THEN HE APPEARED TO JAMES...

1 Corinthians 15: 7

         

Jesus probably made many resurrection appearances during the 40 days leading to his ascension that are not recorded in scripture. The gospels record some, like his Easter morning appearance to Mary Magdalene, and then the two disciples on the road to Emmaus later that same day, that Paul makes no mention of in 1 Corinthians 15: 5-7. Conversely, Paul tells of Jesus appearing to 500 followers at one time and meeting with James, his brother, neither of which are mentioned in the gospels. Something remarkable must have happened that the Lord should have appeared to James? 

         Jesus was conceived in his mother Mary's womb as a result of the miraculous work of Holy Spirit. No man was involved. She was a virgin, and Matthew 1:25 states that Joseph had no sexual relations with her until she gave birth to Jesus. The obvious inference is that after the birth of Jesus their marriage was consummated, and we know that they went on to have other children in the normal way.

         Jesus had four brothers, James, Joseph, Simeon and Judas and a number of sisters, Matthew 13:55-56. Strictly speaking, they were his half-brothers and sisters, but whether any of them were aware of their brother's supernatural conception we don't know. Jesus, like Joseph, was a carpenter, Mark 6:3, but with no mention of him during Christ's ministry, it would appear that he died while the family were still young. This would account for Jesus not setting out on his ministry until he was 30 years old. He would have needed to support his mother in providing for his younger siblings until they were old enough to do without it. 

         In John 7: 2-5, one gets the impression that, despite the miracles he performed, his brothers didn't take him seriously; that they joked and jested at his expense. For we read, 'When the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No-one who wants to be a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.'

         Knowing how their brother was avoiding Judea because the Jews were out to take his life (verse 1), they surely never thought for a moment that he wouldgo there. However, after they had left, he went went there too, albeit secretly. It must have come as a surprise when his brothers found out.

         The family seemed to think Jesus was mad. On one occasion, Jesus entered a house and such was the crowd that had gathered that he and his disciples were unable to eat. 'When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind,” (Mark 3:20-21). 

We are left with the question – How is it that his brothers and sisters, who spent so many years in his company; played with him, ate with him, listened to his words, and observed his  actions and reactions to everything and everyone, did not believe in him? Despite him performing great miracles they still were not persuaded.

         Jesus spoke of those who, “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand,” (Matthew 13:13). He went on to quote the words of the prophet Isaiah 6:9-10, 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

         Is it possible to be near Jesus; to belong to a church/corps, read the bible, pray, attend worship, listen and listen and just not hear, look and look and still not see? Is it not possible to know all about Jesus and love what we know about him, agree with what we hear, and yet still not knowhim? I'm sure that the brothers and sisters of Jesus thought they knew Jesus better than anyone. They certainly should have done, having known him much longer than anyone else. But they didn't. 

         Following his death and resurrection we know that Jesus only revealed himself to his followers, yet Paul tells us that he appeared to James. Also, in Acts 1:14 we read how, following his ascension into heaven, his brothers were among the believers who joined constantly in prayer together. No doubt they always loved their big brother even if they didn't believe in him. Something must have happened to bring them into a belief. Surely, even though we are not told, it must have been the cross, the power of the cross? We're told in Luke 23:49 how, as he died, 'all those who knew him..…stood at a distance watching these things.' 

         Surely, no man, let alone someone falsely accused and tortured and executed in such a terrible manner, had ever poured out such love from the midst of his agony? To the thief hanging next to him, to his heart-broken mother, and to those who had perpetrated such a wicked horrific act, love poured out from him as readily as did his blood. The centurion in charge would have been used to men cursing, abusing and railing against those who nailed them there or who came to watch. Watching and listening to Jesus affected him profoundly, Luke 23:47. Never had such love poured out from such agony. Surely, it was at the cross that the truth of who Jesus was, dawned on his brothers?

         The Gospel of the Hebrews contained a curious legend that said that James made a vow to neither eat or drink till he had seen Jesus risen from the dead, and that Jesus appeared to him saying, “My brother, eat thy bread, for the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”         Whether that story is true or not, James must have had many regrets and needed that personal encounter with Jesus to know himself forgiven and accepted.

         James went on to be a great leader in the Jerusalem church, (Galatians 1:19, 2:7, Acts 15:13), not because of his blood relationship to Jesus, but because he had met the risen Saviour and surrendered his life to him.

Howard Webber
SA Officer (Pastor)
Bournemouth UK

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Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances

Suggested Scripture Readings: 

Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances

1) Mary Magdalene (Mark 16.9-11; John 20.11-18)
2) the other women at the tomb (Matthew 28.8-10)
3) Peter in Jerusalem (Luke 24.34; 1 Cor. 15.5)
4) The two travelers on the road (Mark 16.12,13)
5) Ten disciples behind closed doors (Mark 16.14; Luke 24.36-43; John 20.19-25)
6) All the disciples, with Thomas (excluding Judas Iscariot) (John 20.26-31; 1 Cor. 15.5)
7) Seven disciples while fishing (John 21.1-14)
8) Eleven disciples on the mountain (Matthew 28.16-20)
9) A crowd of 500 (1 Cor. 15.6)
10) Jesus' brother James (1 Cor. 15.7)
11) Those who watched Jesus ascend to heaven (Luke 24.44-49; Acts 1.3-8)
12) Least of all Paul as though he was not living in the proper time (1 Cor. 15.8-9; Gal. 1.13-16; Acts 9.1-8, 22.9, read all of chapters 22 and 26; 13.30-37; 1 Cor. 15.10-20; Gal. 2.1-10):

[http://biblocality.com/forums/showthread.php?662-How-many-times-did-Jesus-appear-after-His-resurrection]

He is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!

Blessings & Peace

Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk

Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor)

Canada

BETWEEN SUNDAYS

THOMAS

Often, having presented Christ to the prisoners in a prison chapel, and appealed to them to respond to his offer of love and mercy, I would end by saying, “Of course, everything I have said could be untrue, rubbish. The only way you will know is to find out for yourselves.” I would then tell them how the Bible records God saying, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13, adding that I have never known anyone to do that and be disappointed.

Dear Thomas seems to stand alone in being condemned as a doubter, when the fact is that everyone who believed that Jesus had risen from the dead that first Easter Day had seen him, ie Mary Magdalene, John 20:14, two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24:15, Peter v34, the ten disciples gathered behind locked doors, John 20:19. Only Thomas missed out on meeting him. I am sure that Thomas wanted to believe what he was told but, without evidence, he just couldn't.

BETWEEN SUNDAYS!

I'm lost and bewildered,

All hope is now gone.

I cannot imagine

How life can go on.

My mind's in a turmoil,

I can't understand

How this could have happened

To so good a man.

I'm tortured by thoughts of

Him hung on that tree;

The thorns and the nails;

In his face – agony.

It happened so quickly,

I still can't believe

He's dead and he's buried,

What did that achieve?

My friends are now saying

That Jesus has risen,

'We've seen him and heard him,

He's out of death's prison!'

I'd like to believe them,

I'm sure you would too,

But claims like they're making

Just cannot be true.

Whilst no-one likes losing

A valuable friend,

There's no point pretending

The end's not the end.

They think they have met him,

But senses deceive;

Come. show me his wounds, then

Perhaps I'll believe.

                   

When Jesus escaped from his persecutors in Jerusalem, John 10:39, to relative security beyond Judea, news arrived that his friend, Lazarus, was ill. When Jesus didn't immediately hot-foot it to Bethany as one might have expected, John 11:6, his disciples probably thought that his seeming reluctance to go was due to his fear of the Jews who were out to get him. But that was obviously not the case, for two days later he declared, “Let us go back to Judea,” v7. This alarmed his disciples. Going back was the last thing they wanted to do. It seemed almost suicidal, v8. However, when Jesus again expressed his desire to return to Judea, it was Thomas who rallied his companions with the bold battle cry, “Let us also go, that we might die with him,”v16

Of course, despite going back with Jesus, neither Thomas nor the others were willing to die with him. They left him to die alone. We too may have strong convictions as to what we would do in a given set of circumstances, but whether our actions match our words when it counts is a very different matter. Peter made a similar bold statement, Matthew 26:31. Has it been true of you? I have sometimes had a strong conviction to do something with an equally strong intention, only to then fail the Saviour I love. How often do we, his followers, break the Lord's heart I wonder?

Why was Thomas the only disciple absent when Jesus appeared to the others? Some grieving people find comfort in being in the company of friends or fellow sufferers. Others prefer to spend their time grieving alone. Thomas was probably not only shocked at what had so suddenly transpired, but deeply disappointed with himself, burdened with guilt at his lack of courage. Have you been there? Following the death of a loved one there can be a sense of guilt, often irrational, for not having done more for them, even when there was no more we could have done. Thomas may also have felt disappointed with Jesus when things didn't work out as he anticipated. He probably never imagined that things would turn out like they did. Have you never been disappointed with Jesus? Have you ever felt as though he had failed you, failed to do what you expected of him?

It could have been disappointment that caused Thomas's absence that first Easter Sunday evening, resulting in him missing such a wonderful blessing. Sometimes, sensing that God has something special in store for us, Satan will endeavour one way or another to make us disinclined to join with our fellow believers. John Wesley knew that experience. He tells us in his journal how, in May 1738, he went 'very unwillingly' to a meeting in Aldersgate. Had his unwillingness won the day he might never have known that life-changing experience God gave him that night, nor the great work that came out of it and swept through this land.

Having stated what it would take for him to believe, Thomas must have been shocked when, a week later, Jesus again appeared and accepted his challenge, inviting him to put his finger in the nail prints and his hand in his side, John 20:27. Although unseen, Jesus was obviously present when Thomas made his declaration. “Stop doubting and believe,” Jesus then told him. Earlier, when Jesus and his disciples arrived in Jerusalem following the resurrection of Lazarus, Thomas asked Jesus a question that revealed how Thomas really didn't know him, John 14:7. But now, Thomas leapt ahead of his fellow disciples in reaching the full truth of who Jesus was, “My Lord and my God!”

This is the climax of John's gospel in what was originally the last chapter, and Jesus responded with a final beatitude, “Blessed are those who have not seen  and yet have believed.” We may not have seen Jesus in the flesh nevertheless, like Thomas, we need not depend on second-hand accounts, for through God's gift of the Holy Spirit we can come to truly know him personally.

Howard Webber

Retired SA Officer (Pastor)

Bournemouth UK

*Christianity Magazine's Book of the Year 2010*

Christianity Magazine's Review (2010):
.This book is perhaps the most extraordinary one I've reviewed since writing for 'Christianity'. It is a series of stories of evangelism on the hard side of life. It is painfully honest and lists as many failures as successes, as many deaths as new lives. Documenting Webber's spiritual battles too, it is possibly the most moving set of accounts I've ever read, and the most hopeful. It is all too easy to see the role of being God's ambassadors as reduced to preaching, or set among those who we love and are safe. But this book challenges us to be where Jesus would be, with the down-and-outs, with the hopeless and the broken. It looks the cost of such ministry square in the eye and carries on just the same. Please buy this book.'

Lenten Season, 2018: Holy Week, Easter Sunday, April 1st

New Beginnings: See?  I Am Doing a New Thing!—God

Jesus played an April Fool’s joke on the religious leaders!

And now Holy Week, which began with so much promise and then seemed to rapidly spiral downwards, had an unexpected twist! Certainly, seeing Christ whipped and then being crucified on a cross caused many to feel downhearted, disappointed, and distressed. However, Easter is on April 1^st this year, and it occurs to me that Jesus played the ultimate April Fool’s Joke on those who mocked, abused, and tortured Him. The self-righteous religious leaders believed Jesus’ Crucifixion had taken care of their ‘problem.’  Jesus’ body had been tucked into a tomb and a huge stone had been rolled in front of it, but still that didn’t satisfy them. Suddenly, there was another loose end they felt compelled to tie up and they went to Pilate to inform him of the rumour that Christ had said He would rise again. So, to prevent any magic tricks, such as the disciples making His body disappear, they requested the tomb be sealed and guards posted at the entrance, (Matthew 27: 62-64).

But how did the religious leaders know about Christ’s Resurrection prediction? Jesus had only spoken of it privately with His disciples: the First prediction (Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33; Luke 9: 21-22); the Second prediction (Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9: 30-32; Luke 9:43-45); and the Third prediction (Matthew 20:17-19; Luke 18:31-34). Yet the chief priests and Pharisees knew enough not to take any chances and went to Pilate to prevent any sham from taking place. At last they could rest in the satisfaction that Jesus no longer posed a threat to them, because His followers would scatter now that Jesus was dead forever—or was He?

Early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome returned to the Christ’s tomb with spices to anoint His body, but they wondered how to move the heavy stone from the tomb entrance (Mark 16: 1-3). The terrified guards had already run away when they saw an angel roll away the stone (Matthew 28:1-3) to report to the chief priests, who developed more lies to cover their previous deception. Plus they bribed the guards to help spread their newest lie, which was that if anyone asked, they were to state that while they slept the disciples stole Jesus’ body. Moreover, if the guards were to be brought up on charges for falling asleep on their watch, these same leaders would lie to the governor to keep them off the hook (Mat. 28: 11-15).* How appalling that these deplorable religious leaders demonstrated to the gentile guards that it was OK to lie, because ‘the ends justify the means.’ This is an important reminder to us today: we are to be set apart for Jesus, which includes following His teachings versus our own desires. 

After Jesus’ Resurrection, He appeared to different individuals and groups of people (one was a crowd of 500), which provided eye witnesses and solidified the truth that He was alive. But what a great April Fool’s joke: The Son of God, Whom had refused to claim an earthly throne, broke the chains of sin and death with His triumphant Resurrection! Instead of being dead forever, He was alive forever, and there wasn’t anything the religious leaders could do about it!  Also, He ascended to Heaven, where we who recognize Him as our Saviour, will join Him. Hallelujah!

[*Note: the guards would most certainly have fearful of punishment that could include death. See the Article, “Guards at the Tomb: The Discipline of the Roman Soldier”  http://sntjohnny.com/front/guards-at-the-tomb-the-discipline-of-the-roman-soldier/2201.html]

He is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!

Blessings & Peace

Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk

Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor) Canada