The Burial of Jesus

The events surrounding the burial of Jesus are so filled with contradictions from one gospel to the next, that it was necessary for me to divide them up for ease of understanding.

How many women went to Jesus' tomb, and what were their names?

1.) TWO women: Mary Magdelene, and another woman named Mary.

Matthew 28: 1 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.) THREE women: Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome

Mark 16:1 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.

3.) An unspecified number of women, possibly a large group:

Luke 24:1 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.

vs. 9-10 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

4.) ONE woman:
John 20:1 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.


Was the stone rolled away already when she/they arrived?

1.) Yes:

Mark 16:4 ...But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Luke 24:2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb....

John 20:1 ...Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.


2.) No:

Matthew 28:2 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.


How many men OR angels did the women/woman see?

1.) One angel:

Matthew 28:2 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.

2.) One man:

Mark 16:4-5 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

3.) Two men:

Luke 24:4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

4.) Two angels:

John20:11 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.

What other events happened while the women were at the tomb? How did they react?

1.) There was an earthquake, an angel rolled the stone aside, and the Roman guards fainted:

Matthew 28:2 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.

2.) They entered the tomb, saw the man, and were frightened. They are told to tell the disciples.

Mark 16:5 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.’”

3.) They see the stone rolled aside, two men in brilliant clothing appear beside them, they bow low in fright.

Luke 24:4 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.

4.) Mary first runs to tell the disciples. After they leave, she sees first the two angels, and then Jesus (who, for no reason in particular, she does not recognize):

John20:11-14 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

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.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.


Did the women tell anyone immediately?

1.) Yes:

Matt. 28:8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Luke 24:9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.

John 20:2 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!”

2.) No:

Mark 16:8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.


Were Roman guards posted at the tomb?

1.) Yes:

Matt. 27:62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

2.) No:

The other three gospels do not describe, or even hint, at Roman guards being stationed at the tomb in order to prevent any skulduggery on the part of Jesus' followers.


Christians are fond of saying that the gospels are completely in agreement and form a cohesive story, with each gospel backing up the others. A few details may vary--as is to be expected when eyewitnesses write about a shared experience--but by and large, they agree on the important stuff.

Obviously, this is not the case. There is no way that one can form a coherent story with the details listed above. There is too much confusion over who did what with whom, and when. Why do the four writers disagree so much? Were some of them lying? Did some of them embellish the story to make it more exciting? Were the stories changed by other people later on? Whatever the case, we do NOT have a cohesive story, but four separate stories by people who might as well have been writing about four different crucifixions.