How Do the Resurrection Accounts Fit Together?

The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the most important event in the Christian faith.  Without it, we all might as well sleep in on Sunday.  But how does the story of the Resurrection, spread across four Gospels and Acts, look when you put them all together?

That's what I intend to lay out today...

April 5, 33AD
On Sunday morning Jesus rises from the dead inside the tomb.  Angels roll away the stone, exposing the fact that it is empty. [Matt 28:2]  

A group of Jesus’ female disciples, including Mary Magdalene, go to visit the tomb.  Before they arrive, the women see that the stone has been moved and the tomb is empty. [Mark 16:4]

Mary Magdalene immediately breaks away from the group and returns to the Apostles to report the supposed theft of Jesus’ body.  She does not know about the resurrection yet. [John 20:2]

The other women stay to investigate and have an encounter with the angels.  They also return to the Apostles, and along the way they run into Christ Himself. [Matt 28:3-10]  

Upon receiving the women’s report, Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene return to the tomb.  Peter and John see the empty tomb and leave.  Mary stays behind and is visited by Jesus. [John 20:10-14] 

Around this time the Lord also grants a special appearance to Peter [Lk 24:34].  Jesus then appears to two disciples who are on the road to Emmaus.  After staying with them through the evening, He reveals His identity to them and vanishes.  [Luke 24:13-31]

Those two disciples immediately return to the Apostles in Jerusalem [Lk 24:33].  Thomas is not among them [John 20:24].  The Lord appears in their midst and gives the Apostles the authority to forgive sins in His name. [Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-23]


April 12, 33AD
One week later, Jesus appears to the group again, and this time Thomas is present. [Jn 20:26-29]

An unspecified time later, the Apostles go north to Galilee to await an appointment with Jesus.  They decide to do some fishing while they wait.  After an unsuccessful night, the Lord makes a surprise appearance on the sea shore. [John 21:1-23]

Later on, the Lord appears to the Apostles on a mountain in accordance with the appointment they’d made [Mt 28:16-20].  There are over 500 people assembled for this event. [1Cor 15:6]

The Apostles then return to Jerusalem.  Around this time Jesus visits His blood relative James.[1Cor 15:7]  

May 14, 33AD
Forty days after Easter Sunday, Jesus appears a final time to the Apostles and instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  Jesus takes them out to Bethany, where He ascends into Heaven. [Acts 1:2-11, Luke 24:44-53]