Seeing the dead Lord coming back to life: post-resurrection shock and transition

What do we normally do after a burial? How would we react when we see a dead man come back alive from the tomb after three days or more?

Jesus’ resurrection is stunning! It is only a beginning. He stayed on for forty days. What did He do? What did His disciples do? Let us start at the dawn which heralds in the beginning of a new world order for the believers of Jesus. Just as the apostle Paul has boldly declared, “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus Himself has foretold this supernatural reproduction, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” (John 12:24) The crucifixion and death of the Son of God had destroyed the power of sin and death. His resurrection had given birth to the new life of many believers, who must receive by faith in Jesus and nothing else. One significant truth is that we are not His clones. We are born again of the Spirit as God’s children, with the life of Jesus in us.

What did Jesus do to make sure His believers know and understand and believe? Let us read the Scriptures to see what happened in those crucial new days, His last forty days on earth prior ascension into heaven to sit at God’s right hand. Was it easy for the disciples to accept the sudden requirement to enter into the faith zone, that is, what Jesus has been telling them are all true? Or were they not all shocked to the core to see Jesus in real life, coming back from the dead?

What happened in John 20-21?

These are the scenarios after resurrection of Jesus recorded by John: the empty tomb discovered by Mary, Peter, and John. Mary saw two angels and Jesus who talked to her. Jesus also showed Himself to the other disciples and Thomas.

Mary Magdalene: She came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. (She saw the empty tomb first and went and told Peter and John)

3 Peter and the other disciple (John): started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. (peter and John saw the empty tomb after Mary. They noticed the way the linen wrappings and head cover were lying there and believed.) 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.

Mary: 11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels. (The angels talked to her) 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. (She saw Jesus and He talked to her too. Jesus instructed her, 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (She went and told the disciples.)

The other disciples: 19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jesus showed Himself. He also instructed them. He breathed on them and sent them out to witness for Him).

Thomas, the doubter: 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. (And he did not believe them when they told him they saw the resurrected Jesus. In their second meeting, Jesus came and showed Himself again to His disciples) 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Truly Jesus also did many other signs in the presence of His disciples. (John 20:30)

At the sea of Tiberias: Peter and other disciples returned to fishing, and that night they caught nothing. when the morning came Jesus appeared, standing on the shore and told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they caught 153 large fish. He also cooked and gave them breakfast and ate with them. (John 21:1-13) This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. (John 21:14)

Jesus asked and instructed Peter specifically about love: 15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He asked Peter three times the same question with a variation of the word “love” when He asked Peter the third time whether loved Him. the word love in the first two questions referred to the God’s kind of love “agape” (which implies sacrificial). And twice Peter answered Jesus using the word “phileo” (friendship kind of love). The third time Jesus came to Peter’s level and used the word “phileo” to stand for love, when Jesus reiterated His entrusting Peter to feed/tend to His flocks (the believers). Jesus also predicted what would happen to Peter. (21:18-19)

Additional information in Matthew 28

1. Some guards went and told the leading priests who decided to give the guards a large bribe to lie that Jesus’ disciples came and stole the body.
2. the eleven disciples left for Galilee and met Jesus, who gave them the Great Commission and promise that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age. (28:18-20)

Additional information from Mark 16

1. Mary Magdalene saw Jesus and went and told the disciples but they did not believe her.
2. 12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
3. 14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead
4. Great Commission: 15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe…20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
5. Jesus’ ascension: 19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

Additional information from Luke 24: Luke recorded in great details what transpired between the resurrected Jesus and the reaction of His disciples when they saw HIm. They were still full of unbelief!

1. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women came to the tomb and did not find the body of Jesus. They saw two angels who reminded them what Jesus had told them about His resurrection on the third day.  9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 
2. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
3. 13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus. Then Jesus (whom they did not recognize) appeared and took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Later, as they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
4. Peter also saw Jesus: They went back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.” 35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them. 
5. Jesus appeared to all: 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
6. 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.
7. Jesus had to remind them of what He had told them before that He had to fulfill the Scripture. He also gave them the great commission to be His witnesses, proclaiming His name to all nations.
8. He promised them the Holy Spirit and instructed them not to leave Jerusalem until they received this power from above.
9. The Ascension: 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

(to continue)

Kainotes, 2021-04-05