In spite of the many words Jesus had spoken to His disciples about His forthcoming death and resurrection, it still came as a complete shock to them—first that He whom they had come to believe in as the Messiah would be so brutally murdered, and second that a person whom they knew to be completely…
Following the discovery of the empty tomb very early on Sunday morning, Jesus made several appearances to others before appearing that evening to a gathering of His disciples that included all but Thomas of His remaining apostles. He appeared first to the same two Marys who had found the tomb empty, but not until later…
On Sunday, the first day of the week, and the third day after Jesus had been crucified, the news spread quickly that the tomb in which He was interred was discovered that morning to be empty, that some had experienced an angelic vision saying Jesus was alive, and that some had even seen Him, though…
When the resurrected Jesus first manifested Himself to the group of His apostles, they were of no mind to believe it. Apart from John, who in spite of not understanding the nature of Jesus’ resurrection body had at the tomb believed (Joh 20:8), and Peter, to whom He had appeared earlier that afternoon, though perhaps…
When the resurrected Jesus first appeared to the group of His apostles Sunday evening His first words to them were, “Peace to you”. Nevertheless, because they rightly understood that mortal life could not be restored to Jesus’ dead body that had been beaten, crucified and then its life fluids drained from it, they were terrified. …
Although Jesus’ tomb was found empty Sunday morning and a number of His followers had seen visions of angels saying He was alive, with others claiming He Himself had appeared to them, still, by that evening, the majority of His apostles refused to believe it. Rationally, they understood that there was no way His crucified…
Although God had made clear through His angelic messengers first thing that morning, the Jewish day of First Fruits, that Jesus had risen from the dead, it wasn’t as clear to His followers as we imagine it must have been. Those visions quickly gave way to the reality that Jesus’ body was gone, and since…
Although angels had announced Jesus’ resurrection from the dead very early on that Sunday morning, first to the two Marys, and then to the other women who arrived later to assist them in completing the burial custom for His dead body, and He Himself had appeared later that morning to the two Marys, then to…
After having their eyes opened to recognize that it was Jesus who had been communing with them, revealing Himself to them from the Scriptures, the two disciples who had just arrived in Emmaus immediately arose and returned to Jerusalem to share with others what they had discovered: Jesus really was alive! Arriving back in Jerusalem…
Immediately after their eyes were opened to recognize Jesus, Luke says that He “became invisible from” (literal) the two disciples whom He had joined up with on the road to Emmaus. They didn’t at first recognize Him in His manifestation to them in His eternal, glorified, resurrected body that was spiritual in nature. But their…