Bible Gateway Blog

Christians around the world have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks pondering the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection (and here at the Bible Gateway blog, we spent plenty of time discussing them too). During Easter week, we read the familiar stories of the Triumphal Entry, the Last Supper, the crucifixion… and then with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, the story ends. Right?

Not quite. While the Gospels of Matthew and Mark end shortly after the Resurrection, Luke and John provide extra detail about what Jesus did during the time between his resurrection and his ascent into heaven. If your Gospel reading stopped at the Resurrection, you’re missing out on several interesting stories.

Jesus’ Appearances After the Resurrection

Luke and John both describe at length Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances to his followers. (Mark mentions these briefly as well.) Jesus’ appearance before “doubting Thomas” and the other disciples (in John and in Luke) are well known and contain a number of little details. For instance, Jesus appeared “when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders”—a minor sentence, but one that communicates the terror and bewilderment that must have plagued the disciples in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion. If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples, what might you have done in this situation—reeling from the death of your teacher, fearing for your life, and wondering if everything you believed in was really true?

The Gospel of Luke also describes an encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. With tantalizing but confused rumors of the empty tomb still spreading, Jesus appears in disguise to a pair of his followers. After visiting with and teaching them for some time, Jesus reveals himself in a beautifully-described scene:

When 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 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?”

The Gospel of John provides a few more memorable stories. First, Jesus (again, unrecognized at first) performs his last recorded miracle, overwhelming the disciples’ fishing nets with a huge catch. Shortly thereafter is the moving story of Peter’s reinstatement. Peter, who had denied knowing Jesus three times during his master’s trial, is questioned by Jesus… three times. It is during this questioning that Jesus gives Peter the famous charge to “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus Gives the Great Commission

Matthew and Mark both close with the “Great Commission,” Jesus’ instructions to his disciples to go out into the world and spread the good news of salvation:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

This passage has long been the basis of the Christian emphasis on sharing the Gospel with the world through evangelism and missionary work.

Mark and Luke describe Jesus’ departure from earth into heaven, “taken up into heaven” after speaking to his disciples a final time.

It’s clear from the Gospel accounts that the story of Jesus reaches its culmination with the Resurrection. But the tidbits we do get about the post-Resurrection days not only satisfy some of our curiousity about how Jesus’ Resurrection was received by his followers, but also give us the evangelistic direction that guides Christ-followers to this day.

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Matthew 28:1-9:

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that 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 and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ 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. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:1-9, New International Version, ©2011)

Every few years, a new spectacular Bible-related archaeological claim catches media attention. Such claims dominate news websites for a few weeks and then tend to fade quickly from public attention, revealed as fakes—or at the very least shown to be less compelling than originally claimed. In recent years we’ve seen flurries of hype and interest over the Jesus tomb and Noah’s Ark. The latest claim—suspiciously timed for Easter—is by a journalist who claims to have (maybe) found the nails used to crucify Jesus.

You don’t have to read very far down that Time article to realize that this is less spectacular than the hype suggests; even the journalist making the claim admits that it’s a possibility, not a certainty. Not knowing anything more about this particular claim, I won’t comment on its merits, but this seems a good opportunity to talk about how to approach sensational claims like this.

It’s understandable that Bible readers and believers would be excited at the discovery of a possible artifact mentioned in the text of Scripture. (And by contrast, an atheist might be excited by an archaeological find that appears to contradict the Bible.) But how can we—most of us not archaeologists, and only dimly aware of the scholarship and context behind archaeological claims—evaluate these claims? Here are a few thoughts to consider.

2000+ years is a very long time for an artifact to have survived. While it’s certainly not impossible for artifacts like nails or pottery or a piece of architecture to survive through history, it’s statistically unlikely that a specific artifact would survive without some kind of special preservation—especially when the artifact in question is something easily destructible. 2,000 years is also a very long time for an artifact to have gone undiscovered, given that there were organized “relic hunting” expeditions in the Holy Land as early as the fourth century.

Many of the “artifacts” mentioned in the Bible were everyday items. Consider the significant objects mentioned in the Easter account: wood and nails (from the cross), cloth (from Jesus’ burial), a tomb. When we find an ancient example of one of these objects, it’s understandably tempting to link them to the ones specifically mentioned in the Bible… but remember that were were a lot of pieces of wood, nails, cloth, and tombs in the vicinity of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day.

Who is making the archaeological claim? Is the claim made by a respected archaeologist working with a team, within the accountability of a peer network? A theologian? A tourist? We should never assume that only “professionals” can make a valuable archaeological find or that claims made by professionals are always correct, but it’s helpful to ask what sort of background gives the claimant the ability to make reliable archaeological claims, and if s/he is accountable to peers or an organization that support and evaluate their claims.

Archaeology rarely looks like Indiana Jones. Archaeology has helped us understand much about the Biblical world, but much of that knowledge is derived from long, painstaking, even “boring” practices like the study of pottery distribution and the excavation of very non-spectacular sites and buildings. These have taught us much about how people lived in ancient times. It’s rare that somebody stumbles out of the blue upon a spectacular artifact or other find without years of hard work and research.

Artifacts won’t “prove” the Bible or Christianity. The discovery of genuine artifacts from Bible times can corroborate Bible stories and lend credibility to Scripture. But Biblical artifacts are less “spiritually” significant than you might think at first. For example, what artifact might indisputably prove the resurrection of Jesus? One can imagine artifacts that would cause skeptics to consider the Bible’s claims more seriously, but it’s harder to think of one that would prove Christianity’s theological claims. (And see also the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus for its observation about proof and the unbelieving mind.) This shouldn’t discourage us from looking for Biblical discoveries or from welcoming them when they appear, but Christianity and belief in the Bible remain acts of faith—reasonable faith, to be sure; but still faith.

These are some of the criteria I use to evaluate Biblical archaeology claims that sound too good to be true. We shouldn’t automatically dismiss claims that contrast with these points, but if a claim clashes with more than a few of them, skepticism is warranted. It is certain that important Bible artifacts exist and will continue to be found; but it’s wise to ask careful questions before accepting sensational claims.

What would you add to my list above?

Today is Good Friday, when Christians around the world reflect on the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus Christ. In the Christian worldview, it’s one of the most important dates in all of history, trumped in significance only by the glorious events of Resurrection Day a few days later.

On the surface, the story of Good Friday describes something historically unremarkable (although certainly terrible): the unjust martyrdom of a visionary. Certainly many religious leaders and idealists have met undeserved death at the hands of brutal establishments throughout history, all the way up to the present day. But as you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final hours before crucifixion, you cannot escape the sense that this is different. This is injustice on a cosmic scale; this is humanity literally spitting in the face of its loving Creator.

But we can read this story without despairing because we know how it ultimately ends. The God who works all things for the good will bring unimaginable glory and grace out of even the murder of his own son.

Have you read the story of Good Friday recently? So much happened on Good Friday that it’s easier to just read it in its entirety rather than isolate the individual stories. It’s told from four different perspectives in the Bible: Matthew 26:47-27:61, Mark 14:42-15:47, Luke 22:47-23:56, and John 18-19.

It’s a bleak story, but we know a truth that puts even this in perspective: Easter is coming.

Jesus and his disciples on what will be called Maundy Thursday Some people call it Holy Thursday, others as Maundy Thursday. But what does the “Maundy” in “Maundy Thursday” mean? It’s certainly not a commonly-used word or something you’re likely to hear outside the context of Easter. What did this term mean, and where did it come from?

Etymologically, the consensus is that “Maundy” comes from the Latin word Mandatum (itself from the verb Mandare), which is translated “commandment.” (See Wikipedia’s entry on the derivation of the name ‘Maundy’ for additional opinions.)

In the context of Holy Week it refers to the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples while washing their feet, as recorded in John 13. Specifically, the commandment in John 13:34-35:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

As a reminder of this commandment, some churches hold foot washing ceremonies on the Thursday of Holy Week. If you’ve never been a part of a foot washing ceremony, it’s an incredibly humbling activity—one can imagine how difficult it would have been for the disciples to allow Jesus to humble himself in this way.

The CRI/Voice Institute has this to add about the colors used on Maundy Thursday, from an article on The Days of Holy Week:

The colors for Maundy Thursday are usually the colors of Lent, royal purple or red violet. Some traditions, however, use red for Maundy Thursday, the color of the church, in order to identify with the community of disciples that followed Jesus. Along the same line, some use this day to honor the apostles who were commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.

For a perspective on Maundy Thursday celebrations in the Catholic Church, check out the “Maundy Thursday” article at NewAdvent.org

We’re pleased to announce a major new addition to our library of online Bibles: the SBL Greek New Testament!

The SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT) is a major achievement in New Testament scholarship. Edited by Michael W. Holmes, its text draws on a wide range of scholarship and the latest manuscript discoveries. Beyond the quality of the text itself, you’ll find that with its diacritical marks, the SBLGNT is easier to read than the three older Greek New Testaments currently on Bible Gateway.

Here’s a look at how the SBLGNT renders one famous passage:

(That’s John 1:1-5 in the SBLGNT.)

One other noteworthy aspect of the SBLGNT is its friendly publication philosophy: the entire text is freely available for download and boasts a generous re-use/distribution policy to encourage you to share and study the text, whether you’re a scholar, pastor, or layperson.

We’re grateful to Logos Bible Software and the Society of Biblical Literature for making the SBLGNT available on BibleGateway.com. Whether you’re a Greek expert or just interested in seeing the Bible in an original language, you can start reading now!

Most of us here at Bible Gateway are book geeks. There are several hundred books—many of them different Bible translations—within 15 feet of my desk here at Bible Gateway headquarters. And although I haven’t polled my coworkers, I suspect that most of them are the sort of readers who eye movie adaptations of written works with suspicion or even snobby disdain (I’ll never forgive Peter Jackson for leaving Tom Bombadil out of The Fellowship of the Ring).

The Bible, of course, is not “just” an ordinary book, and no film adaptation of a Bible story could surpass the power of the Scriptures. But as I’ve been reviewing the Holy Week accounts from the Gospels this week, I’ve been thinking about the long tradition of films about Jesus and the Easter story.

The Easter story has made the transition to film many, many times and in many different ways. Some films aim for strict accuracy. Others take dramatic liberties with the story or tell it from the perspective of fictional characters. Some have bent the Easter narrative even further, setting it in modern time periods or depicting it critically.

The widely-translated Jesus film and The Passion of the Christ are two films that aim for a relatively straightforward retelling of the Scriptural accounts, often holding to the exact dialogue recorded in the Gospels. Other movies, like Ben-Hur or The Robe, include the Easter story as an important element but frame it within a fictional, non-Biblical narrative.

Below: a scene from the Jesus film depicting the discovery of the empty tomb.

I haven’t seen many of these films, so I’m interested to hear from the movie fans out there: What film, if any, do you think best adapts the Easter story?

And more specifically, what makes that film a good adaptation of the Scriptural account? Does your favorite Easter film stick with total accuracy to the language of Scripture? Does it take liberties with the dialogue, but communicate the emotional power of the cross? Or is it something else that makes it work?

Head over to our page on Facebook and share your thoughts!

Just a quick reminder: many of our newsletters are tackling the events of Holy Week and Easter over the next few days. Click on any of the links to sign up and join us as we explore Jesus’ last days before the crucifixion:

Join Mel Lawrenz for the final week of his thought-provoking Knowing Him devotional.
Our Bible Gateway Lent Devotional ends this week as well. Spend some time thinking deeply about the events leading up to the Cross and Resurrection.
Lee Strobel answers the question “Why I’m celebrating my 30th Easter” in his Investigating Faith April 19th newsletter. Sign up by 10am EST Tuesday to make sure you get it!

Happy Tax Day! If you’re in the U.S. and haven’t yet filed your taxes, you should probably get on that.

If you’re scouring your Bible this morning looking for a Biblical reason to not pay your taxes, you’re out of luck. While the Bible has much to say about stewardship, justice, and generosity, it is relatively silent on the specifics of taxation. But that didn’t stop a group of Jesus’ contemporaries from approaching him soon after his Triumphal Entry with a very loaded question: “Should we pay taxes?”

The questioners were hoping to trick Jesus into saying something treasonous. Jesus’ clever response makes this scene the most memorable money-related passage in the Bible:

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

This story is also recounted in Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26.

Elsewhere we learn that Jesus paid the temple tax. And the apostle Paul speaks plainly about the duty to pay taxes in Romans 13:5-7:

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

That doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to pay a chunk of your earnings to the government. But as you mail in your tax forms today, you can take some comfort at least in knowing that believers have struggled with this duty since Jesus’ time.

Image: a Roman denarius from the reign of Maximinus I.

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week (or Passion Week)—the week that commemorates Jesus’ death and resurrection. Here’s a new visualization we created that harmonizes the four Gospel accounts of Holy Week and lets you examine the “who,” “what,” and “where” of events leading up to and through Easter:

Also available: PDF.

Follow the lines in the chart to see at a glance what people were doing, where they were, and whom they were with at any point during the week. For example, below is a closeup of the chart showing Jesus in Gethsemane and his betrayal by Judas. First Jesus draws aside Peter, James, and John and entreats them to pray while Jesus also prays. Then Judas and a crowd arrive; Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, Jesus is arrested, and the disciples flee, while Peter and John follow at a distance. The visualization shows you the main actors in the story and provides Bible references for you to read the story yourself.

We’re releasing the visualization under a Creative Commons license, which means that you should feel free to print copies (we recommend printing the PDF) and share them with people at your church.

Because the Gospel writers weren’t concerned about writing strict chronological accounts, the details and timing of some events are open to interpretation. For example, when exactly did Judas meet with some of the Jewish leaders to agree to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? What did Jesus do on Wednesday? The chart shows one of several possible sequences of events.

If you’re interested in reading a harmony of Holy Week that includes the text of the relevant Scripture passages, Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition put one together in 2010. Our visualization is based partly on Justin’s work (which in turn is based on work by Craig Blomberg); we also consulted study Bibles and other Bible reference materials.

The visualization format itself is based on a 2009 XKCD comic that illustrates the structure of several movies, including Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars trilogy.

We hope this chart leads you to contemplate more deeply the meaning behind the ancient words that Christ “was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures” as we move closer to celebrating his resurrection this Easter.

Bible Gateway Blog

Most Recent Blog Posts

What Happened After the Resurrection?

Jesus’ Appearances After the Resurrection

Jesus Gives the Great Commission

He has Risen, just as He Said

Crucifixion nails, Noah’s Ark, and the Jesus Tomb: how should we respond to sensational archaeological claims?

Easter is coming

What Does “Maundy Thursday” Mean?

SBL Greek New Testament now available on Bible Gateway

What’s the best film adaptation of the Easter story?

Last Chance for Easter Newsletters!

Tax Day: Giving Back to Caesar…

Holy Week Timeline Visualization

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