Lingering Questions Surrounding Easter
April 22, 2025
Host: Dr. Jamie Mitchell
Guests: Cory Marsh, Ryan Day
Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program aired on 4/22/25. To listen to the podcast, click HERE.
Disclaimer: While reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate transcription, the following is a representation of a mechanical transcription and as such, may not be a word for word transcript. Please listen to the audio version for any questions concerning the following dialogue.
Jamie Mitchell:
Hello friends and welcome again to Stand In the Gap Today I am your host, Jamie Mitchell, director of church culture at the American Pastors Network. I hope you had a blessed Easter celebration and were able to once again bask in the joy of knowing that our redeemer lives. There’s no holiday that the church experienced like the death, the burial, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s thrilling and like many of you, you have participated in Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Easter services for years and have numerous messages that you’ve heard surrounding the Passion Week. We all know the stories well, the truths of this blessed event and as believers, we are thoroughly convinced of the good news message. With all that said, there are a number of biblical theological questions that are hard to deal with or at least can be confusing, and I would clarify maybe even possibly conflicting questions that are difficult to negotiate and therefore sometimes leaves lingering confusion.
Maybe even after leaving a Easter service This weekend, you heard some things and you still had questions. As I was thinking of a few of them this Easter, I thought it’d be great to have a program and try to address some of these questions and shed light on some of these things. So joining me today to help unravel these theological challenges are two returning guests to my favorites and I call them the Southern Cal Connection. Dr. Cory Marsh is Professor of New Testament at Southern California Seminary and his colleague and his pastor is Pastor Ryan Day from Revolve Bible Church and they come with us today. They are also the hosts of a great podcast, the Pastor Scholar podcast, and we’ll probably end up talking about that somewhere along the way. Ryan Cory, all the way from California, welcome again to Stand in the Gap today.
Cory Marsh:
Well, glad to be on. Thanks Jamie. Appreciate it.
Ryan Day:
Yeah, thanks for having us on, Jamie. We’re glad to be here. And for all your listeners, there are still Christians in California.
Jamie Mitchell:
Amen. Amen. Well guys, listen, I polled about 15 to 20 pastors and I asked them for lingering questions or difficult issues that flow out of Easter and I was shocked when I got the response that I did. So I’m going to work through some of these questions, give you a chance to answer them and to our best collective effort come to some clarity here. Cory let’s start with you. I want to talk a little bit about dating issues. Do we approximately understand when Passion Week took place and especially when Christ enters Jerusalem and was crucified and to my understanding there is even a prophetic part to this idea of when Easter takes place.
Cory Marsh:
Yeah, Jamie, I like how you preface the first question with approximately as for the possible year when Christ was crucified, the best dates offered by scholars are anywhere between AD 30 and 33. Now a lot of it depends on how we understand Luke’s reference to Jesus beginning his ministry around 30 years of age, and Luke chapter three, verse 23 and the three or possibly four separate Passover feasts that Jesus attended as recorded in John’s gospel, I tend to side with Andreas Berger who in his book the Final Days of Jesus argues for a crucifixion date of the year 33, actually Friday, April 3rd, 33 to be exact, which would put Jesus as being between 34 and 37 years old at the time. Now incidentally, I think it’s important to point this out that the word Easter for this time is an unfortunate spillover from the King James version in one place.
The word is used in Acts chapter 12 verse four, where the King James version says, Herod put Peter in prison and intending to bring him out after Easter. The Greek word there is paska, which gets translated Passover, which would be more accurate. Now, according to the Jewish feast calendar, the Passover is celebrated on the 14th day of Nissan, which occurs in mid-spring and the Passover would’ve begun Thursday evening since the Jewish day begins at sundown, which would make it the beginning of Friday. According to our days in our calculations, all four gospels say that Jesus was laid in a tomb on the day of preparation, which can only mean Friday as Jewish people use that day to prepare for the Sabbath the following day, and I’ll leave it to Ryan to work out some more of those details, but technically the passion week ended with Jesus crucifixion on that Friday as passion, the word passion comes from the Latin suffering, but if we extended to the resurrection on Sunday of that week, then the passion week began the previous Sunday with triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which all four gospels record also we call it Palm Sunday.
That was because John, he’s the only gospel writer who mentions the branches being palm branches. This was Jesus’ formal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey as prophesized and portions of the Old Testament. I’m more on that in a minute, but I will add that some such as Will Barner and others have made some good arguments for Palm Monday, but I still side with the traditional deal of Palm Sunday, not Palm Monday to begin the passion week. Now that your second question, the Jewish calendar or the Feast of Israel have prophetic significance in the Hebrew scriptures, the spring feast Passover on 11th bread and first fruits all fall in the month of Nissan. Each have features that point to the Messiah coming as suffering servant during what we call the passion week and the fall feast. That is trumpets, atonement, and tabernacles, all point to Messiahs returns conquering king.
But as for the specific biblical fulfillment out of the four gospels, it is Matthew’s account that lays the most significance to Jesus being the prophesied Messiah from the Hebrew scriptures. In fact, multiple events of the passion week recorded in Matthew specifically fulfill predictions in the Old Testament. For example, Jesus triumphal entry beginning the passion week on Sunday in Matthew 21 fulfilled Psalm 1 18, 26, Zechariah nine, nine, that blesses he who comes to the name of the Lord and for Jerusalem to rejoice as their king arrives humble on mounted on a donkey, Jesus lament over Jerusalem. Matthew 23 fulfilled Jeremiah 12, seven in 22 5 in Psalm 1 18 26 when Jesus said, your house is left to you death with for I tell you, you will not see me again until you say blesses who comes the name of the Lord. Even Judas’, betrayal of Jesus in Matthew 26 during that same week fulfilled Zechariah 11 verses 12 and 13 as specific as identifying 30 pieces of silver and throwing it back to the potter.
Likewise, Judas death in Matthew 27 also fulfills Zechariah 11 as well as prophetic motifs in Jeremiah 19 verses one to 13 and Jeremiah 32 verses six and nine. Then of course multiple elements of Jesus’ suffering and death recorded throughout Matthew 27 in the gospels fulfilled texts in Psalm 22, Psalm 59, Isaiah 53, and others from a specific as dividing his garments among them and offering them sour wine to drink for the suffering servant being pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and yet by his wounds we are healed. And finally, Jesus’s resurrection. All four gospels fulfill Psalm 1610, which Peter quotes as proof twice in Acts two, and Paul referenced this three times in Acts 13, that God would not abandon his soul to shale nor let his holy one see corruption. Wow. The Old Testament is replete with these prophesies that were filled in the passion region.
Jamie Mitchell:
Excellent, excellent. That will give any pastor enough ammo to even do a series on the timing of Jesus’ death. When we come back, Ryan is going to help us understand a little bit about when it says Jesus was in the grave for three days, what does that mean? Do not go anywhere. Join us. We’re answering the hard questions. Well welcome back. I’m here with the host of the Pastor Scholar podcast, Cory Marsh and Ryan Day from Southern California, and we’re dealing with the lingering questions surrounding Easter. Ryan, I want to pick up on this timing issue. Cory gave us an unbelievable explanation about the passion week and how that fit with prophecy. In the same way someone asked about the timing of Jesus’ death and specifically it states that we celebrate him dying on Friday, rising up from the dead on Sunday, and then we say he spent three days in the grave. Can you give us a little understanding on that? And then I have a follow-up question about him being in the grave and what happens when he descends into hell, but deal with the timing issue first.
Ryan Day:
Thanks, Jamie. Yeah, the confusion of that question comes from trying to synthesize some of the biblical data in Matthew’s account. Jesus prophesies that he’ll be in the grave for three days and three nights, but in other places in the New Testament it says, Jesus says explicitly that he will rise on the third day. Sometimes it says he’ll rise after three days, simply put it’s best to see after three days as an equivalent to on the third day. There’s a lot of evidence for phrases like that in the Old Testament, the language being used loosely and in Jewish thought the way that they thought about days was that a portion of a day was an equivalent to an entire day. For an example, the Babylonian Talmud has a quote that says a portion of a day and night is as the whole of it. So in the mind of a first century Jew, they would think about even a portion of the day as an entire day.
That’s different than the way that we as Westerners tend to think about full days. I think Luke’s account helps us a lot. In Luke 23, 24 54, it says it was the preparation day and the Sabbath was about to begin. That’s speaking to when Jesus was laid in the tomb. And in fact, the word Friday, the Greek word for Friday actually means preparation day. So Jesus was laid in the tomb on Friday preparation day and then immediately after that, in Luke 2356, it says that the women then rested on the next day, which was the Sabbath day. And then you fast forward to Luke 24 1 and it says, but on the first day of the week at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. Luke 23, 24 is Friday, Luke 2356 is Saturday and Luke 24, 1 is Sunday. Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights because in the mind of a first century Jew, three days and three nights or after three days or on the third day are all synonymous or equivalent sayings. That’s kind of the short of it with an economy of words.
Jamie Mitchell:
Ryan, while we’re talking about this, let me move ahead to a question I was going to ask you later on in the broadcast. When Christ died, we’re told in the apostles creed that he descended into hell. Here’s the question, where did Jesus go once he died and before his resurrection? Equally important, what was he doing during that period of time and what was he experiencing?
Ryan Day:
Yeah, so there’s a couple different perspectives on this. In Ephesians chapter four, it says that when he ascended, he gave gifts to men. Some people think that that passage in Ephesians four is a reference to him going down into hell and setting people free and ascending. I think the reference in Ephesians four is a reference not to his dissension into hell but rather his ascension. But there is a passage in one Peter chapter three verses 19 and 20 that says, speaking of Christ, it says quote in which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark, in which a few that is eight persons were brought safely through the water. And I think in that passage in one Peter three 19 and 20, that is a reference to Jesus spiritually descending into Taurus.
Peter references to Taurus in two Peter to TAUs was most likely the equivalent to what we call the abyss. The abyss is a compartment in Sheel or Hades where angels during the time of Noah were imprisoned. It’s also the place in Revelation where Jesus says that, or rather, John tells us that Satan will be in prison for a thousand years. And so I think in one Peter Peter’s making the point that Jesus did spiritually while he was in the grave, went and made proclamation to the spirits. Now in prison that word proclamation Caruso, it means originally in classical Greek it means to make an official declaration of victory. And so I think Jesus went to Arius or the abyss and he proclaimed victory to the spirits. Now in prison, I don’t think there’s some people that think from Ephesians four, maybe Luke 16, when Jesus descended that he went to Hades and the place that is next to Hades called Abraham’s bosom, and then he set the captives free in Abraham’s bosom.
I don’t think that’s what he did. I think he did descend to hell and proclaim victory to the spirits that is the fallen angels that are now in prison. And we did an episode a while ago, Jamie on Hell, where we talked about the complex doctrine, biblical doctrine of hell and how we typically just use the word, the English word hell to refer to in an economy of words, to refer to a whole body of doctrine as it relates to what the scripture says about hell. So that’s maybe for another time or encourage people to go listen to that one.
Jamie Mitchell:
Yeah, absolutely. Go back in the archives. You did hell and Cory did a segment on heaven. Cory, change gears just a second. One of the complex issues around the Easter story is Judas, here is someone who walked with Christ for three years, his inner circle. I want to hear your thoughts on this. How does somebody walk with Christ and not truly believe or then betray him? But then it seems like he returns to 30 pieces silver, and is he recognizing his wrong? Is he repenting and then he goes and hangs himself and does that mean he’s in hell? I mean, I got so many questions about Judas help our people. What is going on there?
Cory Marsh:
Sure. Yeah. Judas is an interesting case study. I think given how the scriptures present him, there’s no other conclusion than that. Judas is among the wicked in hell. For example, in John 1712 or Jesus the night of his arrest, he’s praying to the Father. He uses very harsh language. He says, while I was with him, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction that the scripture might be fulfilled. And interestingly, that phrase, son of destruction is only used in one other place. Paul uses that language to describe none other than the antichrist. The second is two, three. He says, let no one deceive you in any way for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first. The man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, very harsh, very violent language.
Jesus uses the verb form of that same word in Matthew 10, 20, 28 when he said, but fear rather the one who was able to destroy son and body, soul and body and hill. Again, the language you described Judas is nothing but pleasant. It is awful and violent and condemnatory. For example, in Acts chapter one, Peter quotes Psalms and he says, speaking of Judas, may his camp become desolate. Let there be no one to dwell in it. Let another take his office. Moving on in Acts chapter 1 25, the disciples replaced Judas position among them and said to take the place in this ministry in apostleship from which Judas turned aside literally to transgress, he disobeyed, he deviated to go to his own place. And John chapter 15, also the night of his arrest, Jesus gives that incredible true vine discourse. And it’s interesting that Judas is no longer with Jesus and the disciples in that movement, in that scene, he had already gone out and it was night.
It says at the end of John 13, so by the time you get to John 15, Jesus is walking with his 11 and no longer the 12 because Judas is gone. In fact, it says that he had gone out since Satan already put in his heart to betray him. Luke 22, 3 literally says Satan entered into Judas, which is a whole topic in itself of how a believer can be possessed like that, which I don’t think they can. But in that true vine discourse, Jesus talks about abiding him and the branch who doesn’t abide in him is thrown away into the fire and burned. And personally, I believe Judas was that branch. He was the quintessential example of someone that followed Christ physically but did not truly trust in him. And I think Jesus is alluding to him as that example of a false converse. So this answers your question, Jamie, how someone can walk with Jesus and not truly believe, I mean they can be influenced by Jesus and even walk among true believers like Judas did, yet without ever actually surrendering to Christ and repentant faith. Now it does say that he repentant three.
Jamie Mitchell:
Wow, that is so good, Cory. And these are the kinds of things that we walk away from Easter and we are troubled in our spirit, but God’s word is clear and it is helpful, and it is the source of our confidence. When we come back, some more hard questions about Easter do not go anywhere. We’re thrilled to have Dr. Cory Marsh and Pastor Ryan Day with us today. They’re fulfilling the role of what used to be the old radio program, the Bible answer. Man, you guys are probably too young to ever have heard that, but you are certainly doing a great job helping us answer some of these hard questions coming out of Easter. Ryan, Cory was just talking about Judas and him being around Christ, yet not believing and destined for destruction in somewhat the same light at the cross. The Bible records an interesting acknowledgement. The Roman centurion makes the declaration looking at Christ and all the events surrounding his death. He must truly be the son of God. Is that a declaration of faith? Both that, and then you also have the thief of the cross and him making a statement of faith. Many would say that this is insufficient for genuine saving faith. What do we do with events like this and the very little understanding? Are we falling into the trap of easy believism? How do we handle those two issues?
Ryan Day:
That’s a great question. I do think that those professions of faith are valid, and I don’t think that the thief on the cross, for example, supports easy believism. Biblical salvation is found in having faith in Christ alone and through his grace alone. But the way that we receive what the Lord has done is through a repentant faith. Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. Repentance means to turn away from, which is the negative side of faith. The positive side of faith is what we would call faith or trust in what Jesus has done. When we look at this idea of repentance, and I think sometimes when I hear questions like the one that you just asked, Jamie, what people are thinking is, well, hey, true biblical faith requires repentance, and repentance involves bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. It says that in Acts chapter 26, verse 20, for example, it says, but kept declaring that both to those of Damascus first and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judah and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God performing deeds appropriate to repentance.
When John the Baptist was doing his baptism of repentance, he was telling people to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Now, those two verses in particular, I think it’s important to understand that repentance is not a work we are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance or perform deeds appropriate to repentance. In those two verses, repentance and the deeds that follow are separate things. Repentance is not a work. Therefore, you can repent without having the time elapsed in your life to bear the fruit in accordance with that repentance like the thief on the cross. Jesus says, today, you will be with me in paradise. But he died. He died when he hung upon the cross, and there was no time for him to demonstrate through the way that he lived his life that he had actually been transformed by the grace of God. Does that mean that his profession was a false profession?
No, not at all. He did repent. He just didn’t have an opportunity to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. So I think it’s important to understand that repentance is not a work. However, we must not separate fruit from repentance because there are people today that do go around saying that they’re saved, but they have not performed deeds appropriate to repentance. They’ve not demonstrated that they’ve been regenerate and transformed by the spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. But I do think that the thief on the cross and the Romans centurion don’t support easy believism. If anything, they just lift up the beautiful doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
Jamie Mitchell:
Amen. Amen. There’s a great little Facebook meme out there of Alistair Beg during one Easter sermon talking about the thief on the cross and having this guy getting to heaven and someone saying to him, how’d you get here? And he said, all I know is the guy in the middle cross said, I could be here. What a great statement for all of us is that anybody gets to heaven. It’s because the Lord has been inviting us. The Lord has made that way. Cory, there’s a number of questions that I received from guys about Christ’s resurrected body. One time Jesus told the disciples not to touch him. Then he offers Thomas to touch him in the hand. Did he have a visible physical body? Why didn’t he want them to touch them? Tell us about the resurrected state of Jesus’s body.
Cory Marsh:
Yeah. Did he have a visible physical body? Yes. The answer is yes. The gospels are clear that Jesus appeared to them physically after he raised from the dead and even ate breakfast with them, specifically both fish and bread. As John 21 reports after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples behind locked doors, and a week later even showed his wounds to Thomas and told Thomas to physically touch him. Jesus had a physical, glorified body, and his physical identity seems to have been clear enough to the disciples when they saw him after he was raised from the dead. So to your question though, why didn’t he want them to touch him? It’s interesting because I think it’s only Mary whom he told not to touch him, but the context there is different than what he told Thomas. When Mary is weeping outside the tomb, the empty tomb, Jesus appears and reveals his identity to her.
And in John 2017, I think it is, Jesus says to Mary, do not clinging to me as a good translation instead of touch. Do not clinging to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers as Satan, him I’m ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. That word, the Greek word hato gets translated clinging. It is a mere touching as he told Thomas to do with placing his finger in his wounds, which incidentally, Thomas never did. Jesus just tempted him to do it or told him to do it, and Tom Thomas knew better and just proclaimed him as my Lord and my God. But in the context to marry the idea carries a desperate grabbing or seizing. Jesus’ mission was not yet complete, which would occur after he ascended to the Father, which the present tense I am ascending indicates the plan at least was already set in motion.
Her clinging onto him was almost like she was forbidding any further action like she’s holding onto him from what he still needs to do. So Jesus plainly tells her to stop. It’s like he’s telling Mary it’s okay. Stop clinging to me, which would probably be the best way to translate the present tense with a negative there. I’m not leaving this world he’s suggesting to her. I still got work to do. Go tell the disciples. Go tell my disciples what’s happening. I mean, though it is possible to read as though he was telling her to stop trying to keep him from leaving this world and going back to the Father right then, which would technically happen 40 days later as Acts one records at his ascension. So Jamie, I think the context there is different. He tells Thomas, not tells Thomas to place his finger in his wounds to demonstrate that he really is the Lord and God who Thomas then proclaims him to be. But when he talks to Mary, he’s telling Mary, don’t clinging to me. Don’t hold onto me. Stop touching me to keep me from the mission. That still needs to happen. So the context are different in both scenes.
Jamie Mitchell:
Oh, that’s excellent. Excellent. Hey, Cory, we got about a minute or so left. Tell our audience about the Pastor Scholar podcast, what you guys do and why you guys started it and the uniqueness of that podcast.
Cory Marsh:
Sure, I’d love to. Thanks Jamie for that. Yeah, myself and Brian, we co-host, as you mentioned, the Pastor Scholar podcast, which is moderated by a deacon in our church named Chris Miller. And the idea, the impetus for it was really to talk about things that are informing the church and Christianity from both an academic perspective, which is what I try to bring as the scholar and from a pastoral perspective, which is what Ryan brings. So I think originally it was really to kind of answer questions to talk about issues as an immediate audience, our church being that immediate audience, things that we can’t always get out at a sermon or a midweek study perhaps or something. But really that was the immediate audience to answer some of these other things going on within the church worldwide. But by God’s grace, it really kind of caught fire and we have a large subscription and now we have people listening and emailing and writing us from all over the world, different topics that we tackle from both an academic and pastoral perspective. We’re very happy for it. And I think we’ve recorded, we’ve been about a year, year and a half now, maybe 30 episodes or so of recording. Yeah, this Pastor SP Scholar podcast, which is just fun to do because Ryan and I get together and oftentimes we’ll have little disagreements, but for the most part we agree on things, but just come from different perspectives on it both pastorally and academically.
Jamie Mitchell:
Boy, that is great, and we encourage all of our listeners check out that podcast. By the way, fellas, little trivia pursuit question. This is to help you, the actor who played the Roman Satur in the 1960s classic, the greatest story ever told was John Wayne, how you like that? Well, we have more questions and even more answers to come when we return and finish up. We’re going to talk about Mary at Easter. This is going to be important, especially in light of the Pope dying. There’s going to be a lot of talk about Mary in the days ahead. Do not go anywhere. We’re finishing up with lingering questions about Easter here at Stand in the Gap today. Well, thank you for joining us today. I hope this has been a stimulating conversation. I was discussing with Sam Rohr the need to do some of these theologically based programs help our listeners gain some biblical clarity.
And so if it was a blessing to you, can I encourage you to let us know? We’d love to hear from you. Please write us. You can get our address at Stand in the gap media.org and we value your input. And what has made this a great program today is our guests, Ryan Day and Cory Marsh, and please check out their podcast, the Pastor Scholar Podcast. Cory is a professor at Southern California Seminary, and so you can check out what’s happening at the seminary and books that he has and check out Revolve Church there in Southern California. And if you’re ever out that way, head to that church man. Let’s finish up this conversation, Cory. We remember the scene at the crucifixion. Jesus mentioning the presence there of his mother, Mary, and his instructions to John to take care of her. I had two questions. First, why only Mary? And do we know what happened to Joseph Jesus earthly father? There’s no mention of them.
Cory Marsh:
Yeah. Isn’t that interesting? Well, I would say technically there were more followers than just Mary and John at the cross Luke’s gospel that Jesus’s acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. But John 20, I think verse 25 narrows in on four specific women at the cross. Interestingly enough, it says in John 2025, standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clo and Mary Magdalene. So technically there were four women that are named there. Jesus’ mother’s the first, then her sister who’s identified by the name Salome in Mark’s account with Matthew adding, she was the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The third Mary was the wife of Clo who may have been a brother of Joseph according to UUs, the church historian, and four Mary Magdalene.
So four separate women, three different Marys, and one woman named Stallone. Now, some half made the case that the text identifies only three women with Jesus’ mother having a sister also named Mary. But that’s only possible if they were both named Mary from previous marriages and were really half sisters. But there’s nothing to suggest this is the case in the text. So it’s pretty, pretty unlikely that the gospels meant anything less than the four distinct women at the cross. And John, now for your question about Joseph, it is interesting that he sort of drops out of the story unannounced, right? The last reference to him in Matthew’s account is in Matthew chapter 13, when Jesus is teaching the Jews in the synagogue in his hometown Nazareth, and they took offense at him. And in verse 55, I believe in chapter 13, they say, is not this the carpenter’s son and is not his mother called Mary, are not his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas here.
And the last reference that Joseph and John’s gospel is in chapter six, right after Jesus’, I am statement claiming to be the bread of life sent from heaven. And in verse 42 they replied, is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph whose father and mother we know? How did he now say I’ve come down from heaven? So after that, it’s very interesting. Joseph just kind of quietly disappears and the gospels are silent as to what happened to him. Some have tried to make the case that Mary and Joseph eventually divorced and that the gospels don’t mention it out of embarrassment, but that’s just not the picture we get of Joseph and of their marriage in the New Testament that included having multiple children, by the way, both boys and girls, given how the gospels describe Joseph only in a positive light, even as a righteous or just man as Matthew chapter one verse 19 calls him, I think the best we can infer is that Joseph most likely died probably at some point during Jesus’ ministry. We don’t know when because he just kind of quietly fades out. But that would help explain why he isn’t present at the cross with Mary and John and the women.
Jamie Mitchell:
Wow. In light of the Pope dying, there’s going to be a lot of talk about Catholic theology and Mary Ryan, our last question here is about Mary and do we have any idea what happened to Mary after the resurrection and really once the church began, and I always say this about Mary, the Catholics adore her. Sometimes Protestants ignore her, but I think we need to restore her to the proper biblical idea of who Mary is. But after the church begins, there’s no real sign of Mary. Do we know anything that happened to her after the resurrection?
Ryan Day:
Yeah, we know a little bit as it’s already been stated at the cross, Jesus asked John to take care of his mother After that, after the ascension in Acts chapter one, we do see Mary was gathered together on the day of Pentecost with those in the upper room, the day that the church began when the Holy Spirit descended. So that occurred after the resurrection. Beyond that, the Bible is silent. Scripture doesn’t speak to what happened to Mary after that point because Mary was in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Some believe that that’s where she moved and that’s where she lived. In fact, today there are actually two burial sites near the Mount of Olives, one by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and there’s another temple that was built by some monks that believe that’s where Mary lived after the resurrection. There’s also a church tradition that believes that I say church tradition.
I mean a Roman Catholic church tradition that believed that Mary moved to the city of Ephesus because that’s where John May have pastored in Ephesus as well. And so there was a lady who had a private revelation, I believe her name was Ann Catherine Emrich in the 19th century. And that vision, because of that vision, she placed Mary’s house in Ephesus. And according to the Roman Catholic Church, I think the majority of Roman Catholics believe in Ephesus is also probably where Mary’s assumption took place, her resurrection and soul and body. But all of that is not in scripture. The fact of the matter is, is that after the beginning of the Book of Acts, there is simply no mention of Mary and church tradition or private revelations. They do not take the place of the authority and the sufficiency of scripture. You mentioned, Jamie, that because of the death of the Pope, there’s going to be a whole lot of people talking about Mary and Roman Catholic doctrine.
The main difference between evangelicals, which are Protestants, means protestors. We’re protesting the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone. That’s our chief point of disagreement. But along with that is this doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture. We believe that scripture is sufficient for life and godliness. And so as Protestants, as Evangelicals, our focus is on God’s word and God’s word is silent. And so when we’re talking about this issue of Mary, her assumption, what happened after the resurrection, what did she do? Scripture is silent. And the reason why scripture is silent is because it doesn’t matter. The Bible is christocentric. What matters is what happened to Jesus Christ, not Mary.
Jamie Mitchell:
Well, fellas, the clock isn’t our friend, but you’ve done a great job and you’ve served us well. Thank you so much for helping us understand Easter. God bless you, Cory and Ryan, and we’ll certainly have you back. The important issue is, well, what Easter is all about is a resurrected savior and a redeemer who can get us to heaven.
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