One event, four witnesses
The Empty Tomb
On the first day of the week women come to the tomb and find it empty, and are told that Jesus is risen. All four Gospels record the discovery, and their details about the number of women, the number of angels, and the order of appearances differ; this is the classic case of independent witnesses to one event differing in detail without contradicting the central fact.
“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.”Matthew 28:1
“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.”Mark 16:1
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”Luke 24:1
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”John 20:1
The event
The event. Very early on the first day of the week, while it is yet dark or as the sun rises, women who followed Jesus come to the tomb bringing spices to anoint the body. Chief among them is Mary Magdalene, with the other Mary, Salome, Joanna, and others. They find the great stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Angelic messengers announce that Jesus is not there, for He is risen as He said, and bid them look at the place where He lay and go tell His disciples, and Peter, that He goes before them into Galilee. The women depart with fear and great joy to bring word. In John, Mary Magdalene runs to tell Peter and the beloved disciple, who race to the tomb and find the linen clothes lying and the napkin folded apart; then Mary, weeping, sees two angels and then the risen Jesus Himself, whom she first supposes to be the gardener until He speaks her name. Jesus appears to the women and to others through that day. The stone is rolled away not to let Him out but to let the witnesses in, and the message is the same: He is not here; He is risen.
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs. This is the passage most often pressed as contradictory, so it deserves honest treatment. All four Gospels agree on the central facts: early on the first day of the week, women came to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, received an angelic announcement that Jesus was risen, and carried word to the disciples, and the risen Jesus appeared. The details differ. The number of women varies: John names only Mary Magdalene, though her own words "we know not" imply others; Matthew names two Marys; Mark names three; Luke speaks of a larger group. The number of angels varies: Matthew and Mark mention one; Luke and John mention two. The order and place of the appearances differ across the accounts. These are exactly the kind of differences that arise when several genuine witnesses report one complex event, each naming the people they knew, each mentioning the angel who spoke or both who were present, each following a different thread through a morning of comings and goings. Where two angels were present, there was certainly one; where a group of women came, one may be named for her prominence. None of these details cancels another; they are the ordinary texture of true, independent testimony. Had the four accounts matched word for word, we would rightly suspect collusion. Their agreement on the empty tomb and the risen Lord, amid variation in incidental detail, is a mark of honesty, not of error.
What it shows of Christ
What it shows of Christ. The empty tomb reveals Jesus as the risen Lord, victorious over death, whose word that He would rise on the third day is now fulfilled before witnesses. That the first heralds of the resurrection are women, whose testimony carried little weight in that culture, is itself a mark of truth, for no one inventing a story would have chosen such witnesses; it also shows the tender grace of Christ, who reveals Himself first to those who loved Him and lingered at His cross and grave. John's scene of Mary Magdalene, weeping until the risen Jesus speaks her name, shows the personal, seeking love of the Savior who calls His own by name. The angels' words, "He is not here, for he is risen," turn grief into joy and fear into mission, sending the women to tell. The folded grave clothes, left behind in order, show a Lord who rose in peace, not a body snatched in haste. In the resurrection Christ is declared the Son of God with power, and death is shown to be a conquered enemy.
Questions people ask
Do the Gospels contradict each other about the number of women and angels at the tomb?
No; they differ in detail as genuine independent witnesses to one event naturally do. John names Mary Magdalene, Matthew two women, Mark three, and Luke a larger group; Matthew and Mark mention one angel, Luke and John mention two. Where two angels were present there was certainly one, and where a group came, one may be named for her prominence. These incidental variations do not cancel one another, and all four agree on the empty tomb, the angelic announcement, and the risen Lord.
Why should the differences in the resurrection accounts increase, rather than weaken, our confidence?
Because they are exactly what honest, independent testimony to a complex event looks like. Several witnesses reporting a busy morning of comings and goings will each name the people they knew and follow a different thread. Had the four accounts matched word for word, we would rightly suspect collusion. Their firm agreement on the central fact, the empty tomb and the risen Christ, amid variation in small details, is a mark of authenticity.
Why does it matter that women were the first witnesses?
In that culture the testimony of women carried little legal weight, so no one fabricating a story would have chosen women as the first witnesses to the resurrection. That all four Gospels name women as the first to find the empty tomb and meet the risen Lord is a strong sign of honest reporting, and it displays the grace of Christ, who revealed Himself first to those who had loved Him to the end.