79 Did Jesus come to judge the world (2)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says he doesn’t judge people but God does. Hm, as if there’s a difference   

John 12:47 As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.  

Recap: Jesus won’t judge you. But the Bible God will. Well, I say it comes to the same either way.

Related post:
46 Did Jesus come to judge the world (1)

78 Was child sacrifice taboo in the Bible

It’s Judges vs Leviticus

In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Jephthah the warrior promised to make a burnt offering to the Lord 

Judges 11:31 [W]hatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return ... will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” 

The irony: his daughter was the first thing to come out of the house  

34 When Jephthah returned to his home ... who should come out to meet him but his daughter.

His promise involved a child sacrifice. And the Lord accepted it 

39 ... and he did to her as he had vowed. 

In the Old Testament Book of Genesis, God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his son. Again the Lord was okay with the idea of a child sacrifice 

Genesis 22:2 God said [to Abraham], "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 

The good news was, at the last minute an angel stopped Abraham from going ahead and carrying out the sacrifice  

9 He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! ... 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God." 

The thing is, though, child sacrifice is expressly prohibited in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus

Leviticus 20:3 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molech must be put to death.’”

Recap: Leviticus seems to hint that the pagan god Molech was the problem and child sacrifice wasn't. Say that God ordered a biblicist to sacrifice a child today. The guy might rationalize: “Okay as long as the sacrifice isn't to Molech.”

So let's sum up. With respect to Molech, the Lord said no. But when it came to Jephthah and Abraham, the Lord said yes. Thus Judges vs Leviticus.

77 Did the risen Jesus appear to a crowd of 500

In the New Testament letter 1 Corinthians, written by the apostle Paul, Paul claims the risen Jesus appeared to five hundred followers.

But the Gospels of the New Testament failed to record the event and so did the Book of Acts. In fact the other letters of the New Testament don't say anything about it, either. 

The thing is, Paul talks about something he had only heard 

1 Corinthians 15:3 I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: 4 that [Christ] was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; 5 that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died.

Recap: I say Paul merely heard an unsubstantiated rumor about the resurrection.

Related post on my other blog:
12 Did a crowd of five hundred see the risen Jesus

76 Did the risen Jesus say to go to Galilee (2)

The Gospel of Matthew says an angel and the risen Jesus told the disciples to go to Galilee. It's around sixty miles north of Jerusalem.

The disciples were in Jerusalem when the angel said they should go to Galilee where they would see the risen Jesus 

Matthew 28:7 [The angel told the women,] Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, "He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him!" 

Jesus had risen from the grave and instructed his disciples to go to Galilee, too. They were still in Jerusalem

Matthew 28:10 “Do not be afraid," Jesus said to [the women]. "Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." ... 28:16 The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go.

But the Gospel of Luke says that Jesus had risen from the dead and told the disciples to stay where they were in Jerusalem

Luke 24:33 [Two followers of Jesus] got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others. ... 35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread. 36 While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." ... 49 I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you." ... 50 Then he led them out of the city as far as Bethany [not a mile from Jerusalem], where he raised his hands and blessed them. ... 52 They worshiped him and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy, 53 and spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.  

Recap: Matthew says they were told to go to Galilee. But Luke says they were told to stay put in the city. So I say the authors heard incompatible stories and wrote them down.

Related post:

33 Did the risen Jesus say to go to Galilee (1)

75 Didn't Luke know the women saw the risen Jesus

The Gospel of Matthew says that the women saw the risen Jesus.

But wait!

The Gospel of Luke doesn't say anything about it!



Matthew says the women saw an angel at the empty sepulcher. And they also encountered Jesus along the path

Matthew 28:8 So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Peace be with you." They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.

But not Luke, who doesn't report it. Instead he says the women enountered an angel, then hurried and told the disciples

Luke 24:6 [The angel told the women,] He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee: 7 "The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and three days later rise to life." 8 Then the women remembered his words, 9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and all the rest. 10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other women with them told these things to the apostles. 

Recap: The Gospel of Luke failed to mention Jesus' appearance to the women. Yet the resurrection of Jesus was a central event. I doubt that the author merely had an attack of the forgetsies. I suspect he knew a different unsubstantiated rumor about the resurrection and wrote it down.

Related post:

72 So when did the women see the risen Jesus

74 Why didn't the male disciples believe the women

In the Gospel of Luke, the women see the empty burial place of Jesus and hurry and tell the disciples. The disciples listen but disbelieve. 

Angels at the tomb have told the women their master has been raised

Luke 24:8 [T]he women remembered [Jesus' prediction], 9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and all the rest. ... 11 But the apostles thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them.

I say it's odd that the disciples accused the women of telling idle tales about angels at the tomb. The disciples had spent lots of time in the presence of a miracle worker; he'd walked on water and raised the dead. Their master had done amazing things, so a report of angels and an empty tomb should've gladened them. But instead they acted as if to say “Nah--no angels could’ve showed up at an empty tomb ... Why there's not even the slightest chance ... It couldn't ever happen in this world.” 

I say that when they completely doubt it’s very curious behavior and an inconsistency of the Gospel.

Related post on my other blog:
70 Were women's testimonies trusted

73 When did Peter finally run to the tomb

The Gospel of John says that after Mary Magdalene visited the burial place of Jesus she hurried off to tell Peter it was empty 

John 20:1 [W]hile it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. 2 She went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!” 

So Peter and another disciple ran to the empty tomb to see for themselves 

3 Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb. 4 The two of them were running, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first.

Then Peter saw that Jesus' body wasn’t there 

John 20:5 He bent over and saw the linen cloths, but he did not go in. 6 Behind him came Simon Peter, and he went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there 7 and the cloth which had been around Jesus' head. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed. ... 10 Then the disciples went back home.

Mary brought up the rear but stayed after the two disciples eventually went away. She lingered and stood there crying by herself

20:11 Mary stood crying outside the tomb. 

And then a couple of angels appeared to her and so did Jesus

John 20:11 While she was still crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb 12 and saw two angels there dressed in white ... 14 Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there.... 

Jesus said to her  

17 “Go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God." 18 So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord.

But the Gospel of Luke says the women including Mary Magdalene, went and visited the tomb together  

Luke 24:1 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 

Well, I say Mary Magdalene was among them since Luke says they left the tomb with her and returned to the disciples’ house

24:8 Then the women remembered [the prediction of Jesus], 9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things [Jesus was gone, and some angels informed them he had been raised] to the eleven disciples and all the rest. 10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other women with them told these things to the apostles.

So Mary didn't act alone in the Gospel of Luke. After the women came back to the disciples’ house Peter hurried to the tomb

Luke 24:11 [T]he apostles thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened.

This is different from the Gospel of John where Mary came back to the house alone. In fact some early manuscripts of Luke omit verse--the one in which after the women told their fantastic story Peter went in haste to the tomb. But the verse (verse twelve) is included in the Bible today. 

I say an ancient scribe removed the above-mentioned verse from Luke because it conflicted with John. So I suspect that they saw a problem with the verse early on.

Recap: John says Mary Magdalene returned to the disciples' house alone, and told Peter about the empty tomb. So he ran off to see it for himself.

But Luke says the women came to the house and exclaimed there were angels at the tomb. So Peter ran to the tomb to see. It was then Peter went to the tomb? Well, no wonder they took it out of some of the early manuscripts.

72 So when did Mary see the risen Jesus

It’s Mr. Matthew vs Mr. John

In the Gospel of Matthew:
Jesus appeared just once to Mary Magdalene when she was at the tomb with other women.

But hold it! 

In the Gospel of John: 
Jesus appeared once and only once to Mary Magdalene when she returned to the empty tomb with two male disciples.

The dissimilarity: Matthew relates that Mary Magdalene and other woman visited the burial place. All together 

Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ... 5 The angel spoke to the women. 6 “He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. Come here and see the place where he was lying. 7 Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from death.’” 

There, the risen Jesus greeted them  

Matthew 28:8 So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Peace be with you.” They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to them. “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.”

But John relates that Mary Magdalene went alone to the burial place and didn't see an angel or Jesus

John 20:1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. 2 She went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!” 

So she went away and returned with two male disciples. Then Jesus greeted her 

John 20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb. 4 The two of them were running, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and saw the linen cloths, but he did not go in. 6 Behind him came Simon Peter, and he went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there 7 and the cloth which had been around Jesus' head. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed. ... 

10 Then the disciples went back home. 11 Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb 12 and saw two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. ... 

14 Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know that it was Jesus. ... 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned toward him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (This means "Teacher.") 17 Go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God." 18 So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord.  

Recap: Matthew says Jesus greeted all the women while they were walking on the path to the disciples' house. Mary Magdalene was with them, too. 

But John says Jesus greeted Mary Magdalene while she was alone at the tomb entrance. He didn't greet her a second time after that.

So Mary saw Jesus just one time not both. I myself would expect the Gospels to give strikingly similar accounts, especially since the resurrection was a central event. But compare one Gospel with another and you find they don't tell the same resurrection story. In fact it's got to be the most dissimilar story the Gospels tell.

Related post:

75 Didn't Luke know the women saw the risen Jesus

71 Was there an angel sitting outside the tomb

The Gospel of Matthew says an angel came down and rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb where they had buried Jesus, and then the angel sat on the stone. This happened as the women arrived. The angel spoke to them, saying Jesus had been raised.  


But the Gospel of Mark says the stone was already rolled away. No angel talked to them outside. They looked in, where an angel inside said Jesus had been raised. 

Thus Matthew says there was an angel sitting outside the tomb. I ask what happened to the other one inside?

Matthew 28:1 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ... 5 The angel spoke to the women, "You must not be afraid," he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead.’ ... Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 

The Gospel of Mark says just one angel was there; a young man wearing a white robe was inside 

Mark 16:2 Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" (It was a very large stone.) 4 Then they looked up and saw that the stone had already been rolled back. 5 So they entered the tomb, where they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe--and they were alarmed. 6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here--he has been raised! Look, here is the place where he was placed. ... 8 So they went out and ran from the tomb, distressed and terrified. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. 

It sounds to me as if the authors had heard different rumors of Jesus' resurrection.

Presumably they took their time and remembered everything they could before writing anything down. But the one author says one thing and the other one says a different thing. What is more, it's impossible to harmonize the accounts. 

Further, Matthew says the women ran away and told the disciples what they had seen. But Mark says the women ran away afraid and didn’t tell anyone. 

Recap: The reports can't match up. Today's apologists redo the story trying to bring the one account in line with the other. But in the end, they try in vain. 

Related post:

 72 So when do the women see the risen Jesus 

70 Did Mary Magdalene go alone to the tomb

Three New Testament Gospels relate the story in which women including Mary Magdalene, visited the tomb where Jesus was buried.

But the fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, gives the impression that Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb

John 20:1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance.

The Gospel of Mark says Mary Magdalene went to the entrance of the tomb with a small group of women 

Mark 16:1 After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

But the Gospel of John says Mary Magdalene visited the tomb just by herself.  

If you were wondering, Mary Magdalene remained alone at the tomb in the Gospel of John. That is, the others didn't come and join her later.

Some apologists say John the evangelist didn't waste time on mentioning other women with Mary Magdalene. It doesn't sound like a very good excuse to me. She was alone, while other Gospels say she went with a group.

Another apologetic excuse is that John the evangelist wrote from an important perspective and that was the reason he said Mary Magdalene was alone. But they never explain what important perspective it was. I say the author should've said that other women were there, too. But he didn't say anything about any others and I say it's most odd and suspicious. Thus John vs other Gospels. 

Related post:

71 Was an angel sitting outside the tomb