Resurrection and Commission
A comparative study of the four Gospels
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an appendix to the Gospel. It is the vindication of everything He claimed, the defeat of everything that claimed Him, and the foundation of everything the Church now confesses. The four Evangelists tell the story of the empty tomb and the risen Lord from distinct vantage points, each revealing dimensions of Easter that the others do not. Read alongside Acts and Paul, these accounts give us a portrait of the exalted Christ who did not merely survive death but now reigns over it — and over all things.
How this study works
Each session uses the same layered Building Approach as The Passion of Our Lord. We read the texts one layer at a time, comparing each Gospel or epistle account directly to what came before. Rather than overwhelming the room with every account at once, we build understanding progressively. Differences between the accounts become illuminating rather than confusing, and the full theological picture emerges only when all the voices are heard together.
Six sessions
Session one
The empty tomb
Mark 16:1–8 · Matthew 28:1–10 · Luke 24:1–12 · John 20:1–18
Four women arrive at the tomb expecting to complete a burial. What they find instead is the hinge point of all human history. Mark ends his account in terror and silence — an ending so abrupt it has unsettled readers for two thousand years. Matthew adds the earthquake, the angel like lightning, and the guards falling like dead men. Luke sends Peter running; John sends Peter and the Beloved Disciple racing. And Mary Magdalene, alone in the garden, hears her name spoken, and recognizes the voice.
Session two
The road to Emmaus and the appearances
Luke 24:13–35 · John 20:10–18 · Matthew 28:9–10
Two disciples walk away from Jerusalem in despair, their hope buried with a man they thought would redeem Israel. A stranger joins them on the road, opens the Scriptures, and their hearts burn — yet they do not recognize Him until the breaking of the bread. Luke gives us the Church's hermeneutic: Christ is the key to Moses and all the prophets. John shows Mary lingering at the tomb after the disciples have gone, weeping in the dark until a single word changes everything.
Session three
The appearances in Jerusalem and the body of the risen Lord
Luke 24:36–43 · John 20:19–29 · 1 Corinthians 15:1–11
The risen Christ appears behind locked doors and says "Peace." Luke insists He is not a ghost: He shows His hands and feet, invites them to touch Him, and eats broiled fish before their eyes. John gives us the wound-marked hands, the breathing of the Spirit, and the institution of the Office of the Keys. Then Thomas, who was absent, demands proof — and one week later gets more than he asked for. Paul's creedal formula anchors everything in eyewitness testimony available for cross-examination.
Session four
The risen Lord appears, commissions, and sends
Luke 24:36–49 · John 20:19–29 · 1 Corinthians 15:1–11
The risen Christ who bears His scars bestows His peace, breathes the Spirit, and sends the Church as the Father sent Him. Luke mounts the strongest anti-docetic defense of the bodily resurrection in the New Testament: flesh, bones, and a meal of broiled fish. John gives us Thomas's demand and Thomas's confession — the highest Christological summit in the Gospels. Paul's earliest creedal formula transmits the faith as something received and delivered, not invented.
Session five
The Great Commission, the Shepherd's charge, and the promise of power
Matthew 28:16–20 · John 21:15–25 · Acts 1:1–8
On a Galilean mountain, the risen Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him — fulfilling Daniel 7:14 — and sends His disciples to baptize and teach every nation. On a Galilean shore, He asks Peter three times whether he loves Him, reverses the threefold denial, and charges him to feed His sheep. In Jerusalem, He commands the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father. The commission is total. The mission depends on power from on high.
Session six
The exalted Christ — Ascension, session, and eternal reign
Mark 16:19–20 · Luke 24:50–53 · Acts 1:9–14 · Psalm 110:1–4 · Daniel 7:13–14 · Philippians 2:9–11 · Hebrews 1:1–4
Mark tells us Jesus sat down at the right hand of God and immediately began working with His disciples everywhere. Luke shows Him departing with hands raised in the priestly blessing, His followers returning to the temple with great joy. The cloud of Shekinah glory receives Him. The angels promise He will return in the same way. Psalm 110, Daniel 7, Philippians 2, and Hebrews 1 together establish the full theological scope of what Easter accomplished: the humiliated Servant is enthroned as King and eternal High Priest over all creation.
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