Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Around our world are some very famous places where remarkable things happened which changed history for many people. Usually, some type of monument or even a whole town has grown up around the revered place. Perhaps you’ve travelled long distances for the primary purpose of visiting these types of places.
We’re now 9 days removed from Easter and considering the historical significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the entire world, it would seem appropriate that the empty garden tomb would be enshrined as one of the most world famous of all tourist attractions. And if you visit Jerusalem today the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulcher is a major attraction, as is “Gordon’s Garden Tomb”, but in truth there is no undeniable evidence proof of the exact location of the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed the dead body of Jesus and from which Jesus arose that Easter Sunday.
The resurrection of Jesus is not validated by an empty tomb but in His several appearances to many different people in many different places over a period of 40 days, (Acts 1:3) and in the life transformation Jesus accomplishes in those who entrust their lives to Him. Do you agree with that?
The apostle Paul summarized the post resurrection appearances of Jesus with these words: “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that Jesus appeared to Cephas [Simon Peter] and then to the Twelve. [the disciples] After that, Jesus appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time… Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles and last of all Jesus appeared to me also…”(1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
I find it interesting that we have no historical record in the Bible or other famous historical writings that the empty tomb of Jesus suddenly became a tourist attraction with large throngs of people coming to see the empty cave! Have you ever thought about why not, especially when you consider the number of places around the world where famous people are buried, and throngs of people walk by everyday just to look at the tombstone?
I’ve done some digging into the Biblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus and I tried to arrange them in what appears to be chronological order, and here’s the list I’ve developed. If you’ve done a similar study and developed a different list, I’d welcome hearing from you…Appearances of Jesus after Resurrection
Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb . . . . . John 20:11-18
The other women at the garden tomb . . . . . Matt. 28:8-10
Peter in Jerusalem . . . . Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5
2 Travelers on the Jerusalem road to Emmaus . . . Luke 24:13-35
10 Disciples behind closed doors in Jerusalem . . . John 20:19-25 & Luke 24:36-43
11 Disciples including Thomas in Jerusalem . . .John 20:26-29
7 Disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee . . . . John 21:1-14
11 Disciples on a hillside in Galilee . . . Matt.28:16-20
A crowd of 500 people . . . . . . . 1 Cor. 15:6
Jesus’ brother James . . . . 1 Cor. 15:7
Some Disciples at a meal with Jesus . . . Acts 1:4,5
Some Disciples again with Jesus . . .Acts 1:6-8
Disciples and others on Mount of Olives at Jesus’ Ascension . . . . Acts 1:6-12; Luke 24:50,51
Saul the Pharisee’s Damascus road encounter with Jesus . . . Acts 9:1-9
Ananias instructions from Jesus regarding Saul . . . Acts 9:10-16
Each of these is a remarkable historical event which changed the lives of those who encountered the risen Jesus. Some are given to us in great detail, others only briefly mentioned. Yesterday we looked at Matthew’s record of the encounter of resurrected Jesus with His disciples on the hillside in Galilee. (Matt. 28:16-20) We presume that each of the friends of Jesus had a unique relationship with Jesus and therefore responded to His death and resurrection in their own way. The disciple Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, was so distraught and overwhelmed by his shame and grief, he actually hanged himself before Jesus was resurrected. (Matt. 27:1-10) Simon Peter, the bold disciple, who denied not once but three times that he even knew Jesus, ran into the shadows that Thursday night weeping.
The next time we meet Peter, that weekend in the Gospel accounts, is resurrection Sunday morning when he and John are awakened by Mary Magdalene with the news that she had been to the tomb and found it empty! (John 20:1,2) Peter and John then both ran to the tomb and found the grave clothes but did not see Jesus.
While Jesus appeared to a group of the disciples that resurrection Sunday evening (John 20:19-23; Luke 24:33-49) and then again one week later (John 20:24-29) Peter was among them, but we have no record that Jesus and Peter had personal, private time to talk about those denials. If you’ve ever been haunted by a memory of something you did or said which you deeply regret, it should not be difficult for us to imagine how deeply Peter hungered for some alone time with resurrected Jesus so they could discuss what happened in the courtyard of the High Priest as Peter warmed himself at a fire while Jesus was being interrogated inside the house. (Matt. 26:69-75; John 18:15-27)
That opportunity finally came for Peter in another unexpected encounter resurrected Jesus had with several disciples at a place they all deeply loved, the shoreline of Lake Galilee. John gives us this record in the final chapter of his Gospel account of the life of Jesus. Perhaps it happened about the same time as the event we considered yesterday. Simon Peter, unpredictable, bold and sometimes brash, is home in the Galilee and of course anxious to get back to fishing. For Peter, and others, being out on the lake was the most familiar, comfortable place for them to be. They had bills to pay, mouths to feed, questions to wrestle with. So, Peter gathers up his nets and heads for his boat, and six of his friends, who were also disciples of Jesus, join with Peter. They fished all night and undoubtedly, they talked a great deal about what they had been experiencing in the past few weeks and what the future would be for them.
They knew Jesus was alive, but they had no assurance when or if they’d see Him again. They longed for more details regarding their future. I imagine that night as they threw out the nets and hauled those nets in empty, time after time, frustration was mounting.
John describes that night like this: “ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ (John 21:1-5) Seven weary, frustrated men who’d fished all night and had nothing to show for their efforts. A lone figure standing on the shoreline, in the very early morning dim light, far enough away not only could they not see His face, they didn’t recognize His voice, and certainly His question was unwelcome. But if you’ve ever spent time at places where people are fishing, the natural question always is… “any fish today?‘ I have found the more seasoned the fisherman, the shorter the answer to that question, especially if it involves NO. That early morning that was the response… simply “No!”
It’s safe to say those in the boat assumed the inquisitive shoreline figure had His answer and the conversation was over. But then they heard these words: “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish.” (John 21:6) I’m grateful even though John was among those 7 in that boat that he does not record for us what was said among those men. After a long night of empty net fishing, I’m sure the grumbling in that boat was not appropriate for the record. Let’s pause here friends and we’ll come back to this scene tomorrow to see what happened.
For today, consider what we saw yesterday with Jesus and His friends on the hillside and His assurance to them that He had all authority over everything and would always be with them. Was that true in this situation? Is it true when you find yourself in ’empty net’ situations? Does Jesus have authority overall, even over ’empty net’ situations? Are you in one of those situations right now? Is Jesus fully aware of your situation and ready to help?
Here’s a song that will help us reflect on those questions and God’s answers…
Today’s Scripture is John 21:1-6.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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