The Convergent Idea of Resurrection in the Gospels

The canonical gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John) give the most detailed accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Mark is considered the oldest gospel that tries to give a bibliography. Mathew and Luke seem to borrow a lot from Mark, and the three books are known as the synoptic gospels, attributable to the many similarities between them. These books give a chronological account of the life and death of Jesus. John’s Gospel is rather unique and explains the person of Jesus from a very distinct angle. The convergent idea of resurrection is discussed in this paper as depicted in the four gospels, focusing on various themes, narrative techniques, and theological insinuations to explain the importance of this central motif in Christianity.

These books are not only considered faith-based but are also used to draw on the history of Jesus, who is at the center of Christianity, which is widely acclaimed across the world. However, historians argue that the events in the gospels are not to be taken literally but rather symbolically because each writer seems to be writing according to how they think Jesus and his Ministry should be interpreted. They get information from oral tradition and write many decades after the actual events, and it is fair to assume that they did not know exactly what happened.

Each of the writers of the gospels writes them from their distinct perspective and depending on the audience that they are addressing. Peter Feldmier asserts that the interpretations of Jesus and his ministry were varied. This is evident in the different versions that are given about particular events in the life of Jesus, such as the resurrection. The writers of the gospels also seem to have different understandings of Jesus Christ and what his mission wa,s as they focus on varying themes.

Mark depicts Jesus as an urgent and apocalyptic messenger of God who talks about the imminent kingdom of God and the urgency for people to repent and accept the good news. He writes to a persecuted audience right at the time of the Jewish Revol,t and his apocalyptic representation of Jesus is very sensible. His audience understands dark times and what it feels like to be prosecuted. Mark portrays the power of Jesus through the many instances where Jesus orders those who witness his miracles not to tell anyone, but word still spreads about them. His works and ministry could not be suppressed. The tendency to want people to remain silent about his work is known as the Messianic Secret, where Jesus is only revealed as the promised Messiah in his death and resurrection. Mark also focuses on discipleship, which requires that one sacrifices everything, even his life, to follow Jesus: “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who want to lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will save it” (Mark 13:9-11).

In Mathew, on the other hand, Jesus is portrayed as an embodiment of Israel and the new Moses who comes to fulfill the law and the prophecies. He represents the perfect salvation of Israel. Jesus's ministry is also focused on the kingdom, not just on its coming and believing in it, but also on how actions lead to achieving the kingdom. Jesus asserts that people are not only supposed to follow the law but are also to be transformed. Avoiding murder is not enough unless one rids oneself of the anger. Righteousness is a key theme in the ministry of Jesus in Mathew, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Only those who produce the fruits of the kingdom through their actions will receive the kingdom.

Luke depicts Jesus as a universal savior. Luke details the conception of Jesus by describing an encounter between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the angel Gabriel. Angel Gabriel declares that her son will be the Son of God. Mary praises the Lord, where she affirms that the Lord has reversed positions by uplifting the lowly and degrading the mighty. The theme of the reversal of fortune continues throughout the gospel of Luke. Jesus himself was born in very humble beginnings and is visited by poor shepherds. In His ministry, Jesus affirms that He has come to save the poor while insisting that bad fortune will befall the rich. In the sermon in Luke, Jesus declares, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:20-21). He further declares misfortune for the rich, "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep” (Luke 6:24-25). The kingdom of God is depicted as one that uplifts the poor, and the rich are challenged to associate with them and uplift if they are to be accepted into the kingdom.

John emphasizes the spiritual superiority of Jesus, whom he identifies with Wisdom and who exists with God before creation. All things are created through him. John tries to explain the person of Jesus, whom he understands as the Son of God who works with him. He is a representation of God on earth, and only those who believe in him will receive eternal life, while those who reject him are condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. The gospel of John particularly differs from the synoptic gospels by portraying the crucifixion as a moment of glory for Jesus. While Mathew, Mark, and Luke portray it as a moment of horror and defeat for Christ, the cross is depicted as a place of glory where Jesus and God show their perfect love for the world. Jesus gladly agrees to be taken away by the Roman soldiers to fulfill what his Father wants, while in the ultimate contrast in Mark, he begs God to take away his suffering before he is taken away and abandoned by his disciples. Other than the person of Jesus Christ, love is a major theme in the gospel of John. Jesus' ministry is focused on preaching the message of love where he commands people to love one another as he has loved them. John also stresses true discipleship where the disciples follow Jesus wholeheartedly and without a doubt.

The earliest manuscript of Mark describes the resurrection of Jesus as having been discovered by three women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome). After the Sabbath, the women bought spices to go anoint Jesus, but on arriving at the tomb, they found that the stone had already been rolled away. They enter and find a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and he tells them that Jesus has risen. He tells them to go tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus was headed to Galilee, but the women flee from the tomb and do not say anything to anyone.

The Messianic Secret, which was a major theme in the gospel of Mark, is still very evident at the very end. The women remain silent about the resurrection of Christ. The ending of the story leaves the audience in suspense. Do the disciples find out? Does Jesus meet them? Who else does Jesus meet? Mark's ending seemed very strange to the early church, so more verses were added to it over time. It is assumed that some pages had been lost from the original manuscript. In the added verses, Jesus appears to several witnesses, including Mary Magdalene, two of the disciples, and the Eleven, whom he rebukes for their lack of faith and their refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He asks them to go into the world and spread the Gospel. He also gives them the power to perform miracles before ascending into heaven where he sat at the right hand of God. The added information makes Mark's story of resurrection more comprehensive, unlike the abrupt ending in the earliest manuscript, where the women remain silent about his resurrection.

In Matthew's account of the resurrection, he seems to be completing Mark's version. Again in this version, women discover the empty tomb, this time two of them, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, as he describes them. An angel who is dressed in white informs them of the risen Christ and tells them to go tell the disciples that he has risen and is going to meet them in Galilee. In Matthew's account, the women do not remain silent but run to tell the disciples. They are not filled with fear but are filled with joy. Jesus himself appears to them and tells them to go and tell his disciples that he is going to see them in Galilee. Matthew further tells us that the guards who were guarding the tomb had also seen the angel and were paid to lie that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus at night. Jesus then met the eleven disciples in Galilee and commanded them to go make disciples of all nations.

We can infer that Matthew tries to give a more detailed and logical account of the resurrection than the one that Mark gives. The events are very similar to the ones given by Mark, with women being the first witnesses of an empty tomb where they find an angel. He seems to be using Mark as a source, but ends the story in a more complete fashion. The women do not remain silent, and Jesus eventually meets the disciples. It seems like Matthew's mission in telling the resurrection is to finish what Mark had started.

While the first events of Luke's account are very similar to Mark's and Matthew's, Luke gives a much more detailed description of the appearances of Jesus. In this version also, the women discover the empty tomb on the first day of the week. They are identified as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James. Two men these times appear to them about the risen Christ. They told the eleven disciples about what they had seen and heard, but they dismissed them, viewing their words as nonsense. Peter goes to the tomb and confirms that the tomb is empty. Jesus then appears to two people, Cleopas and his friend, who invite him to their home, where they discover he is the risen Christ when he breaks the bread. The two then went ahead to inform the eleven disciples that it was true that Jesus had risen. While they were telling them this, Jesus appeared to them and proved to them that he had really risen by showing them his hands and feet and eating in their presence. Jesus reminds them of the prophecy about his resurrection and tells them that he was going to send them what his Father had promised them. They were not to leave the city until they were clothed with power from on high. Jesus finally ascends into heaven in Bethany.

Given that the events in Luke’s version are very similar to Matthew’s and Mark’s, we can infer that he uses their accounts as a source. He only differentiates his version from the earlier written ones by telling us more about what happens in the appearances that Jesus made. Luke complements Mark’s and Matthew’s work with only a few differences, for instance, in the number of angels that appeared. Luke sees that they do not describe in depth what exactly happens when Jesus appears to the two and the eleven disciples, and improves on their versions by telling us more while keeping the major events very similar to what was told earlier.

John's description of the resurrection of Jesus differs the most from the first three. However, the core aspects remain similar, with the discrepancies appearing in how the events happened rather than in what happened. A woman, Mary Magdalene, discovered the empty tomb and ran to tell Simon Peter and another disciple that he had been taken away. They ran to the tomb and saw that the tomb was truly empty without understanding that he had risen from the dead. Two angels appeared to Mary, who was crying while standing outside the tomb. They asked her why she was crying, and she answered that she was crying because they had taken her Lord. Jesus then appears to her and asks her to go tell the disciples that he is ascending to the Father. She then tells the disciples that she has seen the Lord. Jesus appeared to the disciples, and he told them that he was sending them as the Father had sent them. John also documents the appearance of Jesus to Thomas, who was not with the disciples when he appeared to them and had been doubting that he had risen. Jesus performed miracles even after resurrection as it is depicted by John in the miraculous catch of fish. He appeared to the disciples while they were fishing and had not caught anything. When Jesus asks them to throw their net on the right side of the boat, they catch such a large number that they are unable to carry the net. In addition to that, John describes how Jesus asks Simon Peter to lead his "sheep".Peter and another disciple, who is identified as the one whom Jesus loved, follow Jesus. John defends the credibility of his work by affirming that the disciple who was with Peter had testified to the happenings and had written them down.

Although the major events of the resurrection of Jesus are very similar to those in the synoptic gospels, John's version is unique in that he mentions several other happenings that those who had written before him did not mention. He maintains that Jesus appeared to his disciples up to three times and not once as it had been previously recorded in Matthew and Luke. He also describes the miracles that Jesus performed and how he asked Peter and the beloved disciples to follow him. John seems to be cognizant of the fact that his account of some of the events after the resurrection of Jesus is not recorded in the other gospels. He is keen to note that the events he writes about were witnessed by the beloved disciple who had written them down, and his testimony was true. John emphasizes the fact that even after rising from the dead, Jesus was still as powerful as he had been.

There are major points of agreement in the various accounts given on the resurrection of Jesus. One, the tomb of Jesus was discovered empty by a group of women on the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene was certainly among these women because she is mentioned in all the gospels as having witnessed the empty tomb. Secondly, the disciples of Jesus had real encounters with one they believed to be the risen Christ. The Christian church is built on the preaching of the disciples, who were asked to spread the Gospel by Jesus after his resurrection. We can conclude that these three events are facts that are acknowledged by different writers who had done their investigation before writing their version of the story.

These are the major factors that Christians use as proof that Jesus rose from the dead. The fact that Matthew talks about the plot by the Jewish leaders to bribe the soldiers to lie about the empty tomb further strengthens the argument that Jesus was resurrected because even those who did not believe in him acknowledged that the tomb was empty. They are only trying to cover up why it is empty. In addition to that, Christians argue that the differences in the stories validate the resurrection. When eyewitnesses testify to an event, there are minor points of difference in what they saw and how they interpreted it. Too much similarity is considered a cause for suspicion by any qualified investigator.

Those who argue against the resurrection mainly claim that the body of Jesus had been stolen. This seems unlikely because those who did not believe in Jesus had no reason to steal his body and further encouraged Christianity by offering an empty grave. The disciples could not have stolen the body from a tomb that was heavily guarded. Emberson asserts that "The disciples themselves make unlikely candidates for such a daring raid, especially in the light that Matthew records them as fleeing immediately after the arrest at Gethsemane" (Emberson, p. 6).

In conclusion, the events of the resurrection of Jesus are very similar across the gospels, and the few differences only validate the resurrection more. The writers who were only interested in telling the truth about Jesus were not afraid to differ in their versions. They tell us what they know from their own perspective, but the basis of the story remains the same. Each subsequent writer gives more details of the events that occurred after the resurrection, and this works to complement rather than contradict the work of the predecessor.