Tomb found empty
| 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. | Matt 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. | Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they [Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women] came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. | John 20:1a The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, |
Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
| Mark 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away:for it was very great. | Matt 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. | Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. | John 20:1b and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. | |
| Mark 16:5 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. | Matt 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. | Luke 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: | ||
| Mark 16:6 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. | Matt 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. | Luke 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet 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. | ||
| Mark 16:7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter [1] that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. | Matt 28:7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. | Luke 24:8 And they remembered his words, | ||
| Mark 16:8 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. | Matt 28:8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. | Luke 24:9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. | ||
| Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna [2], and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. | John 20:2 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. | |||
| Luke 24:12a Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; | John 20:3 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. | |||
| Luke 24:12b and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. | John 20:5 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. | |||
The gospels do not agree on which women came to Jesus' sepulchre to find him gone.
- Matthew: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
- Mark: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome
- Luke: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women
- John: Mary Magdalene alone.
For this reason, much of the text in this section is unreconcilable. In order to avoid too many pages of unreconciled text, I have pretended that John's "she" and Matthew, Mark and Luke's "they" refer to the same woman/women.
[1]"[D]isciples and Peter" implies that Peter was not a disciple, although all three synoptic gospels include him in the list of apostles.
[2]Joanna's relationship to Herod is explained in Luke 8:3. She is not mentioned in any of the other gospels.
