Mark 16:9-20
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Luke 24:1-12
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the Mother of James
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Acts 1:1-11
Jesus Appears for Forty Days After His Death
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men 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."
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
John 21:1-14
Jesus Sees His Disciples for the Third Time
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
6 He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."
11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
The Resurrection of Christ
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Luke 24:13-35
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
The Disciples were taught by Jesus for three years...He taught them while He was living on earth...They saw many amazing miracles, and had heard the greatest teachings of all time...There would never be another three year period such as this, ever again...The Twelve Original Disciples had been taught by the Greatest Teacher of all Time...Just imagine if you had a Teacher that knew all things...Yet, even after three years, the Eleven still had doubts and denials about His death...The Greatest Teacher did not get quite get through to them in this three year period...St. Luke wrote about it like this...When Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, Mother of James came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others...It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, who had seen Jesus after His death, and the others with them who told these things to the apostles...But they did not believe the women had seen Jesus, because their words seemed to them like nonsense...They knew Jesus the best, yet they thought they were hearing nonsense from the women followers...Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb...Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened in the tomb...The Disciples were very much confused, and were doubting...But something in Peter's heart made him want to believe and check out Mary's story...In the Gospel According to Mark, the author reports it this way...When the Eleven Disciples heard that Jesus was alive and that Mary Magdalene had seen Him, the Eleven did not believe that He was alive again...And the Eleven knew Mary Magdalene very well...She would have no reason to lie to them...It really would be inappropriate for Mary to say He was alive, when He wasn't...Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two men walking on the road to Emmaus while they going back to Jerusalem...He was teaching them as they walked and traveled...They did not even recognize Jesus, as He spoke, after His resurrection..These two returned to the Disciples and reported it to them...Different people had seen Jesus after His death, but still with all their teachings and learning about Him over His three year ministry was not getting through to His Disciples...With all the miracles they saw, they still could not believe He was alive...Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen...
Jesus had died on the cross and He appeared first to the women and then to His Disciples for a period of forty days...St. Luke wrote much about Jesus in His Gospel According to Luke...And then Luke writes this in the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen...After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men 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...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...For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."...
What an important forty days...And although being with Jesus for the three years of His ministry was very special, these forty days were necessary and maybe the most special forty days of all, when Jesus was on earth...During these forty days they would have seen more remarkable and unheard of things...One can only imagine what people were saying about Him...After all He had died, and now He was alive again...The stories would have been amazing during these forty days...After all He had died on the cross to save mankind from their sins...Now He had risen from the dead...But the Eleven would have to be convinced that He had risen...And we might see why this was hard for the Eleven to believe...It is a rather usually and queer story to be hearing, while you are grieving (over Him)...The Eleven were certainly not a gullible group, quickly ready to believe He was divine, and was still alive after dying...These were forty special days, when the somewhat cowardly, confused, uncertain, and not really as faithful as they could have been Eleven changed...Forty very special days...After these forty days the Disciples were now ready to die for Him...They now became the powerful eye witnesses to His three year ministry and to His word...They now believed...They believed Jesus is LORD, and that God was behind His resurrection...
Jesus showing Himself being alive is a keynote in the gospels...This being alive after dying on a cross would be so significant, that it cannot ever be overstated...This event, these forty days will be what many may remember most about Jesus...It surely got His Disciples attention (after much initial disbelief)...Jesus is alive after His death and we understand the message that God is faithful, by Jesus returning alive for these forty days...