Jesus was born, died and rose again all before ascending into heaven. But what happened between the resurrection and ascension? The Gospels speak of 10 appearances of the risen Jesus, five of which occur on the day of his resurrection, and five additional times before he ascended into heaven. We know from Acts 1 that he was on earth for 40 days:
Acts 1:3: “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
- Grammatical Usage: “Presented” or in the Greek, “paristémi” meaning, “come up, appear, stand by.”
- Literal Interpretation: In the presence of whom He appeared, standing by them, took His place after His death and (presented) many proofs, throughout a forty day period, speaking of things about the Kingdom of God.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. The passion narrative is well known but the details of the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension are far less known. While Matthew and Mark’s post-resurrection accounts are comparatively shorter than Luke and John’s, all four Gospels share details that enlighten us on Jesus’ life after death. Critical to our learning is that Jesus’ ministry did not end with his death, but continued through his resurrection and into the days before his ascension into heaven. In this time, he revealed and reaffirmed crucial elements both of His character and His commission:
- Provided Proof. Acts 1:2 affirms Jesus was on earth, at least intermittently, for substantially more than a month. Luke says that he demonstrated to his followers that he was alive “by many infallible proofs” — or, as some translations have it, via “convincing proofs” or “in convincing ways.”
- Appeared to women. Jesus revealed himself to Mary Magdalene before any other person. The idea that a woman would be a valid witness may seem plausible in 21st Century western society, but it was unheard of in 1st Century Palestine. The testimony of women was not given the same weight as that of a man, either personally or in a court of law. That Jesus chose to reveal himself to Mary first was revolutionary. He then sent her to “go and tell” the other disciples. He trusted her to tell his followers of His return. His second appearance was to the group of women who had been with Mary in the graveyard. On their way from having seen the apostles, Jesus appeared to them, and “they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.” ( 28:9).
- Appeared to His disciples. Later that day, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to two disciples – one called Cleopas – but they were slow to realize that the man beside them was the risen Messiah. It was not until He broke bread with them, after they had described to Him the events of the passion, that “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31). It was not until they recognized him that Jesus left. He did not abandon his disciples when they did not see it was him, but remained with them until they realized that their hearts had been “burning within us while he talked with us“. Similarly, during his next appearance shortly afterwards, Jesus was not perturbed by his disciples mistaking him for a ghost. Instead, he reassured them (Luke 24:39). His life after the resurrection was not the result of sinister spirituality, but of Biblical prophecy. He drew his disciples away from supernatural speculation towards the Biblical foundations of his resurrected body. Jesus “expounded” on how the Old Testament pointed to Him (Lk 24:27), and how His death and resurrection fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Lk 24:44-48).
- Corrected misunderstandings. “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The disciples used the term “restore” because they were anticipating a nationalistic kingdom of earthly glory as in the days of David and Solomon. Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). They needed to forget the idea of the immediate defeat of Rome and the restoration of the Jewish kingdom and concentrate on the mission He was about to give them.
- Appeared to Thomas. We all know the narrative of ‘doubting Thomas’. He had not been with the disciples when Jesus revealed himself, and did not believe the disciples testimony (John 20:25). In this encounter we see both the compassion and the challenge that Jesus brings. Rather than leaving Thomas without faith, Jesus “came and stood among them” – offering peace in order that he might believe, saying: “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)
- Redeemed and reinstated Peter. The Gospel of John then tells the story of Jesus’ last recorded miracle, when he overwhelmed his disciples’ fishing nets. He then speaks privately with Peter. Just as Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus asks him three times: “do you love me?” It is here that Peter is restored, having denied his master in his hour of need, and is called to “feed my sheep” and “follow me” (John 21: 17, 19). Jesus’ faithfulness is greater than ours. Jesus saw Peter’s weakness, yet he also loved him, and chose to stand by him. Though he saw Peter’s limitations, he did not define him by them.
- Issued the Great Commission. Matthew and Mark both close with the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20)
- Promised the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave us alone. He promised to send a helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the apostles twice in John 16, “He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
- Promised to come again. As Jesus was ascending into heaven, two angels appeared to the disciples and said, “Why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
- Conclusion: Are you ready to meet Jesus? Ready or not, we all will.
