After the Sabbath, at dawn on the third day, an angel descends from heaven and rolls away the large stone in front of the tomb of Jesus. He then sits on the stone.
This action caused a mighty earthquake. The Roman guards stationed at the tomb shook and became like dead men. Later, the guards tell the chief priests about this. The priests give the guards money and to change their story to that the disciples stole the body.
Meanwhile, various disciples of Jesus come to the tomb and find it empty. Each Gospel has a slightly different account of who came, but each one resulting in excitement, joy, and confusion. Different people go and encounter something different.
Figuring out the exact sequence of events is a little difficult, probably because the whole time the disciples were confused.
Here are the summaries of the first appearances in the Gospels:
1. John 20:1-18
Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb while it is still dark. She finds it empty and runs back to Simon Peter and Lazarus (the disciple Jesus loved). Lazarus outruns Simon Peter and when they arrive at the tomb, it is empty. Simon Peter and Lazarus leave and Mary stays behind and cries. She then sees two angels sitting in the tomb. Jesus then appears to her, but she cannot touch him because he has not returned to the Father.
2. Mark 16:1-11
Mary Magdalene, Mother Mary, and Salome buy spices after the Sabbath. This might have been Saturday night.
They go to the tomb and find the stone rolled away. Inside is an angel who tells them that Jesus has risen and the disciples will meet him at Galilee.
This appears to be a summary while Mark 16:9 does clarify that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene.
3. Matthew 28:1-10
Mary Magdalene and the "other Mary" go to the tomb. The angel that rolled away the stone and sat it talks to them. The angel instructs them to go tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee.
They leave, hurried, afraid, but filled with joy. Jesus meets them and they clasp his feet. So, now Jesus has returned from the Father.
4. Luke 24:1-12
The "women" go to the tomb and find the stone rolled away and the body was gone. Suddenly, two men appear beside them and tell them that Jesus has risen. They then return to the disciples.
The "women" are later identified as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mother Mary, and the "others with them".
Simon Peter returns to the tomb and finds it empty except for the strips of linen lying by themselves.
What can we say what happened? This seems to be clear:
The tomb was empty
Angels instructed those who came to the tomb about why it is empty
Mary Magdalene was probably the first to go check it out.
Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene
Simon Peter returned to the tomb and did not see Jesus, nor see an angel telling him about what happened.
What is difficult to parse together is the role of the other people. A simple way to harmonize the accounts is that perhaps multiple groups of women went at slightly different times and had slightly different, but similar experiences. They then compiled their testimonies as a group before the other disciples.
Another possible explanation of the discrepancies in the text of the Resurrection with regard to the angels is that angels do not appear to everyone within the same group. For instance, one person might see an angel while the person next to him might see the angel, more angels, or none at all. The appearance of angels in the Old Testament fits this pattern.
So, it is quite possible that in the witnesses to the empty tomb, one witness saw one angel (Roman soldiers) while another witness saw two angels (Mary Magdalene), or none at all (Simon Peter).
The same can be said about angels speaking. One person might hear it, while another hears nothing.
Further, all these superficial details seemed to have been consolidated or overlooked at the expense of telling the more important part of the story - Jesus was alive!
The same can be said about angels speaking. One person might hear it, while another hears nothing.
Further, all these superficial details seemed to have been consolidated or overlooked at the expense of telling the more important part of the story - Jesus was alive!
Other appearances by Jesus
Jesus also makes a few other appearances. He appears on the road to Emmaus to Cleopas and another unnamed disciple. They do not recognize him and Jesus pretends to not know what happened in Jerusalem. Jesus explains to them how the Old Testament prophecies fit together with Jesus as the Messiah. They realize it is Jesus when he breaks bread with them and he immediately disappears. (Luke 24:13-35)
On the evening of Resurrection Day, after the disciples had heard about the reports of the Resurrection, the disciples are hiding in a house with the door locked for fear of the Jews when Jesus appeared with them. Thomas is not with them. He will not believe unless he has seen the nail marks.
A week later, Jesus appears in the same house, this time Thomas is there. Thomas sees the nail marks and puts his hand in Jesus' side. He is amazed and believes. Jesus also explains that ghosts do not have corporal bodies, so having a corporal body, he cannot be a ghost.
Jesus appears to them in Galilee. The disciples are fishing and have nothing. Jesus shouts from shore, calling them "friends", to throw a net over the right side. The net brings in a haul of 153 fish fills the net. Lazarus shouts, "it is the Lord!".
They go back to the shore where Jesus recommissions Peter. Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves him. Peter is hurt by this, but I think this parallels the three denials by Peter. With each answer, Jesus tells Peter to act as the shepherd of the flock. Jesus also suggests that Peter will have a martyr's death because when he is old "someone will lead you to where you do not want to go".
Epilogue:
The Apostles' stories will continue in the Book of Acts. However, this concludes the Gospels themselves.
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark conclude with the great commission - go unto all the world, preach the Gospel, baptize disciples, and signs will accompany you. The signs include healing the sick, casting out demons, and protection from poisonous drinks and poisonous snakes.
The Gospel of Luke concludes with the Ascension and the promise of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of John concludes by saying that it is based on the testimony and eye witness of accounts of the disciple that Jesus loved. As I pointed out, this seems to be Lazarus. The also notes that there were a lot of other stories about Jesus that could not fit into the book.
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