Resurrected Jesus Appears on Earth
David W Palmer
John’s account of the resurrection gives some details not mentioned in the other gospels. We are so blessed to have the four eyewitness accounts of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Between the four of them, we receive not just a 3-D picture of Jesus, but a 4-D. Let’s look again at Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus, but this time through John’s testimony:
(John 20:11–13 NKJV) Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. {12} And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. {13} Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
So far, the narration is similar to the other gospels, but then suddenly something amazing happens:
(John 20:14 NKJV) Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus appeared in person to Mary after he had risen. Wow. Should we expect Jesus to appear to us like that today? First, let’s agree that it is scriptural for Jesus to appear to people on earth since his resurrection; he certainly appeared to his eleven apostles. We see accounts of this in all of the gospels. The apostle Paul reported seeing him too:
(1 Corinthians 9:1 NKJV) “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?” (See also: Acts 9:3-17, Acts 18:9, Acts 22:14,18, Acts 23:11 etc.)
Yes, Jesus is both man and God. In his resurrection body, he can appear here as a man in man’s realm, but he can also be at God’s throne.
The Lord Jesus may or may not appear to you in person like he did to Mary, but he is with you all the time:
(Matthew 28:20 NKJV) “… I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) … He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The other point of interest is that when Jesus appeared to Mary after his resurrection, she “did not know that it was Jesus.” For us, this is extremely significant; we too may not always recognize Jesus. For example, in the storm his disciples thought he was a specter. The Pharisees etc. thought he was an imposter, a blasphemer. On the road to Emmaus, two of his disciples thought he was a stranger. To avoid the same misunderstanding, we must be constantly alert to the signs that it is Jesus: walking on water, heart-burning revelation, signs and wonders, etc.
How did Mary eventually realize that it was Jesus talking to her? Let’s read on to find out:
(John 20:15–16 NKJV) Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” {16} Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Mary knew Jesus by the way he spoke her name. She loved and adored him; she was gratefully devoted to him after he set her free from seven demons. Obviously, she would have known his voice quite well; even so, when he first spoke to her she didn’t recognize him. But when he said her name, she knew instantly that it was her Lord. This shows that she knew him personally and very deeply—deeply enough to know his special way of saying her name. You can know and recognize him in this way as well.
(John 20:17 NASB) Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
After his resurrection, Jesus ascended to his Father. He loves his Father, and loved his times of intimacy with him. So it is understandable that he wanted to go to him, celebrate his victory, and to complete some other requirements in his role
