"It has served us well, this myth of Christ." - Pope Leo X

How many of us really know the bible story of the resurrection?  How many Bible studies have you been to that study all the gospels side-by-side? Take a look at how the story gets more and more fantastic when you put the gospels into date order and then ask yourself what would be a reason for this. Lets just look at the resurrection part of the gospels.





The gospel of Mark is accepted by most bible scholars and historians to be the earliest gospel, written around 70CE. This is around 37 years after the actual events occurred.  Until the time the stories had been circulating by word-of-mouth (the most unreliable form of communcation in existence). It would be hard right now for us to recall in correct form most of the nursery rymes we were taught as children.





Mark 16
  


1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.





 Notice how it was only the women who went to the tomb, and they saw a young man in white. No angels, no disciples, no Jesus (until after the women had fled the tomb).





Gospel of Luke




Matthew and Luke were both written around 10-15 years after Mark, between 80-90 CE. Let's look at Luke's version first:


1 Now on the first

day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.


2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 and it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.






Gospel of Matthew




Matthew 28



1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell My brethren to go to Gallilie, and there they will see Me.”



Matthew makes the story even more exciting - there is now a great earthquake and the men have become angels, and Jesus now meets them and Matthew records his sayings!


Matthew seems particularly prone to exaggerating stories. Let's rewind a little bit, to his account of the crucifixion



Matthew 27




51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.



None of the other gospels mention these things. Surely if the dead came out of the ground and walked into Jerusalem, at least one of the Jewish or Roman historians would have recorded this? Why  not list some of the names of these "saints", and the names of some of the witnesses they appeared to?



Read it again carefully.



Notice how the saints arose from the dead at the crucifixion, but came out of the graves "after his resurrection" where were they in the three days between these two events?




Gospel of John



The gospel of John is the last gospel and has been dated to around 90-100CE:

John 20


1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.


John adds an extra angel, an extra disciple, and even makes Jesus himself appear at the tomb!



The story just gets more and more fabulous with each version, but you will never hear this preached at church, because the preacher will only ever concentrate on one of the gospels at a time. Only when you analyse them carefully according to the dates they were written can you see how each writer added more and more which makes the story more and more fantastic.


Now, ask yourself......why is this so.

BY: Kurt