For the next 40 days He taught and ministered to His disciples in what must have been an intensely powerful experience, preparing them for His Ascension into heaven. The Lord gave at least three highly significant messages to His Jerusalem disciples: 1 His Resurrection was real and all are inheritors of that wonderful gift; 2 His Atonement was completed, but there would be requirements for us to fully partake of its blessings; and 3 His disciples were responsible to carry the message of His gospel to the world.
To both believer and unbeliever, the evidence on the morning of the third day was compelling. The stone was rolled to the side. The dead Christ was no longer in the tomb. However, even with that evidence, the Lord chose to confirm His Resurrection in numerous glorious visitations. The first was to Mary Magdalene, who mourned outside the tomb.
She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. We learn that if we truly seek Him, if we truly want to know Him, we will find Him and know Him as He really is. Mary had become a disciple through conversion and had followed the Savior faithfully unto His death.
By her own experience, she then knew that He was alive. The risen Lord walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Savior then appeared to Simon Peter and afterward to the 11 Apostles and others. Thomas had doubted that Jesus was the resurrected Lord. If we want to know sacred things and experience all of the rich blessings related to those sacred experiences, our faith must be stronger than our curiosity.
By the time of His Ascension, there were no doubters of His immortality among His faithful disciples. The Gospels speak of 10 apparitions of the risen Jesus, five of which occur on the day of his resurrection, and five further times before he ascended into heaven.
We know from Acts 1 that he was on earth for 40 days, and that he spent these days with his disciples:. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Jesus revealed himself to Mary Magdalene before any other person.
Having just seen Jesus' empty tomb, she remained in the garden weeping, when Jesus appeared to her. She mistook him to be the gardener, but when he called her by name, Mary recognised his voice.
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.
Later that day, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to two disciples — one called Cleopas — but they were slow to realise 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 recognised him" Luke It was not until they recognised him that Jesus left. He did not abandon his disciples when they did not see it was him, but remained with them until they realised that their hearts had been "burning within us while he talked with us".
He is closer than a shadow, no matter what you think, or what you might prefer to believe. You might have experienced, say, the nightmare of something like a crib death; remember that Jesus offers peace that passes understanding. You might have health scares, insecure about your very life and what your place on earth is; remember that Jesus walks the dark hills to guide you and me. You might have had problems with drugs, and the law, and custody, maybe losing your home, with nowhere to turn; remember that Jesus offers you refuge.
You might be a girl who has tried to shake addictions time after time after time; remember that the feeling around your shoulders is Jesus hugging you tightly.
You might have lost a preemie, having prayed, believing, for a healthy child; remember that, through it all, trust is more important than understanding. He walks everywhere, By night and by day.
He walks in the silence, On down the highway; God walks the dark hills, To show us the way. The risen Savior, Lord of Creation, walks the dark hills, to seek out… me? That's the miracle of the Miracle Man, to me, still — that He loves you and me. Click: God Walks the Dark Hills. God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests.
Rick Marschall is the author of more than 60 books and hundreds of magazine articles in many fields, from popular culture Bostonia magazine called him "perhaps America's foremost authority on popular culture" to history and criticism; country music, television history, biography, and children's books. He is a former political cartoonist, editor of Marvel Comics, and writer for Disney comics. His anthologies of vintage cartoons have won several awards in the US and Europe.
Learn more at www. The Christian Broadcasting Network.
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