From biblical records we know that the Lord Jesus appeared to mankind for 40 days after His resurrection. He also explained the scriptures and told people the matters concerning God’s kingdom. Then what exactly is the significance of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection? Many people are very confused about it and can’t understand it clearly. But some words from a book explain the significance of the Lord’s appearance after His resurrection very clearly.
It says, “The first thing that the Lord Jesus did after His resurrection was to allow everyone to see Him, to confirm that He exists, and to confirm the fact of His resurrection. In addition, this action restored His relationship with the people back to the way it was when He was working in the flesh, when He was the Christ whom they could see and touch. One outcome of this is that the people had no doubt whatever that the Lord Jesus had been resurrected from death after being nailed to the cross, and they also had no doubt in the Lord Jesus’ work to redeem mankind. Another outcome is that the fact of the Lord Jesus appearing to people after His resurrection and allowing people to see and touch Him firmly secured mankind in the Age of Grace, ensuring that, from this time on, people would not return to the previous Age of Law on the supposed basis that the Lord Jesus had ‘disappeared’ or that He had ‘left without a word.’ He thus ensured that they would continue to move forward, following the Lord Jesus’ teachings and the work He had done. Thus, a new phase in the work in the Age of Grace was formally opened, and from that moment on, the people who had been living under the law formally emerged from the law and entered into a new era, a new beginning. These are the multi-faceted meanings of the Lord Jesus’ appearance to mankind after the resurrection” (God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself III).
From these words, we can understand the will of God. The Lord Jesus appeared to mankind for 40 days after His resurrection because at that time, the Jewish people still stuck to the Old Testament laws and ordinances, prayed to Jehovah God in heaven and had no real knowledge of the incarnated God. If the Lord Jesus hadn’t appeared after resurrection to speak and actually engage with people, they would easily have gone back to the Age of Law and lived their old lives. Then the Lord’s plan of saving man would be left unfinished. After the resurrection of Jesus, people were able to see and accept the fact that the Lord Jesus is Christ in the flesh, and believe the Lord Jesus could redeem mankind from sin and would lead mankind out of the Age of Law and enter into a new age—the Age of Grace.
That book also says, “As God incarnate, His concern for mankind and requirements of people never changed; these remained the same when He was in the flesh and when He was in His spiritual body after being nailed to the cross and being resurrected. He was concerned about these disciples before He was up on the cross, and in His heart He was clear about the state of every single person and He understood every person’s deficiencies and, of course, His understanding of every person after He had died, been resurrected, and become a spiritual body was the same as it had been when He was in the flesh. He knew that people were not entirely certain of His identity as Christ, but during His time in the flesh He did not make strict demands of people. However, after He had been resurrected, He appeared to them, and He made them absolutely certain that the Lord Jesus had come from God and that He was God incarnate, and He used the fact of His appearance and His resurrection as the greatest vision and motivation for mankind’s lifelong pursuit. His resurrection from death not only strengthened all those who followed Him, but it also thoroughly implemented His work of the Age of Grace among mankind, and thus the gospel of the Lord Jesus’ salvation in the Age of Grace gradually spread to every corner of humanity.”
These words reflect the Lord’s extreme sorrow and anxiety. Before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus deeply knew the state of His disciples. He knew that man’s faith was too immature, they still didn’t have knowledge of the Lord and many people would be negative and weak for His crucifixion. Hence, the Lord Jesus appeared to people after resurrection, and also ate with people at the same table, explaining the Scriptures and speaking heart-to-heart to them. Besides, He made more demands and exhortations of the followers. Because of the Lord’s actions, they felt the Lord was still caring and concerning for them as before. Naturally, it also brought the Lord Jesus closer to people. The Lord Jesus didn’t hope people to feel the Lord was not with man anymore since He was resurrected and ascended to heaven and became invisible and intangible. Thus, by working in this way, the Lord strengthened all man’s faith in Him and allowed all of His followers to believe in Him and follow Him without hesitation to walk the road ahead.
For two thousand years, so many followers of the Lord Jesus could work hard and even risk their life to preach for the Lord and finally spread the Lord’s gospel all over the world. Actually that is all because the Lord appeared to people after His resurrection and this fact became the biggest vision and motivation for all Christians to follow and worship the Lord. The Lord’s appearance after His resurrection is so meaningful!
