What He Did After the Resurrection Before He Ascended

Mary at the tomb

The first appearance was to Mary Magdalene. She was standing outside the empty tomb weeping. She had come to finish the burial preparations and the body was gone. She saw two angels and answered their question mechanically, then turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize Him. She thought He was the gardener.

He asked her why she was crying. Who was she looking for? And then He said one word: her name. "Mary."

He said her name and she knew who He was. He did not announce Himself with trumpets or titles. He said her name, the same way He always did, and that was enough. She had been looking for a body to finish burying and she found Someone who knew her name and said it in a way that was unmistakably Him.

The first person the risen Christ spoke to personally was a woman who had been weeping at an empty tomb. Not a king. Not a priest. Not one of the eleven. A woman in grief, alone in a garden in the early morning, and He said her name.

The road to Emmaus

Two disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles. They were talking about everything that had happened, trying to make sense of it. Jesus came alongside them and walked with them, but they were prevented from recognizing Him. He asked what they were discussing. They stopped, looking sad, and told Him about Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet they had hoped would redeem Israel, who had been crucified, and now there were strange reports about an empty tomb.

He walked with them for hours. He explained the Scriptures to them, starting from Moses, about why all of it had to happen this way. And still they did not know who He was. When they reached Emmaus, He acted like He was going to continue on, and they urged Him to stay because it was late. So He stayed. He sat down at the table. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened.

He walked seven miles with people who did not know who He was, answering their confusion with Scripture, taking them through the story they thought had ended in failure. He did not reveal Himself in a rush. He walked the road with them first.

Breakfast on the beach

Some of the disciples had gone back to fishing. It was early morning and they had caught nothing all night. A figure on the shore called out and told them to throw the net on the other side of the boat. They did, and could not haul the catch in because there were so many fish. John realized who it was and said so to Peter. Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore.

He had a fire going. He had fish on it already. He had bread. He had set up breakfast for them before they arrived, knowing they were coming, knowing they were hungry and tired from a fruitless night. The resurrected Son of God was cooking breakfast on a beach so His tired friends could eat.

And then, after breakfast, He restored Peter. Three times He asked "do you love me?" corresponding to the three denials. Three times He gave Peter a commission. He did not bring up the denial to shame him. He met him in the specific wound and addressed it specifically, three repetitions for three betrayals, closing what was open, restoring what was broken.

What the forty days tell us

He could have spent His forty post-resurrection days doing almost anything. He chose to spend them with people. Specifically with people who were confused, grieving, doubting, or wounded. He spent forty days in close, personal, unhurried relationship with the people He was about to leave in the world to carry His mission.

That is still who He is. Still interested in the personal. Still willing to walk the road at your pace before revealing everything. Still saying your name in a way that only He can say it. Still setting up breakfast for people who had a fruitless night.