Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 10/25/2009

Question
Was Mary, the mother of Jesus at the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices with Mary magdalene and Salome? Is this Mary, mother of James, another Mary?  After 40 years of studying the bible, that struck me this morning in my Sunday school class, as we were reading Mark 16:1

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your question.

Mark 16:1 literally says: When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala (Magdalene), Mary (the mother) of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could come and annoint Him.

Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

Matthew 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.


Jn 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.


Each of the four gospels are a little different in seeing who was at the tomb.  Mark's account which was written first, has Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the apostle James, and Salome at the tomb.

I could see the confusion, since Jesus' mother also had a son named James.  But the gospels specifically tell us that Jesus' mother was at the crucifixion but not the tomb that morning.