When comparing Mark 16 to Matthew 28, one can see that these two texts are essentially the same story told in different ways. Both of these texts are retellings of the story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. Both of these stories, told in narrative form, are focused around when Mary Magdalene and Mary went to the tomb where Jesus was buried, only to discover that his body was no longer there. In these stories, there is somebody at the tomb who relays the word of God to the women, and the individual at the tomb directs them to tell the disciples of Jesus’ resurrection. It is one of the biggest turning points within the story of Jesus, as it is when people really begin to realize that he is the Messiah, and that God has…show more content… Moloney’s The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary and in R.T. France’s The New International Greek Commentary: The Gospel of Mark, both commentaries on the book of Mark, specifically chapter 16, there are similar themes in the interpretation of the story. In Mark, the author specifically states the day, being the third day after the crucifixion, and on the Sabbath. The time of day is also specified – the early morning. These are obviously significant to the story, and Moloney suggests that, “The rising of the sun might indicate that something more than the woman imagine, quite outside their control, is about to be revealed.” Another very important aspect of the text that is explained in these commentaries is God’s actions and His role in this story. It is mentioned in both commentaries that the verb tense of Mark 16:4 where it describes the tomb when Mary Magdalene and Mary first saw it, that “the stone had been rolled back.” Because the verb is in the passive form of the perfect tense, it suggests that God had entered the story, and He was the one who had rolled back the stone. God also enters the story through his words that he speaks through the young man that is in the tomb. Although he is only described as just a young man, there is evidence that leads to the conclusion that this is no ordinary man, but someone divine. He is wearing white, which is a significant color – usually associated with the divine. The young man is also in a seated position that is known…show more content… For example, the women’s reaction of the individual in the tomb is important in both texts, but the reaction between the texts is very different. In Mark 16, the women are terrified and amazed, and they end up fleeing in fear much like the disciples did. As Moloney says in his commentary, “[the women] have not been able to overcome the scandal of the empty tomb and the Easter proclamation. They have joined the disciples in flight.” And in Matthew 28, the women react with joy and awe. They are joyful that Jesus, the one whom they worship, has risen; but they are also in awe of the figure before them and the word of God that he relays to them. In the commentaries of Matthew 28: Stanley Hauerwas’s Matthew, and John Nolland’s The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Matthew. there is evidence that the book of Matthew pulled certain parts of Mark, and was more or less based off of the book of Mark. One of the main things that is drawn from Mark is the time frame. Nolland even states that, “both of Mark’s time expressions seem to have influenced Matthew here.” This could be a possible explanation of the similarities between the texts, the fact that one text was based off of, and had a lot of influence over the