Why Did Jesus Appear to Various People After His resurrection?
Before we examine our main question let’s have a look at how Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for His coming crucifixion!
The first time Jesus predicted His death and resurrection to the disciples was in Matthew 16 just after He asks them, “Who do you say I am”? It was only Peter who was able to say, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But sadly, not long after this Peter denied him!
Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
The second time He predicted His death was just after He healed a demon possessed boy in Matthew 17:18.
Matthew 17:23 (NIV)
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
The third and final time He told them was in Matthew 20 when they were on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus lay down His life for us, His Church!
Matthew 20:17-19 (NIV)
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
So, here we see Jesus preparing the disciples for what was about to happen, His death on the cross!
In Matthew 16:22 we see Peter taking the Lord aside and saying to the Lord in complete disbelief that His crucifixion will never happen. This of course leads to him receiving a very stern rebuke from the Lord because of his unbelief!
Matthew 16:22 (NIV)
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
In Matthew 17:23 above the verse ends by telling us that the disciples were filled with grief, a despairing grief. They were unable to grasp that His death would end in great joy at His resurrection and this would bring life to mankind, man’s salvation through Him! Again, unbelief was there!
And, of course in Matthew 20 we read that two of the disciples (brothers) were seeking ‘position’ in heaven either side of Jesus. So very much a fleshly desire which led to the other disciples having a ‘go’ at them – verse 24 tells us that the other disciples were indignant! Very human indeed - self-seeking and totally missing the point of salvation!
So, from what scripture tells us I think we can safely say that at the crucifixion the disciples and the other followers must have been feeling pretty down and defeated and unbelieving!
Now from here let’s go back to our original question and answer it from scripture!
Why did Jesus appear to various people for 40 days after His resurrection?
Well, there are a number of reasons that I have come across from studying the scriptures but I’m pretty sure that you can find many more yourselves. Here is what I’ve found!
1. To fulfil centuries of Old Testament prophecy of His death and resurrection.
Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV)
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
This is one of many Old Testament prophecies of Jesus, his birth, death and resurrection!
2. To fulfil His own prophecies.
Shown above in Matthew 16, 17 and 20.
These are the two main reasons for the resurrection which prove that God always had His son in mind as mankind’s Saviour. It was always God’s will!
But woven in between the fulfillment of prophecy are many other 'salvationary' facets such as:
- To finish the work of redemption. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would mean that he was not the son of God and that he did not conquer death and there would be no route for man to receive salvation and reconciliation with God. It is his resurrection that proved that redemption was finished. Indeed his blood was sufficient to pay for mankind, if not, he would not have been raised from the dead.
- It is proof that death has been defeated, and divine, everlasting life is now available to believers and that we as His children are able to enter God’s presence – the Holy of Holies.
Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV)
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
- To empower us with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit so we can rule and reign in this life and to fulfill the command that we call ‘The Great Commission’.
Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- To show us that our future resurrection is assured and that we as believers in Christ will receive everlasting life.
John 11:23-26 (AMP)
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise [from the dead].” 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise [from the dead] in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?”
- For our justification which is what completes our salvation
Romans 5:1 (AMP)
Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).
Right, now that we have established why Jesus was resurrected, let’s move on to what He was doing during the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension which is something that is rarely preached from the pulpit – at least in my limited experience!
We have already established that the disciples and probably many of the Lord’s other followers were grieving and feeling pretty depressed and sad. Now the Lord knew this, and He knew that He would need to give them both natural and supernatural encouragement.
Now, what better way to get someone’s attention than an earthquake! We read in Matthew 28 that after the Sabbath at dawn there were a number of people at the Lord’s tomb. There were a number of guards and there was Mary Magdalene and Mary, Martha’s sister.
So now an earthquake strikes and and an angel appears and rolls away the stone that seals the tomb. The angel was pretty awesome in appearance as well, he was like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow. Now the guards were so petrified that they became frozen with fright! But the women, obviously made of much sterner stuff, wanted to chat! The angel spoke these famous and encouraging words to them:
Matthew 28:5-7 (NIV)
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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 two Mary’s, afraid but full of joy, scoot off to tell the disciples but Jesus Himself appears to them (Mary and Martha) on the road where they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. Here He encourages them to also go and tell the disciples that they should go to Galilee, and He will meet them (the disciples) there.
The two Mary’s do as they are instructed, and the disciples head for Galilee to meet Jesus where they worship Him, and He gives them ‘The Great Commission’ – Matthew 28:16-20 above.
In the Book of John, we get more detail of the happenings than we do from Matthew the Tax Collector. John, who had a more intimate relationship with the Lord, gives us a more ‘loving’ view of things when the disciples meet Jesus in Galilee.
In John 20 we are told that Peter and John, when told that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had arisen, didn’t really believe it and ran to the tomb to see for themselves and of course all they found were the grave clothes. They then went back to the other disciples.
It is after this that Jesus supernaturally appears to the disciples who had locked themselves in a room where they were staying because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders – John 20:19-23. Jesus suddenly appears to them from nowhere and says, “Peace be with you!” He then shows them the wounds in His hands and side! It is at this point that the disciples, except for Thomas who wasn’t there, start to truly believe in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God!
Now, when Thomas hears this news from the other disciples, he still doesn’t believe! So, Jesus in His great compassion and love, appears to the disciples again a week later in the same room when Thomas is there. Again, the Lord says to them, “Peace be with you!” He then shows Thomas His wounds, and he touches them. It is at this point that Thomas finally believes and makes this delaration, “My Lord and my God!” – John 20:26-28.
It is only at this point, even after walking with Jesus together for just over three years, that all the disciples, minus Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him, finally and truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah! It is here that their redemption is complete! If Jesus hadn’t have appeared to them this would not have happened, and Christianity and the Church would not exist, neither then nor today!
The third time Jesus appears to the disciples is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Seven of the eleven had gone fishing at Peter’s suggestion, they were Peter, Thomas (Didymus), Nathanael, James and John the sons of Zebedee and two other unnamed disciples but probably Andrew (Peter’s brother) and Philip.
It is for these disciples that the miracle of the miraculous catch of fish takes place – John 21:1-14. This confirms to the disciples that it is indeed the resurrected Christ that has been appearing to them – blessed assurance.
But even more significant than the miraculous catch of fish, it is on these Galileean shores that the Lord reinstates Peter after his heartbreaking denial of Christ at his arrest and trial. This too is the very place that Peter was first called by the Lord to follow him!
John 21:15-17 (NIV)
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
After his reinstatement Peter emerges to be one of the principal leaders of the Church and the Apostle to the Jews. He remains a pillar of the Church until he Himself is eventually crucified by the Romans (supposedly upside-down) a number of years later in Rome.
If Jesus had not appeared to the disciples to encourage them after His resurrection none of this would have happened. Man would have no way to be saved and reconciled with God! God’s plan revealed!
The Apostle John also tells us that during this time Jesus did many other things, and I mean ‘big time’ many, that were not recorded!
John 21:25 (NIV)
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
In Acts 1 the author, the Apostle Luke, tells us in a nutshell what Jesus was doing in these forty days!
Acts 1:3-5 (NIV)
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
During these forty days the Lord’s focus was on the disciples and telling them about the kingdom of God, proving to them that He was alive and encouraging them and building them up in their faith – Jesus is the kingdom of God. He also gave them the command not to leave Jerusalem until they received the gift the Father had promised – baptism with the Holy Spirit! Jesus knew that if the didn’t receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit they would be unable to fulfill the Great Commission – Matthew 28:16-20 above!
The Holy Spirit will equip them, empower them and lead them in all truth in all things! And He will do the same for us, His Church, today! We just have to receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and be continually filled!
John 16:12-15 (NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
The Apostle Paul in his letters teaches us so much more about the importance of living life in the Spirit and being led by Him! I would encourage all my readers to study Romans 8 in particular!
Just before Jesus was taken up into heaven, He leaves the disciple with these incredibly powerful and energizing words:
Acts 1:8 (AMP)
But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”
And after Pentecost that is exactly what the disciples and the Lord’s other followers did! And this is what today’s Church should still be doing, both individually and corporately!
Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
This was the start of the New Testament Church, the Church that today’s Church should be emulating in every way! But sadly, many false prophets have arisen in these times and have led many astray. These Churches are no longer preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified and modelling themselves on the New Testament Church of the Bible. They are following the whims and fancies of man’s desire for fame and fortune modelling themselves on friendship with the world, turning the Lord’s Church into businesses that are lovers of money and leading many to destruction, including themselves.
James 4:4 (AMP)
You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
1 Timothy 6:10 (AMP)
For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.
It is only through the Holy Spirit that God’s children have Jesus Christ living in them and apart from Jesus we can do nothing!
It is only through the Holy Spirit that we will fulfill the will of God for our lives!
It is only through the Holy Spirit that we will be able to do on earth even greater things that our Lord!
It is only through the Holy Spirit that we will be overcomers of the world and much, much more!
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Dear Lord
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would help me to imitate you in every way. I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and lead and guide me in all truth and on the path that you have willed for my life. I asked that you fill me with your love that I may love others as you love me – unconditionally so that I may glorify your name! Amen.
All glory, honour and praise belongs to Jesus!
Jesus the Name above all names!
