1. Early in the morning while it was still dark I arrived
at the tomb. To my astonishment the stone had
been rolled away from the entrance. The body of
Jesus was gone! I ran away to tell Peter and John.
After Peter and John had left the tomb I stayed
and wept. Suddenly I looked up and saw two angels
sitting where Jesus’ body had laid.
“ Why are you weeping?” They asked me.
“ Because they have taken my Lord away,” I replied.
As I spoke I turned around and saw a man standing
in the shadows. “Why are you weeping?” Asked the
man.
I thought it was the gardener so I asked him he
knew where Jesus’ body had been taken.
“Mary, it is I!” I then realised it was Jesus Christ
himself! “My Lord!” I cried, full of joy.
Jesus then told me to tell my friends that I had
seen him and that he would soon be in Heaven with
his Father.
I ran back to the disciples telling them I had seen
the Lord with my own eyes!
Eye witness account of
Mary Magdalene.
2. After Mary told us that Jesus’ body was no longer in
the tomb, we immediately ran to the tomb.
John: “ I ran ahead of Peter and arrived at the
tomb first. I didn’t want to go inside the tomb so I
stooped my head down to take a quick look. From my
position I could see the linen clothes lying in place.”
Peter: “ I arrived at the doorway of the tomb to see
John waiting outside, he said he could see the linen
clothes. I went right into the tomb and closely
examined the linen clothes lying there. John then
joined me inside to inspect closer”
John: “ I immediately realised what had happened,
and I believed. I knew about resurrections
happening and I had faith that this is what had
happened to Jesus”.
Peter: “ I just couldn’t comprehend what had
happened. We left the tomb and went back to the
town, all the while I was contemplating what I had
seen. Mary then arrived telling us what she had
witnessed. It was only then that I started to
believe in Jesus’ resurrection.”
Eye witness account of
Peter and John
(Jesus’ disciples)
3. Theory 1: The swoon theory
Jesus did not die, he swooned (fainted); he only became unconscious on the cross. He was
removed by a few of his followers, laid in the tomb, and left. He recovered there, and
later appeared to his followers. Afterwards, he might have sneaked away and continued
to live on in secret. He would have feared persecution from Jewish groups or the Roman
authorities if he were discovered to be still alive. Most of his followers may not have
been aware of his recovery. They may may have adopted the story of his resurrection as
the most likely explanation of his apparent death and reappearance.
4. Theory 2: The Vision Theory
The empty tomb, Jesus' appearance to his female followers, and his later meeting with
his male disciples and others were individual visions or mass hallucinations. The disciples
were familiar with the concept of resurrection from the grave, because of certain
passages in the Hebrew Scriptures. So, as observant Jews, they would have been
anticipating Jesus return from the dead. His death would have come as a shock to them;
they might not have been willing to accept it as a permanent fact. Perhaps Mary
Magdalene had a vision or hallucination in which she mistook Jesus for the gardener.
5. Theory 3: The Wrong tomb
It was early in the morning, Mary Magdalene was exhausted with grief. There
was nothing on the outside of the tombs to identify who was inside the tomb,
maybe Mary Magdalene stumbled into the wrong tomb, delirious with grief and
exhaustion she may have hallucinated Jesus, or thought the gardener was
Jesus.
6. Theory 4: The Theft theory
Jesus’ body was stolen, either by someone who is unknown, or by the
disciples.
