Jesus’ Last Words
Is There a Contradiction in the Gospels?
Introduction
Many skeptics search for “alleged” errors in the Scriptures in order to discredit God’s Word as being truthful or inerrant. Often, such skeptics cite apparent contradictions within the four gospel accounts as being evidence that God’s Word is inconsistent.
Millard Erickson explains,
“Difficulties in explaining the biblical text should not be prejudged as indications of error. It is better to wait for the remainder of the data to come in, with the confidence that if we had all the data, the problems could be resolved. In some cases, the data may never come in… It is encouraging, however, that the trend is toward the resolution of difficulties as more data come in.”
As it turns out, many of these apparent contradictions are not contradictions at all — they are often simply matters of insufficient information. As more information is attained, these “contradictions” tend to resolve themselves. Often, even a simple study into the wording and chronology of events can be enough to clear up confusion.
One specific example of an “alleged” error is Christ’s final words on the cross. All four gospel accounts quote Jesus saying something on the cross before He died — however, the four accounts do not quote the same exact words. In an article listing alleged errors, (self proclaimed) atheism expert Austin Cline cites Mark 15:34–37, Matthew 27:46–50, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30 as evidence that the Scriptures “were inconsistent in describing what happened”. On a webpage titled “Bible Contradictions”, Jim Meritt cites these same passages as evidence of a contradiction. What can account for this?
Matthew and Mark
When reading the four passages, it must be noted that the Matthew and Mark Scriptures are almost identical. In both accounts, Jesus said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The only difference between these two passages is that the author Matthew uses the word “Eli” for God, while Mark uses the word “Eloi”.
Which of these two words could Jesus have said? If Matthew and Mark are both reporting the truth, then one of them must be right and the other wrong. In reality, this difference in wording can be easily explained in that both Matthew and Mark (along with Jesus and the rest of the Jews in Galilee) spoke the common language of Aramaic. Both gospel accounts, however, are written in Greek.
When writing their accounts, Matthew and Mark chose their preferred Greek translation of what Jesus had said on the cross in Aramaic. Thus, this difference in wording between these two passages does not show a contradiction in what Jesus said on the cross — it simply shows a difference in translation preferences between two authors.
How about the chronology of what is said? All three accounts (Matthew and Mark’s, Luke’s, and John’s) could not have been simultaneously Jesus’ last words. It is important to note here that Matthew and Mark never claim that their recording of Jesus’ words were his last. Instead, both accounts order the events as follows:
- Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)
- Nearby people thought Jesus was calling for Elijah (Matthew 27:47, Mark 15:35)
- Jesus was given a sponge of vinegar to drink from (Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36)
- Nearby people waited to see if Elijah would come (Matthew 27:49, Mark 15:36)
- Jesus cried with a loud voice (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37)
- Jesus died (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37)
Luke & John
Matthew and Mark do not clarify what it is exactly that Jesus cried out before He died. That is where Luke fits in. Luke says that Jesus cried with a loud voice “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”. This is the cry which Matthew and Mark both mentioned. Thus, Luke’s account of Jesus’ cry does not contradict anything either, but fits rather well into Matthew and Mark’s accounts.
This then brings us to John’s account. I do concede that the John passage does not fit in as perfectly into Mathew and Mark’s chronology as does Luke’s account. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say that Jesus first cried out, then died. John does not say this. How can this discrepancy be explained?
A closer examination into word-choice solves this problem. Luke’s wording leaves no uncertainty that Jesus died after uttering “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” This is because, immediately following His utterance, Luke writes that Jesus “gave up the ghost.”
John, on the other hand, does not say that Jesus died immediately following His utterance. John’s account says, “He [Jesus] said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Thus, while the language of Luke indicates beyond any uncertainty that Jesus died right after Luke’s recorded utterance, the language of John allows for the possibility that Jesus spoke again.
When Jesus said “it is finished” in John’s account, He was referring to the mission He was sent by the Father to accomplish. Later, when Jesus was saying “I commend my spirit”, He was referring to His death. This means that the John statement must have been made before Luke’s.
The Final Chronology
The likely chronology of Jesus’ utterances on the cross is as follows:
- Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)
- Nearby people thought Jesus was calling for Elijah (Matthew 27:47, Mark 15:35)
- Jesus was given a sponge of vinegar to drink from (Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36)
- Nearby people waited to see if Elijah would come (Matthew 27:49, Mark 15:36)
- Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30)
- Jesus cried with a loud voice (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37) the phrase “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)
- Jesus died (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, John 19:30)
Conclusion
It can concluded thus that there are no contradictions that occur within the four gospel accounts as it pertains to Jesus’ final words. A simple study into the wording and chronology of events is enough to clear up any confusion. Indeed, we must take to Erickson’s warning not to jump to conclusions too quickly when it pertains to the inerrancy of Scriptures.
What seems to be a contradiction today may very well become a point of clarity tomorrow, especially as archeologists, linguists, historians, and theologians continue their research. Those who seek contradictions will undoubtedly continue to find them, even in places where perhaps they do not exist. One thing remains certain: the Word of God is inerrant. Where there seems to be an error, there is simply insufficient information and understanding.
