Nerd Corner: Chaos and High Emotion

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A Day Unlike Any Other

Greg spoke about the numerous appearances that Jesus to different people after He rose from the grave. If you read the 4 Gospel accounts of the events on that day, one thing becomes very clear; it was a day of chaos and emotion. The four gospel writers each record events in a unique way, much the way four witnesses to an event might share a different perspective from each other. If we believe that the Word of God is true and contains no contradictions, then these four stories should be able to create a single plausible  narrative of what actually took place.

Preface

With consideration to the geography and terrain as well as the chaotic nature of the events on Resurrection day, it is easily understandable that all the comings-and-goings of everyone took place without them running into each other. As well, it seems that Peter and John may have been staying somewhere else for the night (likely in western portions of Jerusalem) while the rest of the Eleven, as well as the women, were staying at their normal place in Bethany (the location of the Upper Room where Jesus and His disciples shared their Last Supper … a 30-40 minute walk east of Jerusalem). Here is a possible course of events that fit all 4 gospel accounts. 

The following is speculation, but is a reasonable and narrative from what we read in:

MATTHEW 28:1-15        MARK 16:1-8        LUKE 24:1-49        JOHN 20:1-25

Resurrection Day

With plans to anoint Jesus’ body (Mark), a group of women, including Mary Magdalen (Matt-Mark-John) leave for the tomb very early on Sunday morning (Luke) while it is still dark (John), although they hadn’t thought it through as to who would move the stone back for them (Mark).  While the women are on their way, Jesus rises from the dead and leaves the tomb.

An angel dressed brilliantly in white (or looking white) appears, accompanied by an earthquake, and rolls back the stone and sits on it (Matt). The guards that are posted at the tomb, see the angel and are terrified (Matt).  After the guards compose themselves they head out for the city to go and tell the chief priests what had happened (Matt).  With nobody around to notice, a second angel shows up (or was already there), also dressed in white, and neatly folds the burial cloth and linen strips.  While the women are still on their way to the tomb, some of the guards reach the chief priests and tell them everything that has just happened (meanwhile, some of the other guards just take off). The chief priests and elders set out to devise a conspiracy plan (Matt).

The sun has now risen (Mark) as the women reach the tomb [Note: they’ve been walking for 2+ miles so the trip was at least 40 minutes]. While still at a distance they see that the stone has been rolled back from the entrance (Mark). Mary immediately takes off to go and tell Peter that someone has already opened the tomb and taken away the body.

The women continue to draw near the tomb. They look inside but don’t see Jesus. Suddenly they see, first one angel, then another, both brilliantly white (Luke). They are afraid and bow down but the angels tell them that Jesus has risen as He had said he would (Luke). The angels invite them to look at the place where Jesus laid (Matt), and then tell them to go quickly and tell his disciples and Peter (implying that he isn’t with the others) (Mark) that Jesus has risen and wants to meet with them in Galilee (Matt-Mark). [Note: Galilee was about a 3-day walk north of where they were]

The women hurry away from the tomb on their way back to the Eleven in Bethany. They are simultaneously afraid and excited – both trembling and bewildered. They hesitate about going and telling the news and perhaps slow their pace, trying to decide what to do (Mark).

Meanwhile, Mary has gone to where Peter and John are staying and tells them that something has happened at the tomb. Peter and John (and whoever they are staying with) don’t believe it so they take off running to the tomb. Mary, who has already done a lot of walking and running follows behind them, but can’t even closely keep up. John arrives first at the tomb, and then Peter (any others with them are not mentioned). John stops outside but Peter runs straight in. The angels are not seen by either of them.  They see the empty tomb and the cloths lying inside. John believes that a miracle has taken place (John). They leave the tomb and go back to their own homes (John) [Note: the disciples that came with Peter & John went back to western Jerusalem while Peter & John probably returned to the main hangout in Bethany].

By this time, Mary arrives at the tomb but Peter and John have already been there and left. Mary stands outside the tomb crying. She decides to take one last look inside the tomb and sees the two angels sitting there where Jesus’ body had been. They ask her why she is crying. She says that someone has taken her Lord away and she doesn’t know where they have taken him.  She turns around and sees what she believes to be the gardener. He also asks why she is crying and who she’s looking for.  She asks if he has taken away Jesus. He then calls her name and Mary immediately recognizes that it is Jesus Himself (This is Jesus’ 1^st appearance - Mark).

She turns to Him, calling Him “Teacher,” and grabs hold of Him (probably falling and grasping his feet).  Jesus says to her, “Don’t hold on to me for I have not yet returned to the Father.”  [Note: This passage creates problems because it seems like Jesus doesn’t want her to touch Him, yet later on He has no problem with the women clinging to His feet, or with the disciples touching his wounds, or even with letting them watch Him eat.  However, the trouble here vanishes when we look at the different meanings of the Greek verb here, hapto (apton), which can mean “cling to” or “detain.”  The translation “detain” fits the context because Jesus Immediately follows the statement with, “Go instead to my brothers and tell them . . .”  Later on, Jesus shows similar urgency to have word sent to the disciples when He meets up with the women.]

Peter and John have already been back and told the rest of the disciples that Jesus’ body was gone. Of course, neither Peter nor John saw the angels or Jesus so they can only report of an empty tomb.

Mary departs to go and tell the disciples the news. She’s probably running.

Meanwhile, the women haven’t yet arrived to tell the disciples. Jesus then appears to them on the road (this is Jesus’ 2^nd appearance). They cling to His feet (which He doesn’t seem to mind as much as with Mary), but the main thing that He tells them is to go tell His disciples to go to Galilee (which is the same message that the angels gave them).  Now the women head quickly to Bethany to tell the Eleven.

The group of women and Mary arrive (either at slightly different times, or else Mary had caught up with them before they arrived) at the place of the Eleven and tell them of the angel’s words and also that they saw Jesus. The disciples (the Eleven and others) don’t believe them (Mark-Luke).  Peter (Luke) and a few others head back to the tomb.  Peter inspects it again, as he did before, and still finds the linen lying there. The tomb is still empty and there’s no Jesus. Peter wanders around, probably in a daze.  Two of the others (one named Cleopas) head out for Emmaus . . . about 11 km away to the northwest, a 2-3-hr walk, depending on whether they were strolling or walking.

Sometime during the day Jesus meets Peter while he’s wandering around (this is likely Jesus’ 3^rd appearance).  Perhaps near the tomb?

Also that day Jesus also catches up with the two who were walking along the road to Emmaus (this is Jesus’ 4^th appearance).  They tell Jesus of the events that have happened, including the fact that some of the women had seen the empty tomb and also visions of angels (since they don’t say that the women had seen Jesus it is likely that they, along with the other disciples, had simply believed the vision of Jesus to be as incredulous as their angelic visions), and that some of the men disciples had seen the empty tomb but not Jesus (thereby proving the incredulity of the women’s story).  They invite Jesus to stay with them in Emmaus since it’s almost evening.  Once there, and after Jesus breaks bread, they recognize Him. Jesus disappears so the two of them run back to Jerusalem to tell the others (Luke).

The two arrive at the Upper Room where all the others have gathered, except Thomas (John).  Peter had already arrived earlier and told the others of his encounter with Jesus that afternoon but it seems that they didn’t believe him either.  Now the two from Emmaus show up.  The Bethany group shares wild stories about the events that have taken place in the few hours since they were last there.  The women and Peter say that they’ve seen Jesus but the rest say that they don’t believe it.  The Emmaus duo explain about all the things that they themselves had just experienced and that they too had seen Jesus. They told the disbelievers in the group, “It is true! The Lord HAS risen and HAS appeared to Simon.”  (in other words – believe what he’s been trying to tell you). (Luke) The main group still didn’t believe them either (Mark).

After giving up waiting for them to arrive in Galilee as He and the angels had instructed them to do, Jesus shows up at their place in the evening in Bethany (this is Jesus’ 5^th appearance).  He chastises them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen (Mark). He then showed them His wounds and also ate some food (Luke).  He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John)  He then taught them and was able to open up their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke).  [ Note: When He breathed on them He likely imparted the miraculous gift of knowledge and discernment to them at that time.]

Will you prayer this with me? Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word, the truth of the Divinity of Your Son, the truth of the Resurrection, the truth of the changed lives and the truth that gives hope to those without it. Give me the courage to share Your truth with those You have asked me to influence. May I do it only in the power of Jesus’s Name. Amen!
 

Your writing team this week is Rob Tudball, Claire Walker and Peter Bowyer.

For the next month or two, the weekly agenda for these "stretching the sermon" posts will be:

Monday - Questions for reflection and discussion (for individuals, families and groups)

Tuesday - Deep dive: exploring one aspect of the sermon beyond what the preacher has time for

Wednesday - Reflection on the sermon for personal application

Thursday - Nerd corner: examining a technical or contextual aspect of the sermon

Friday - Reflection on the sermon for personal application

And Saturday will continue to be a story from one of your HCC brothers or sisters about how they are seeing God in this crisis.