This harmony uses mostly the NASB, with a few minor changes.
This harmony does not incorporate the verses after Mark 16:9.
This harmony suggests a Wednesday crucifixion.
(---) contains actual text of a parenthetical nature.
{--} contains helping words for clarity.
THE BURIAL (Wednesday)
(Matt. 27:57-61; Mk. 15:42-47; Lk. 23:50-55; John 19:38-42)
And behold, when it was already evening, because it was
the Jewish day of preparation, that is, the day before the {festival} Sabbath,
there came a rich man named Joseph, from Arimathea, a city of the Jews,
who was a prominent member of the Council (he had not consented to their
plan and action), a good and righteous man, who himself had also become
a disciple of Jesus (but a secret one, for fear of the Jews), and was waiting
for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate,
and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if He was dead by
this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether
He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted
the body to Joseph. Then Pilate ordered {it} to be given over {to him.}.
(Matt. 27:57-58; Mk. 15:42-45; Lk. 23:50-52; John 19:38, 42)
And Joseph took it down, and Nicodemus came also, who
had first come to Him by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about a hundred pounds {weight}. and they wrapped it in a linen cloth with
the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden;
and in the garden Joseph's own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock,
in which no one had yet been laid. And because the tomb was nearby they
laid Him in the tomb cut into the rock. And he rolled a large stone against
the entrance of the tomb and went away. (Matt. 27:59-61; Mark 15:46-47;
Luke 23:53-55; John 19:39-42)
And it was the preparation day, and the {festival} Sabbath
was about to begin. And the women who had come with Him out of Galilee
followed after.
And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, the
{mother} of Joses, sitting opposite the grave, and they saw the tomb and
how His body was laid (Mat. 27:61; Mk. 15:47; Lk. 23:54-55), and they returned
(Lk. 23:56).
THE GUARD AT THE TOMB (Thursday, the festival
sabbath)
(Matt. 27:62-66)
Now on the next day, which is {the one} after the preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and
said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver
said, 'After three days I {am to} rise again.' "Therefore, give orders
for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest the disciples
come and steal Him away and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,'
and the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said
to them, "Take a guard; go, make it {as} secure as you know how."
And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they
set a seal on the stone.
FRIDAY
And when the {preparation day} Sabbath was over, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the {mother} of James, and Salome, bought spices, that
they might come and anoint Him (Mark 16:1). And they prepared spices and
perfumes.
SATURDAY
And on the {saturday} Sabbath they rested according to
the commandment (Luke 23:56).
RESURRECTION MORNING (Sunday)
Now after the Sabbath(s), early, as it began to dawn toward
the first {day} of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and Salome,
and the other women with them (Lk. 24:10), came to look at the grave, bringing
the spices which they had prepared (Matt. 28:1; Lk. 24:1).
THE EARTHQUAKE
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel
of the Lord had descended from heaven and had come and rolled away the
stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment
as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and had became
like dead men (Mat. 28:2-4).
MARY ARRIVES FIRST
And Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was
still dark, and saw the stone {already} taken away from the tomb. And so
she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved,
and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb,
and we do not know where they have laid Him." Peter therefore went
forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb (John 20:1-3).
THE OTHER WOMEN
And very early on the first day of the week, they {the
other women} came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying
to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance
of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled
away, although it was extremely large. And entering the tomb, they did
not find the body of the Lord Jesus. But they saw a young man sitting at
the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them,
"Do not be amazed or afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus
the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold,
{here is} the place where they laid Him.
And it happened that while they were perplexed about this,
behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as {the
women} were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, {the men} said
to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not
here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still
in Galilee,
saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. But
go quickly and tell His disciples and Peter that He has risen from the
dead, and behold, He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see
Him, just as He said to you. Behold I have told you."
And they remembered His words, and they went out and fled
quickly from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them;
and they said nothing to anyone. But they returned from the tomb with fear
and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples (Mark 16:2-8; Luke
24:2-8; Mat. 28:5-8).
And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they
came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to
them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave
for Galilee, and there they shall see Me" (Matt. 28:9-10).
And the women returned and reported all these things to
the eleven, and to all the rest (Luke 24:9).
COVER UP BY THE PHARISEES
Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the
guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had
happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together,
they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, "You are
to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.'
And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and
keep you out of trouble." And they took the money and did as they
had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, {and
is} to this day (Matt. 28:11-15).
PETER AND JOHN (John 20:3-10)
After Mary's initial report.
Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and
they were going to the tomb. And the two were running together; and the
other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first;
and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying {there;}
but he did not go in. Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and
entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying {there,} and
the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings,
but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first
come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. For as yet
they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the
dead.
So the disciples went away again to their own homes {in
Jerusalem}.
MARY STAYS BEHIND (John 20:11-18)
But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so,
as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beheld two angels
in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body
of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you
weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my
Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." When she had said
this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing {there,} and did not
know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said
to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have
laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means,
Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not
yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, 'I
ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I
have seen the Lord," and {that} He had said these things to her.
DISBELIEF (Luke 24:10-11)
Now Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the {mother} of
James; and the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe
them.
ROAD TO EMMAUS, Sunday afternoon (Luke 24:13-35)
And behold, two of them were going that very day to a
village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they
were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken
place.
And it came about that while they were conversing and
discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and {began} traveling with them.
But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them,
"What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as
you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them,
named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting
Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?"
And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The
things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our
rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But
we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides
all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some
women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,
and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a
vision of angels, who said that He was alive. And some of those who were
with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had
said; but Him they did not see." And He said to them, "O foolish
men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
"Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to
enter into His glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets,
He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as
though He would go farther.
And they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it
is {getting} toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." And
He went in to stay with them. And it came about that when He had reclined
{at the table} with them, He took the bread and blessed {it,} and breaking
{it,} He {began} giving {it} to them. And their eyes were opened and they
recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one
another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking
to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem.
SUNDAY EVENING (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first
{day} of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews, {the two disciples} found gathered together the eleven
and those who were with them, and said, "The Lord has really risen,
and has appeared to Simon." And they {began} to relate their experiences
on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
And while they were telling these things, Jesus came and
stood in their midst, but they were startled and frightened and thought
that they were seeing a spirit. And said to them, "Peace {be} with
you. Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See
My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."
And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands
and His side.
The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
And while they still could not believe {it} for joy and
were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate {it}
before them.
Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace {be} with
you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had
said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy
Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, {their sins} have been forgiven
them; if you retain the {sins} of any, they have been retained." But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus
came. The other disciples therefore were saying to him, "We have seen
the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I shall see in His hands
the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails,
and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
EIGHT DAYS LATER (John 20:26-29)
And after eight days again His disciples were inside,
and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood
in their midst, and said, "Peace {be} with you." Then He said
to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here
your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing."
Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus
said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed
{are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed."
EDITORIAL (John 20:30-31)
Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the
presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these
have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
JOURNEY TO GALILEE (Matthew 28:16)
But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee.
SEA OF TIBERIAS (John 21:1-23)
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested {Himself} in this way.
There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called
Didymus,
and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the {sons} of Zebedee, and two others
of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out,
and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the
day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not
know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, you
do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No."
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat,
and you will find {a catch}." They cast therefore, and then they were
not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. That disciple
therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." And
so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment
on (for he was stripped {for work}), and threw himself into the sea. But
the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from
the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net {full} of
fish. And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire
{already} laid, and fish placed on it, and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which
you have now caught."
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred
and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come {and} have breakfast." None of the
disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that
it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread, and gave them, and the
fish likewise.
This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to
the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. So when they had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, {son} of John, do you
love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know
that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said
to him again a second time, "Simon, {son} of John, do you love Me?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said
to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon,
{son} of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said
to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him,
"Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus
said to him, "Tend My sheep. "Truly, truly, I say to you, when
you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else
will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to {go."} Now this
He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when
He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" Peter, turning
around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following {them;} the one who
also had leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord,
who is the one who betrays You?" Peter therefore seeing him said to
Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If
I want him to remain until I come, what {is that} to you? You follow Me!"
EDITORIAL (John 21:23-25)
This saying therefore went out among the brethren that
that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would
not die, but {only,} "If I want him to remain until I come, what {is
that} to you?" This is the disciple who bears witness of these things,
and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true. And there
are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written
in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books
which were written.
EDITORIAL (Acts 1:1-3)
The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that
Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after
He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many
convincing proofs, appearing to them over {a period of} forty days, and
speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
FINAL MEETING (Mat. 28:16-20; Luke 24:44-50; Acts 1:4-8)
And the eleven disciples proceeded toward the mountain
which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped {Him};
but some were doubtful (Mat. 28:16-17).
And He led them out as far as Bethany (Luke 24:50a),
And gathering them together, He commanded them not to
leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which,"
{He said,} "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but
you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now"
(Acts 1:4-5).
And so when they had come together, they were asking Him,
saying,
"Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
(Acts 1:6). Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke
to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about
Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to
them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise
again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness
of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning
from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things (Lk. 24:44-48).
(However) it is not for you to know the times or epochs
which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest
part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).
"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My
Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed
with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). "All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mat. 28:18-20).
THE ASCENSION (Luke 24:51)
And after He had said these things (Acts 1:9), He lifted
up His hands and blessed them, and it came about that while He was blessing
them, He parted from them. (Luke 24:50-51); He was lifted up while they
were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9).
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He
was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and
they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the
sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come
in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven" (Acts
1:10-11).
WAITING FOR THE PROMISE (Luke 24:52-53; Acts 1:12-14)
And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, from the
mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were
staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James {the son} of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot,
and Judas {the} {son} of James. These all with one mind were continually
devoting themselves to prayer, along with {the} women, and Mary the mother
of Jesus, and with His brother, and were continually in the temple, praising
God.
Comments and Questions are
Always Welcome
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