Harmonizing the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Do the resurrection accounts in the gospels contradict each other? Did Mary go to the tomb alone or with other women? Did she go while it was still dark or as the sun was rising? Did she tell the disciples that the angels told her that Christ was risen or did she tell that that the body was stolen? Did she really see the angels AFTER telling the disciples or before? Is there a way to reconcile the different accounts of the resurrection? I think so. Here's my explanation...
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[@rynhardtloock108]

My brother you did amazing work with this video! I believe 100% that there is absolutely no contradictions in the bible (KJV that is) and that its the living word that our Lord and Savior gave us to embrace and live by. But the most important thing that stood out from this video to me personally is that our Lord has Risen! Scoffers will always scoff no matter what the bible says and try and prove God wrong and thats why I believe he uses Bible believing Christians like you and many others to stand for truth and and show many searching people and young Christians that there is a God who loves them so much that he sent his Son to die for there sins so that they may know him and be with him for eternity. .

[@yaldingbaptistchurch8231]

A fantastic break down of events that make sense. It even ties into the natural emotions of the people and explains why certain things happen the way they did. Thanks for clearing this up for me. Great work.

[@sheem.2450]

You did an amazing job!! I was just trying to read the gospel and do this mentally.:😅 Thank yooooou. ❤

[@John14-6...]

This is the best explanation I have heard so far to harmonize the resurrection account. Thankyou

[@FBCTrona]

Great job. There are no contradictions in the scripture just ones that seem to be contradictions. Though these are the witness accounts of men, it is also the word of God and it will not contain some thing that did not happen. You did a great job at showing how you can reconcile These events

[@jacobbyarlay3420]

Sooo helpful. Gonna download this right now! Thanks you.

[@nathanhoover7859]

Thank you for another great video. Both of your channels have been a blessing.

[@brando3342]

Wow! That was a great explanation of the series of events, excellent work! Subbed!

[@jeicelentia4208]

Thank You so much Sir, you helped us in our confusion. God bless you brother! 🙌

[@jindenroo5894]

Bro thank you for the explanation, it really helped me to clear my confusion

[@stefanymarte]

Great job!! Thank you 😊

[@ridasaleem5334]

Thank you for explaining this

[@Randompancakes12345]

Thank you for this, it has answered some questions i had.

[@skipper787]

Thanks for this great video

[@pagen5219]

HE is RISEN!

[@Bildad1976]

He is risen, indeed!

[@EmmaBerger-ov9ni]

Thank you! Very helpful video. You've got a new subscriber 👍🏼

[@rohivilleenterprises3781]

Fantastic! Job well done. God bless you for

[@luchino1967]

Really good ! Thank you very much from Belgium.

[@christophersevern6210]

I like the way you think ! I am working on my own harmony and the thought occured to me to look and see if there might be a KZbin video on it already. I found your video. I think that you followed a valid process. I also thought it possible that the disciples may have been lodging in more than one house while in Jesrusalem. John was a son of Zebedee and one of the woman was the wife of Zebedee. Possibly John, Peter and the woman were lodging at one of the places. Paul mentions Cephas (aka Simon, Peter)as having seen Jesus, as does Luke in his account of Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. I am enjoying my study. Regardless of the sequence of who saw what first, Jesus Lives! I liked the image of 2 earthquakes: One when He died, and another one when He conquered death! Thanks for posting.

[@michaeleliankevin8290]

Good explanation. Jesus Bless You.

[@328am]

That was about a weeks work put into 18 minutes, well done :)

[@dwayneconaway1733]

I liked that you mentioned John was telling it from his perspective and for the most part they were all telling it from their own perspective. That sort of frees it up for peopme to understand why they differ.

[@aneldavanschoor5021]

Thank you, beautifully thought through. I think it could have happened like that, told from different perspectives from different people.

[@legitsebas0157]

Hey brother I just thought about if you could make a is that biblical for the “superbook series” you can do it per season or per episode.

[@bryanstark324]

It's very interesting to see how these stories parallel each other. It's hard to do that in a video. Did you read a parallel Bible to research for this video?

[@TheBibleExplained]

Not for this one. I just worked with the passages on my own with a little bit of imagination. I hope it came across in a way that's easy to follow. I was afraid it wouldn't make sense in a video like this. Been planning this one for two years actually.

[@Designer_TopG]

Check out the painting at 10.47

[@curtthegamer934]

I don't know about anyone else, but out where I live, it can still be pretty dark even when the sun has risen in the morning, simply because it isn't high enough in the sky yet. So I have never seen a contradiction in the timing because I know for a fact that it can still be dark when the sun has risen. Harmonizing the accounts, it becomes clear that they went to the tomb when the sun had risen, but not risen high enough to make it very light yet.

[@timothymckeown8380]

The Scofield Study Bible theorized this harmony in the early 1900s. I assume he and you are not the only ones who have seen these parallax views which do no contradict themselves

[@ryanwill37]

Thats some crazy mental gymnastics.

[@videobirdshow]

Can you please make a video about the 4 horsemen and weather or not they’re literal or just symbolic?

[@TheBibleExplained]

I really like that idea. That one's going on the top of my list.

[@ivastewart7106]

NO ONE SEES THINGS THE SAME WAY, OR HEAR A STORY THE SAME WAY. POPE IVA. 🕊🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕊

[@waleeda8634]

This onky make the story more dubious.

[@JimMajors]

How did they know the angel in Matthew descended, rolled away the stone, and sat on top of it, if it occurred before the women arrived?

[@TheBibleExplained]

Good question. They almost certainly learned this from the guards at the tomb who saw the angel roll the stone away and sit on it. Matthew's account, where we find this detail, seems to have been sourced from one of the guards because he also mentioned that they told the priests everything that was done and were paid to keep silent. It's no surprise that some of the guards would become believers and share their story after an experience like that.

[@liberatedfreak]

I think Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were crucial insider sources. They were both members of the Sanhedrin, but were both secret believers. One or both were likely present when the Roman guards went to the Jewish priests and elders (a phrase denoting members of the Sanhedrin) to tell them everything they had seen happen at the tomb. Nicodemus and/or Joseph of A would then have secretly passed on the soldiers’ eyewitness testimony to the apostles.

[@curtthegamer934]

I actually believe that Peter ran to the tomb twice. My opinion is that, after hearing that Jesus had actually appeared to the women, he decided to return to the tomb to see if Jesus would appear to him as well. Luke doesn't say it, but I personally believe that Jesus appeared to Peter on this second trip to the tomb, as he was preparing to leave it after looking at the cloths again, Luke staying silent on this until the two men hear about it in order for it to be a surprise.

[@alanwalker4579]

Yes Peter went to the tomb twice.

[@DrSmackAttack]

After much reading of the accounts myself one point I that certainly needs corrected in your video would be that the other disciples would have also run to the tomb if they'd heard that the physical earthly body of Christ had been taken, because in Luke it explicitly says that when the women came and told the disciples in context that Jesus was resurrected - this seemed an "idle tale" or other translations translate it "nonsense" to everyone but Peter - which indicates to me that they clearly may not have gone - and there was clearly fear present in at least some of these people around this time period. According to Lukes gospel, assuming nothing is wrong with the other gospels based on evidence and proof, it would make it seem that Mary for whatever reason did not get to the disciples including Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved much before the other women who in context saw the resurrected Christ and the angels in the tomb at this point, and that the other women arrived in time to also tell Peter and the disciple Jesus loved the news that Jesus had been resurrected. And then whether or not Mary Magdalene heard this then she too followed Peter. This is based on Luke 24:9-12 which states, Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Elevena and to all the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James,a and the other women with them were telling the apostlesb these things. But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believea the women. Peter,a however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths.a b So he went away, amazedc at what had happened." And we know that on their way the women apart from Mary saw the resurrected Christ. Then after Mary went back to tomb around the same time as Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved were there in context, then she too saw Christ and then went back to tell the disciples she had seen the Christ tying John 20 into this. Please let me know if I've gone off course, but after much much much reading the accounts and prayer this has been what I've come to currently. For reference, Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20 are at least some of the places in the Bible speaking of this.

[@curtthegamer934]

I am of the opinion that Peter ran to the tomb twice. Once with John when Mary reported the missing body, and then again on his own when the women reported the angels.

[@alanwalker4579]

Mary went to the tomb 3 times. Peter twice. Mary went by herself when it was dark, then ran and told Peter and John. They ran to the tomb then returned to their homes. Mary returned to the tomb and saw Jesus. Jesus told her to go and tell His brothers. She returned to Jerusalem and meet the women and decided to go back to the tomb the third time. Now the sun had risen. When the women went back and told the disciples Peter ran back to the tomb the second time.

[@JimMajors]

Why would they be going to anoint the body, when Nicodemus had already anointed the body with an astronomical amount of spices and aloes?

[@TheBibleExplained]

When Nicodemus anointed the body he was in a hurry because the work had to be done before 6pm on the day of the crucifixion. So there are a couple of reasons why the women would want to anoint it again. 1 - They felt that the rushed way in which it was done was not appropriate for the Messiah and it needed to be done again with care. 2 - They were unaware that it had already been done. 3 - They remembered that Mary of Bethany had been praised by Jesus for "anointing" Him ahead of time "to the burying" and they wished to honor Him in death. This I think is most likely since Mary seemed to fear the theft of the body. She knew that the Jews might take it away so that none could honor and worship Him in death, which is what these women were attempting to do.

[@JimMajors]

@@TheBibleExplained If the women were concerned with a proper burial, then the anointing being done AFTER the burial would be a redundancy, as Jewish funerary customs had this done for the sole purpose of masking any smells up until the point of burial. Additionally, proper burial customs would dictate the need to wash the body with hot and cold water, CLEAN linens (to replace the ones Joseph used), and the women would have customarily followed the body to the burial place as a mourning procession. The fact that they hid and watched says they were not safe to participate in any way, makes the women going into a tomb (against Roman law, without permission) guarded by Roman soldiers highly unlikely. Also, there's the issue of the women buying these spices on the Sabbath, the Sanhedrin officials willfully defiling themselves by touching a corpse, Pilate allowing the body to be taken by Joseph, the unlikelihood of Joseph of Arimathea not having a familial tomb (as all tombs we know of are), the Romans disobeying an order to break the legs of the criminals, the fact that NONE of these accounts are eyewitnesses to 1. the crucifixion, 2. the request and remobal, 3 the burial and anointing by Joseph and Nicodemus, 4 the resurrection, 5 discovery of the empty tomb. All of these, and several other reasons, collectively make a very strong case against the historicity of the empty tomb.

[@TheBibleExplained]

Let’s take these one at a time, shall we? - “the issue of the women buying these spices on the Sabbath” The gospels say that they bought them before the sabbath (Luke 23:55-56), prepared them, and were bringing them to the body after the sabbath. They likely bought them as He was dying or just afterward but didn’t have time to put them on His body because he was buried hurriedly before the sabbath that began at 6pm. - “the Sanhedrin officials willfully defiling themselves by touching a corpse” Nicodemus, like any Pharisee or any other Jew, was permitted to bury a loved one, only he could not touch the body on the Sabbath, which he did not. - “Pilate allowing the body to be taken by Joseph” Pilate was doing everything he did that day to appease the Jews. If he could appease both sides, he absolutely would. In fact he insisted on leaving the inscription “King of the Jews” in opposition to the Priests. He was pointedly not in opposition to the believers in Jesus. He did what he did to appease the mob. - “the unlikelihood of Joseph of Arimathea not having a familial tomb (as all tombs we know of are)” This was a new tomb (Luke 23:53), and probably had been meant to be a family tomb. Joseph chose to dedicate it to his Messiah instead. This is not unlikely. Any many in his position who genuinely believed in Jesus would have done the same as a shrine to remember Him. - “the Romans disobeying an order to break the legs of the criminals,” The Jews asked Pilate to break their legs in order to get them down before the sabbath. Pilate, willing to appease them, issued an order to ensure that they were dead and take them down. Breaking their legs was the manner in which they generally accomplished this order but in Jesus’ case it was not necessary. (John 19:31-37) - “the fact that NONE of these accounts are eyewitnesses to 1. the crucifixion, 2. the request and removal, 3 the burial and anointing by Joseph and Nicodemus, 4 the resurrection, 5 discovery of the empty tomb” False. John was an eye-witness to (1) the crucifixion and to (2) some of the events he described on the resurrection morning when they discovered the empty tomb. He included the detail about (2) the Jews begging the body (which is not critical to the story) and it can be assumed that this information came from Nicodemus who John names as a source. Luke claims that his account is a compilation of eyewitness testimony (Luke 1:1-4). He cites his sources so that he claims can be scrutinized if untrue. He uses sources who were eyewitnesses to (1) the crucifixion, (2) the burial and anointing, and (5) the discovery of the empty tomb giving us the names of those who claimed to have seen it. Mark also writes the testimony of others, naming a few specific women who were eyewitnesses to (1) the crucifixion and (5) the discovery of the empty tomb. Matthew was one of the disciples who heard all of these things directly from the women and from John and other eye-witnesses. He includes names for his sources and also includes the story of the stone rolling away, which can be assumed to have been gathered from an anonymous source among the guards. ALL of these are eye-witness accounts even though only one of the men recording these eye-witness accounts was himself an eye-witness. This is how historical events are studied: by examining the claims of those who were there. Not all of those claims are written down by the claimant himself/herself. Often they would tell the story to a second party who would record it for them. If we reject eyewitness testimony like the gospels we have to pretty much throw out everything we know to be true about history because if documented eyewitness testimony doesn’t count, you can’t prove any event from history. In fact there is consensus among historical scholars that Jesus (1) was a real historical figure, (2) he died at the hands of the Romans in first century, (3) shortly after his death his followers had real experiences that they genuinely believed to be encounters with His risen form, His followers refused to recant these experiences and were mostly killed on account of their firm belief. The majority of scholars also believe that the tomb was indeed found empty shortly after the resurrection. How do you explain these facts in an intellectually satisfying way without coming to the conclusion that Jesus really rose again? The Romans didn’t accidentally take Him down before He was fully dead. 500 people don’t see the same hallucination and die claiming that it was a real person. Men don’t sacrifice everything and die for something they know to be a lie. The overwhelming weight of the evidence proves that Jesus did, in fact, rise from the dead.

[@JimMajors]

@@TheBibleExplained it's not just the sabbath that's an issue. Passover and the day of preparation for passover are both holy days, equivalent to the sabbath.

[@jwatersbeats]

According to your explanation Mary didn’t go into the grave with the other women when they all looked up & saw the stone rolled away. You say Mary left the group early to tell the disciples the tomb is empty and therefore wasn’t present when the angels told the other women Jesus was resurrected. There’s only one BIG PROBLEM with this explanation: Luke says Mary was among the women that (1) first visited the grave, (2) saw the angels and then (3) they ALL told the disciples what the angels said about Jesus being resurrected. So actually the whole group of women stayed, including Mary. “and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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,” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Your explanation was well intended but simply falls apart. That’s not your fault, it’s simply John’s account that’s very problematic and impossible to sync with the other accounts. I wish christians could simply admit when there actually is a contradiction in the Bible.

[@saurababraham2259]

The mental gymnastics used to harmonize these accounts are exceptional. As a matter of fact going by your standards their are no contradictions in Quran or Bhagavad gita and plus all the events mentioned in these Holy texts are true. Hence all Gods and Goddesses are real. Buddy if you want to justify your faith don't have to squint your eyes this hard. Doesnt it seem quite strange that the creator of the universe couldn't relay the proper facts or information to the authors of the so called "Word of God".

[@mike309saa]

Makes up own gospal to prove the other 4 gospels lol.

[@grayintheuk8021]

Regarding the Harmonising the Gospels texts or books: The bible is a book that anyone can pick up and read so why do you need another book to explain it please? If an actual god inspired the book it should be perfect and should not need another book written by a person to explain a book inspired by a god. I hope you can see why, to me, there should be no need for any apologetics or secondary books to fix the problems in the god inspired book. You would think that an actual god would be able to get a simple book sorted out after making an entire universe in a blink of an eye. Compared to the 'entire' universe of trillions of stars and planets, a simple little book would be super easy to get right. Many thanks Gray

[@learndiesels]

The Bible is not a book. What this video is explaining is the eyewitness testimony of 4 Accounts written by men. I believe inspired by God. They wrote in Greek so there is no prefect English translation. It is very obvious to me that the effect this morning had in the world is self evident that Jesus rose from the dead. The very nation that killed him made him (a Jewish man) their only God just 300 years later. All of these gospel writers suffered and were killed for this story. Would you die for a lie? It takes effort to understand because of the nature of language over time.

[@cro_lok2363]

Who said it was supposed to be a "simple" book? Doesn't it make sense for God, the one who created everything around us, designed all the laws in the universe and communicated his message through Jesus's parables to speak with metaphors and convey complex theological ideas through hard-to-comprehend correlations and metaphors considering his infinite knowledge and intelligence? Besides, the Bible isn't supposed to be a history book. I, personally, think there are many issues with this harmonization but that's another story

[@cro_lok2363]

To add to this, I cannot think of any great literary work without a single metaphor, even the ones based on real situations. Wouldn't they be much more bland, much less memorable if the writer just summarized their story and all the key points? I personally love doing literary analysis and reading others'. I know for certain that if the Bible was written like a physics textbook it wouldn't have inspired so many great works of fiction like Dune (kinda controversial, haha) or impacted many cultures and their literature. There is a reason The Bible is studied in University literature courses - it is full of so, so much great symbolism. Even if Christianity is false, I do not think any time spent reading the Bible is wasted. I do not know your nationality, but if you are European, trust me, your classics would make much more sense if you do so

[@JimMajors]

This is a really bad harmonization... There are so many issues here.

[@mortalkombaty7960]

Indeed. Imagine if an Hindu come with such harmonization concerning their own mythological sacred text. This guy ( the Bible explained) will completely laught and discredit their explanation. t

[@rationalsceptic7634]

Rubbish..the Gospels are not eye witnesses Accounts but historical Fiction..any Ancient Historian knows that...Apologetics gets you now where!!