In the gospel of John, Mary of Magdala goes alone to the tomb of Jesus and, finding it empty, runs away and brings back with her Peter and another disciple. After the men confirm that the body of Jesus is not in the tomb, Mary is left alone once more. She sees a person she thinks is a gardener, but when the figure speaks to her she realizes it is Jesus. That evening, the gospel of John relates, Jesus appears to some of his disciples and then eight days later returns to them when Thomas is also with them.
This witness of the gospel of John is not confirmed in any of the other gospels of the New Testament. The gospels of Matthew and Luke report other resurrection appearances, but the facts are quite different. (The earliest versions of the gospel of Mark only promise a resurrection experience in Galilee but do not describe it.) How could factual accounts be so diverse? The gospel accounts are not relating historical facts, but represent the faith of the early Christian church in the resurrection of Jesus. The community for which the gospel of John was written affirms that the risen Christ has forgiven sins, because this is their experience. The resurrection is proven for them by the forgiveness they have known. The forgiveness is real, and this fact is expressed as faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace . . . Bob
