POST RESURRECTION APPEARANCES (Part 2)
Reading for Today:
Matthew 28:16-20
Mark 16:15-18
Luke 24:36-48
During the forty days that Jesus was on earth between his resurrection and his ascension, we have only a few recorded times that he appeared to his disciples. It doesn’t mean there weren’t more – it’s just that we are only provided a limited record. After grappling with trying to meld them – I ultimately decided to just report them – and let them be as they are: the corroboration of his physically and tangibly being among them. Before I get to today’s specific passages, I have to backtrack a little bit for clarity.
On Sunday morning (+-April 5, 33 A D) reported in Matthew 28:7-10, the angel who told the women Jesus was risen, also told them, “Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
The women saw the place where Jesus had been – and then they obeyed, but as they were running away from the tomb – suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said…. Then Jesus said to them…. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
In Matthew’s Gospel, verse 16 of Matthew 28 picks up the continuation of that story. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. Note: according to Matthew they were told to go to Galilee to meet Jesus. That was the instruction given to the women that they were to pass on early – very early – that first Sunday morning – the Sunday of Resurrection.
Mark’s account agrees that the angel told the women to go tell the disciples to go to Galilee – but he also specifies ‘the disciples and Peter’…. I love that Jesus knew how dreadfully Peter was hurting – and that we have this record that he reached out to him specifically.
I have to address the confusion Luke’s gospel creates. Luke 24:33-35 tells us about Jesus appearing to the two on the road to Emmaus that first Sunday – two who jumped up from the table after Jesus had left them and immediately ran back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
So – it’s Sunday evening, and even though the disciples were told by the women that they were to go to Galilee, they are behind a closed door in Jerusalem….
Then, in verse 36 Luke reports: While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
I love this passage in Luke. Love that Jesus explained everything to them; Love that they had a time of ‘show and tell’ when he let them touch the sites of his physical wounds – and explained everything again to them – opening their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (which – as a reminder – was the Old Testament: Law, Prophets and Psalms. The New Testament wasn’t written yet.)
Verses 46 – 49 are wonderful verses: He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
There is definitely a glitch here somewhere. In fact, John corroborates the fact that Jesus appeared to them behind the locked door on that first day of the week – on the Sunday of his Resurrection. And he attests that a week later, on the next Sunday, when the 11 disciples were in that very same house again, that Jesus appeared to them again for Thomas’ benefit. Thomas had not yet seen him.
So – it is apparent that the Galilee appearance took place sometime after that first week, which means the disciples didn’t go immediately to Galilee.
About a month after they went to Galilee they had to go back to Jerusalem because that is where Jesus ascended from 40 days after His resurrection – and it was at that point they were told to stay and wait for the promised Comforter. They didn’t know how long it would be before that happened – but they obeyed.
And so we wait….
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