The last forty days

 During the 40 days between his resurrection and the ascension Jesus appeared to his disciples a number of times in a number of locations. Perhaps he wanted them to be absolutely sure that he had been raised from the dead and was actually right there with them. The mind has a way of discrediting whatever is so unusual. Fact and fiction overlap. His multiple appearances help enforce the reality that he had actually come back to life after three days as a corpse. During that 3 days his heart was absolutely still, no blood ran through his veins, not a breath of air was taken and the body had grown cold — he was dead! THEN suddenly everything was like it had always been. Jesus was alive again. He greeted Mary, he walked with Cleopas and his friend to Emmaus plus a number of other events. Here are those that have been recorded:
      Ten of the disciples (Thomas was not there and Judas Iscariot had committed suicide) seemed to have feared for their life because they had securely locked themselves in a room when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. It must have reassured their confidence when once again he was right there with them. Anyway, the text says they were “amazed and filled with joy” (Luke 24:31).
       About a week later Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. This time Thomas was there. He was having trouble believing that Jesus was actually alive again and said that unless he could put his hand in the wound left by the spear he could not believe. But it didn’t turn out that way. The next week, when he actually saw Jesus, Thomas turned down the invitation to prove to himself that it was his Lord and cried out “It is you! My Lord and my God.”
       Then there was the occasion when Jesus was there on the shore of Lake Tiberius and called out to his disciples (John’s gospel lists the 7 by name) who were out fishing. They hadn’t caught anything until Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side and when they did they landed a boatload. When Peter recognized that the man on the shore was Jesus he – and isn’t this like Peter – plunged into the lake to get to Jesus first. After breakfast Jesus made sure that Peter understood that loving his Lord meant feeding his sheep.
 
       There may have been other times when Jesus appeared to his disciple, but the several that are recorded provide solid support for moving beyond doubt that, as promised, Jesus Christ was alive and had fulfilled his promise. While you and I can understand how these appearances would help the disciples believe the “impossible,” we also recognize for ourselves the role of the Spirit in helping us believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that 2,000 years ago a Galilean man said he was God, died for that assertion and rose three days later to change millions of lives and provide both the power and the reason for the spread of western civilization. Praise be to Jesus, the promised Messiah, the personal Savior of all who accept by faith the reality of his resurrection and all it means.