Resurrection Differences? Reading the 4 Gospel Accounts Side by Side - ABS 19

One of the quickest ways to cut through resurrection arguments is also the simplest: stop paraphrasing and read the texts. Joe Teal sits down with Brandon Cowan and we go line by line through the resurrection accounts in Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24, and John 20, watching the empty tomb story unfold in real time.

As we compare the details, the differences become easy to spot without any drama or spin: who goes to the tomb, whether the stone is already moved or rolled away on the scene, how many messengers appear, and why Matthew is the only Gospel that includes guards and an earthquake. We also talk about what stays consistent, especially Mary Magdalene showing up first across all four narratives, and how each author seems comfortable emphasizing different parts of the story for different readers.

Then we zoom out to the bigger question behind all of it: what do Gospel differences mean for biblical inerrancy, historical reliability, and everyday faith? To make that clearer, we break down a distinction that helps a lot of people: eyewitness account versus eyewitness testimony, and how that changes the way we read ancient sources. If you care about careful Bible study, Gospel comparison, and asking honest questions about the resurrection of Jesus, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the Gospels, and leave a review if the show helps you think more clearly. Which resurrection detail do you find easiest to explain, and which one still bothers you?

Transcript

Why Read The Resurrection Accounts

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's going on and welcome to another episode of the Agnostic Bible study. I'm your host, Joe Teal. Today's gonna be another fun one. I have my buddy Brandon Cowan with me. We sat down and read the resurrection accounts. What happens when Mary Magdalene and some ladies show up to the tomb? If you've ever heard someone say there's differences in the resurrection accounts, we're about to zero in and actually read the text and show you what each one says. It's a lot of fun. We learned a lot, and I hope you enjoy this conversation between me and my buddy Brandon. Let's get into it. And

Mark 16 Empty Tomb Reading

SPEAKER_00 0:33

uh man, we're just gonna look at their resurrection accounts to start today. And uh we're just gonna read them all back to back and go from there. All right, that sounds good. All right, I'm in Mark chapter 16, verse 1. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, bought spices so that they may go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in white robe, sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised, he is not here. Look, there is the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead to you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you. So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. And then uh underneath there it's got brackets, huh?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

So let's scoot down here and show what those brackets say. Yeah. So I don't feel like we should read that because I'm pretty firm and it seems like that that was added.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Does yours have a uh separated mind says it's got the shorter ending and then the longer ending? Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Some authorities, the passage is marked as being doubtful. So let's let's stop there because I don't want to get confused by some stuff that's that's more than likely was added, right? We have Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome. I don't the Mary, the mother of James and Salome, that is a different Mary. That's not Jesus' mom, right? Don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Mother of the other James.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Yeah. I mean, maybe so. That's the problem. There's a bunch of James's. Yeah. So, but I yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

A bunch of Marys, a bunch of James.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

A bunch of Marys, a bunch of James, a bunch of Salomies. That's Salome's uh important name. Mary, the mother of James, and Salome. So we have three ladies there. The stone is already rolled away there on this one. Yep. And there is a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side. And then he tells them that they're gone. All right, let's go to Matthew. Uh

Matthew Adds Guards And Earthquake

SPEAKER_00 3:01

chapter 27, verse 62. Twenty-seven. Verse 62 says, The next day, that is, after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, Sir, we remember what the imposter said while he was still alive. After three days I will rise again. Therefore, command the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people he has been raised from the dead. And the last deception would be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it secure as you can. So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Okay. So this is Matthew's reason for putting the guards there.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Now, me personally, and from what I've gathered, people are doubtful that there was actually guards there. But this is what Matthew says. I mean, it makes sense because um if it was really known, publicly known that Jesus was talking about raising being raised again.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Well, I mean, that was pretty big part of his ministry, wasn't it? That he was gonna die.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Who did he say that to, though?

SPEAKER_01 4:12

And so the people that wanted him dead surely wouldn't want that to happen because that would be bad for them. But but it seems like it's I got you. It would also be bad for Rome, though. Like they just executed a guy and he comes back on. So they both had interest to guard the tomb and make sure that this went well.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Yeah, I just who how many people did he say that in front of, though, is my question. It seems like it kind of just told the disciples that he was.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Yeah and see, but then also there it may not explain fully how much that message got out.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

So that's interesting. Maybe there was guards, maybe there wasn't. Uh Mark didn't have any guards there, so that's interesting. That's our first difference that Mark Guards and there is guards here.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

I don't think it even says it in the additional disputed text.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

All right, so we'll get to verse 28 and we'll really get into it. After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. All right, so the two ladies there are Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. And Salome's not mentioned here. And suddenly there was a great earthquake. So there's where are you? Uh oh, uh chapter 28. Oh, okay. Yeah. And suddenly there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. So there's a difference. There's a big difference there. So we lost Salome. The stone is still rolled up when they walk into this one. There's nobody inside the tomb this time, not a man in a white robe, but this time it's an angel coming down. The stone rolls over, and then he sits on top of the tomb. So we got some differences there. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. So there's somebody with white clothing like the other one. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. So here the guards crash out. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised. As he said, Come see the place where he lay then. Go quickly and tell the disciples. He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him. This is my message for you. So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. Oh, yeah, this is the appearance of Jesus. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, Greetings. And they came to him and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee. There they will see me. Alright. So our big differences were we lost Salome. Uh the stone was already rolled over. There's an earthquake this time. Yeah. And there were guards. Guards crash out, and it come the angel comes from the sky. There's nobody inside the tomb this time.

Luke’s Two Men And Doubt

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Alright, now we go to Luke Chapter 24. Okay. Hold on. Here we go. But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of the sinners and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven, and then to the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them as an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves, then he went home, amazed at what had happened. Alright, let's stop there. So different ladies different ladies, uh let's see, two men this time.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Yeah. Two. What stuck out to me is it says, but the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn't believe it. Why would it sound like nonsense to them if it was something they were expecting?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, I guess the disciples are um shown throughout the gospels several times to not get it even when it's right in front of them. And this, you know, and this could be a storytelling aspect of it, but as as the dis you know, as Peter messes up all the time and the disciples don't get who Jesus is all the time, even when he does stuff in front of him, this might be um more of that, showing that the disciples just don't get it no matter what, you know. I don't know, man. But that is that is interesting though. That's that's a good that's a good catch.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

You you got that, and it just doesn't with that throws the whole thing off for me. Because if if the message is widely known enough for the Jewish leaders and the Romans to take action and put guards. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Um But see here, what you're doing there is assuming that Matthew and Luke are telling the exact same story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

And which I I'm just going along with the narrative I've always known. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Between the mix of all four.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

I can feel like that's one story. But like, look at the differences. Like the angel rolls the stone away from the in front of them in Matthew. Right. And in Mark and Luke, it's already rolled. Yeah. And then there's two, and then there's one coming down, and then there's one in the tomb. So it's like we find it's like it's like not crazy different, but at the same time, there's like, there are like there are differences.

John’s Footrace And Mary’s Grief

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Let's go to John. I'm sure John's gonna give us some fun stuff. So John chapter 20.

unknown 10:19

20.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Ready? Yep. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, which is a common thing throughout here. People think the one who Jesus loved is the person who wrote this, so the guess is John, but that's a guess. They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Then Peter and the other disciples set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the lemon wrappings lying there, the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with linen wrappings that were rolled up in place by itself. Then the other disciples who reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

So there's no angel in this one.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

No angel. And the stone was already rolled. Yeah. So that's three for already rolled. Yeah. Now which one was it? Was it Mark or was it Matthew that the stone rolled in front of them?

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Matthew is the earthquake and the stone rolled and the guards.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Okay. So Matthew seems to be the only one there. And the only one with the guards. So Matthew's the only one with the guards and the only one with the that the stone rolls in front of them.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

When there are guards in Luke?

SPEAKER_00 11:56

No, no, no, go only guards in Matthew.

unknown 11:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

And that's why people think that the guards might be an invention by Matthew. That's another clue, possibly. Is that he's the only one that decided to put that. And John added here that, you know, in other ones it said that there was the linen wrapping in there, but then he said there was also a linen wrapping on his head that was not there. And it's interesting that the person that is thought to have wrote John made sure that they won the foot race. That's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

It doesn't outride.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Anna outran Peter. So I got there first. Well, what do you think, man?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

So it's like okay, so he So it looks like consistently Mary Magdalene is first. That is that seems to be like That's consistent.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

And so I would say that if Mark wrote first and Matthew and Luke potentially saw Mark, as Mark and Priority would say, and then John also has Mary Magdalene there. I think it'd be interesting to see, like if John didn't see Mark, which is still a hypothesis, but possibly, I think those would be interesting to see how those two agree, John and Mark. Um so there, but there was no angel in Mark. Well, there were yeah, there was the well, whoever the guy in white was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

There's the angel.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

So that's not there in Mark.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

There's an angel in Mark, Matthew, and Luke, but not in John.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

So in John, is it just Mary Magdalene? It does seem like that, doesn't it? Yeah, on the very first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed from the tomb.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple and said they stole him.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

And so they go and they go to check. Yeah. John, we'll assume, is there first. He doesn't go in. Peter finally gets there, goes in, and then they discover the linen clothing there, the head wrapping. As it gets down there, then it says Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, who is standing outside the tomb crying. So instead of looking at the.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Oh, we forgot about the gardener.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Instead of the angel.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Yeah, he uh she sees a gardener and she doesn't re recognize that it's Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white robed angels, one sitting at the head, the other sitting at the foot where the body of Jesus had been laying. Dear woman, why are you crying? The angels asked her. Because they have taken away my Lord, she replied, and I don't know where they have put him. She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. Dear woman, why are you crying? Jesus asked her. Who are you looking for? She thought he was the gardener.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Sir, she said, If you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him. Mary, Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, Rebanai, which is Hebrew for teacher. Don't cling to me, Jesus said, for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, I'm ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God. Mary found the disciples and told them, I have seen the Lord. Then she gave them his message.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

We quit reading too early. Yeah. So she thought he was the gardener. Right. But that's different. That Jesus talks to her at the tomb.

Do Differences Break Inerrancy

SPEAKER_00 15:14

That's the only one.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

That's different than all the others.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

All the others. To me, this isn't like detrimental as like towards anything, really. I think it's it could be just them remembering different things, and they have different reasons for writing to their crowd. And I think that they are comfortable adding things that make the story better. Now, if you're a strict inerrant guy and you're like, well, this ha everything happened exactly how it says, I think you run into problems because how many angels do you have? Was a stone rolled over? You know what I mean? So like there is little thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Did you I mean it's like we've talked about many times before, it's just different people telling their account from the way that they remember it, and that happens in any time you talk about something. Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

So it's interesting. So John, if John is who they said he was, then John could be in this moment. Like if he is the beloved disciple here, then he was in this moment. Yeah. And then Matthew, being a disciple, could be involved in some part of that. But then you also got to think that none, none of the gospel writers were actual eyewitness accounts to the to that morning when Mary Magdalene rolled up on

Eyewitness Account Vs Testimony

SPEAKER_00 16:17

them. It would be eyewitness testimony. So this is something I was talking about with Zach the other day, is something that I it took me way too long to know the difference between eyewitness testimony and eyewitness account. So if a bug flew past both of us right now and we looked at it and we saw it, me and you were just eyewitness accounts of the bug. But if you didn't see it and I saw it and you asked me about it, and I told you I saw the bug go this way, it flew by. You just received eyewitness testimony from me.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

I gotcha. And so none of none of the And then I tell people later, Joe saw a bug fly by.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Right. You're telling eyewitness testimony. Yeah. It is my eyewitness account, but when after you share it, it becomes eyewitness testimony. It's not an eyewitness account. Right. So Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We know that Luke and Mark, if it's traditionally who they say they were, that they they come along later in the process, right? So they weren't witnesses of this. So potentially John sees some of the story, but he wasn't there with Mary.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

And so uh it's an eyewitness testimony from Mary about what happens there, which And that seems consistent.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

All four of them have Mary first, yeah. And then they just have different tellings of what she told me.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

It is strange though that they the only like do they leave out these other women? Like, are they not important or all the women there for all these different accounts, but only she gets mentioned consistently through? Is that how that works? And how involved? I think they were probably there with her.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Even on even in John, where it just has her written, you think it's just they just decided she was the important one and the rest didn't matter to the story, so they didn't feel the need to put them in there. Yeah.

Wrap Up And Listener Challenge

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Thanks again for hanging out with us on another episode of the Agnostic Bible study. There you have it. We read all four accounts Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And as you can see, there are some differences, some ways that we can't get around some of those differences. Some of them are big, some of them are small. It's all very interesting stuff. I enjoyed that we sat down and we actually read the verses. I think that's fun. A lot of people make arguments and uh without introducing the Bible itself into it. So I like to actually read the verses and see where they take us. So, like always, don't just take my word for it, don't just take Brandon's word for it. Go out and engage with the source. Read, learn, ask good questions. Most importantly, know why you believe what you believe. If you're watching on YouTube, Spotify, all that stuff, like, share, subscribe, rate the show, do the things that help us so I can give you more Bible content. Hey, we love y'all. Never stop learning, and we'll see y'all next episode.