New Testament BIBLE STORY #36

 New Testament  BIBLE  STORY

#36

ESPECIALLY WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN

Chapter Forty-five:

More Disciples See Jesus

THE LADIES TELL THE ELEVEN

THAT JESUS APPEARED TO THEM

     The group of ladies that had come out that early Sunday

morning were close to being back in Jerusalem. In the meantime,

the soldiers that had been struck unconscious by the angel who

came to roll back the great stone over the entrance to the tomb

that Jesus had been put in, were now awake.  A few other soldiers

had arrived to take their shift of guarding the tomb. They were

all looking into the empty tomb, and realizing Jesus was gone.

They of course had no idea what had taken place. They hurried off

and made it back into Jerusalem before the ladies did. Straight

to the chief priest they went, telling them the tomb that Jesus

was in, was empty, and the stone had been rolled away from

covering the entrance.

     The chief priests were in shock, the worse possible thing as

far as they were concerning had actual come to pass. They

immediately called for the members of the great Jewish Sanhedrin

to assemble. After some debate on what now to do in this

situation, they decided to give money to the soldiers and have

them say, "Go, tell people, 'His disciples came by night and

stole him away while we were sleeping.' And if all what has taken

place comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him with some

story that will keep you out of trouble."

     And so the soldiers took the money and did as they were

directed.  The Gospel writer Matthew says that, that story has

been spread among the Jews to this very day (Mat.28: 11-15).

     The ladies finally arrived back in the city of Jerusalem.

Straight-a-way they found where the eleven apostles  were

staying.

     "We have seen Jesus," they excitedly and loudly proclaimed.

"He is alive! He has been resurrected to glorious immortality,"

they continued.

     The apostles looked at each other, then back at the ladies,

saying nothing. The women could sense they did not believe them.

     "Jesus appeared to us out of the blue, and we worshipped

before His feet, actually holding and touching His feet," the

women shouted back at the apostles. "It is true, He is ALIVE, 

He is ALIVE," some of the women proclaimed.

     Some of the eleven men finally said, "No, it cannot be, you

have imagined it all. You have been so emotional since Jesus was

crucified, that you just think you have seem Jesus. If He has

been resurrected, why would He appear to you first, and not to

us, His chosen eleven apostles? You are all just dreaming!" (Luke

24: 9-11).

     Mary Magdalene looked over at Peter and John, and said, "I

was there standing and weeping as I looked into the tomb, and it

was empty, then two angels were there and they told me Jesus had

risen from the dead. Then I saw, who at first I thought was the

gardener, and I ask him that if he had taken Jesus, to tell me

where he was. He then spoke, and I knew it was Jesus. And it was!

I'm telling you Jesus has been resurrected, and is ALIVE. Go and

see, the tomb is EMPTY!"

     Peter looked at John and said, "Alright John, tell's go to

the tomb and see if what happened to the women and Mary 

Magdalene happens to us."

     Both men were pretty good runners, but John was the better.

He out ran Peter to the tomb. Looking in he saw the linen cloths

lying there but no body of Jesus. John did not go into the tomb.

Simon Peter arrived, and he did go inside the tomb. He saw also

the linen cloths lying there. The cloth that had been wrapped

around Jesus' head was there but neatly rolled up and lying in

another place in the tomb. Jesus' body certainly was NOT there.

     John, finally decided he needed to go inside the tomb also,

and he did. For John it was all proved as the women said. He 

knew within himself, that Jesus indeed had been resurrected to life.

     None of the apostles yet understood the Scriptures that Jesus 

would rise from the dead. But John knew in his heart that

Jesus was indeed alive.

     Peter on the other hand, though having to admit Jesus 

was not in the tomb, still could not believe Jesus had been

resurrected to immortal life.

     

     They both returned to the other nine apostles. John kept his

inner belief to himself. Peter was not convinced that Jesus was

alive and had appeared to the women. The other nine could not be

convinced either no matter how the women insisted it was true.

The apostles went to their homes or places they were staying in

Jerusalem (John 20: 3-10). And Simon Peter was alone for a while,

to think upon all he had see and heard from the women who had

been to the tomb earlier that morning.

JESUS APPEARS ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

     Later in that day two disciples were going to the village

named Emmaus, about seven miles west of Jerusalem. They 

were talking to each other about all the things that had happened,

from Jesus' betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane, during the

night of the 14th of Nisan, to the crucifixion on the afternoon

of the 14th, to the guard watch being set in front of the tomb in

the early hours of the 15th of Nisan. While they were talking and

discussing, Jesus drew near to them and started to walk along the

road with them. But their eyes, we are told, were kept from

recognizing Him. 

     Jesus said to them, "What is this conversation about, that

you are having with each other."

     One of them, by the name of Cleopas, answered, "Are you the

only visitor to Jerusalem this Passover feast time, who does not

know the things that have happened in the last number of days?"

     And Jesus said, "What things?" And answering him they

replied, "Why, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet

mighty in deeds and words before God and all the people, and how

our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to

death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one,

the Messiah, the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this,

it is now the third day since all this happened, since he was

crucified, placed in a tomb, and a watch of soldiers, set guard

over it, to keep people from taking Jesus' body.  Moreover, some

women of our company, have amazed us today. They were at the 

tomb early this morning and did not find his body in the tomb; and

they said they had seen angels that told them that Jesus was alive again. 

Some of those with us in Jerusalem went to the tomb, and found it just 

as the women had said, empty, but Jesus did not appear to them. So we 

doubt their story is true that the women told us in saying he had 

appeared them."

     Jesus now looked at them with pity and amazement at the same

time, and said, "O foolish men and so slow of heart to believe

ALL that the prophets have spoken! Was it not written, and was it

not God's plan, that the Christ should SUFFER these things and

then enter into GLORY?"

     Then Jesus, beginning with the books of Moses (first five

books of the Bible), and all the prophets, interpreted to them

ALL the Scriptures concerning Himself. It was a lesson in Bible

study like they had never heard before, their hearts beating

faster and faster with every explanation of all that was written

about the Messiah Christ that was to come.

     They walked on and got closer to the village of Emmaus.

Jesus made out that He was going to walk further, but they

constrained Him, saying, "Please stay with us, for it is towards

evening and the day is far spent." So He went in to stay with

them. 

     The two men prepared a meal. When Jesus sat down to eat with

them, He took the large loaf of bread and blessed it and broke it

in pieces, and gave some to each man (remember in those days they

did not have "sliced" bread, so people at meal times literally

had to break  the bread into pieces).

     Immediately their eyes were opened and they KNEW it was

JESUS! Then He just VANISHED out of their sight!

     Oh they were ecstatic with joy and praise. They said to each

other, "Did not our hearts BURN within us when he talked to us

and opened to us the Scriptures? Yes indeed! Praise be to God, we

have SEEN Jesus. He is ALIVE!"

     

     Those two men forgot about eating, they were not hungry any

more, eating a meal was now the furthest thing from their minds.

They put their sandals back on and headed as fast as they could

go back to Jerusalem. They knew they had to tell the eleven

apostles that Jesus had appeared to them.

     When they got back to Jerusalem they found the ten of them

in one place again. Much had happened they were not aware of. 

The soldiers had been telling people that some of Jesus' disciples

had stolen away His body to make it look like He had been

resurrected. Of course what the women that morning had witnessed

had not just kept with themselves or the eleven, it was now

pretty common knowledge as to what they said they had seen and

heard, so to the people hearing the soldier's story, they thought

that Jesus' disciples were indeed up to trickery. Many Jews were

very angry and ready to do harm to the eleven apostles. They

thought it would be safer for them to all be together in one

room, with the doors and windows barred shut.

     Then, what the two men coming back to Jerusalem did not 

know was that before they arrived and before the apostles were

together as one group again, Jesus had appeared to Simon Peter.

     We are NOT told anywhere in the New Testament exactly when

and how and what was said between Jesus and Peter. We are only

told that Peter had seen Jesus. Peter was still in doubt about

everything, though he saw for himself that the tomb was empty,

he still was not convinced by the women that Jesus had been

resurrected to eternal immortal life. Sometime before the two men

arrived back in Jerusalem from Emmaus, it would seem Jesus

appeared to Peter, and so ended Peter's doubts about all the

events that had taken place that Sunday during the feast of

Unleavened Bread.

     The two men from Emmaus came running into where the 

apostles were gathered, and before they could get a word out about 

Jesus appearing and talking with them, the aposles, with loud excited

voices said, "The Lord HAS RISEN indeed, and has appeared to

Simon (Peter)!"

     Then the two men told the ten apostles (Thomas was not with

them for some reason) the fascinating episode that they had been

part of, and how their eyes had been opened to recognize Jesus

when He had blessed and broke the bread.

     There was by now, little doubt in the minds of all those

disciples in that room in Jerusalem, that Jesus was alive once

more, and was alive in a glorified immortal sense (Luke 24:

13-35).

JESUS APPEARS TO THEM IN THEIR CLOSED UP ROOM

     John records that it was the same first day of the week, and

at evening, of that same first day. Now, you are thinking how can

this be possible, when God starts a day at evening (Genesis 1)? 

Should John not have written it was the SECOND day of the

week and at evening?  

     There are two reasons why John wrote it the way he did.

First, it could well have been that John was using ROMAN time (12

midnight to 12 midnight for a day, as most of us in our countries

that we live in, do). Then that evening of the first day, would

indeed in Roman time language still be the first day of the week.

     On the other hand if John was using Jewish or God's counting

time for a day, there are times when the Almighty Himself counts

the EVENING as PART OF the PRECEDING day. We find an 

example of this in  Exodus 12: 18, 19. God is talking about the feast 

of Unleavened Bread (verse 17), and as this and many other

Scriptures prove and teach, the Israelites were to eat no leaven,

but only unleavened bread for 7 days, from the start of the 15th

(at evening time) to the end of the 21st (at evening time) of the

first month of Nisan or Abib. But in this verse in Exodus 12, God

puts it this way to them, "In the first month, on the fourteenth

day of the month at EVEN, you shall eat unleavened bread, until

the one and twentieth day of the month, at even. Seven days shall

no leaven be found in your houses....in all your habitations shall 

you eat unleavened bread" (Ex.12: 18, 19). 

     We know from verses like Leviticus 23: 6, that the feast of

Unleavened Bread was for 7 days, from the 15th to the 21st

inclusive.  During those days they were to eat unleavened bread

only, seven days of no leaven bread but only unleavened bread.

     Yes, in this instant, the evening was PART OF the previous

day. God can do things like this you know, if He wishes. He can

throw a curve ball now and again among all the straight fast

balls, the basic true balls. Genesis 1 is the basic true ball of

how God counts days 99% OF THE TIME, but now and then 

He pulls a curve ball, just to keep you on your toes.

     It was the evening time of the first day of the week, and

the eleven, well actually only ten (because Thomas we are told

was not there with them, for whatever reason, which we are not

told) plus the two from Emmaus were all together in a room that

had the doors shut, bolted tight. They were there for fear of the

Jews.

     There they were talking over the great and wonderful events

that had taken place in the last 12 plus hours. Then....just

there.....no doors opened, Jesus STOOD IN THE MIDST of them! 

He said, "Peace be with you." Immediately He showed them His 

hands with the nail hole scars and the gash in His side where the

soldier's spear had been thrust. They knew it was Jesus and not

some demon playing tricks. They were delighted to see the Lord. 

Jesus again said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has

sent me, even so I said you." And after saying this He breathed

on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you

forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the

sins of any, they are retained."

     Maybe sounds a little strange to you. Jesus breathed on them

as typifying that the Holy Spirit had been with them in many ways

in the past, for that set them apart from those Jews who could

not understand because it was not given to them to understand.

Then the breathing on them for the Holy Spirit signified the Holy

Spirit would be continually with them, and even as a direct

begettal IN their mind on the coming day of Pentecost. And all 

of that we shall soon find out about as we proceed through this

Bible Story in the book of Acts.

     What about Jesus saying that what sins they retain shall be

retained and what they forgive shall be forgiven?

     When is it that ministers or disciples of Jesus have the

power to retain or forgive sins. Probably in the main when they

are leading someone to baptism, or having to determine the

attitude of someone when they request to be baptized, for baptism

is the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ. People

who are going to baptize in the name of Jesus, must, with the

help of the Holy Spirit, determine the person or persons have

truly come to understand what being a disciple of Christ means,

and that they understand sin, and what they are requesting to be

forgiven from. Sometimes people are ready for baptism and

sometimes they are not.  If they are, then sins will be forgiven.

If they are not ready, then sins will be retained, until they are

ready for baptism.

     Jesus was telling those disciples that the Holy Spirit would

be guiding them as they worked with, served, helped, and led

others towards baptism and salvation.

     Thomas, called the Twin, was not with them that evening 

when Jesus came, so they had to tell him later that they had seen 

the Lord. But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the

print marks of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the

nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe!" (John

20: 19-25).

     Would Thomas get his chance to do what he said was the only

way that he would believe that Jesus was alive from the dead?  

We shall see in the next chapter.

                 ................................

Written February 2003