THE CRUSIFIXION STORY

The story of the crucifixion was supposedly told by four disciples in the four Gospels namely Mark, Mathew, Luke and John from their own perspective which means the facts are disputed and can in no way be taken as 100% accurate as none of them were eyewitnesses as we have just seen from the above read text. These are merely the views of these four writers who will also prove where not the four disciples who’s names are used. We will show you how the views differ in certain things as we proceed through the story. Some of the accounts seem to have been fabricated. If these four writers of the Gospels were actual witnesses to the crucifixion then they would have all recorded the same major incidents as it might have happened but we find that this was not the case.

We will mention each of the four Gospels as it is stated in the bible and highlight the major differences so that we can see for yourself how the Gospels do not agree with each other.   

The Crucifixion according the Mark 15:21- 30

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. ²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^[28]  29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Th Crucifixion according the Matthew 27:32-44

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Crucifixion according the Luke 23:26-43

²⁶ As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

³¹ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 The Crucifixion according the John19:17-27

¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴ “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

 “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”^[So this is what the soldiers did.

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Let us assess some of the difference in the above verses;

1. The first difference we see is that Mark, Matthew Luke all say that a man called Simon carried the Cross for Jesus (pbuh) but John says he carried his own cross. This is totally different from the three other accounts. Jesus (pbuh) was wiped prior to them walking to the site of the crucifixion and he was flogged continuously while he walked so he would have been far to week to be able to carry his cross. We also know that it was not a cross that was carried but only the cross member. The upright stake would have been planted in its place and used for all curcifixions. The Romans was not going to dig a deep hole every time someone was going to be crucified in order to plant the stake. The crucified person would only be raised on the stake after they tied his arms to the stake. So we can see that John’s account is not correct. Neither are the other accounts correct with regards to cross that was carried. The upright stake plus the cross member as one unit would be far too heavy for one person to carry so it was only the cross member that Simon carried and not the complete cross. It could also be that he carried nothing as the scholar state the original text does not state that he was crucified on a cross but rather a stake which could also have been a tree.
2. Luke has an account of people mourning and following Jesus (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) speaking to them whereas Mark, Matthew and John do not have these accounts.
3. According to Luke and Mark story the people refers to Jesus (pbuh) as the Messiah but in Matthew they refer to Jesus as son of God. This again proves that son refers to the Messiah or prophet of God. John has no account of what the people said in this regard.
4. In Mark and Matthew the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus (pbuh) hurled insults on him but in Luke only the one criminal hurled insults on him and the other criminal rebuked him. Totally contradictory to Mark and Matthew’s accounts. In John there is no account of the criminals speaking.
5. Only John mentions that Jesus (pbuh) mother and the other Mary’s standing near the cross and Jesus (pbuh) speaking to his mother, the others writers do not mention these facts.
6. The story of the crucifixion is vary vague with very little details provided. An eye witness would have given a lot more detail. Not at any stage does any of the four writers mention how they crucified Jesus (pbuh) all those details from the time of carrying the cross up to the point of them being on the cross is missing. One cannot assume details that is not present as facts. Not one of the four writers mentions that an actual cross was planted in a hole. The cross depicted in pictures shows us that this cross would have been at least 4 meters high. Jesus (pbuh) would have been at least 1.7 meters tall with another 600 mm of the upright post extending above his head and below his feet would be at least another 1.5 m to 2 meters. For this size of cross the portion that goes into the ground would have had to be at least 3 meter deep to keep this size of cross from falling over. This would make the height of the post of the cross at least 5 meters long. How would Simon or Jesus (pbuh) carry such a huge cross? We also have to consider how long it would take to every time dig a hole for this huge crosses as the timber in the pictures looks like it was cut in perfect squares or rectangular lengths. They did not have machinery those days to cut timber and plane it as we have today. From what we know there were many crucifixions that took place. From Mr Samuelsson 400 page book, theses we have seen that people where raised on a single stake and not a cross. These stakes were permanent fixtures in the ground and the crucified person would only have raised up on it. Then we need to consider that it would have taken at least 3 to 4 hours digging each of the three holes. It would have taken at least 1 hour each to plant each cross and secure it and compact the ground around each cross. It would take another hour to get each person on the cross.

When reading all four the Gospels we find not one instance of any of the 3 crucified people being nailed to the cross during the crucifixion. Any surgeon will tell you that if a person is nailed to a cross member and raised up, his body weight will inevitably tear through the flesh of his hand as we only have approximately 1 centimetre of flesh holding up the entire body. This small piece of flesh is not sufficient to hold up a body. In John 20:25 Thomas states he wanted to see the holes in Jesus (pbuh) hands from which we gather that Thomas heard that he was nailed to the cross. Remember that the disciples where not there, they all fled fearing that they would be arrested with Jesus (pbuh) Matthew 26:56. We can also see from John that the disciples kept themselves indoor in fear of arrest. John 20:19 –¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders

Nailing the person through the wrist is worst as it would cut the veins on both wrist and the person would bleed out in a matter of minutes thus defeating the purpose of torture. Crucifixion was used as a drawn out way of prolonging the torture of the person and nailing the person would defeat the purpose.  The crucified person would have been tied to the cross member by his arms and legs and not nailed. If the persons feet was nailed to the post then it would have been very difficult to remove that huge nail from the post as they did not have a crowbar in those days not to mention the fact that post would have been full of nail holes and would not have been able to use the post many times over. If Jesus (pbuh) feet was nailed to the post then how was he able to walk with holes through his ankles or feet? Hence the fact that John, the only one who states that Thomas wanted to see the holes in Jesus (pbuh) hands and his side can definitely not be true.

The Death of Jesus According to Mark 15: 33-41

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

The Death of Jesus According to Matthew 27: 45-51

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

The Death of Jesus According to Luke 23: 44-49

⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷ The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” ⁴⁸ When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹ But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

The Death of Jesus According to John 19: 45-51

²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”³⁷ and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Differences

1. Both Mark and Matthew reports the same cries of Jesus (pbuh) , “Eli, Eli,lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
2. Luke reports: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
3. John reports: “It is finished.”
4. Mark and Matthew and Luke reported that:At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. But only Matthew reports: “The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” John has no account of this very significant happening and neither does Mark and Luke.
5. Both Mark and Matthew report that the centurion guarding Jesus (pbuh) and those around him exclaimed: “Surely he was the Son of God!” But Luke reports the centurion saying:“Surely this was a righteous man.”John Makes no such reports. We have already seen that Son of God is a false claim so it seems Mark and Matthew are not honest.
6. Mark, Mathew and Luke make mention of the woman that stood watch from a distance. They make no mention of Jesus’ (pbuh) mother being present but John states that Mary the mother of Jesus (pbuh) including other woman and a disciple stood near the cross of Jesus (pbuh) and could hear him speak. This is the complete opposite to the other writers. Do we then take the word of one man or the word of three?

In verse 34 John says that the soldier pierced Jesus (pbuh) side with a spear after they found him to be dead and a sudden flow blood and water came out. This is also something significant and we find no mention of this occurrence from the other three writers. John refers to the prophecy that must be fulfilled in Zachariah 12:10 but when one reads this prophecy we see that it is God speaking about on that day an attack on Israel. Let us see what the preceding verses say and we will see none of this has occurred on the day of Jesus (pbuh) crucifixion.

Zachariah 12: 2-6 Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. ⁵ Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’ ⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intac in her place. ⁷ “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going befor them. ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierce⁾ and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

From the above you can clearly see that this prophecy has nothing to do with Jesus (pbuh) but refers to the house of David, the time when Jerusalem was attacked.

The Burial of Jesus according to Mark 15:42-47

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

The Burial of Jesus according to Matthew 27:57-61

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Burial of Jesus according to Luke 23:50-56

⁵⁰ Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹ who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³ Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴ It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

The Burial of Jesus according to John 19:38-42

³⁸ Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹ He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. ⁴⁰ Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹ At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Differences: With the burial of Jesus (pbuh) we find that John state Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus who brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes and wrapped Jesus in the spices in strips of linen. Why did the other 3 writers not know that Joseph was not alone? How could they get that wrong or did John get it wrong considering he only wrote his Gospel many years later.

The Resurrection according to Mark 16:1-8

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

 The Resurrection according to Matthew 28:1- 10

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped 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 Resurrection according to Luke 24:1-12

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The Resurrection according to John 20:1-10

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Summary of Differences:

1. Which women went to the tomb?

Mark– Mary the mother of James, and Salome – they took spices to anoint him.

Matthew – Mary Magdalene and the other Mary – no spices

Luke –  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them – they took spices to anoint him.

John – only Mary Magdalene went to the tomb – no spices

2. When did they go to the tomb?

Mark – just after sunrise

Matthew– at dawn

Luke – very early in the morning

John– while it was still dark

3. Who rolled the stone away?

Mark– they found the stone rolled away

Matthew -There was a violent earthquake, an angel of the Lord appeared and rolled back the stone

Luke – they found the stone rolled away

John – the stone was removed

Matthew states that there was a violent earthquake. If this was the case then the tomb could have collapsed and a violent earthquake will level many houses in including tombs. How come Mark, Luke and John does not know about this earthquake. Surely everyone there would have experienced it!

4. How many angles appeared to the women?

Mark – One angel appeared sitting on the right of where Jesus where Jesus (pbuh) had laid. The angel tells them to inform the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) will meet them in Galilee.

Matthew – One angel appeared, he sat on the stone after rolling it away. The angel tells them to inform the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) will meet them in Galilee.

Luke – two angels appeared and stood beside them. The two angels say nothing about Jesus (pbuh) meeting the disciples in Galilee

John – Mary Magdalene  saw two angels seated where Jesus (pbuh) body had been. The two angels say nothing about Jesus (pbuh) meeting the disciples in Galilee

5. Why did the women bring spices to anoint Jesus (pbuh) body on the third day?

Women in Jewish custom does not prepare a dead body for burial, this is the function of males and we have seen that Joseph was the one to burry Jesus (pbuh) and there were no women present at the burial. It is furthermore forbidden for women let alone a strange women who is not there persons husband to rub spices on the dead body.

What would be the purpose of rubbing a dead body with more spices on the third day and why would a strange women and not even Jesus (pbuh) own mother want to rub a 3 day old body with even more spices. Who does something like this? It is not Jewish custom at all to again anoint a dead body a second time.

According to Dr. Arpad A. Vass, a Senior Staff Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee in Forensic Anthropology, human decomposition begins around four minutes after a person dies and follows four stages: autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization.

24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose.

3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. (https://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition/)

As you can see, a body that is 3 days old will already be at an advanced stage of decomposition and will assuredly be smelling very badly. This begs the question as to why Mary Magdalene would want to come and rub a rotting corps?

In John Mary asks Jesus (pbuh) not recognising him, where they have taken him. Mary does not ask “where have they taken his body, but she refers to a living person by stating “him” and not his body. A dead person is no longer referred to in the living sense. Mary wants to know where they have taken him and she want to go and fetch him. This raises more questions. How will Mary carry a dead body and why will Mary want to fetch a dead and rotting body?

6. What did the women do after returning from the tomb?

Mark– The women were told to tell the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) would meet them in Galilee but they said nothing as they were too afraid.

Matthew – the women hurried away from the tomb to tell the disciplines and suddenly Jesus (pbuh) met them and told them to tell his disciples that he would meet them at Galilee.

Luke – The women goes’ back and tells the eleven and Peter who hurries back to the tomb to check for himself.

John – Mary Magdalene informs the disciples that she has seen Jesus (pbuh). Jesus tells her to tell the disciples that he is ascending to your God and My God. 

In Mark the women are too afraid and do not tell anyone about the what had happened but in Matthew, Luke and John they are not afraid and tell the disciples what they see. The angles do not tell the women in Luke and John that Jesus (pbuh) would meet them in Galilee.

7. We find that Peter and Simon Peter who went to inspect the tomb found strips of linen and the cloth that Jesus (pbuh) was wrapped in lying on the ground. Now if Jesus (pbuh) was piearced in his side as John alleges then surely the cloth that Jesus (pbuh) was wrapped in would have been drenched in blood but there is no mention of a bloody cloth or bloody strips of linen.
8. There is not one single person who has witnessed Jesus (pbuh) resurrection. The angle or two angles just said that he has risen and not that he was resurrected. Risen has many meanings but we will soon see in what context it is said. Mark says it was Mary the mother of James and Salome; Matthew says it was Mary Magdalene and other Mary and we do not know who is other Mary; Luke says It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others, we also do not know who are the others; John says it was only Mary Magdalene. From these disputes it is reasonable to conclude that none of these accounts are real and neither was the account of the angles real. God only sends Angels to his prophets and messengers and very special people like Mary, the mother of Jesus (pbuh).