How well do you know the details of the Easter story? Questions first then the answers after.
1. One of Jesus’ most impressive miracles was raising Lazarus from the dead after several days, right before the Passion week. Which gospels tell this story?
2. What did Jesus say during His trial with Pilate?
3. On what day of the week was Jesus crucified?
4. How many of the gospels record that Jesus’ side was pierced while on the cross?
5. What did the Roman centurion at the crucifixion say after Jesus died?
6. In whose tomb was Jesus buried?
7. Where is Arimathea? (as in Joseph of Arimathea)
8. Was anyone else raised at the time of Jesus’ resurrection?
9. Where did the disciples go after the crucifixion?
10. Who was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection?
Answers:
1. Only John tells of the raising of Lazarus, which is odd since that miracle was done close to Jerusalem in front of many people and was said to be the event which triggered the eventual arrest and crucifixion of Jesus; see John 11. You’d think the other Gospels would mention such a significant miracle.
2. What did Jesus say during His trial with Pilate? Matthew, Mark and Luke have Jesus respond to the question “Are you the King of the Jews” by giving the terse answer “Thou sayest” or “You say so,” a rather short and curious answer. Maybe John didn’t like such an ambiguous answer so he has Jesus discuss it with Pilate and assert that He is in fact a king but not of a worldly realm.
3. On what day of the week was Jesus crucified? Most scholars place it on Friday (hence the traditional Good Friday), because of reference to the pending Sabbath (Saturday), but others note that the Gospel of John says Jesus was crucified on the preparation day of Pentecost, so on that Thursday instead, which is more consistent with the claim that Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days if raised on Sunday morning. (Scholar James Tabor argues for Thursday on his blog if you want to check it out: https://jamestabor.com/jesus-died-on-a-thursday-not-a-friday/}
4. How many of the gospels record that Jesus’ side was pierced while on the cross? Only John. Likewise John is the only Gospel saying that the legs of the other two criminals had their legs broken but not Jesus. But then John is known for being very different from the other gospels.
5. What did the Roman centurion at the crucifixion say after Jesus died? Mark and Matthew record him as saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Luke changes it slightly to “Certainly this man was innocent,” more consistent with his theology about the meaning of Jesus’ death (as he discusses in the Book of Acts). John leaves out this statement altogether. If you think about it, why would a pagan Roman centurion think that a man being crucified would indicate he is the Son of God? Maybe that’s why Luke changed it and John omitted it.
6. In whose tomb was Jesus buried? Mark, Luke and John simply say it was a new or unused tomb. Only Matthew says that it was Joseph of Arimathea’s “own new tomb.”
7. Where is Arimathea? (as in Joseph of Arimathea) No one has a definitive answer for that. Outside of the gospels there is no external evidence for the existence of a place called Arimathea. For some people this raises doubt as to the authenticity of the Joseph character in the story.
8. Was anyone else raised at the time of Jesus’ resurrection? In Matthew 27:52, 53 it says, “…and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” The other gospels say nothing about this, and there is no historical record of it, which seems odd given such an astounding event witnessed by “many.” Make your own judgment about that.
9. Where did the disciples go after the crucifixion? In Mark’s original ending (which ends at 16:8) the women are told that the disciples will meet Jesus in Galilee. The later added ending (v.9f) is a bit vague on that point. In Matthew he seems to follow Mark in that the women are told the disciples are to go to Galilee and that is where they meet Him. In Luke they are in Jerusalem when Jesus appears to them and in fact Jesus tells them to stay in Jerusalem (in Luke’s follow-up work, Acts 1:4). In John 20 the disciples are in Jerusalem when Jesus appears to them, but in John 21, which many scholars think is a later addition, the disciples return to Galilee and Jesus again appears to them there. Perhaps this is an attempt to reconcile the differences between the stories saying the disciples went to Galilee and others saying they stayed in Jerusalem.
10. Who was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection? It’s complicated. In the original version of Mark, which ends at verse 8 of the last chapter, no one sees Jesus; the women fear in flee after the young man at the tomb talks to them. The later added ending (v.9f) says Mary Magdalene was the first to see him. In Mathew Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” encountered Jesus after leaving the empty tomb. The male disciples did not see Jesus until they returned to Galilee. In Luke the women find the empty tomb but no Jesus. Whey they report this to the disciples Peter runs to the empty tomb, but no Jesus. [Note: this verse is questionable as it is not found in some ancient manuscripts.] Jesus seems to first appear to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. However, when they return to the other disciples they are told the “Lord has appeared to Simon” [Peter’s original name]. Was that before Jesus met with the other two disciples or after? Doesn’t say. In John Mary Magdalene finds the empty tomb and reports to the disciples. So Peter and another disciple run to the tomb but find it empty with no Jesus. Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb and is weeping there when as angel speaks to her, but then she turns around and there stands Jesus, making her the first to see him. Finally, we have Paul, who wrote one passage about this, in 1st Corinthians 15: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas [probably meaning Peter since Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent of Peter], then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James [likely the brother of Jesus, not James the apostle], then to all the apostles [possibly the larger group of His disciples, since He already appeared to The Twelve]; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
In summary:
Mark: original ending doesn’t say, but the later ending said Mary Magdalene.
Matthew: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
Luke: two disciples on the road to Emmaus, or possibly Simon Peter.
John: Mary Magdalene
Paul: Cephas/Peter.
So which is correct? Take your pick. And why don’t they all agree? I’ll leave that for you to ponder. I’m betting on Mary Magdalene, as she has the most “votes.” Also, if you’ll read my post 33: Jesus the Healer, Part 3: Repossessed? you’ll see I have another reason for thinking that Mary may have been the first to have a vision of the recently dead Jesus.
How’d you do on the quiz? You see, the story of Easter is not as straightforward as you see on TV or in the movies or in Passion plays!
(Leave comments or questions below, please!)