EXPOSITION:

We have already established the fact that death could not hold Jesus  down to the grave. Jesus resurrected on the third day thereby making  public disgrace of death. To further substantiate Jesus’ resurrection,  we would now consider his appearances after the resurrection. Our Lord appeared not less than seventeen times after His resurrection. Five of these appearances occurred the first Easter Sunday, and six took place between that time and his ascension. The remaining six happened between Pentecost and the completion of the Bible.

The first appearance was to Mary Magdalene as she remained worried at the site of the tomb after Peter and John had left. Here she saw Christ and first mistook him for the gardener, but immediately recognized Him when Jesus spoke to her. The second appearance was  to the other women who were also returning to the tomb and saw Christ on the way. The third appearance was to  Peter in the afternoon of the resurrection day. Concerning this there are no details, but it is most significant that Christ first sought Peter,  the denier. The fourth appearance was to the disciples  as they walked on the road to Emmaus. By supernatural delay of recognition, Christ was able to expound to them the old Testament scriptures concerning his death and resurrection. His identity was not known to them until he broke bread. The fifth appearance of the resurrected Christ was to the ten disciples. The sixth appearance was to the eleven disciples. At this  time, Thomas was present.

Beloved, reflect over this. If Jesus had not resurrected, who then made these appearances? Even to Thomas, Jesus showed him the nail prints. Don’t let anyone deceive you the resurrection story is a cooked one. No! we are not following a dead God; our Lord Jesus is  still alive and offers live to anyone who so desires. Christ is inviting you to give you the life he offers.