Can the Biblical Easter Accounts be Reconciled so There are No Conflicts Between Them?

Short Answer: Yes!


Where Did this Question Come From?

This question is tied to the failure of a disillusioned man who abandoned his faith. It is called Dan Barker's challenge. A copy of the full challenge can be found at http://ffrf.org/legacy/books/lfif/stone.php. I came across this question several years ago, but unlike Dan Barker and others who failed the challenge, I solved it in less than one week, in my spare time. In fact, I didn't find the challenge that difficult at all. It is my opinion that Dan Barker simply didn't try very hard.

If you look closely at the website linked above, you will see that part of Dan Barker's problem is incorrect logic. For example he claims that since Mark, Luke and John do not mention the earthquake, they are in conflict with Matthew. Anti-christians often use bad procedure and erroneous ideas to justify their wrong conclusions. When you actually follow the rules of logic, since Mark, Luke and John don't preclude the earthquake event, there is no conflict with Matthew.

What is Dan Barker’s Challenge?

The conditions of the challenge are simple and reasonable. In each of the four Gospels, begin at Easter morning and read to the end of the book: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21. Also read Acts 1:3-12 and Paul’s tiny version of the story in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. These 165 verses can be read in a few moments. Then, without omitting a single detail from these separate accounts, write a simple, chronological narrative of the events between the resurrection and the ascension: what happened first, second, and so on; who said what, when; and where these things happened. 1

Since the gospels do not always give precise times of day, it is permissible to make educated guesses. The narrative does not have to pretend to present a perfect picture--it only needs to give at least one plausible account of all of the facts. Additional explanation of the narrative may be set apart in parentheses. The important condition to the challenge, however, is that not one single biblical detail be omitted. 1

Meeting Dan Barker’s Challenge:

What follows is a chronologically account for all events and appearances of Jesus Christ after His resurrection. The reader should recognize that this chronology meets all of the requirements of Dan Barker's challenge in that it offers a plausible explanation that includes and agrees with every scripture detail. The reader should also realize that this is only one possibility, and is not necessarily an exact account of what truly transpired.

Reference Coding:

To help the reader track where the details of a specific event came from, I have used the following coding methods.

Synoptic Gospel are color coded like the following:

Matthew only is red
Matthew & Mark combined is yellow
Mark only is green
Mark & Luke combined is cyan
Luke only is blue
Matthew & Luke combined is magenta
Matthew, Mark, & Luke combined is gray

Other scriptures are style coded like the following, combined with Synoptic Gospel colors where appropriate:

John is bolded
Acts is underlined
Corinthians is italicized
{Normal black print surrounded by squiggly brackets designates my commentary}

Some commentary verses by the writers are excluded from my narrative, specifically the 1st half of 1CO 15:3, the 2nd half of JHN 20:30, JHN 20:31, JHN 21:23-24, the 2nd half of 1CO 15:6, the 2nd half of 1CO 15:8, and JHN 21:25. These portions were omitted because they actually do not pertain to the Easter narrative, so they are not relevant to the chronology.

I used the NIV translation as my reference.


Here is my chronological narrative of the entire post resurrection events:

Jesus Christ suffered and died {by crucifixion} for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried {in a tomb carved out of a cave}, and was raised from the dead on the third day {after his death} according to Scriptures.

After he rose from the dead, Jesus showed himself to His followers for a period of forty days, giving them many convincing proofs that He was alive, and speaking to them about the kingdom of God.



Very early in the morning, just after sunrise, while it was still dark, when the Sabbath was over, on the first day of the week the women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna and others with them) went to the tomb with spices they had prepared to look at the tomb and to anoint Jesus’ body {This would properly complete the spicing process which was hastily done by Nicodemus and Joseph of Armimathea when Jesus was placed in the tomb}. While they were on the way they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the lord had come down from heaven to the tomb, and rolled the stone, which was very large, back, away, removed from the entrance of the tomb, to the right side, and was now sitting on the stone.

And the women saw the stone was no longer blocking the entrance.

The guards who had witnessed the angel rolling away the stone were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

When the women entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus and were wondering about this, then they noticed the angel who was sitting on the stone, who had now stood up, and with him there was another angel standing beside them.

And the women were alarmed, for the angels’ appearance were gleaming like lightning, their clothes, including their robes, white as snow. And the frightened women bowed down with their faces to the ground

But the angel who had been sitting on the stone said to them "Don’t be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen just as he said. See the place where they laid him. Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised’"



Then the angel continued "go quickly and tell his disciples, especially Peter {because Peter was the one who denied him}, that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, and see {that it is true} what he told you, and what I have also told you"



Then the women remembered what Jesus had told them

Afraid, trembling, and bewildered, yet also with joy {of hope perhaps}, the women went out and fled hurriedly away from the tomb to tell Jesus’s disciples, but they didn’t say anything to anyone (on the way) because they were afraid.

When they came back from the tomb they found Simon Peter, and John, and the others with them, which included the rest of the eleven, and told them what had happened saying "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!"

And the disciples did not believe the women because their words didn’t make sense.

Peter got up and ran to the tomb, and John went running with him. Mary (Magdalene) also came with them (and the other women).

John outran Peter, reaching the tomb first, but did not go inside. Bending down, he looked through the entrance {which must have been shorter than eye level} and saw the strips of linen (that Jesus had been wrapped in) lying there.

Then Peter arrived, and bent down also to look in the tomb, and went inside, also seeing the strips of linen lying there by themselves, and seeing the cloth that had been around Jesus’s head, folded up and set aside separate from the linen strips.

John then entered the tomb and saw for himself, and believed (what the women had told them).

But Peter and John still didn’t understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

Then Peter went away, with John and they returned back to their homes, Peter {and presumably John also} wondering what had happened.

But Mary (and the other women) remained at the tomb.



Mary was outside the tomb (with the other women), crying. As she wept, Mary bent down and looked inside the tomb, and saw two angels in white {probably the same angels they had seen before} seated where Jesus’s body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

{Mary probably went into the tomb to speak with the angels by herself, while the other women remained outside unaware} and they asked her "Woman, why are you crying?"

To which She replied "They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him."

At this time, Mary Magdalene (out of whom Jesus had driven seven demons) turned around {probably still inside the tomb} and saw Jesus standing there (this was the first person Jesus appeared to after his resurrection), but didn’t realize that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Mary, thinking he was the gardener said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

But Jesus said to her again "Mary."

And Mary recognized Jesus and cried out "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher) and took hold of Jesus {this probably was an embrace}

Jesus replied "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers {disciples} and tell them ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’"

{At this point Mary probably went out of the tomb to carry out Jesus’s instructions}

{Probably, as Mary rejoined the other women, Jesus came out of the tomb behind her to show himself to them before Mary had time to tell them much of what happened, although it is possible she had time to tell them she had seen Jesus}.

Suddenly Jesus met the women and said "Greetings".

The women recognized Him so they came to Him, clasped his feet {Because Jesus allowed this contact, the contact Mary had before was probably more of an embrace than clasping His feet} and worshiped him.

Jesus said to them {as he had already said to Mary who was still with them} "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

The women then went to tell the disciples that they had seen Jesus.



The guards {who had been charged to prevent the disciples from steeling Jesus’s body} were still at the tomb, and also witnessed Jesus’s appearance to the women, and recognized who he was. So after the women left they went into the city and reported everything that had happened to the chief priests.

The chief priests met with the elders and devised a plan. They bribed the guards to lie about what had happened saying "His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep." The chief priests promised to protect the guards from repercussions from the governor because this lie would leave the implication that they had been negligent in their assigned duties.

The soldiers accepted the bribe and did as they were instructed.

This false story has been widely circulated among the Jews.

Mary Magdalene (along with the other women) went and told the disciples and those who had been with Jesus who were mourning and weeping that Jesus was alive saying "I have seen the Lord!". Mary also told them what Jesus had instructed her to say. But when they heard they did not believe it.

Afterwards, on that same day two of them {those Mary and the women had told} were walking in the country, going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem.

While they were walking, and talking, and discussing with each other about everything that had happened, Jesus himself appeared to them, coming up and walking along with them, but they were kept from recognizing him because he appeared in a different form {disguised so they wouldn’t recognize him}.

Jesus asked them "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas asked him "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

"What things?" Jesus asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

"In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had seed, but him they did not see."

Jesus replied to them "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly saying "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So Jesus went in to stay with them.

While he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.

Then their eyes were opened, and they saw through his disguise and recognized him. And he disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.

Before the men had returned to Jerusalem, Jesus also appeared to Simon Peter, who reported His appearance to the other disciples and those with them at Jerusalem.

Then the two men returned to Jerusalem, and found the Eleven and those with them assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon."

The two men then told what had happened to them, how Jesus had met them and they recognized him when he broke bread.

But the others did not believe them any more than they had believed the women earlier {and were probably skeptical about Peter’s report as well}.



The assembly of disciples and the others with them were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.

While they were still discussing what had happened, Thomas (called Didymus) left them. {It is possible Thomas went into another room, but most likely he departed to attend to some business elsewhere, and the doors were locked again behind him}

While Thomas was not among them, Jesus himself stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

They were startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

Jesus replied "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

After he said this he showed them his hands and feet, and side.

And the disciples still did not believe their eyes because of joy and amazement, so Jesus asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"

They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then Jesus said to them "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures, and He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

Then Jesus again said to them, "Pease be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" {Giving the disciples direction regarding the words he had stated a moment before}.



Then Jesus continued "I am going to send you the gift my Father has promised, which you have heard me speak about. Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

(Then Jesus departed from them.)

When they saw Thomas again {presumably when he returned that same evening} the disciples told him what had happened saying "We have seen the Lord!"

But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."



All these things {that is Jesus’s appearance to Mary Magdalene, the other women, the two men in the country, and the disciples in Jerusalem except for Thomas} occurred on or before the evening of the first of the week {the same day of Jesus’s resurrection}.



1 week later the disciples {1 Corinthians mentioning twelve disciples implies that Matthias, Judas’s replacement from Acts 1:26 was also present} were in the house again behind locked doors, and were eating, and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them again and said, "Peace be with you!"

Then Jesus said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him "My Lord and my God!"

And Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen, saying "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."



Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples.



Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias.

Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

Simon Peter told the others "I’m going out to fish."

They replied "We’ll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven’t you any fish?"

"No," they answered.

Then He told them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then John recognized Jesus and said to Peter, "It is the Lord!"

As soon as Peter heard him say this, Peter wrapped his outer garment around him, which he had taken off, and jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Then Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of 153 large fish, but even with so many the net was not torn.

Then Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord.

Jesus took the bread and brought it to them, and the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead {The first time to the disciples was on the day of His resurrection after he had appeared to Mary Magdalene and the women, and the two men on the road. The second time was 1 week later when Thomas saw him for the first time}



When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

Peter replied "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Then Jesus again said, ^"Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

Peter answered "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." Then yet a third time, Jesus said to Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" {To complete understanding of what transpired with this conversation, one must look at the Greek, because two different Greek words with significantly different meanings are translated to the English word "Love"}

Peter answered Jesus again, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus replied once more, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Peter turned, and John was following them. When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."



After this Jesus appeared to a group of more than five hundred of the brothers {his followers} at the same time

Then Jesus appeared to James.

Then the eleven disciples and all of the apostles with them {this group probably included more than just the eleven disciples; most likely almost everyone who had been a follower before the crucifixion was present, including many who had not seen for themselves that Jesus was alive} went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go {also told them by the Angels at the tomb}.

When they saw him they worshiped him, but some (still) doubted {those who were seeing him for the first time}

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me."

So the disciples asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

But Jesus answered "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

"Therefore go into all the world and preach the good news of creation and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Siprit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well."

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."



After Jesus had said this he lead those present out to the vicinity of Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, where he lifted up his hands and blessed them. As He was blessing them He was taken up before their very eyes into heaven, and a cloud hid him from their sight, and he went and sat at the right hand of God.

As they were looking intently up into the sky watching him leave, suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them {angels} and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Then thy worshiped Jesus and returned with joy to Jerusalem, which was only a Sabbath day’s walk from where they were on the Mount of Olives.

And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God

Then {after Pentecost and the receiving of the promised Holy Spirit} the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by signs that accompanied it {just as promised}.

Then Jesus appeared to Paul {on the road to Damascus}.



Can the Biblical Easter Accounts be Reconciled so There are No Conflicts Between Them?

As you can see for yourself, they can. Unfortunately Dan Barker abandoned his faith for a problem that really wasn't a problem.


James :)