‘’In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,   until the
day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the
apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many
convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and
spoke about the kingdom of God’’ [TLB].
This message is a follow up to the Easter message on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which
is the foundation of the Christian faith. Jesus after His resurrection did not go back
immediately to heaven, He stayed on earth for 40 days and appeared to His disciples at
different times. These appearances before going back to Heaven to be with the Father are
what we are looking at to find out why. Jesus Christ met His disciples for the first time on
their way to Galilee but some of them doubted. But Jesus was focused more on what He will
accomplish with them after the Holy Spirit had come upon them.
Jesus Christ had earlier told the disciples about His death and resurrection at different
times. One would have expected that the disciples would not doubt when they saw Him.
But it was not so. And these were the same people Jesus would be entrusting the destiny of
men and women all over the world and that of the kingdom.
In John 20: 18 – 29, the Bible records, ‘’Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I
have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. That evening the disciples were
meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing
there among them… He spoke to them again and said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you. ”Then he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.   If you forgive
anyone’s sins, they are forgiven…. One of the disciples, Thomas, “The Twin,” was not there at
the time with the others.   When they kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “I
won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands—and put my fingers into them—and
place my hand into his side. ”Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time
Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing
among them and greeting them. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger into my hands. Put
your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!”
Thomas said. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are
those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway” [TLB].
This is another appearance of Jesus to His disciples. John here recorded the commissioning
of the Apostles who will take the gospel to the ends of the earth. That is what is observed
on Monday as ‘’Galilee day’’ after the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday. While this happened,
one of the disciples named Thomas was not in their midst and so when he was informed
that Jesus visited them he didn’t believe. Jesus came eight days after to meet with the
disciples again and this time Thomas was with them. ‘’…Then he said to Thomas, “Put your
finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” John

20: 27 – 29 [TLB]. The lesson here is that although the world says, ‘’seeing is believing’’ but
the Bible makes it clear that “believing is seeing.’’ If we believe, we will see the glory of God.
Our faith is not based on what we see, feel or think rather on what the scripture says: ‘‘For
we walk by faith, not by sight…’’ [2 Corinthians 5: 7 KJV].
If Jesus had risen and gone back to the Father, the disciples wouldn’t have been
strengthened to be able shoulder the responsibility He had given to them. The effect of the
40 – day’s period He spent with them was that Thomas, the doubter, was the one who took
the gospel to India because something had happened to him!
For the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples in John 21: 1 – 25. Previously, He had
commissioned them to go and do the work of preaching the gospel. But what Peter did was
to go back to his business as a fisherman. And because he was influential among the other
disciples, they joined him. The Bible records that they labored all night without catching
any fish; the reason being that they were out of the will of God. If we labour out of the will
of God, our labour will be in vain. The Bible says, ‘’Except the Lord build the house, they
labour in vain that build it…’’ [Psalm 127:1 KJV]
One would have expected that Jesus would descend heavily on them for abandoning the
work they were commissioned to do. Instead, He went to where they were fishing and
asked that they cast their net on the right side, meaning that if we do the right thing, we will
get the required result. When they did, they caught so many fishes that they could not pull
the net in. The Bible says, ‘’But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you’’ [Mathew 6: 33 KJV]. After preparing the fish for them
to eat, He spoke to Peter three times about loving Him more than fishing. After the third
time Jesus told him to feed His lamb.
Jesus had to restore them to the ministry He called them to do before ascending to heaven.
Why did Jesus do all of these? In the book of Job 42: 5 – 6, the Bible records: ‘’I have heard of
thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and
repent in dust and ashes [KJV]. The scripture is saying in effect that we need to have a deep
and personal relationship with God. Jesus wanted His disciples to encounter Him beyond
theory, because they are going out with the gospel mandate to face the unbelieving world
that doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again. For them to be ready, equipped
and strong enough to preach the gospel regardless of the situation, they have to know God
in a personal way. It is easy to feel self- righteous until we encounter God.
The Bible says in 1 John 1:1-3, ‘’Which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which
we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life… That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have
fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Again in 2 Peter1: 16 it says, ‘’For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we
made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses
of his majesty’’ [KJV],
That is why the disciples were able to stand and proclaim the gospel in the face of severe
opposition and challenges. They had first-hand knowledge and experience of who Jesus
was. If we are to go far in these last days, especially with the daunting opposition and
challenges, then we must have a deep and personal knowledge of Christ. If we know who

Christ is, problems will draw us closer to Him. That is why Paul at the tail end of his
ministry prayed: ‘’That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death’’ [Philippians 3: 10 KJV]. The Bible
also says, ‘’…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits’’ [Daniel
11: 32b KJV].
QUOTES:
“If we labour out of the will of God, our labour will be in vain. The Bible says, ‘’Except the
Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…’’
“Although the world says, ‘’seeing is believing’’ but the Bible makes it clear that “believing is
seeing.’’ If we believe, we will see the glory of God. Our faith is not based on what we see,
feel or think rather on what the scripture says: ‘‘For we walk by faith, not by sight…’’