Matthew and Mark vs John in the Narrative of Jesus’ Crucifixion
Video: “13 More Bible Contradictions” by Holy Koolaid
The texts in question are Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26, 15:22-41; and John 13:1-4, 19:13-16
Below are Mr. Koolaid’s statements (in bold) followed by my response.
“After Jesus’ arrest, the Gospels say that He was crucified but when exactly that happened depends on which Gospel you read.”
Actually, the four Gospels are in agreement with each other. Mr. Koolaid simply read them wrong somehow. Or perhaps there’s always the possibility that he already knows they agree but is preying on his fellow atheists who have never read the Bible for themselves. The chronologies fit together very nicely if you’re paying attention to what you are reading across all four of the Gospels.
The Passover meal is mentioned in all four Gospels:
Matthew 26:20-21
Mark 14:17-18
Luke 22:14-16
John 13:1-2
“Mark and Matthew explicitly have Jesus participating in the Jewish holiday, Passover, by eating a Passover meal with His disciples and they have His crucifixion the morning after Passover. John’s version says absolutely nothing about Jesus eating a Passover meal with His disciples…”
The Passover meal was instituted in Exodus 12:1-13, to be celebrated on the 14th of the month called Nisan.
To the northern Galileans, who reckoned the days from sunset to sunset, the 14th of Nisan fell on a day on what we call Thursday morning beginning at sunrise. The lambs would be slaughtered on Thursday afternoon and be eaten at twilight on what we call Thursday evening. All four Gospels mention Jesus eating that Passover meal prior to His crucifixion.
“…and explicitly [John] says that He was crucified BEFORE Passover.”
To the southern Jews in Judah who reckoned the days from sunset to sunset according to Genesis chapter one, the 14th of Nisan didn’t commence until what we would call Thursday evening at sunset, thereby making the holiday fall on what we would call Thursday night to Friday night. So the Judean Passover lambs would be sacrificed on what we call Friday afternoon and eaten at twilight, at which time it would be the 7th day of the week, or early Saturday morning at dusk. That’s why John, in verse 19:31, refers to that day (Sabbath/Saturday) as a “high day” because it combined the regular Sabbath observation with the eating of the Passover meal.
So John’s Gospel is telling us that Jesus died on the same day that Passover lambs were being slaughtered according to the Judean custom (which would be on Friday afternoon to us in modern times), telling us that Exodus 12:1-13 foresees and looks forward to the crucifixion of Jesus, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
“Mark has Jesus crucified bright and early, and very precisely has Him up on the cross by nine o’clock in the morning. John’s Gospel says that He wasn’t even condemned to die until afternoon.”
John is using the Roman system of keeping time:
John 19:14 – “Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.” (6 AM)
Mark is using Jewish system of keeping time:
Mark 15:25 – “It was the third hour when they crucified Him.” (9 AM).
Mark 15:33 – “When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.” (noon and 3 PM, respectively)
Mark 15:34 – “At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,” (3 PM)
“Again, these seem like minor details but you can’t have it both ways. At least one of these accounts is wrong.”
Don’t need it “both ways.” All of the Gospel accounts can easily be harmonized into a single chronology, as shown above. Once again, I invite you to check out the chronological New Testament called One Perfect Life by John MacArthur if you would like to see how all the Gospels fit together harmoniously to make one continuous narrative of all four Gospels.