When someone dies, don’t we like to talk about the person’s last words? It gives us insight into what mattered to them when they knew that there was nothing else awaiting them in this world but death. In the past, I have found it interesting to read accounts of the experiences and last words of various saints immediately before their death, as well as those of wicked people. But today I want to talk about the famous last words of our Savior and Redeemer, the One who gave His life for all mankind.
There were seven things Jesus said as he hung on the cross. They offer us deep insight into His great heart. One is recorded in Matthew's gospel, three in Luke's, and three in John's. Here they are under seven headings that describe what occurred when He said them:
Forgiveness Full and Free
The first of Jesus' last words is about forgiveness full and free.
But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. (Luk 23:34).
All we need to do is read Psalm 31 to see what the righteous human normally wants for their enemies. The psalmist said, “…Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt. (Psa 31:17-18). Any one of us would be inclined to wish these things upon the wicked who would persecute us unjustly. Yet Jesus had such a big heart of love and mercy that he resisted that temptation to curse them back. Instead He prayed for them that they might be forgiven.
Assurance of Salvation
The second of Jesus' last words is about receiving from Him an assurance of salvation.
And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luk 23:43).
Here was an admitted thief, who had broken God’s commandment not to steal. Yet Jesus assured him of his salvation. We can observe this man’s repentance and faith in Christ very plainly. It’s clear that he had remorse for his own sin, he openly acknowledged it, and accepted the punishment being meted out to him as fair. He said in his penitence, "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (Luk 23:41)
Notice how he also declared Jesus innocent as well when he said, “this man has done nothing wrong.” And he confessed Jesus' Lordship when he asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" (Luk 23:42). It’s clear this man considered Jesus Lord and King. He actually believed that the sign over Jesus head on the cross was true, which said, “King of the Jews.” And for his repentance and faith in Christ, Jesus granted him salvation. His sins were immediately washed away and he received the promise that he would be with Jesus that same day in Paradise!
This is the power of God for salvation. Jesus saves the vilest sinner instantly and perfectly. And without any further opportunity to express his faith with ceremonies or good deeds, he went on to be with Jesus in Paradise that same day when he died. This shows us that when we repent and believe in Jesus, we can be assured of our eternal destiny.
Caring for His Mother
The third of Jesus' last words is about Him caring for His mother.
When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He *said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. (Joh 19:26-27).
It’s normal for people to think of themselves first when they are suffering. It’s normal for sinful humans to forget about what others might be going through when we are in dire straits ourselves. But Jesus did not do this. As He hung there in pain, bearing the weight of our sin, He thought of Mary’s needs. Her heart was being pierced by what she saw that day. She was old and had become a widow. As the oldest son, it was Jesus responsibility to take care of his mother. We know He had brothers, and we know they eventually came to put their faith in Jesus, but the Scriptures tell us here that Jesus entrusted his closest disciple, John, with the responsibility to care for Mary as his own mother from that point on.
This is such a great example for us to follow. When we are suffering, do we think only of ourselves, or do we look out for the needs of others who are also suffering? We should especially look out for widows and most especially our own parents.
God Forsaken by God
The fourth of Jesus' last words is about Him being forsaken by God His Father.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mat 27:46).
In his humanness, Jesus cried out asking God why He had forsaken Him. This was the moment that God was forsaken by God. Consider it.
If Jesus was praying silently in His Spirit through Psalm 31 as he hung on the cross, as I believe He may have been, then we can gain insight into Jesus words here to the Father about being forsaken. The psalmist wrote: “As for me, I said in my alarm, ‘I am cut off from before Your eyes’; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You.” (Psa 31:22) While Jesus said this to the Father in His alarm, the Father had not forsaken Him and heard the voice of Jesus' supplications when He cried to Him.
We know the very nature of God is faithfulness to never leave nor abandon us. The psalmist said: “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.” (Psa 27:10) He says, “For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.” (Psa 94:14).
From these Scriptures, we can assume the Father did not leave or forsake Jesus, although for Jesus it probably felt like he had in fact been forsaken when he hung on the cross. Although he had never sinned, he bore the full weight of all our sin upon him on the cross. He surely must have felt completely forsaken and alone, which is a most terrible feeling.
We can learn from this ourselves. At some point, we all wonder if the Lord is still with us. When we have sinned, we sometimes feel this way, as though God has deserted us. But we can always remember that nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:35-38) and he will be with us always, even to the end of the age (Mt 28:20), just as He promised.
He Thirsted
The fifth of Jesus' last words is about Him being thirsty.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, "I am thirsty." (Joh 19:28)
Note that it was only after Jesus knew all things had been accomplished that He talked about his own physical suffering. Prior to that point, although He was certainly in a tremendous amount of pain, He never said, "My back hurts," or made any other such complaint.
He was most likely very thirsty for quite some time, since he had probably not drank anything since the Passover Supper the previous night. He had lost copious amounts of bodily fluid through his beatings, his long journey up Golgotha hill, and His crucifixion. Blood, sweat, and tears had poured from his body. Now He finally spoke up about it at the very end.
Again, it’s natural for us to talk about our own needs when we are suffering. This is normal. We desire to receive help from others to meet these needs, so we tell people about them. But Jesus put the need to fulfill Scripture and the Father’s will above his own basic human need for a drink of water. That’s love. That’s obedience. That’s commitment. What an example for us when the Lord shows us what we are to do for Him. His will and purpose comes before even our own basic needs, and sometimes fulfilling those needs must be delayed until we have accomplished the mission He has given us to carry out.
A Finished Work
The sixth of Jesus' last words is about Him finally completing all that the Father sent Him to do, fulfilling all that was written in Scripture about His death.
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (Joh 19:30)
Here we learn that Jesus left absolutely nothing unfinished. Every last thing the Father commanded Him to do was completed. There were no loose ends left undone when He died.
We learn from Hebrews that Jesus, “having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb 10:12)
No further sacrifice needs to be offered for sins. The work of Calvary is a finished work. For those who repent and believe in Jesus, there is no further sacrifice necessary for their sins than the one Jesus paid on the cross.
And we know we’ve been perfected by it, too. “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (Heb 10:14)
By one perfect offering, Jesus has perfected us for all time.
For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (Heb 7:26-27)
The sacrifice of Jesus was made only once and it was made for all. This gives us great faith when we come to Him that we can put our trust in his finished work at Calvary. There’s no need to continue offering up more sacrifices and no need to fear that we will some day need to pay further for our sins after we die. It is finished.
He Gave His Life
The seventh of Jesus' last words is about Him offering His life up to God on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, proving that no one took His life, but that He gave it.
And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." Having said this, He breathed His last. (Luk 23:46).
If Jesus had truly held onto the belief that the Father forsook him, why would He have finally prayed this way to the Father? He had no new evidence that the Father was still with Him! Yet in spite of that, His very last act of obedience on the cross was when He committed His Spirit to the Father. That’s the kind of faith that pleases God (for more on the faith of Christ, please see Faith in Action).
When we go through trials of many kinds, we are tempted to give up praying. But Jesus did not give up in the very darkest moment of all. He knew He could entrust Himself to His Father’s heart in the very face of death itself. Right to the very end, He was clinging to God with a right heart.
We also learn from these very last words of Jesus that no one took Jesus life from Him, as I said. The devil certainly did not take it. He laid it down of His own accord, as He told His disciples in advance that He would do:
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." (Joh 10:17-18)
Jesus freely went to the cross, and in the end He gave up His own Spirit to the Father.
Putting it All Together
We learn from these seven last words of Jesus the following truths:
1. Jesus’ forgiveness is full and free. Just as he forgave His enemies when they persecuted Him, he forgives us of all our sin. And we should forgive others no matter what they’ve done.
2. Jesus wants us to have an assurance of our eternal destiny. When we repent and put our trust in Him to save us, we have an assurance that we will go straight to heaven when we die.
3. Jesus fulfilled His responsibility to take care of his mother. We should especially look out for widows and most especially our own parents.
4. Jesus will never leave nor forsake those who trust in Him, even when we feel abandoned by God.
5. Jesus thirsted. He was tempted and tried in every way, just as we are, yet without sin. Only after Jesus knew all things had been accomplished did He talk about his own physical suffering. His will and purpose comes before even our own basic needs, and sometimes fulfilling those needs must be delayed until we have accomplished the mission He has given us to carry out.
6. Jesus gave His life. He was not a victim. His very last act of obedience on the cross was when He committed His Spirit to the Father. That’s the kind of faith that pleases God. When we go through trials of many kinds, we are tempted to give up praying. But Jesus did not give up in the very darkest moment of all. He knew He could entrust Himself to His Father’s heart in the very face of death itself. Right to the very end, He was clinging to God with an obedient heart.
7. Jesus’ work on Calvary is a finished work. No further sacrifice needs to be offered for sins. For those who repent and believe in Jesus, there is no further sacrifice necessary for their sins than the one Jesus paid on the cross. By one perfect offering, Jesus has perfected us for all time.
Attribution notice: Most Scriptures quotations taken from the NASB, copyright The Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Graphic image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what G-d's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of G-d, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
In my previous post titled, "Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus" (see here), I wrote about how the ministry of Jesus on earth continued after his resurrection, and continues even now, as we hear testimonies from around the world of His appearances in our own day. I also spoke about His ascension. Based on my very thorough research of the matter in the Scriptures, I came to the personal conclusion that there must have been two ascensions. In other words, Christ must have first ascended privately on resurrection day, without any human audience on earth to witness it. And then he came back to earth later that day to appear to His disciples, and continued to make many appearances for forty days until he ascended to heaven in full view of them all. But I didn't want to start teaching something I could not be sure of, so I merely stated it in parentheses as a side note that I found interesting. Here's what I wrote:
When Jesus appeared to Mary the morning of His resurrection, she wanted
to cling to Him. But He told her not to do so, explaining that He had
not yet ascended to the Father. Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to
Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and
say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and
your God.'"
This is the only recorded instance where Jesus told anyone not to cling
to Him. Only a few hours later, he specifically told His disciples in
the locked room to touch Him. Luke states: “But they were startled and
frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to
them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See
My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a
spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’" (Luk
24:37-39). Some believe that Jesus ascended privately to the Father
shortly after he rose on that first day, in order to be glorified, and a
change occurred in His body. This, they believe, was prior to the
public ascension seen by his disciples forty days later, and explains
why He allowed no one to touch Him until later during the day of His
resurrection.
If it were true that Jesus ascended privately on resurrection day, then
it would also explain why Jesus said to Mary that first morning that she
was to tell His disciples that He was ascending to His Father and God.
If He did not ascend twice, the first time being soon after his
resurrection, then we need to explain why He said on resurrection day
that He was ascending to the Father. Was He referring to the public
event that would occur forty days hence? It’s an interesting matter to
consider, but certainly not an essential belief for our salvation.
That is an excerpt of the article I posted last December, which was nine months prior to writing this present article.
He Stripped satan of his authority The Scripture says of Jesus, "Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it." (Col 2:15) And this is exactly what happened! Hallelujah! Our enemy is a defeated foe, who stands condemned already.
Multiple Descents and Ascents
It may seem radical to talk about two ascensions, since we have always been taught that there was only one ascension of Christ -- that is, of course, the public one recorded in Acts 1:3. However, it would not surprise me, if Jesus actually ascended to heaven multiple times, during the forty days after his resurrection, following each of His appearances. Allow me to explain.
He appeared to His disciples on earth alive at least three times before the appearance He made on the day He ascended publicly to heaven (Jn 21:14). The first was to Mary (Jn 20:10-18), then to Peter and the twelve in the upper room (Jn 20:19; 1 Cor 15:5), then a third time to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:1). "After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time...then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles." (1Co 15:6-7). If you count all of these appearances, there may have been as many as six of them!
We know that Jesus did not cease to exist each time He disappeared, because He lives (see Jn 14:19), therefore, we know that He continued to live somewhere. So we need to ask, "Where did He go?" Well, we know that from the time of His resurrection, His home was in heaven, not on earth. For according to His own words to His disciples, they would no longer see Him, because He was going to the Father, although He did assure them that they would see Him again after a little while (see Joh 14:19; Joh 16:10,16). And according to His own words to Mary, after He spoke with her, He ascended to the Father in heaven. And He sat down at the right hand of God. But He must have descended each time He appeared to people on earth, and then ascended back to His home in heaven afterward. He certainly wasn't camping out by Himself on earth for forty days. So this means there may have been six ascensions, culminating with the public one that was seen on top of the Mount of Olives by those who returned to the upper room where they were staying; that is, "Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James...along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (Act 1:13-14)
And since Jesus continues to appear to people on earth today, He continues to descend to earth each time He does so, and then He ascends back to heaven each time afterward, even though they don't see Him do so.
Putting it All Together
You may not agree with my findings, and you don't have to. But this was the conclusion I had come to through my own, independent study of God's Word. I believe there was a private ascension of Jesus Christ on resurrection day, and another one that was seen publicly by His disciples only ten days before Pentecost. There were also likely several other private ascensions between these two. Likewise, Christ has descended and ascended many times since then.
Jesus has overcome sin, sickness, disease, and death for us, and has stripped satan of His authority through the cross. Indeed, He has overcome the world. If you need forgiveness, healing, deliverance or salvation today, it is available for you right now! God wants you to be forgiven, cleansed of sin, saved, healed, and completely delivered of bondage in your life. Don't live another minute without having your need met by Jesus. Call upon Him and cry out to Him in your place of need. He cares and will answer your cry.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
As believers in Jesus Christ, our hope and faith depend on the resurrection. If the resurrection did not happen and is just a myth, then our faith is in vain. So that’s why I think it’s so important to examine the biblical evidence that proves it did occur. My goal is not to prove the sequence of the post-resurrection appearances or the exact number of appearances, since these are not important. Scholars do not agree on those minute details. But I simply want to encourage your faith in Jesus Christ.
At the very end of this post, I will share with you about some exciting appearances of Jesus that have occurred in our own day, so don't miss those! But first, let's begin with the biblical accounts.
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” (1Co 15:3-8)
In this passage, Paul speaks of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And to prove that he rose from the dead, Paul cites numerous occasions when Jesus appeared to people after his resurrection.
Peter and the Twelve
First Paul states, “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Co 15:5). Cephas was the name for Peter. Was it actually Peter who saw the Lord first?
This differs from the account of the gospels, which record that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Matthew’s gospel states that the angel at the empty tomb told the ladies, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you." (Mat 28:7). Since the angel told the ladies to go tell Jesus disciples that He had risen from the dead, we know that the disciples had not yet seen Him.
According to Mark’s account, the “other Mary” was the mother of James (Mk 16:1). According to Luke, there was also a third woman named Joanna. Mark states that the angel specifically mentioned Peter to the women, when he said, "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.'" (Mar 16:7). Notice how Peter was called out separately from the disciples, since he had removed himself from being a disciple when he denied the Lord. That’s why the angel said, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter…”
Matthew’s account continues, “And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.’” (Mat 28:8-10). Jesus appeared to them after they left the tomb and told them the same thing the angel had just said. He instructed them to go tell his disciples, calling them his brothers. Just as the angel had told the women, Jesus also said He would appear to His brothers in Galilee.
Mark states: “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.” (Mar 16:9-10). So Mark and Matthew’s gospels agree that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, not Peter.
She was obedient to tell the disciples and Peter. In turn, Peter and John did run to the tomb to verify her report, and later the disciples did go to Galilee, as the Lord said to do. But they did not go to Galilee right away. At first they refused to believe it.
Mark states: She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.” (Mar 16:10-13)
Luke’s account agrees with this Mark that the disciples refused to believe when they first heard the report from the women who had seen Jesus. Luke states: “But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.” (Luk 24:11-12)
So after Mary Magdalene, Mark states that Jesus appeared to the two men walking on the road in the country, which was evidently the Road to Emmaus appearance described by Luke. Note that Luke also placed the Emmaus Road appearance right after the women told the disciples. He wrote: “And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.” (Luk 24:13-15)
Interestingly Luke also recorded that when the two who saw Jesus on the Emmaus Road immediately reported their experience to the eleven gathered in Jerusalem, the eleven (including Peter) told them that the Lord had already appeared to Simon Peter. “And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, ‘The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.’” (Luk 24:33-34). So Luke’s record of the statement by the eleven that the Lord appeared to Simon seems to place that appearance prior to the Road to Emmaus one. Could it be that Jesus appeared to Simon shortly after he went to the tomb, and that it was not recorded explicitly, but rather mentioned indirectly here? I don’t think so.
John’s record does not allow for that possibility. He wrote: “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’ So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her.” (Joh 20:1-18).
In this account from John, after Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty and reported it to the eleven. She did not yet know the Lord had risen, but she thought they had taken the Lord’s body. Peter and John ran to the tomb to see. When John saw it He believed. The he states: “So the disciples went away again to their own homes.” And the very next thing John records is the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, who saw Him first.
John records how the Lord appeared to the eleven that same day in the evening. He states: “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’ But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.” (Joh 20:19-24).
That evening on the same day He appeared to Mary, Jesus appeared to the eleven in the locked room. Thomas was not there, and he doubted the others when they told him. John writes: “So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’ Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;” (Joh 20:25-30). So there were two appearances to the eleven on that first day of the week.
John goes on to record that “After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.” (Joh 21:1). This was the occasion when the disciples had been fishing unsuccessfully all night, and Jesus appeared on the shore in the morning, cooking fish. He gave them instructions that resulted in a great catch, and they all enjoyed breakfast with him on the shore. It was then that he walked with Peter and reinstated him as a disciple.
I mentioned earlier that after Mary saw Him alive again, she was obedient to tell the disciples, and the disciples did go to Galilee, as the Lord said to do. But not right away. At first some of them refused to believe it. However, when they did finally do what the Lord said and they went to the mountain in Galilee, they all saw the Lord.
Matthew records their encounter with Jesus: “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain, which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” (Mat 28:16-17). At this point, there were only eleven disciples, since Judas had committed suicide and they had not yet appointed Matthias to replace him. So Peter was there on the mountain among the Eleven. Together they saw Jesus, but some doubted in their hearts.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20). This was the famous event known as the “Great Commission.”
This is the same event that Luke recorded. Luke placed the timing of it on the day when the two men were telling the eleven they had seen him on the Emmaus Road. “While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be to you.’ But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luk 24:36-51)
Now Luke indicates that the Lord led them out as far as Bethany and was carried up to heaven, which is known as Jesus’ ascension. Unless there were two ascensions, this could not have occurred until forty days after his resurrection, which is when the ascension occurred. Luke explicitly states this time frame in his second account, known as Acts.
In Acts 1, he records the exact same appearance of Jesus (also see Lk 24:36-51 cited above) with these words, “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’ And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Act 1:1-9)
Allow me to recap. Luke stated it all in his first account as though Jesus led them out to Bethany and ascended the same day he Lord appeared to the two disciples on the Emmaus Road. That would have been on the same day he was resurrected, since that was the day the disciples saw Him on the Emmaus Road. In Luke’s second account (Acts) he later stated that it was not until forty days after his resurrection that the Lord gathered them in Bethany for the Great Commission and ascended to heaven! During that forty-day period, Jesus made many appearances, and spoke about the kingdom. Luke explicitly stated that Jesus was “appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Ac 1:3). He does not tell us how many times Jesus appeared or in what order those appearances occurred.
So it’s unclear from the gospel accounts and Acts whether Jesus appeared first to Peter, which Paul recorded in his Corinthian epistle. It’s possible that Jesus appeared to him at the tomb after he ran there and looked in. But that’s unlikely, since the angel that had spoken to Mary Magdalene earlier told her to “Go, tell His disciples and Peter…” If she saw the Lord right after that, then this seems to indicate that Peter had not seen the Lord before she did. However, John’s account gives the following sequence: Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty, she runs and tells the eleven disciples, Peter and John run to the tomb and find it empty, and then AFTER that Jesus appears to Mary in the garden near the tomb (Jn 20:1-15). Whether or not Peter saw Jesus when he went to the empty tomb, we do find evidence that He made a separate appearance to Peter prior to His appearance to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. This was what the eleven told the two who reported that they saw the Lord on the Emmaus Road.
Probable Sequence of Jesus' Appearance to Peter and the Twelve
What we can surmise up to this point is the following sequence of events:
1. Mary Magdalene and the other ladies visit the tomb and find the stone rolled away. (Mt 28:1-8; Mk 16:1-7; Lk 24:1-9; Jn 20:1)
2. The angel speaks to them. Matthew placed this event before the women tell anyone (Mt 28:5-8). John places this even after Peter and John look inside the tomb (Jn 20:11-13).
3. They report this to the eleven (Mt 28:8; Mk 16:10-11; Lk 24:9; Jn 20:2)
4. Peter and John run to the tomb and find it empty (Lk 24:12; Jn 20:2-8). The disciples return to their own homes. John believes (Jn 20:8), and Peter goes away to his home marveling to himself (Lk 24:12)
5. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and the other women in the garden (Mt 28:9-10; Jn 20:14-16). He does not allow Mary to cling to Him, stating that He has not yet ascended to the Father (Jn 20:17). The way Matthew records this makes it seem like Jesus appeared to her before she reported to the disciples, but there was a gap here according to the other gospels. She first reported the empty tomb to the eleven disciples, and then went back to the tomb, where Jesus appeared to her. Some disciples headed for Emmaus once they heard Mary’s report of the empty tomb and the angel’s appearance, and they did not yet know about Jesus’ appearance to Mary, or they would have told Jesus (Lk 24:22-24)
6. Mary tells the eleven that she saw the Lord alive, and that He will meet them in Galilee. By now the two disciples are already walking along the Road to Emmaus, and do not yet know that anyone has seen the Lord alive (Jn 20:18).
7. Some of those who hear Mary’s report that she has seen the Lord alive refuse to believe (Lk 24:11).
8. The Lord appears to Simon Peter on Resurrection Day, before He appears to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus that afternoon, or to the eleven later that evening. The eleven indirectly mentioned this personal appearance of Jesus to Peter, and so did Paul in his account. (Lk 24:34; 1 Co 15:5).
9. The Lord appears to the two on the Road to Emmaus on Resurrection Day (Lk 24:13-32; Mk 16:12-13).
10. While the two men who saw him on the Emmaus Road are telling the eleven about it, the Lord appears to the eleven altogether for the first time in the locked room the evening of the same day He appeared to Mary (Lk 24:36; Mk 16:14; Jn 20:19-21). Thomas was absent (Jn 20:24). (This places the Road to Emmaus appearance earlier that afternoon.) After Thomas later hears of it, he has doubts in his heart (Jn 20:25).
11. The Lord appears again eight days later to the eleven in the locked room, and Thomas is there this time (Jn 20:26). The Lord tells Thomas to touch his wounds in his hands and his side (Jn 20:27).
12. Over the coming weeks, the disciples go to Galilee. (Mt 28:16a). If we understand that Matthew was recounting the events in broad strokes, not fine detail, we realize that there was a space between this first part of verse 16 and the second half of it. He covered a large span of time in few words.
13. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the Bible (Jn 20:30).
14. While they were in Galilee, they went fishing. Seven of the disciples saw him on the shore while they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee (Jn 21:1).
15. The eleven disciples proceed to the mountain in Galilee (Mt 28:16b) and while they are there, Jesus comes up the mountain, where they see Him again, and He speaks to them. He leads them out to Bethany and commissions them to take the gospel to the whole world (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:16-19; Lk 24:50-51).
(Note: In Matthew’s account, the Great Commission appears to happen very soon after Mary Magdalene gave Jesus’ instructions to the eleven to go to Galilee, where they would see Him. In Matthew’s account, it seems as though it is the first time they see Him after His resurrection, but the Great Commission is recorded there, which Jesus did not give until forty days later, right before his ascension. There was obviously a gap of time that occurred between verses 16 and 17 in Matthew 28, or between verse 17 and 18. This is the way Matthew writes. In other words, even though it runs together in Matthew’s concise telling of it, the Great Commission occurred a few weeks after they first saw Him on the mountain in Galilee. For more about this, I suggest "Understanding the Gaps in Scripture.")
(Note about Bethany and Mount Olivet: Bethany is near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs, according to Jn 11:18. It only takes about a half hour to walk there from Jerusalem. You have to walk over Mount Olivet to get to Bethany. Mount Olivet is near Jerusalem, and Bethany is near the Mount of Olives according to Mk 11:1. Jesus instructed them to go to a mountain in Galilee where they would see Him, and that is where they saw Him AFTER they had seen Him in the locked room in Jerusalem. Galilee is not close to Jerusalem. It is unlikely that on the day of his resurrection they saw Him on a mountain, since they were still in the locked room in Jerusalem for fear of the Jews, in the evening on the day of His resurrection. It is also not possible that the mountain in Galilee where Jesus appeared to his disciples was Mount Olivet, since that is located near Jerusalem, not in Galilee. According to Luke, Jesus finally led them out as far as Bethany, and there he was carried up to heaven – he ascended -- before their eyes. This was not a private ascension. This event occurred forty days after His resurrection. And Luke added in his second account in Acts 1:12 that after Jesus' ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. When we put this together with Luke's first account in Lk 24:50, we can surmise that the ascension occurred in Bethany, and they had to walk over the Mount of Olives on their return trip to Jerusalem. This means that his appearance to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee occurred during the forty days after his resurrection, not the day he ascended. To summarize the appearances of Jesus to the eleven, His appearances in Jerusalem occurred first, then His appearances to them in Galilee, and finally came His appearance in Bethany immediately before His ascension. So there was a progression from Jerusalem to Galilee, and then back toward Jerusalem, with the ascension occurring in nearby Bethany, with the disciples returning to Jerusalem afterward.)
(Note about Jesus’ ascension: When Jesus appeared to Mary the morning of His resurrection, she wanted to cling to Him. But He told her not to do so, explaining that He had not yet ascended to the Father. Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"
This is the only recorded instance where Jesus told anyone not to cling to Him. Only a few hours later, he specifically told His disciples in the locked room to touch Him. Luke states: “But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’" (Luk 24:37-39). Some believe that Jesus ascended privately to the Father shortly after he rose on that first day, in order to be glorified, and a change occurred in His body. This, they believe, was prior to the public ascension seen by his disciples forty days later, and explains why He allowed no one to touch Him until later during the day of His resurrection.
If it were true that Jesus ascended privately on resurrection day, then it would also explain why Jesus said to Mary that first morning that she was to tell His disciples that He was ascending to His Father and God. If He did not ascend twice, the first time being soon after his resurrection, then we need to explain why He said on resurrection day that He was ascending to the Father. Was He referring to the public event that would occur forty days hence? It’s an interesting matter to consider, but certainly not an essential belief for our salvation.)
So the gospel record essentially agrees with Paul’s record that Jesus appeared first to Simon and then to the eleven altogether. That sequence is correct. Paul simply left out the fact that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene before He appeared to Peter. Whether this was intentional or not makes no difference. He had the sequence right, and did not explicitly deny the fact that Mary had seen the Lord before Peter did.
More than Five Hundred
Paul went on to describe what happened after Peter and the eleven saw Jesus. He states, “After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.” (1 Co 15:6)
So again, Paul does not mention that the Lord appeared to the two on the Emmaus Road, choosing instead to highlight Peter and the eleven. And after that came His appearance to more than five hundred people at once time. This rules out any possibility that these people could have been hallucinating. It is impossible for hundreds of people to experience the same hallucination simultaneously.
At the time that Paul wrote this to the Corinthians, around 54 or 56 AD, most of these folks were still alive. So several hundred of these witnesses were still available to be contacted, if the Corinthians wanted to verify Paul’s account of the resurrection.
It is very likely that this appearance to more than five hundred occurred in Galilee during the weeks following his resurrection, prior to his ascension.
James
After Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Peter, the men on the Emmaus Road, the eleven and the more than five hundred at one time, Paul states, “Then He appeared to James…” (1 Co 15:7)
Since there were two disciples named James, we need to clarify which one Paul was referring to here. There was the apostle James the son of Zebedee, who was the brother of the apostle John. And then there was James the brother of Jesus, who wrote the book of the Bible called James. I don’t think Paul meant the apostle James, because he was one of the eleven who saw the Lord after Peter did. Paul had just mentioned that the eleven saw Jesus. So it would not make sense to mention James again. I think rather that Paul was referring to James the brother of Jesus.
James was one of the elders in Jerusalem who rendered important decisions for the church, such as the one made in Acts 15. Did you ever wonder how he got to be an elder in the Jerusalem church, even though he was not one of the original apostles? Well, Paul says the Lord appeared to him, and it is likely that this also occurred in Galilee, since James lived there.
What an amazing experience that must have been! James had not believed in the Lord during His earthly ministry. But he came to believe in the Lord later, probably after His resurrection. And he was blessed to see the Lord, who had been his earthly brother, after His resurrection. After that, James simply referred to himself as the bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All the apostles
Paul stated that after Jesus appeared to James, “Then to all the apostles…” (1 Co 15:7). This is also a noteworthy statement. We usually think of the apostles as synonymous with the Twelve, which later became the eleven after Judas “quit.” But Paul had already mentioned Jesus’ appearance to the eleven. Now he indicates that Jesus appeared to “all the apostles.” This makes it clear that there were in the early church more apostles than just the eleven. In fact, in his epistles, Paul mentions other apostles, so this is well established. And there are still apostles today, since this gift has never ceased to exist since that time.
This event when Jesus appeared to all the apostles was most likely on ascension day when he commissioned them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. But there were others who also saw Jesus after that event, like Stephen, on the day he was stoned to death (Ac 7:55).
Paul
Finally Paul comes to the end of his list of those who saw the Lord alive after His resurrection. He states, “And last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” (1 Co 15:8). Here he refers to his own experience seeing the Lord on the Road to Damascus (Ac 9:3; 26:13).
On that day, Paul’s travel plans were changed abruptly. He was headed to Damascus for one purpose – to persecute Christians – and when he got there, he had a completely opposite purpose – to preach the gospel. This itself is proof the Lord appeared to him. Why else would anyone go from being a hater of Christians, imprisoning them and approving their deaths, to being a die-hard gospel preacher, suffering persecution and imprisonment himself for the Lord’s sake?
Putting it All Together
So what Paul covered concisely in two or three sentences just took me ten pages to cover. He highlighted only six of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. But we know there were many more.
Jesus made many appearances during the forty days between His resurrection and His public ascension to heaven, where He was seated at the right hand of the Father. These include His appearance to Mary Magdalene with Joanna and Mary the mother of James, as well as His appearances to Peter, the two on the Emmaus Road, the eleven, James, and all the apostles.
When we speak of Jesus’ earthly ministry, this was a part of it we often forget. His earthly ministry did not end after his death on the cross, but continued for forty days afterward until his public ascension. In fact, His earthly ministry continued after His ascension.
Jesus appeared to Stephen while He was being stoned to death with Saul’s consent. Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Ac 7:55). Jesus appeared to the apostle Paul himself, on the Road to Damascus. And He appeared to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos (Rev 1:12-20).
In fact, the earthly ministry of Jesus continues to this day. The gospel of Mark ends with the statement that, “They went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” (Mk 16:20). This is a concise summary of the entire book of Acts, and all that the Lord continues to do today to confirm His Word by signs and wonders.
Jesus continues to appear to people on earth today, whether or not anyone wants to believe it or report on it. For example, many say a supernatural dimension is at work throughout the Islamic world. There is an unseen revolution in Iran, in which many Muslims are coming to know Christ. Jesus has appeared to many of these Muslims.
If you would like to see some amazing, true testimonies of Muslims who gave their lives to Jesus Christ after seeing Him in a dream or vision, then I want to encourage you to visit "More Than Dreams: From Dreams to Reality." There you will find video dramatizations of five Muslims from the nations of Turkey, Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, and Indonesia, who each had such a supernatural encounter with Christ. I also highly recommend a book by Korean brother Yong-Doo Kim, called Baptize by Blazing Fire. It documents how Jesus appeared to him and the members of his church in January 2005, during an all-night prayer rally that lasted for thirty days. These are just examples, but there is much more happening than I could possibly cover here in this one blog.
Why should we doubt that He is doing this, when it is consistent with His character and past behavior? He’s alive, He’s wonderfully personal, and loves to reveal Himself to us. He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
