Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Like the Bereans we need to be examining the Scriptures for ourselves to see if what we are told is in line with what God’s Word actually says. On Easter Sunday our sermon focused on the resurrection accounts, specifically Mark’s account as recorded in Mark 16:1-8. One of the points I made in that sermon was that it was a woman (Mary Magdalene) who was the first person to tell of the resurrection. Following services someone stated to me that it was Mark, not an angel that was seated on the right side inside the tomb (I have heard this theory before). This person claimed that there was only one angel and that the angel was sitting on top of the rolled away stone, not inside the tomb. If this were true then Mark would have been the first person to report the news of Jesus’ resurrection, not Mary Magdalene.
So I went back and double checked all four Gospel accounts to see if this was accurate. Matthew’s account (Matthew 28:1-10) mentions 1 angel. Matthew 28:2-3 (NIV) 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. Matthew, inspired by God, states that there was an angel that rolled back the stone and sat on top of it. But it does not state specifically where that angel was when he spoke to the women.
Mark’s account (Mark 16:1-8) mentions what we assume to be an angel. Mark 16:5 (NIV) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. While Mark describes the one sitting in the tomb as a young man his apparel is similar to what the other gospel accounts describe the angel or angels as wearing.
Luke’s account (Luke 24:1-12) mentions 2 men that we assume to be angels. Luke 24:4 (NIV) While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. Again the description of their clothes is consistent with the angel described by Matthew (28:3), the young man described by Mark (16:5), and the angels described in John 20:12. Luke states that the two men “suddenly” were standing beside the women who had already entered the tomb. The fact that they appeared “suddenly” seems to indicate that these were not mortal men but angels.
John’s account (John 20:1-18) mentions two angels, dressed in white, sitting on the bench where Jesus had been laid. John 20:12 (NIV) two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. According to John’s account the only thing the angels say to the women is in the form of a question: They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (20:13).
The gospels often differ on details based on how the God inspired writer recorded the events. But based on what see in these Scriptural accounts there is really nothing to indicate that Mark was the young man described in Mark 16:5. However, the evidence from the Scriptures does seem to suggest that the young man mentioned in Mark’s account was, in fact, an angel.