Jesus’ 10 Amazing Appearances After His Resurrection

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen!” Luke 24:5-6

In the days following His resurrection, public sightings and rumors about Jesus abounded. Some said He was alive again, some had seen Him, some had touched Him, some had eaten with Him, and others that He was in one place and then suddenly several miles away in a different place behind locked doors.

According to the gospel accounts, Jesus appeared to His disciples and other followers ten times before His ascension, beginning right after the women found His empty tomb.

Recall that Mary Magdalene and two other women went to Jesus’ tomb early on the third day only to find the stone rolled away. An angel sitting on the stone then said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen!”

The women were surely stunned. Has He risen? It was too good to be true. Matthew 28:8 says, “They went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring the disciples word.”

As they hurried, they soon ran into Jesus Himself. The gospels seem to have varying accounts of this first meeting with Jesus. Matthew says the women touched Him, while John says they did not, and Mark and Luke do not mention the encounter. They only record the angel speaking to the women.

Regardless, two different descriptions of this amazing first appearance clearly show that Jesus was indeed alive and had victoriously conquered the grave.

Jesus In Galilee

“But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.’” Mark 16:6-7

In Mark 16, Mary Magdalene returns to the disciples to tell them she had seen Jesus alive and that they needed to go to Galilee. First, though, the disciples returned to the tomb to ensure she was telling the truth. Matthew 28:16 says they then went to Galilee.

Matthew and Mark are the only books that mention Jesus telling the disciples to go to Galilee, where they found Jesus just as He said He would be. Scholars speculate that Jesus told them to go to Galilee because that was where most of His followers were. It lines up with 1 Corinthians 15:6-7 where Paul describes a large gathering of disciples—

“After that, He was seen by over five thousand brethren at once.”

Jesus appeared two more times that same day.

First, Luke 24:13-32 recalls two unnamed disciples traveling to a village called Emmaus. It was a little town about seven miles from Jerusalem. On their way, they encountered a stranger. They did not know it was Jesus.

They walked and talked with the “man” about the events of the crucifixion and resurrection until they reached the town. By then, it was late afternoon, and the disciples asked Him to stay for dinner.

Once inside, Jesus broke bread and blessed it. The Holy Spirit then opened the disciples’ eyes, and they realized who the stranger was. Luke 24:32 then says, “He vanished from their sight.”

In the Upper Room

Later that evening, the twelve gathered behind closed doors (presumably the upper room in Jerusalem) because they were afraid of the Jews’ persecution. Suddenly, Jesus appeared out of nowhere in their midst. He showed them His hands and feet, and the disciples were overjoyed to see Him. Interestingly, this was the night God first gave the Holy Spirit to anyone. It did not happen at Pentecost, as most people believe. John 20:22 says,

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

He then asked them for something to eat to prove further He truly was alive.

Breakfast on the Beach

By now, Jesus had visited His disciples four times. The fifth time was on the eighth day after His resurrection. In John 21, Jesus decides to visit seven of His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (another name for the Sea of Galilee) while they fished one morning.

This is another famous moment when Jesus (in disguise again) asks His friends if they have caught any fish, to which they reply, “No.” So, Jesus tells them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

The Bible does not tell us exactly how long the disciples had been fishing or whether they were frustrated and exhausted from not having caught anything, though many pastors and teachers have suspected they were. Still, they obeyed the man on the beach and cast their nets to find them overflowing with “the multitude of fish (v5).” It is only after their huge catch (153 fish, v11) is hauled in that John recognizes the strange man is Jesus.

Jesus then invited them to eat breakfast with Him on the beach. Afterward, He took Peter aside and told him to feed His sheep. Jesus says this to Peter three times in direct response to Peter’s denial of the Lord three times on the night of the Lord’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. In doing so, Jesus restored him and appointed him as the new church’s pastor.

The Evening of the Eighth Day

Thomas had not yet seen Jesus alive again, though he had doubtless heard about it from the other disciples. That was about to change. We find the only account of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas in John 20:26-29.

After having breakfast with some of the disciples at the beach that morning, Jesus again mysteriously appeared in the middle of the upper room later that evening, where He told Thomas to touch His scarred hands and side. At that moment, Thomas finally believed that Jesus was truly alive, and Jesus famously said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus’ Appearance to James

The Gospels do not specifically mention Jesus appearing to James privately. But we know He met with His half-brother sometime before the disciples went to Galilee, as mentioned earlier. The only comment is in 1 Corinthians 15:7, where Paul writes, “After that, He was seen by James, then by all the apostles,” which suggests Jesus stopped at home in Nazareth before He went to Galilee.

This is an important meeting because that was when James finally believed that Jesus, his big brother, was the Son of God. James devoted the rest of his life to leading the early church alongside Peter and became the lead pastor of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13). He became very influential and powerful, so much so the Pharisees killed him for it.

Paul’s Turn

We know Jesus met with Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, and the Lord appointed Paul as an apostle shortly thereafter.

“Then last of all, He was seen by me also as by one born out of due time.” (1 Cor 15:7)

“Born out of due time” is a reference to Jesus personally appointing Paul as an apostle, which is special because the requirements for being an apostle are to have been a disciple of Jesus and to have witnessed His crucifixion and resurrection, both of which were impossible for Paul.

Paul was fully aware of his extraordinary appointment. He humbly writes in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10,

“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.”

Jesus’ Ascension

Aside from His meeting with Paul, Jesus’ only other appearance is when He ascended to heaven in Acts 1:3-11. He gathered His disciples to tell them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for the Holy Spirit. Remember, they had already received the gift of the Holy Spirit, but now they were to wait for the Spirit to baptize them.

“For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:5

Jesus tells them they will receive power from the Holy Spirit and then commissions them to be witnesses of Him “to the end of the earth (v8).”

Immediately after He said this, Jesus ascended to heaven, and two angels appeared with good news.

“He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven (v 9-11).”

Love Beyond Measure

Jesus’ multiple appearances are not entirely surprising. Jesus longs to be with us. He desires an eternal relationship with us, and His perpetual appearances after His resurrection prove it.

The Lord Jesus knew death could not keep Him from the ones He loves. It did not stop Him then, and it does not stop Him now. His faithfulness is unending, and His love is beyond any measurement, which is how we know we will see Him again.

Have you seen Jesus lately? Do you have a relationship with Him? He is waiting for you. He stands at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting to see you.

Will you let Him in?

Further Reading

Following Jesus’ appearances, James went on to do great things in the early church, bringing many others to Jesus’ saving grace. Unfortunately, the Pharisees didn’t appreciate it. In The Unsettling Truth of James’ Martyred Death, learn what ultimately happened to James and the legacy he left behind.