Over the last 40 days we have been examining the accounts of Jesus' resurrection appearances. I've spread this out in order to experience in one way the amount of time that Jesus took to continue to appear to his disciples. This short video gives a nice summary in great artwork and music of where we have been in our discussion since Easter. Tomorrow we will begin with the Ascension accounts as we look toward Pentecost.
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In our examination of Jesus' appearances after his resurrection, we have not paid much attention to what Jesus said during that time. Obviously just as the Gospel accounts vary in the number of appearances of Jesus, and to whom he appeared, they vary in what Jesus said. A common thread, though, is "Peace" or "Fear not". No doubt it was a fearsome thing to have Jesus appear to you individually or in the midst of a group. Or perhaps he said that because they were hiding in fear. When he walked with the two people on the way to Emmaus he explained the Scriptures to them and how they applied to him (Luke 24:27). John has Jesus breathe on the disciples to impart the Holy Spirit and send them out. "'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven'" (John 20:21-23). But Matthew has Jesus say something similar earlier in his gospel (Matthew 16:19, 18:18). In most of the post-resurrection accounts, though, I think the emphasis is on the fact that he appeared, proving he rose from the dead, and that he ate and drank and spoke to show that he is truly alive. He was publicly executed, yet he lives. He was buried, yet he lives. Even death cannot hold him down. For reflection: If even death cannot hold Jesus down, what is holding me down? Let us pray. Jesus, I repent of being afraid of you and being afraid of others. I repent of (whatever is holding me down). Please forgive me. I want to experience the freedom of being raised from the dead with you. Be with me now as you were with your disciples then. As we approach the commemoration of Jesus' return to heaven, also known as his ascension, there are some final appearances to consider. Strangely enough, they come from Paul's letter to the Christians living in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is summarizing his basic teaching on the good news. He says, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though 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." We have not heard in the gospel accounts that Jesus appeared to the crowd of 500 people or that he appeared separately to James. Certainly we did not hear in the gospels that he appeared to Paul because those accounts end, at the latest, with the ascension, and Jesus appeared to Paul sometime after that. Besides, Paul was not a disciple or follower of Jesus during Jesus' lifetime. Paul was not even a believer when Jesus appeared to him. I think there is a conclusion we can draw from these appearances to his apostles and to others. If Jesus can appear to his closest apostles and followers, if Jesus can appear to a group of 500 people who cannot all be his closest disciples, and if Jesus can appear to someone who is not his disciple at all (Paul), he can appear to us. Jesus' appearances were not limited to the 11 remaining apostles. They were not limited to men. They were not even limited to those who knew him in his earthly body. Jesus can and will appear to whomever he wants whenever he wants. This is a bold conclusion, is it not? Most of us think the appearances stopped when Jesus ascended to heaven. Obviously not, for he appeared to Paul after that. Also the prayer journals of many saints through the ages record that they saw Jesus. Why not us? For reflection: Am I open to seeing Jesus? Am I ready to see Jesus? Let us pray. Jesus, you are the best thing in my life. I want to know you better. I want to see you clearly. Come, Lord Jesus. We've been following mainly Luke's and John's accounts of the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection. Matthew chose to include only one appearance after Mary Magdalene and the other women see Jesus as they are on their way to tell the disciples that Jesus is risen. Matthew seems to condense the appearances to the disciples into one: "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go (through the message given to the women). When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted (Matthew 28:16-17). More than on the fact of an appearance by Jesus, Matthew's focus is on Jesus' message. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). With the creation of the internet it is now possible to "go to all nations" with the gospel in a way it never was before. The Manna Prayer website has only been in existence for a year but I have heard from people in nations around the world, even Muslim nations. But you can't baptize or truly disciple someone over the internet. That has to be done in person. For reflection: How can I help to fulfill the mandate given to the disciples? Let us pray. Jesus, we pray for the safety of all those who are spreading your good news around the world. In honor of the National Day of Prayer for the United States, I'm posting the song Stand by John P. Kee. Pray and enjoy.
He's not a shape shifter either. When Jesus appears in different guises in his post-Resurrection appearances, he does not appear as a dog or an owl or a newt. He appears as a person. He is able to fix breakfast and walk side-by-side with others. He is not a ghost. Thomas is able to touch Jesus' wounds. Jesus eats fish. He is not a vampire who feeds on other people; he feeds them. He is not a zombie walking around in a psychotic state; he has a will of his own. His body was not stolen by the Jews or the Romans. We don't have a mass hallucination that has continued in belief until today.
What do we have? Infinitely creative God chose to take on human life and exist as we do. He ate and drank, partied and mourned, worked and rested. He was elated then deflated. He was praised then betrayed. Why does it matter? Belief in Jesus Christ depends on his resurrection from the dead. As St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 15:14-17), "If Christ has not been raised . . . we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile." Traditionally we say that Christ appeared to people for 40 days after his resurrection. A week from now it will be 40 days. That's why we have spent so long looking at the resurrection appearances - so that we could experience the length of time that he continued to appear in person to people. We are not quite finished yet. We have a few appearances remaining. Stay tuned. For reflection: Books, TV and movies portray the various powers that superheroes possess. What supernatural powers do I need to be a superhero for God? What villains are after me? How can I overcome them? Let us pray. Father, All-Powerful, all true power comes from you. Thank you for the gifts of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for wisdom and understanding, knowledge and faith, healing and miracles. Thank you for being with us always. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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