The Resurrection
Luke 24:9-12
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 marveling at what had happened.
Observations and Reflections
The gospels are bit selective on the empty tomb reporting. This is one case where it would appear that the accounts can be combined to make a more complete account. However, there are still some points of contention that will lead to a head scratch. For example, Matthews inclusion of the reports getting to the high priests does not nullify the other gospel accounts. It’s just an additional detail that the others did not report. However, the time line of when the other disciples were told about Jesus and when they went to the tomb is not easily explained. For example, in Luke’s gospel, the disciples do not believe the women until Jesus appears to them. But in the other gospels, the disciples (or Peter) rush to the tomb to verify the claims.
| Matthew 28:7-15 | Mark 16:12-13 | Luke 24:9-12 | John 20:3-18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”
8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”The Report of the Guard 11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day. |
12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.
13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. |
11 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 marveling at what had happened. |
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.
4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who 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 returned to their homes.Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other 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 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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 Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because 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 she told them that he had said these things to her. |
Regardless of the differences, it would appear that the women’s report at least made it to the men. This reporting of Jesus’ resurrection by the women is remarkable because a woman’s testimony was not considered valid. The fact that the gospel accounts all relied on the account of the women just supports the claim that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Had the story been fabricated, they would have picked a more credible source for the resurrection witness.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was exactly what He predicted. He told His disciples and followers that He would be raised on the third day and this message was supposed to fill their hearts with hope and peace. Yet, when the time came for them to be witnesses to this great event, what was supposed to fill their hearts with joy, left them feeling confused and unsure.
Jesus had conquered the greatest enemy that this world faces: death. He was victorious in putting sin’s grip on our lives to an end and now He is alive again reigning in this world and in our hearts. This is where we can find true joy in the message of the Gospel. The disciples faith had been shaken when Jesus was crucified. They had forgotten the important aspect of the Gospel message. That is, He was not going to be defeated at the cross. He promised that He would be raised again and that is exactly what took place.
Death’s sting was defeated by the one and true living God and because of that, we can rest assured in His promises to do great things in our lives.
[Featured image: “St. John and St. Peter at Christ’s Tomb”, by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, 1640]