John 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
The day after Easter is called Easter Monday...Jesus' Disciples would have been elated and very happy to know that He has risen from His death, but we are not told many things that happened on the day after He rose from His tomb from Scripture...No verse specifically says, this happened the day after Easter, or the day after Jesus' Resurrection...
The road to Emmaus passages describes two of Jesus' followers encountering a Stranger on the road to Emmaus on the "first day of the week", which many interpret as Easter Monday...Jesus, though unrecognized by them at first, reveals Himself through scripture and the breaking of bread...This encounter highlights the importance of scripture and the recognition of Jesus' Presence in the act of sharing a meal...
Jesus appears to His Disciples, but we are not told when...This passage describes Jesus appearing to His disciples, including the doubting Thomas, on the "first day of the week."...Here, Jesus offers greetings, shows His wounds, and emphasizes the importance of faith...This appearance is seen as establishing peace and forgiveness among the disciples...
The Book of Acts, which picks up after the Gospels, begins to describe the formation and activities and start of the early Christian Church...While not specific to Easter Monday, it suggests that the Disciples were gathering, sharing their experiences, and continuing Jesus' teachings...
The Bible uses terms like "first day of the week" which some interpret as Easter Monday...These passages highlight the Disciples' encounters with the resurrected Jesus, the importance of scripture and the breaking of bread, and the beginnings of the early Christian movement...While there aren't specific verses dedicated to the day after Easter, the post-resurrection events offer significant meaning for Christians, and the forty days that Jesus came back to teach more to His Disciples and to be with them...The day after Easter would be the start of the message of Jesus' Resurrection that was and is to be shared more widely and eventually to the whole world...