systematization Effort

First, who came to the tomb? All accounts include Mary Magdalene, but Matthew adds "the other Mary," Mark gives reference to James's mother and Salome, and Luke adds Joanna without Salome. John solitary includes only Mary Magdalene. If all these women come up to the tomb, why aren't they all mentioned in each Gospel? One explanation might be that they each come up at split times, simply this seems unlikely since the reference to early on morn is in all the accounts. A more probable reason is that there was even a larger grouping of women and a few are of particular significance to the authors. For example, Marker includes Salome because she'due south likewise listed among the women at Christ'south crucifixion (15:40). Similarly, Matthew gives reference to the women he cites earlier when Jesus is buried (27:61). Luke helps u.s. link this to a grouping. He say that the women who follow Christ to the grave are those, "women who had come up with Jesus from Galilee" (23:55). In Luke 8:1-3, he says, "The twelve were with [Jesus], and also some women… Mary (called Magdalene)… Joanna… Suzanna, and many others." Marking also helps the states. In 15:41, he says, "In Galilee, these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up upward with him to Jerusalem were also there."

Second, how many angels are at the tomb and where are they located? Nosotros could surmise a similar explanation to the women: in that location is a "great visitor of the heavenly host" (Luke 2:three) and but several are mentioned. It'due south piece of cake enough to infer the same victory party in the skies of Incarnation as in the skies of Resurrection. Another explanation begins with Matthew's account. Matthew says an affections is outside the tomb and instructs them to first see where Christ was laid.  Matthew never reports the women inbound the tomb where other angels are seated. Similarly, Mark only reports an angel, "as they enter the tomb" (16:5). This may exist a reference to the same angel in Matthew's business relationship. Luke and John simply write well-nigh what is seen in the tomb, not outside information technology. We can conclude that in that location must be at least three angels, one guarding the entrance and two inside the tomb.

Third, when did the disciples find out nearly the news and to whom did Jesus appear beginning? Matthew and Mark tell usa that the women get immediately to the disciples and Jesus is already walking toward Galilee. Matthew also adds that they are greeted past Jesus on the route. Luke says Jesus appears on the Emmaus Road so to his disciples. John says Jesus appears to Mary, so the disciples, over again to Thomas who missed it, and finally out at the seashore. It might exist all-time to put this in proposed chronological points:

1. Mary and the other women leave the tomb for Galilee. They encounter Jesus. (Matthew)
2. Mary returns to the tomb with Peter and John. She'due south crying because she doesn't understand and Peter and John and the rest of the disciples don't believe it. Perhaps this makes her doubtfulness the truth too, that the advent on the road was only a vision of Jesus. (John)
3. Jesus appears to Mary. (John)
4. Jesus appears to the two on the Emmaus Route. (Luke)
5. Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room. (Marker, Luke, John)
6. Thomas encounters Jesus forth with the others in the upper room. (John)
7. The disciples go line-fishing in the Sea of Galilee and eat with Jesus. (John)
8. The disciples stay in Galilee and encounter Jesus on the mountain to receive final instructions. (Matthew)
9. The disciples return to Jerusalem and stay there until Pentecost. (Luke-Acts)

There is more that could exist said. Concerning Jesus' resurrection, Paul sums up the details, saying, "[Jesus] was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then the Twelve. Afterwards that, he appeared to more than than five hundred of the brothers at the same time" (I Corinthians 15:iv-6). The expert news is that Christ is risen! He is no longer in the tomb! We take witnesses to this Truth!

Nevertheless we harmonize the accounts, nosotros may non reach a satisfactory placement of all of what occurs. Remember, we have the beginning of Acts, also. The conclusion we want our congregations to resonate with is the reliability of Jesus' resurrection equally it is accounted for in the Gospels. We need not shy away from perceived inconsistencies. Rather, with faith and the truth of Jesus' saving work, let's discuss them and reason together.

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Source: https://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2017/03/jesus-resurrection/