Problem: The wording of the accusation above Christ’s head on the cross is rendered differently in each Gospel account.
Matthew: “This is Jesus the king of the Jews” (27:37).
Mark: “The king of the Jews” (15:26).
Luke: “This is the king of the Jews” (23:38).
John: “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews” (19:19).
Gall (Matthew 27:34) – “they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.”
Myrhh (Mark 15:23) – “And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.”
Gall is bile secreted by the liver. Biblically, it is used to denote bitterness of spirit (Acts 8:23; Lam. 3:19). Myrrh is an aromatic gum that grows in Arabia, Abyssinia, and India. It was used to sweeten the smell and taste of various foods. It was also used in embalming (John 19:39).
Simon of Cyrene
(Matthew 27:31-32) – “And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. 32And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.”
(Mark 15:20-21) – “And after they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, and put His garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him. 21And they pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.”
(Luke 23:26) – “And when they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”
Scarlet Robe
Matt. 27:28, “They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.”
Matt. 27:31, “After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”
Purple Robe
Mark 15:17, “They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him.”
Mark 15:20, “After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.”
John 19:2, “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him.”
John 19:5, “Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”
Was the robe of Jesus scarlet or purple? To answer the question, we must first examine the colors to see what they are. Below is a chart showing both scarlet and purple with different shades, in hex code, side by side. The upper grid is the direct color presentation. The bottom grid is the same presentation with a transparent shade over it. The shade is to simulate dim lighting conditions, which might have been the case inside Pilate’s palace where they placed the robe on Jesus.
As you can see, the colors are both different and similar depending on the shade and the lighting. For example, dark scarlet is very similar to darker purple. In the condition of poor lighting, the distinction is even less apparent since the colors would appear darker.
So, it could simply be that the robe was a dark color that could have been accurately described by either word.
Also, another possibility is that the robe could have been made of two colors that were put together due to their similarity. But this explanation doesn’t seem to fit that well.
“And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. (Matt 27:28-31”
Problem: Mark and John refer to Jesus’ robe as “purple” (Jn. 19:2; Mk. 15:17), while Matthew refers to it as “scarlet” (Mt. 27:28). Luke doesn’t mention the color, merely calling it a “gorgeous robe” (Lk. 23:11). Which color was Jesus’ robe?
Problem: Critics claim that Matthew made a mistake in his quotation here. There is no reference to a “potter’s field” in Zechariah, and the original incident does not seem to deal with the actions of Judas. Some critics of the NT claim that Matthew got his names wrong, when he wrote this.
There is no contradiction about who bought the potter’s field in the Bible. It was the Jews who technically did the purchase, but they did it in the name of Judas which is why it is attributed to Judas.
Problem: Matthew states, “[Judas] went away and hanged himself” (Mt. 27:5). However, Luke writes, “[Judas] burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out” (Acts 1:18). New Testament critic Bart Ehrman refers to these passages as “flat out contradictory.”[1]
By hanging
(Matthew 27:3-8) – “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.”
Problem: Whom did Jesus see first upon His arrest, Annas or Caiaphas? It was Annas.
Problem: Matthew declares that Judas hanged himself. However, in Acts 1:18 it says that he fell and his body burst open.
Problem: When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus told Peter to put back the sword because those who take up the sword will die by the sword. Some use this verse to support pacifism and to oppose capital punishment, which the Bible affirms elsewhere (Gen. 9:6).
There is no contradiction in the Bible regarding who arrested Jesus. All we need to do is look at the context.
Denies before cock crow:
(Mathew 26:34,74-75) – “Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a cock crows, you shall deny Me three times . . . 74Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a cock crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Problem: Matthew and John (13:38) say before the rooster crows once, Peter will have denied the Lord three times. But Mark affirms that before the rooster crows twice Peter will deny Christ three times. Which account is right?