Luke xxiv. these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God, and all the people: 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 25 ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with Mark xvi. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. them, 34 saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. § 167. JESUS APPEARS IN THE MIDST, THOMAS BEING ABSENT.—Jerusalem. Evening following the First Day of the Week, or the Lord's Day. he was seen of Cephas; Mark xvi. 14-18. 1 Cor. xv. 5. —And that 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. r1 Cor. 15. 5. Luke xxiv. 36-49. 37 When the disciples beheld their risen Lord, John xx. 19-23. 19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. they thought they saw a spirit. Jesus reassures them; and presents to them indubitable evidence, Luke xxiv. John xx. and supposed that they had seen a 20 And when he had so said, he showed Mark xvi. 15 And he said unto them, Luke xxiv. 43 And he took John xx. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you : as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name that the same body of flesh and bones which had Then follows our Lord's charge and commission to the eleven apostles, delivered to them here in private; and distinct from the public and more general commission recorded in Matt. 28. 19, 20.-As a symbol of this commission to them in particular, and of the power which they should shortly receive through the Spirit, "he breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost," John 20. 22. Comp. Matt. 14. 26; Acts 12. 15. and they shall recover." u Acts 10. 41. Comp. Luke 18. 31. w Law of Moses-prophets-psalms. These three designations express the three divisions of the Old Testament, according to the Jewish classification. This place, and the similar one in verse 27 of this chapter, are weighty, as proofs that the apostles had explicit intimations from the Saviour respecting the interpretation of the Old Testament. John 15. 27; Acts 1. 8. y Acts 3. 26. a Acts 1. 4. b Acts 2. 4; 1 Cor. 13. 1. c Acts 28. 5. • See § 172. John xx. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. § 168. JESUS APPEARS IN THE MIDST, THOMAS BEING PRESENT.-Jerusalem. Evening following the First Day of the Week, next after the Resurrection. John xx. 24-29. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. § 169. THE APOSTLES GO AWAY INTO GALILEE. JESUS SHOWS HIMSELF TO NINE OF THEM AT THE SEA OF TIBERIAS.-Galilee. Matt. xxviii. 16. 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee.— 1 John xxi. 1-24. After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on 4 this wise showed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus f 1 Peter 1. 8. John xxi. saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who 'art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ph He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. 16 He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time,' Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper,' and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come," what is that to thee? 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. § 170. JESUS MEETS HIS APOSTLES AND ABOUT FIVE HUNdred BrethREN ON A MOUNTAIN IN GALILEE. Matt. xxviii. worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 1 Cor. xv. unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. § 171. OUR LORD IS SEEN OF JAMES; THEN OF ALL THE APOSTLES. 4 Jerusalem. 1 Cor. xv. 7. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. Acts i. 3-8. 3To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses" unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. bable that this time and place had been appointed of our Lord for a solemn and more public interview, not only with the eleven, but with all his disciples in Galilee; and that therefore it was on this same occasion, when, according to Paul, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.' That the interview in Matthew was not confined to the eleven alone, seems evident from the fact that "some doubted;" for this could hardly be supposed true of any of the eleven, after what had already happened to them in Jerusalem and Galilee. The appearance to the five hundred must at any rate be referred to Galilee; for even after our Lord's ascension, the number of the names in Jerusalem were together only about a hundred and twenty, Acts I. 15. And further, Paul in enumerating the appearances of Jesus, in 1 Cor. 15. 5-8, specifies only those to apostles, with this single exception; which therefore seems of itself to imply that the eleven also were here included. Robinson therefore, with many leading commentators, regards the interviews thus described by Matthew and Paul as identical. He here takes leave on earth of those among whom he had lived and laboured longest; and repeats to all his disciples in public the solemn charge which he had already given in private to the apostles: "Go ye therefore and teach all nations; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." P Acts 2. 36; Phil. 2. 9, 10. 9 John 4. 1; Mark 16. 15, 16; Acts 2. 38-41. r Acts 2. 42. Luke relates, in Acts 1. 3, that Jesus showed himself alive to the apostles "after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." This would seem to imply interviews and communications as to which we have little more than this very general notice. One of these may have been the appearance to James, mentioned by Paul only (1 Cor. 15. 7). It may be referred with most probability to Jerusalem after the return of the apostles from Galilee. Afterwards, our Lord again, according to Paul, "was seen of all the apostles." This was apparently an appointed meeting; the same which Luke speaks of in Jerusalem, immediately before the ascension. It was of course the Lord's last interview with his apostles. Luke 24. 49. " John 15. 27. |