Did Jesus Rise During the Night?

"Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn^{G2020 V-PPA-DFS} toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came^{G2064 V-AIA-3S} to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it." Matthew 28:1-2

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came^{G2064 V-PIM/P-3P} to the tomb when the sun^{G2246 N-GMS} had risen.^{G393 V-APA-GMS} They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large." Mark 16:1-4

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,^{G3722 N-GMS} they came^{G2064 V-AIA-3P} to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24:1-3

"Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came^{G2064 V-AIA-3S} early to the tomb, while it was still dark,^{G4653 N-GFS} and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb." John 20:1

Both Matthew 28:1 and Luke 24:1 use the Greek verb erchomai (ἔρχομαι) in the aorist indicative active third person, while Matthew's is singular (ἦλθεν) and Luke's is plural (ἦλθον). Aorist indicates past action. Indicative means to tell facts. Mark 16:2 and John 20:1 use the Greek verb in the present indicative middle third person, while Mark's is plural (ἔρχονται) and John's is singular (ἔρχεται). Present indicates what happens or what is happening. Again, indicative means to tell facts.

John 20:1 is telling us that Mary Magdalene was on her way to the tomb while it was still dark. It does not tell us that she had already arrived.

Matthew uses the Greek word epiphosko (ἐπιφώσκω), which means "to grow light, to dawn" [Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon]. "In Luke 23:54 the verb has the meaning to draw near... To dawn as the daylight, to grow toward daylight (Matt 28:1)" [AMG's The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament].

Luke 24:1 uses the Greek word orthros (ὄρθρος), which means "at early dawn." It is used to mean "at daybreak, at dawn, early in the morning" in John 8:2 and Acts 5:21 (cf. Sept. Jer. 25:4; 33:5, etc.).

Mark 16:2, using the same verb tense as in John 20:1 (but in plural), uses the Greek noun helios (ἥλιος), which means "the sun." Likewise, Mark 16:2 uses the Greek verb anatello (ἀνατέλλω), which is in the aorist indicative active genitive masculine singular, which means, as a transitive verb, "to cause to rise," as in the plants (Gen. 3:18), and as an intransitive verb, "to rise, arise, etc.," as in light (Matt. 15:16; cf. Is. 48:10), the sun (Matt. 13:6; Mark 4:6; 16:2; James 1:11), the clouds (Luke 12:54), et al.

Certain Christians, in their attempt to argue for a Wednesday-Saturday crucifixion-resurrection (while arguing that the Friday-Sunday crucifixion-resurrection is “false doctrine”), claim that there were two groups of women. They argue that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb first, by herself, and inspected it, and having seen no body returned to tell the disciples. Their argument is based on Mark 16:9: "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." Then later came the other group of women who told nobody (16:8). But this argument fails in light of a thorough examination of all four gospels.

Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and the other Mary—2 people. Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome—3 people. Luke mentions "they," "the women" from 23:55. John mentions Mary Magdalene—1 person. John's narrative focuses on Mary Magdalene alone. Matthew's focuses on Mary Magdalene and one other person. Mark's focuses on Mary Magdalene and two other people. Luke's focuses on the group of women. All four of these passages occur before the stone was rolled away. How can Mary Magdalene come by herself to the tomb, see the stone rolled away, go tell the disciples, and yet come with Mary the mother of James and Salome asking, "Who will roll the stone away for us?" Did she magically forget that she had already seen the stone rolled away and had already told the disciples? Mark 16:9 cannot mean that Jesus appeared to her all by herself before anybody else because 16:1 says that she and two other women were coming to see the tomb before the stone had been rolled away. Matthew says that she and the other Mary were headed to the tomb before the earthquake and then the stone was rolled away.

The passages must harmonize. Mary Magdalene and other women came to see the tomb, found the stone rolled away, and then while she and at least one other person ran to tell the disciples, the rest of the women said nothing.