Have you Seen Him? He has Risen
Matthew 28:1-10 Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. 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.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Mark 16:9-18 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. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 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 what had seen him after he had risen.
Luke 24:1-12 The women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the other of James, and the others with them, went to the apostles and told them. . . (summarized)
Luke 24:13-35 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. . .Cleopas answered when they were asked about Jesus. . .(19) “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 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. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer theses things and then enter his glory?” (After Jesus explained to them, and began to share a meal with them, he broke bread, and they then recognized Him, and He disappeared. They immediately rose and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples they had see Him. paraphrased from verse 27-35)
Luke 24:36-46 While they were still talking about his, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” . . (44) He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,”
John 20:14-17 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” which means ‘Teacher.’
John 20:19,20, 26 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.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. . . . A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Acts 1:3 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 of the kingdom of God.
Acts 9:3-6 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, who you are persecuting,” He replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 22:6-16 Paul telling of his trip into Damascus and his encounter with Jesus.
Acts 26:12-23 Paul again telling his testimony of encountering and seeing Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the results of my work in the Lord?
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, thought some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Jesus rose in the tomb, removed the linens He had been wrapped within, and exited where the stone had been pushed away. Two angels had been sent by His Father to move the heavy stone away. Did He speak to them? I think He would have thanked them–and they immediately bend forward to honor Him and glorify Him. But He still had a couple things to accomplish. He stepped out of the tomb area, although not written, I think He spent a few moments in the Garden and appreciated it, the Creation, and thanked His Father that His work was almost finished. As He was in the Garden, Mary and the women came into the tomb carrying the spices, full of grief, remorse, fear, and my guess with some anger. The driving emotions would be the grief, remorse and fear. ‘What was going to happen now? How would any of them go on? Would they all be sought by the Romans, or the Pharisees?’
But these women loved Him; and women are the ones who step forward for most of caregiving, so these women, as soon as the Passover ended, arose early on Sunday morning–Passover ending the night before at sunset, and now they needed to go and dress Him, give Him the final care for a proper burial. We don’t know what happened to the women who came with her–they all saw the angels, heard them say “He is not here. He’s alive.” But Mary Magdalene had apparently stepped out–anxious, fearful, grief-stricken searching for her Savior and she sees a man she believes is the gardener and perhaps he knows where the body has been taken. The “gardener” then speaks her name, and then she recognizes Him and falls at His feet–in disbelief, grief, then relief and thankfulness and joy. She has not fully put it together–somehow His broken body which was taken from the cross on Friday late afternoon, now was fully alive and seemed well. Such relief! But He spoke and told her she had to let Him go as He still had to ascend to His Father. I imagine her relief was so great, what He said did not fully make sense to her. Following His command, she ran to the disciples and told them what had happened.
Two of those disciples fled to the tomb, but they did not get the opportunity to see Him then. What happened then? Did the two men shuffle back to where they had been locked behind doors for the past couple of days? Did they keep reviewing different things He had taught them over time? Were they still confused that He had died, He was gone? How did they feel knowing Judas had killed himself, that he had betrayed the Savior? How did they not see Judas was a man of deception? How could he have turned over the Savior, the Messiah to these vicious, brutal Romans. Shouldn’t they have seen something amiss with him, maybe they could have protected Jesus?
They were fearful. Would the Romans now be hunting them? And what about the Pharisees? It was the religious leaders who had hated and hunted Him and been responsible for His murder. Those religious leaders who were supposed to teach the Jewish people about God, about His rules and commands, about loving your neighbors; yet, the Pharisees and other religious leaders had chased Him down and insisted through mob stirring and churning to demanded from Pilate to kill Jesus and release a murderer, rioter.
Jesus was going to Emmaus and joined two men who were chatting and worrying the fact that Jesus was murdered, crucified on a cross. They were full of questions, grief, loss, and confusion. They had all thought things were going to change with this man; they believed He was going to save them. Most felt He would overcome the Romans defeat them from their oppression. But He overcame through love, miracles, showing, teaching, serving, healing, and freeing people from demons.
As they walked, this unknown man taught and explained the Scriptures, and the two men opened their hearts, learning more about the Scriptures in a different way than they had understood since Torah classes. When they sat down to eat dinner, they asked the educated man to join them, which he did. Then He prayed and blessed the bread, broke it and served them–and their eyes were opened. They suddenly realized He was Jesus. As soon as they realized who had spent time teaching and walking with them, He disappeared. The two men decided to hurry back to Jerusalem and share this with the other disciples.
As they were hurrying back over the seven miles, Jesus had appeared to the ten disciples, all that were left except Thomas. He came through locked doors and wished them peace. Can you imagine their shock?! What? How could this be? Mary said she saw Him, but how? Is He truly alive? He had suffered such brutality. They all saw Him die on the cross, brutalized beyond recognition. Disbelief, grief to joy, fear–after all the Pharisees were NOT loving religious leaders, would this mean they would be instigating the Romans to come and arrest and terrorize their group?
A week later, Thomas was with the other ten and together they were grieving, sharing, and talking about their time with the Messiah. And then He stood among the again. He again wished them peace, and this time approached Thomas and challenged him to touch His wounds, to prove to him He was truly alive. Yes, the Savior was risen and He was Alive!
He stayed close to the apostles for 40 days. teaching them, encouraging them, explaining much of what their futures would be, and that He was sending them a big Helper, the Holy Spirit. There were over 500 followers who saw Him during the 40 days He remained. His disciples watched Him rise to heaven in a cloud, certainly with more assurance of eternal life now after spending time with Him and believing He had defeated death. Were they filled with grief again? Perhaps, but now there was hope.
Jesus later appeared to Paul, long after witnesses had seen Him ascend to heaven. Paul became one of the Lord’s most eloquent spokesman–from being a man who terrorized Jesus followers, who agreed with the Followers being killed for their beliefs–and then had his own transition, becoming one of the strongest leaders for Jesus that the Bible records.
God, I thank You for the fact You defeated death, You hold the keys to Hell and will someday return and bind Satan into the stench of death forever. Thank You for appearing to men and women who proudly claimed about Your teaching, leading, healing, and miracles. Thank You for all You have blessed me with; and for always giving to me and ‘mybellaviews.’
the Apostles and then many seeing Him
Seeing Him rise in a cloud after 30? 40? days
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