"He Is Risen..."

"All are redeemed..."

From: religioustolerance.org

Biblical descriptions of Jesus' death and resurrection:

There were many defining moments in the life of Jesus. Two of them were his baptism by John the Baptist, and his crucifixion by the Roman authorities. The canonical gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) are basically in agreement about the events in Jesus' life between his baptism and crucifixion. But they differ greatly when describing the events before his baptism and after his death.

Some liberal theologians have concluded that the birth, childhood and resurrection stories were pieced together by the authors of the gospels out of developing legends that were circulating among various Christian groups at the time.

Conservative theologians believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and that God inspired its authors. Thus they believe that the apparently conflicting gospel stories can be harmonized into a single coherent picture.

Details of the death and resurrection of Jesus are described in the following Gospel passages:

Mark 15:33 to 16:8 (Verses 16:9 to 16:20 are a later forgery inserted by an unknown author long after the original book was written)
Matthew 27:52 to 28:20
Luke 23:44 to 24:12
John 19:29 to 20:18

By combining the various gospels' accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection, one can develop a common story that is consistent with most of the Biblical texts:

Simon from Cyrene was pressed into service to carry the cross from Jerusalem to Golgotha, the place of crucifixion. There, Jesus was offered a drink of wine mixed with a bitter substance. He refused. He was nailed to the cross through his palms and feet. Two robbers were crucified with him; one on either side. People passing by hurled insults. From the 6th to the 9th hour, it became dark. Jesus cried out. He was offered vinegar to drink. He cried out again and died. The gospels record different final messages. The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom by an unknown force. Joseph of Arimathea obtained permission to take Jesus' body to his private tomb. He wrapped the body in a clean linen cloth, placed it in the tomb and sealed the entrance. On Sunday morning, an unknown number of women came to the tomb. The stone had been rolled away. They found that Jesus' body was missing.

But not all of the gospels totally agree with this story.

Disagreements abound:

Who carried the cross to the place of execution?
Mark: Simon
Matthew: Simon
Luke: Simon
John: Jesus

What was the sign over Jesus' head on the cross?
Mark: "THE KING OF THE JEWS"
Matthew: "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS"
Luke: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS"
John: "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS" in Aramaic, Latin and Greek

What did the robbers say to Jesus?
Mark: they both hurled insults
Matthew: Same as Mark
Luke: One hurled insults; the other said that Jesus' execution was unjust because he was not guilty of any crime
John: Nothing was recorded

What were Jesus' last words?
Mark: Jesus "cried out,” but the words (if any) were not recorded
Matthew: Same as Mark
Luke: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
John: "It is finished."

Who went to the tomb with spices to prepare Jesus' body?
Mark: 3 women on Sunday morning just after sunrise
Matthew: No record
Luke: 4 or more women on Sunday morning very early in the morning, presumably while dark
John: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus on Friday before sundown

Who visited the tomb on Sunday with Mary Magdalene?
Mark: Two women: Salome and Mary the mother of James
Matthew: One woman: "the other Mary"
Luke: Three or more women: Mary the mother of James, Joanna and at least one other woman
John: None; she went alone

When did she/they visit the tomb on Sunday?
Mark: just after sunrise
Matthew: at dawn
Luke: very early in the morning, presumably while it was still dark
John: while it was still dark

What happened to the rock that sealed the tomb?
Mark: The stone had already been rolled back before they arrived
Matthew: An earthquake happened; an angel appeared and rolled it away as the women approached the tomb.
Luke: Same as Mark
John: Same as Mark

Who did she/they find at the tomb?
Mark: A young man dressed in a white robe was inside the tomb
Matthew: An angel sitting on the rock outside the tomb
Luke: Two men were inside the tomb, dressed in clothes that looked like lightning
John: Nobody

Where was Jesus at the time?
Mark: not at the tomb; he was on his way to Galilee
Matthew: same as Mark
Luke: unknown
John: unknown

Did she/they enter the tomb?
Mark: Yes
Matthew: Yes. They were invited by the angel to "come see the place where he lay"
Luke: Yes
John: No

How did she/they react to the news?
Mark: They fled, trembling and bewildered
Matthew: They fled, fearful and joyous
Luke: They left
John: She ran to Simon Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved

Who did she/they see on the way to the disciples?
Mark: Nobody
Matthew: They met Jesus, who they immediately recognized
Luke: Nobody
John: Nobody

How did the disciples react to the news?
Mark: They didn't; the woman told nobody of the news because they were afraid.
Matthew: They believed the women.
Luke: The disciples, and "all the others" didn't believe the women. Peter ran to the tomb anyway.
John: They believed Mary.

Did the women/woman return to the tomb?
Mark: No record
Matthew: No record
Luke: No record
John: Yes. Mary saw two angels and Jesus there; but she thought that Jesus was the gardener

To whom did Jesus first appear?
Mark: to all the disciples somewhere in Galilee
Matthew: to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they left the tomb to tell the brethren
Luke: to Cleopas and an unidentified person on a road between Jerusalem and Emmaus
John: to all the disciples in a house in Jerusalem
Paul: to Peter (I Corinthians 15:5)

Two minor errors seem to have crept into the Gospel account of the crucifixion:

Jesus would not have carried his cross to the place of execution. Condemned prisoners only carried the crosspiece. The upright stakes were stored at Golgotha for repeated use. To do otherwise would not be efficient; and the Roman Army held efficiency at a high premium.

John 20:25-27 refers to nails having been forced through Jesus' hands during the crucifixion. Luke 24:39 and John 20:27 also imply that Jesus' palms were pierced: This has traditionally been shown in Christian artwork as nail holes through Jesus' palms. This would not work, because the weight of the victim's body would tear through the flesh of the hand. When the Romans used nails, they passed them through the wrist between the two bones of the forearm, not through the victim's palms. Often the Romans used no nails at all; they tied the victim's arm to the crosspiece.

For Stephen Christopher Harris who says he believes the Bible to be inerrant.