Chronology of the Risen Savior’s Appearances

◆ Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James (“the less”) and of Joses; Salome, the wife of Zebedee; Joanna; and “other women” came to the sepulchre at the rising of the sun on Easter morning. (Matthew 28:1ff.; Mark 16:1ff.; Luke 24:1ff.)

◆ Seeing the tomb open, Mary Magdalene immediately left the group and returned to the city in panic. She found Peter and John and told them that someone had taken Jesus body from the grave. John, sprinting ahead of Peter, and Mary Magdalene bringing up the rear, headed back to the sepulchre to investigate. (John 20:1ff.)

◆ Meanwhile the other women had heard the angel’s message and, at his directions, began their return to Jerusalem. They apparently took a different road than that taken by Mary, Peter and John, because there is no indication that they encountered one another en route.)

◆ While the women were returning to Jerusalem, John and Peter, followed at some distance by Mary Magdalene, arrived at the sepulchre and investigated the empty tomb. Having examined the circumstantial evidence of the neatly-folded graveclothes, they returned home. (Luke 24:12; John 20:4-10)

◆ But Mary Magdalene, who had trailed along behind them, remained yet for a short time outside the sepulchre weeping. As she then peered into the tomb, she saw for the first time the angels (which apparently had not made themselves visible to Peter and John when they looked in). She still was of the mistaken opinion that Jesus’ body had been stolen. It was then that Jesus appeared to her personally —His first appearance on Easter morning. (John 20:11-18; Mark 16:9)

◆ Meanwhile, the other women were still proceeding on their way back to Jerusalem. Suddenly Jesus Himself appeared before them on the road —visibly, audibly, tangibly— to confirm to them the mission and message which the angel at the tomb had directed them to deliver to the disciples. (Matthew 28:9-10)

◆ On Easter afternoon, Jesus appeared to two disciples on their way to the village of Emmaus and engaged them in a protracted discussion about His suffering, death, and resurrection on the basis of Old Testament prophecy. After making Himself known, He vanished. (Luke 24:13ff.)

◆ Sometime between His resurrection and His appearance to the assembled disciples on Easter evening, the risen Christ also appeared to Simon Peter, a personal and apparently private appearance of which we know nothing except that it occurred and that the other disciples knew of it (Luke 24:34). St Paul mentions this appearance (“He was seen of Cephas”) also in his report (I Corinthians 15:5).

◆ On Easter evening (and also one week later), Jesus passed thru locked doors and appeared to the assembled disciples as a group, ate before them on the first visit, and permitted Thomas to touch Him and examine His wounds on the second visit (John 20:19ff.; Luke 24:36ff.).

◆ Other post-Easter appearances then followed during the 40 days before His ascension into heaven: To the seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee, where the risen Savior also restored Peter to his apostleship (John 21); to the eleven on a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus issued to them their “marching orders” in His Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:16-20); to “above five hundred brethren at once,” of whom the majority were still alive at the apostle’s writing to testify as to what they saw (I Corinthians15:6); to James, concerning which appearance we have no further details (I Corinthians 15:7); to the eleven at His ascension into heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:2-9).

◆ Later, after His ascension, the risen Christ appeared also to Paul, who saw Him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) just as surely as did those “who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead” (Acts 10:41). This is further evidence of the Savior’s personal union and the communication of attributes to His human nature also in His state of exaltation; for Paul reports his own eyewitness testimony right along with the eyewitness testimony of the others (I Corinthians 15:8).

—D. T. M.