The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian
faith. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is our example, the
way to
eternal life, our hope of glory. If Jesus wasn't resurrected, then there is no
Christian faith. There is no hope of glory for the rest of us. If Jesus wasn't
resurrected, where would that leave us?
Jesus’ resurrection has been disputed from the very beginning.
If Jesus really was resurrected from the dead as He said, it would have turned
the Jewish world upside down. The Chief Priests, the scribes and Pharisees, and
the Sadducees, their entire religious belief system would have been compromised
and their aristocratic status ruined. The truth had to be covered up.
The Roman soldiers who had been guarding Jesus’ tomb knew
full well what happened. They saw the angel of the Lord descend from heaven. They
saw the bright light. They felt the earthquake. They saw the angel roll the
stone away from the door and were in shock and fell down as dead men.
So, the elders and the Chief Priests paid the Roman soldiers
who had been guarding Jesus’ tomb large sums of money to lie, to say Jesus
wasn’t resurrected but that Jesus' body was stolen by his disciples during the
night while they slept. (Matt 28:12)
God is not the author of confusion (1Cor 14:33) but guess who is. At first
Jesus had been killed and his followers scattered. Satan thought he had
triumphed. Until the stone was rolled…
The entire event had to be obliterated or surrounded
with such a fog of doubt and confusion that it would be dismissed without anyone
ever giving it serious consideration.
But our God had a plan to counter their
feeble efforts through a series of eyewitness accounts.
Proving the resurrection is absolutely fundamental to our
faith. Paul tells us that without the resurrection, forget about it. Forget
about it all. Without the resurrection of Christ, we have no faith. We
have no hope. We might as well eat, drink, and be merry and do the best we can
in this life for there is no other. On the bedrock of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ is built the entire gospel message, the message we’re commissioned to
carry to the ends of the earth.
The Kingdom of God depends on it. If there is no
resurrection, there is no Millennium. There is no Kingdom of God on Earth.
1Co 15:12-14 NKJV Now if Christ is
preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
(13) But if there is no
resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. (14) And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is
empty and your faith is also empty.
1Co 15:20
NKJV But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who
have fallen asleep.
1Co 15:29-32 NKJV Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the
dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the
dead? (30) And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?
(31) I affirm, by the boasting
in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (32) If,
in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the
dead do not rise, "LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE!"
What
Paul’s saying here is, what would be the point of putting ourselves in danger,
to be persecuted, to be beaten, to be tortured, to be killed, for Jesus’ sake
and the gospel’s if there is no resurrection? (Mar 10:29) If Christ was not
resurrected, then how could we have any hope of being
resurrected?
But Christ was resurrected and in this we rejoice and
offer ourselves daily as a living sacrifice. (Rom 12:1)
So, is proof of the resurrection important? You bet it is!
You’ve pledged your life based on it!
God had a plan to counter the naysayers. Through God’s
divine plan, He brought about so great a cloud of witnesses that the
resurrection cannot be refuted though they continue to try even to this day.
What does the Bible tell us about how
to go about proving a matter?
... at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall the matter be established. (Deu 19:15)
... that in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established. (Mat 18:16)
What if I told you, there were not 2 or
3 witnesses but that He appeared on 10 separate occasions to a total of over
500 people? Wouldn’t that be conclusive evidence that He was risen from the
dead?
Today we’re going to look at those ten separate appearances
of Jesus AFTER His resurrection and establish the matter firmly fixed in our
minds. To start us off we’ll look at what it says in Acts chapter one.
Act 1:1-3 KJV
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to
do and teach, (2) Until the day in which he was taken up, after
that he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom
he had chosen: (3) To whom also he shewed himself alive
after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
The Amplified version says,
“by [a series of]
many convincing demonstrations
[unquestionable evidences
and infallible proofs]”
Now let's walk through the 10
appearances of Jesus Christ AFTER His resurrection.
The first witnesses were the women who
arrived early Sunday morning at the tomb to continue wrapping Jesus’ body in
spices bought on the Friday between the first Day of Unleavened Bread and the
weekly Sabbath.
1 - To Mary Magdalene
Mar
16:9-11 KJV Now when Jesus
was risen early the first day of the
week, he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. (10) And
she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. (11) And they, when they had heard that he
was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
Mary knew exactly which tomb it was. She and
Mary, the mother of Jesus, were there the evening before when Joseph of
Arimathea and Nicodemus laid him in the tomb. (Mar 15:47; Joh 19:39)
2 - To Mary, mother of James, Joanna,
and the "other women"
This was Mary, the
mother of Jesus, James (the Less), and Joses, Jesus’ half-brothers, Salome, believed to be the wife of
Zebedee, and the mother of James (the Great) and John, the “sons of thunder”
who had requested of Jesus that her two sons sit on His right and on His left
in the Kingdom, and Joanna, wife of
Chuza, Herod’s steward. We’re not told who the “other women” are exactly.
Mat 28:9 KJV
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying,
All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
In the first century, women were considered second-class
citizens with rights barely above that of slaves. They were not allowed even to
testify in court. So, if you were going to make up a story about Jesus'
resurrection, you wouldn't have people whose testimony was of no account lead
the way. You probably wouldn't even mention it. By having all four gospels tell
the story of women seeing Jesus alive first, the story rings true.
Number three was an encounter with two men on the road
headed out of Jerusalem.
3 - To Cleopas and one other on the
road to Emmaus
Luk 24:13-33 KJV And,
behold, two of them went that same day
to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs
[7 ½ miles]. (14) And they talked together of all these things which had
happened. (15) And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and
reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. (16) But their eyes
were holden [restrained] that
they should not know him.
(21) But we trusted that it had been he which should have
redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since
these things were done. (22) Yea, and certain women also of our company made
us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; (23) And when they found not his body, they came,
saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was
alive. (24) And certain of them which were with us [Peter and John] went to the
sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
(27) And beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he
expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
(30) And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake,
and gave to them. (31) And their eyes were opened, and they knew him;
and he vanished out of their sight. (32) And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while
he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
(33) And they rose up the same hour,
and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and
them that were with them
Notice these men believed the prevailing Jewish narrative
that the Messiah was to overthrow the Roman occupation and restore the kingdom
to power. They were quite disappointed when that did not prove to be the case.
They had given up and were returning home. Since they did not have an understanding
that the Messiah had to come first as a suffering Lamb, they needed to have the
books opened unto them regarding the gospel message of Christ. Likely it included
Isaiah 53. They immediately returned to Jerusalem to be with the 11 though it
was already late in the evening.
Question – What is going to occur with those who do not
understand who Christ is at the second resurrection at the end of the
Millennium? Aren't the books going to be opened to their understanding and
their eyes opened to the truth? (Rev 20:12) This was a foreshadowing of the
future.
4 - To Simon Peter
Luk 24:34-35 KJV Saying,
The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. (35) And they told
what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of
bread.
1Co 15:5 KJV And that he
was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
We’re not told when this happened exactly but somewhere
along the way He appeared to Simon Peter (Cephas). (Joh 1:42)
Think of the transformation Peter went through. From totally
denying Christ three times, and hiding away fearful of being killed by the
Jews, to speaking boldly and confidently at Pentecost, passionately explaining
the prophecy and fulfillment of the resurrection of Christ.
When he and John arrived at the empty tomb, neither of them
knew the scripture that Christ would rise from the dead (John 20:9), though
Jesus had told them that after 3 days he would rise again. (Luk
18:33; Mar 10:34)
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from
the dead. (Joh 20:9 KJV)
What could have caused such a dramatic change? Could it have
been seeing Jesus in the flesh after the resurrection? Could it have been also
when Jesus opened his mind to the scriptures as well in Luke 24:45?
Next, Christ appeared to the disciples on three separate
occasions.
5 - To the disciples without Thomas
Joh 20:19-24 KJV Then the
same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,
came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (20) And when he had so said, he shewed unto
them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw
the Lord. (21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be
unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (22) And when
he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy
[Spirit]: (23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (24) But Thomas, one of
the twelve, called Didymus, [the twin] was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples told Thomas they had seen Jesus but “Doubting
Thomas” refused to believe until he personally saw him and stuck his finger in
the holes in his hands and his side.
Notice Jesus was still hungry. He asks them for something to
eat so they gave him some fish and honey. He didn’t actually eat with the boys
from Emmaus. He only took bread, blessed it, brake it and gave it to them, but
he didn’t eat.
6 - To the disciples with Thomas
Joh 20:26-29 KJV And after eight
days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came
Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (27) Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing. (28) And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my
God. (29) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen,
and yet have believed.
7 - To 7 of the disciples at the Sea of
Tiberius
Joh 21:1-4 KJV After these things Jesus
shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this
wise shewed he himself. (2) There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called
Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee [James and
John], and two other of his disciples. (3) Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a
fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered
into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. (4) But when the
morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not
that it was Jesus.
(7) Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto
Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself
into the sea. (8) And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were
not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) [100 yards] dragging the
net with [153] fishes.
(12) Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of
the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
(13) Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
(14) This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples,
after that he was risen from the dead.
Some disparaging theories claim that the disciples concocted
the whole resurrection story so as not to discredit Jesus. They made it up! If
the resurrection was a big fat lie, they had to have known it. Would they have then
risked their lives, suffered persecution, and allowed themselves be tortured
and killed for a lie they just made up? Not a chance!
They knew deep in their hearts that the resurrection
was true.
Number eight was to a large crowd. It appears this may have
been at the same time he gave the Great Commission to the eleven disciples to
go ye therefore into all nations, teaching them to observe all things I have
commanded you, as this was also in Galilee after His resurrection about the
same time. (Mat 28:16; Mar 16:15)
8 - To over 500 in Galilee
1Co 15:6 KJV After that, he was
seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are
fallen asleep.
Jesus was seen alive after the resurrection by over 500
people! Some had died but most of them were still alive when Paul wrote
to the Church at Corinth over 20 years later in 54-55 AD. How could you
possibly argue with that many eye witnesses? They know what they saw!
9 - To James the Lord's brother
1Co 15:7 KJV After that, he
was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
Anybody here have a brother? Anyone think they could
convince their brother that they’re the Messiah? Neither could Jesus. It was
only AFTER the resurrection and Jesus appeared to James that James believed.
The resurrection of Jesus had such a profound impact on James that he couldn’t
help but believe. He ended up leading the church from Jerusalem.
10 - To 11 disciples on the Mount of
Olives
Act 1:9-11 KJV And, being assembled
together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
(9) And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10)
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel; (11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
They witnessed his ascension into
heaven. Stephen even saw Christ there standing at the right hand of the
Father before he died, a further witness! (Act 7:55)
As He departed from the Mount of Olives, He will return the
same way to the same place. (Zec 14:4)
+1
- To Saul on the road to Damascus
1Co 15:8 KJV
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
But Paul doesn’t offer us any explanation here. Let’s look
at the account in Acts chapter nine.
Act 9:1-18 KJV
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of
the Lord, went unto the high priest, (2) And desired of him letters
to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (3)
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven: (4) And he fell to the earth,
and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
(5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
(6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it
shall be told thee what thou must do. (7) And the men which journeyed
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
(8) And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he
saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him
into Damascus. (9) And he was three days without sight, and neither
did eat nor drink.
(17) And Ananias went his way, and entered into the
house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that
appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that
thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
(18) And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been
scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Paul described meeting Jesus to King Agrippa this way
Act 26:12-18 KJV
Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief
priests, (13) At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them
which journeyed with me. (14) And when we were all fallen to the
earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me,
and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (15) And I said, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (16) But rise, and stand
upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make
thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of
those things in the which I will appear unto thee; (17) Delivering thee from
the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, (18) To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
If that’s not proof enough, after his conversion, Paul was
not trained in the gospel by Peter, James, John, or any other man but spent 3
years in Arabia being taught by Jesus Himself -
Gal 1:11-18 KJV
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man. (12) For I neither received it of man, neither was I
taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(15) But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by his grace, (16) To reveal
his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I
conferred not with flesh and blood: (17) Neither went I up to
Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia,
and returned again unto Damascus. (18) Then after three years
I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
There’s no doubt that Paul met with Jesus after his
crucifixion. Paul even spent 3 years being taught directly by Jesus Christ,
just like the other apostles were taught for 3 years before Christ's
crucifixion. Then he went to Jerusalem to meet Peter and compare notes.
Paul went from being the most infamous violent destroyer of
the Christian sect to becoming its most notorious zealous ally and advocate.
What explanation other than seeing the resurrected Christ could
there be for someone who so vehemently opposed the Way, the sect that followed Jesus
to have had such a dramatic change of heart?
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These 10 appearances of Jesus, yea 11, AFTER He was
resurrected offer many infallible proofs, eyewitness accounts that Jesus was
indeed resurrected from the dead. They even watched Him ascend into heaven to
be with the Father.
BONUS – Side Note
It is also reassuring to note that when Christ was
resurrected, the graves of the saints at that time were opened and they too
were resurrected.
Mat 27:52-53 KJV
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose, (53) And came out of the graves after his
resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
That must have been something! Why is this important? It’s
proof that it can be done. Isn't it comforting to see that regular people can
be resurrected too, not just our Messiah? It’s further evidence that we too
will be resurrected. It gives us hope.
Act 17:30-31 NKJV Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now
commands all men everywhere to repent, (31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the
world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.
He has given assurance of this to all by
raising Him from the dead."
God the Father loves us and has made exceeding great and
precious promises to us. He wants us to rest assured that He is still on His
throne and has provided us with innumerable witnesses that we too will be
resurrected at Jesus’ return.
Heb 12:1-2 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before
us, (2)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God.
Remember, Christ’s resurrection matters! You can stake your life on it!
He did!
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You may or may not
see yourself as a leader. We tend to think of leaders as those who are in
charge by virtue of their position or who take charge by virtue of
circumstance. You may have trained and studied to be a leader all your life. Or
you may not feel you are qualified to be a leader at all. 
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