The incredible journey of Jesus Christ begins. Jesus the Christ awakens on the slab, unwraps the cloth around his body and head, removes the coins from his eyes, and rises from the stone slab. He then wraps himself in the linen cloth for modesty’s sake, moves the rock aside, and exits into the dawn.
(Note: It is probable that the two angels are provided by the Father to assist their Lord in these activities( John 20:12, below).
The gospels coincide, once again, when the tomb is visited…Each of the writers agrees that the body of Jesus is not in the sepulchre/tomb.
The synoptic gospels say that the stone has been rolled away from the entrance. Matthew explains this by the “earthquake”. Mark says that the women are confused as to how the stone was moved. The women are told that Jesus has been resurrected. Matthew and Luke mention Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary”. Luke includes Joanna, and the “other women”, as well. Matthew refers to the individual, who delivers the message, as an “angel”. Mark says he is a “young man…in white”. Luke says that there are two men in “dazzling apparel”. Both Matthew and Mark state that it began to dawn”…”the sun had risen”. After seeing the empty tomb, the women rush to tell the disciples. Mark says that they are told to tell Peter. (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:2-10; Luke 24:1-10).
…LUKE 24:1-7,9,10, JOHN 20:12…But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they (the women) came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their heads to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee?, saying the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day arise again”…and (they) returned from the tomb and reported these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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.
(Note: Here we go again…confusion caused by translation. The women didn’t come to the tomb at “early dawn”, Sunday. They arrive just before sunset before the Sabbath ends. Another translation describes the time as “early depths of one of the sabbaths” (B-3-215)…which means just before sunset, Saturday. As overcome by grief as the women are, they would not let the night, Saturday night, go by without visiting their loved one, and taking advantage of what little light is still available to apply the aromatics.)
This is another way in which God uses the weak to confound the strong, by selecting women to spread the word. Women are considered the “weaker” sex. In many ways, they are almost non-persons during this era. And yet, they are chosen to be the messengers, bearers of tidings of the most significant happening in all history. Women are the first evangelists…bringers of the good tidings of the redemption of the world through the risen Jesus Christ.
Also it appears that Jesus told his followers, including the women, of what was to occur to him, on his last trip through Galilee. Evidence of this is reflected in what the two men say, above, when they speak of what Jesus told them”…while still in Galilee.”
Luke reports that after the disciples are told of what happened, they are not believed. Peter goes to the tomb and discovers it is empty, and wonders what happened (Luke 24:11,12).
…LUKE 24:11,12…And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home marveling at what had happened. (Note: Paragraph 12 is omitted in some of the older
manuscripts.)
John relates the story differently. He says that it is Mary
Magdalene, alone, who discovers that the stone has been
taken away. She tells Simon Peter that someone has taken
the Lord out of the tomb. Peter and the “other disciple”
(probably John) run to the tomb and see the linen clothes
lying there. The “other disciple” enters the tomb after Peter
does, and he “saw and believed”. Then it says that they did
not understand…”that He must rise again from the dead.”
Mary, left alone, sees two angels in the tomb and Jesus
appears and talks to her. He says, “Stop clinging to Me…”,
because He has not yet ascended to the Father. He tells her
to tell the disciples that He ascends to the Father. She goes to
the disciples and tells them “I have seen the Lord.”(John
20:1-18).
…JOHN 20:1-3,6,8-12,14,16-18…Now on the first day of the week (sunday) Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken from the tomb. And so she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him”. Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb…Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there,…Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who had first come to the tomb, and he saw, and he believed. For as yet they did not understand scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their homes. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying…When she said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know it was Jesus…Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned to Him and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God’.” Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
(Note: What is meant by rising “again” from the dead I don’t know).
But again, another translation reads, “…He must rise from “among” the dead”(B-3-278), which makes more sense, It is interesting that Jesus tells her not to cling to Him, because He hasn’t “ascended to the Father”. One can only imagine why this would be. Maybe because human flesh defiles the “incorruptible” body?
That same day, on the road to Emmaus (hot springs), Jesus encounters two disciples, one of which is the Greek, Cleophas. When Jesus asks them why they are “depressed”, they respond sarcastically, asking Him how He could have been in Jerusalem and not know what happened. Jesus, still unrecognized, reminds them of what the prophets said must happen for Jesus to gain “glory”. When they arrive at Emmaus, He joins them. After blessing and giving them bread, He disappears. It is then that they realize that He is the risen Lord and they return to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what happened. (Luke 24:13-35).
…LUKE 24:13,14-20,22-26,28-31,33-35…And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began travelling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death and crucified Him…But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see. And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”…And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther. And they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” And He went in to stay with them. And it came about that when He had reclined at table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight”…”And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered there the eleven and those that were with them, and saying, “The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon.” And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
I imagine that these disciples are going to Emmaus, because they are concerned for their safety in Jerusalem, or maybe they are going to “take the baths”. It becomes more important to them to forego the baths, or concern for their safety, to tell the others about the risen Christ. The man “Cleopas”, also written “Cleophas” was probably the Greek who visited Jesus in Bethany.
Who says that Jesus does not have a sense of humor? He knows very well what is upsetting them, but He plays the “fool” in order to get their reaction. I imagine that He does this in the way of a jibe, as well.
Luke provides a “time marker” when he says, “…it is getting toward evening…” So this event occurs just before sunset on the first day of the week (Sunday).
(Note: On the face of things, it appears as though there is a contradiction here, when the two told Jesus, “…Him they did not see.” (Referring to the disciples who saw only the empty tomb, and did not see the Christ). And then turn around and tell the disciples that the Lord “appeared to Simon”. Are they referring to someone other than Simon Peter…perhaps the man with Cleophas? Or did the Lord appear to Simon Peter later (not written of); or did he tell them that he had also seen Jesus, after they arrived in Jerusalem? I don’t know which answer is correct.)
Mark relates a similar instant, without elaboration, and states that the disciples do not believe them (Mark 16:12,13).…MARK 16:12,13…And after that He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country. And they went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
Mark provides us with the reason why they don’t recognize Him, when he says,”…He appeared in a different form…a disguise?”
Matthew says that the elders bribe the guards to tell everyone that the disciples have stolen Jesus out of the tomb. The guards do as instructed, and the report spreads abroad, throughout the Jews. In an aside, he states that this report persists to this day (Matthew 28:11-15).
…MATTHEW 28:11-13,15…Now while they (refers to disciples from previous paragraph) were on their way, behold some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priest what had happened. And when they (guards) had assembled with the elders and counseled them together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’”…And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.
All four gospels come together again, in Christ’s meeting with His disciples in Jerusalem. But each writer has a different spin on the meeting. Matthew says that they meet Him on the return from the tomb, and that they worship Him and He reassures them. (Matthew 28:9,10.)
…MATTHEW 28:9,10…And behold, Jesus met them (Peter and the other disciple) and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to my brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me.”
There is no specific location for this meeting…somewhere around Jerusalem. This may have been when Simon Peter saw Jesus, before the two disciples, mentioned above (Luke 24:34), arrived. In the other gospels, the meeting takes place in Jerusalem where the disciples are eating the evening meal.
Luke and John say He reassures them that He is Jesus by showing the holes in the body. John says it is the “hands” and “side”; Luke says it is the “feet” and “hands”. Christ reminds them that they are being sent to others, just as the Father sent Him. And even though many still don’t believe, they are overcome by joy. Mark says that Jesus rebukes them for their disbelief. He eats fish and honeycomb. He instructs them, again, regarding His suffering and resurrection. And He tells them to be witnesses of these things, and to carry the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins throughout the “nations”. Thomas arrives. True to his “doubting” nature, he does not believe what they tell him. He says that he will only believe when he puts his “finger into the place of the nails” (Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-25; Mark 16:14).
…LUKE 24:36,38,39,41-44…And while they (Cleophas and the other disciple) were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst…And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And while they still could not believe it for joy were they marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it in their sight. Now He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”…”and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power on high.”
…JOHN 20:25…The other disciples were saying to him (Thomas), “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my fingers into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Again Jesus reveals His humorous nature when He asks if there is anything to eat. It’s as though an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time that you supposed was dead, drops in on you unexpectedly, and asks, “What’s for dinner?” Perhaps the meeting takes place in the “upper room”, where they enjoyed the “last supper”.
I believe that Jesus eats fish so that all can understand that resurrected beings are capable of eating and enjoying food. I believe further, that food is not necessary for sustenance, however, because resurrected beings do not have blood.
He reassures them that he is flesh and bone, not spirit, so that they will realize He is not an apparition…an image of their imagination. But now He allows himself to be touched. One can only surmise as to why now and not before, because He has not yet ascended to the Father. Maybe there’s a difference between touching and “clinging” by Mary Magdalene? Another thing that’s cause for wonder is that He told her to tell the disciples that He has to ascend to the Father. Maybe he decided to see them for Himself, before making the trip?
He takes this time, again, to bring the message, and to remind them that it is up to them to tell the “world” about the promise of the resurrection. He knows that only, if believers realize that they will be resurrected, then will they truly believe in Him; and then they will have the same faith in Him that He has in the Father.
It is hard to believe that some that are present still don’t believe that it is He, but such is the nature of humankind. Sometimes, even seeing is not believing.
When he speaks of them remaining in Jerusalem, until they are “clothed with power on high”, He is speaking of receiving the Holy Spirit/the Helper/The Great Comforter from the Father. The Helper will be available to them, after He has joined the Father. When He was instructing them earlier, He mentioned that He had to leave in order for the Helper/Spirit of truth to come to them (John 14:16,17). The Holy Spirit/Helper arrives in a spectacular way, dramatically portrayed, when it descends like tongues of fire that rests on the disciples (Acts 2:1-4).
…ACTS 2:1-4…And when the day of Pentecost had come (fifty days after Passover), they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each of them. And they were filled with the Holy spirit and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Jesus Christ’s incredible journey continues with His ascension and visit with the Father.
It is not known how he travels into the heavens to be with the Father, but I believe He moves/translates at the “speed of thought”. In the heavens, He is received with great joy and celebration by the celestial, spiritual beings. I imagine that the reunion with the Father is a highly emotional one, with the Father asking the Son to forgive Him for the pain and suffering He was forced to endure alone. The Christ is reconciled with the Father and together they plan His return to earth.
How long He remains with the Father is not known…I like to think that it is for three days and nights.
It could have been longer, but not longer than eight days.
The incredible journey continues when the Christ Jesus returns to earth, eight days later, where John picks up the story when Christ makes an appearance before the disciples. Thomas becomes a believer, after touching the scars of Jesus. Jesus uses this opportunity to remind us that those who believe, who have not seen, are blessed. (John 20:26-29). …JOHN 20:26-29…And after eight days His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in their midst, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see Me, and yet believed.”
John tells us that Jesus performs many miracles, from that day on, which are not included in his writings. He says the ones that are included in his writings are there so that we will believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And (if all the miracles were included) “…the world itself would not be able to contain the books which were written” (John 20:30,31;21:25).
…JOHN 20:30,31;21:25…Many other signs Jesus also performed in front of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name…And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written.
Remember, I said earlier, that John was writing his gospel from the viewpoint that Jesus was the Son of God.Paul gives us a better understanding of the numbers of people that saw Jesus Christ, following His resurrection. He says that over five hundred people saw Him, in addition to the disciples and James, and Paul himself (on the road to Damascus) (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).
…1 CORINTHIANS 15:5-8…and that He appeared to Cephas (Simon Peter), then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
What did Paul mean when he says “…then to the twelve”, after he already mentions Peter? I suppose he means that Peter was the first of the original disciples to see Him. Then he saw Him again, when he was with the other disciples at dinner. The James that Paul refers to is the brother of Jesus, the first leader of the early church in Jerusalem ( I can imagine how emotional that reunion was). He was not, however, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. When Paul says, “all the apostles”, I believe he refers to the many followers of Jesus, when He was teaching on earth.
Stephen saw Jesus in a manner similar to the way Paul did on the road to Damascus. He saw Him looking down from the heavens as he was dying, following his stoning in Jerusalem (Acts 7:55).
…ACTS 7:55…But being full of the Holy Spirit, he (Stephen) gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
Jesus travels to Galilee, where He meets the disciples. Matthew says that there are still some who “doubted”, which seeems hard for me to believe (Matthew 28:16,17).
…MATTHEW 28:16,17…But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some were doubtful.
At this time no one has been selected to replace Judas, who was one of the original “twelve”. It’s interesting to muse over which “mountain” has been “designated”…I like to think it is Mt. Tabor, the sight of the Transfiguration. Funny how people can worship, and still have doubt. But that is the way of some to this day.
John tells us that Jesus Christ “manifests” and “reveals” Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias/Galilee, while fishing. After they fail to catch any fish, He causes the nets to be filled. They have breakfast. He says that this is the third time that Jesus is manifested to His disciples, after the resurrection. After dinner, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. And after answering vehemently in the affirmative, Jesus says “…shepherd My sheep”. Christ Jesus also says that Peter will die in a way that will glorify God. Jesus finishes by saying that John, the writer of the gospel, will be alive when the Christ returns. The disciples, confused, believe that Jesus means that John would not die. John clarifies this by saying that it means only that he would “remain” until Jesus comes. This concludes the writings of John (John 21;1-24).
…JOHN 21:1-7,10,12,14,15,17-24…After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias; and He manifested Himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael (God has given) of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out, and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch.” They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” And so when Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for the work), and threw himself into the sea…Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught”…Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, ‘Who are You?’ knowing that it was the Lord…This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs”…He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because he said to Him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, “Lord You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go”. Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also has leaned back on His breast at the supper. Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that of you? You follow me!” This saying therefore went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who bears witness to these things; and we know that his witness is true.”
(Note: The key to understanding the so-called “code” of Da Vinci, present in his painting,“Last Supper”, can be found in the bible itself and in the man who painted it. The words of John above, “the disciple whom Jesus loved the one who also leaned back oh His (Jesus’) breast at the supper”, appears to be the scene on which Da Vinci based this famed painting. Only he chose to have “the disciple whom Jesus loved”(the one to the right of Jesus) lean the other way, not on Jesus’ breast, so as to keep the central figure, Jesus “clean” and unobscured. Da Vinci was purportedly a homosexual, and because of this I believe that he chose to portray this “disciple whom Jesus loved” as an alluring presence (some think almost girl-like), but the disciple portrayed in the painting is not a girl..it is not Mary Magdalene. How do we know this? There are twelve disciples accounted for in the painting. In Mark 14: 17, regarding the Passover Feast, he says “And when it was evening He came with the twelve.”If it were Mary Magdalene then there would be thirteen figures portrayed with Jesus. And in John’s gospel, he always refers to Mary Magdalene by name. On the other hand, John refers to himself in his gospel, in the third person, as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. How he came to this conclusion is not known, but it probably means that, of all the disciples, he was the closest to Jesus (thus his seat of honor on Jesus’ immediate right). The disciple portrayed in the painting is the Disciple John as imagined by Da Vinci.)
“Manifest” means to “show plainly”. In reading the accounts of how He appears before the disciples, it leads me to believe that Jesus’ appearance would be sudden…from out of nowhere. They would be unaware of His presence, and suddenly there He was, in their midst, or standing idly by observing. He was, after all, an immortal being. As such, He would be able to appear and disappear…materialize and dematerialize at will, passing through walls, if necessary.
There are seven disciples present…Peter, Thomas, Nathanael (Bartholomew), James and John (sons of Zebedee), and two others. One is probably Peter’s brother, Andrew, and perhaps the other is Philip, a friend of Bartholomew, or His brother James. At this time I’m certain that friends and kin would draw near for comfort. It’s interesting to note that Peter fishes in the nude. This is probably because he doesn’t want to soil his clothing with the fish. Maybe his work involves direct contact with the smelly fish, so he divests himself of his garments. More proof of the fact that Jesus’ appearance does not distinguish himself from other Jews, in that they do not recognize him at first. He appears as a bystander, with no physical attributes that cause him to stand out, idly watching the activity. Only when He speaks does He betray who He is.
It is significant that Jesus Christ singles Peter out for special attention. He is the first of His disciples, and the one most ready to proclaim allegiance. Could it be because Peter was unable to follow him, after Jesus was seized in the Garden of Gethsemane? Is the Lord testing him, to insure his willingness to follow Him to the death?
When He tells Peter that after he becomes old, he will go where he does not wish to go, He is referring to the fact that Peter would be crucified because of his beliefs.
When the Christ says that John will “remain” until He comes, this is a reference to his appearing before John at the Revelation of John (Revelation 1:1-17).
…REVELATION 1:1,13,17…The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bondservants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to his bondservant John…and in the middle of the lampstands one like