After His resurrection Jesus continued to appear to His followers at various times and in various places for a period of forty days until He ascended back to his Father in heaven. In fact, a man named Paul who had an encounter with Jesus after He had ascended reports in one of his letters, “He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive” (1 Corinthians 15:5-6). Before His death Jesus had used the imagery of sheep and their shepherd to illustrate His relationship to His followers. Like a Good Shepherd Jesus used the time between His resurrection and His ascension to secure and care for His sheep. That imagery is still powerful for us today. As we gather in our homes for worship, hear your shepherd Jesus’ words, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
