WE-04-20-2022 – Resurrection Appearances of Jesus

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April 20, 2022
(Wednesday Evening Bible Study)
“Resurrection Appearances of Jesus”

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to many of His followers

over a 40 day period, before He went back into heaven to the Father.

#1 ~ Read John 20:1-10…

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while

it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.

2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved,

and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not

know where they have laid Him.”

3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.

4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than

Peter and came to the tomb first;

5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did

not go in.

6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw

the linen wrappings lying there,

7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings,

but rolled up in a place by itself.

8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he

saw and believed.

9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from

the dead.

10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb while it is still dark, the stone covering

the entrance has been moved aside, Jesus is gone!

Mary runs to find Peter and John, and to tell them but they don’t understand .

(Luke 24:11),

11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

They immediately go to the tomb see for themselves.

John arrives first, looks inside, and sees the burial cloths; but he

doesn’t go in, he waits for Peter, who goes right in and finds

Jesus’ body is gone;

(John 20:5)

5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did

not go in.

now John enters the tomb, but neither he nor Peter understood

what had happened.

(John 20:8)

8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered,

and he saw and believed.

Luke 24:12 tells us,

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the

linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

“Peter saw the linen wrappings; and he went away to his home,

marveling at [wondering] what had happened.”

#2 ~ Read John 20:11-17…

11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped

and looked into the tomb;

12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the

body of Jesus had been lying.

13 And 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.”

14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not

know that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Supposing Him to be the gardener, she 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 in Hebrew, “Rabboni!”

(which means, Teacher).

17 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.’”

Peter and John go to their homes; but Mary returned to the tomb, she saw

two angels (although she thought they were just men). She asks where the

Lord had been taken. At that moment she turned around and Jesus is there, but she

doesn’t recognize Him, thinking He is the gardener. Jesus then calls her name,

she recognizes and clings to Him, then He tells her to go tell His disciples.

#3 ~ Read Matthew 28:1-10…

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from

heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus

who has been crucified.

6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going

ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His

feet and worshiped Him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave

for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Matthew records Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, and the “other” Mary

(Matthew 27:56,

56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the

mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Mary the mother of James and Joseph), and then Jesus instructs them to go

tell the disciples that they will see Him in Galilee.

#4 ~ Read Luke 24:13-35…

13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was

about seven miles from Jerusalem.

14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as

you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.

18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem

and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene,

who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this,

it is the third day since these things happened.

22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,

23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who

said that He was alive.

24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women

also had said; but Him they did not see.”

25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets

have spoken!

26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things

concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though H

e were going farther.

29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the

day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.

30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it,

and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

32 They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to

us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the

eleven and those who were with them,

34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”

35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in

the breaking of the bread.

Jesus appears to two disciples, as they are walking to Emmaus. They don’t

seem to know it is Jesus walking with them.

As they talk about what happened to Jesus, a prophet of God who was arrested,

crucified, buried, and yet when some of His followers went to the tomb, it was empty,

but there were angels telling them that Jesus was alive!

As they approached Emmaus, it began to get dark; they invite Him to their house

to have something to eat. Jesus takes the bread and blesses it, then breaking it,

He begins giving it to them and at that moment, “their eyes are opened and

they recognize Him; He then vanishes from their sight!”

They immediately head to Jerusalem and find the eleven (and others with them),

gathered together. They began to tell of the others of their experience with Jesus.

#5 ~ Read Luke 24:36-44

36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them,

“Peace be to you.”

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have

flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them,

“Have you anything here to eat?”

42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

43 and He took it and ate it before them.

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms

must be fulfilled.”

(pp. John 20:19-21)…

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut w

here the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples

then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Jesus appears in the house where the disciples (Thomas absent) are gathered

(John 20:19)

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut

where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,

“Peace be with you.”

“…the doors were shut…”

Notes:

The word translated “door” implies a large and solid door.

The word translated “shut” means locked or secured, this was often done with

a heavy bolt that slid through rings attached to the door and the door frame; this

door would have been nearly impossible, to break down.

Jesus passed through walls like a spirit, yet He had a body and was able to eat?

Read Luke 24:45-47…

45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the

dead the third day,

47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,

beginning from Jerusalem.

Jesus then opened their minds to understand all that had been written about Him that must be fulfilled

(see Genesis 3:15;

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Isaiah 53:1-12;

Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the LORD was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

Daniel 9:25-27;

25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem

until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza

and moat, even in times of distress.

26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of

the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; e

ven to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he

will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes

desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out

on the one who makes desolate.”

Psalm 16:10;

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Psalm 22:27-31:

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,

And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

For the kingdom is the LORD’S

And He rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,

All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

Posterity will serve Him;

It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.

They will come and will declare His righteousness

To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

Romans 1:1-4;

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead,

according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Hebrews 1:1-4).

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,

through whom also He made the world.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and

upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat

down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent n

ame than they.

#6 ~ Read John 20:26-29…

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came,

the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach

here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they

who did not see, and yet believed.”

On the following Sunday, one week later, the Lord came to His followers again,

but this time, Thomas was present. The Lord invited Thomas to touch His wounds,

so that he might believe; we have Thomas’s strong confession of faith and belief

in the risen Jesus, who is both Lord and Christ

(John 20:28),

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus accepts Thomas’s confession of faith, and then declares that in the future,

after He has returned to heaven, those who believe in Him without seeing Him

(John 20:29),

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they

who did not see, and yet believed.”

will indeed be blessed, having been born into God’s family, made righteous

by believing.

Read John 20:30-31…

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, w

hich are not written in this book;

31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;

and that believing you may have life in His name.

These accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus are to provide forgiveness and

eternal life, to those who believe.

#7 ~ Read John 21:1-14…

1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and

He manifested Himself in this way.

2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of

Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.”

They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know

that it was Jesus.

5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”

6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.

” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter

heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about

one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it,

and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”

11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and

although there were so many, the net was not torn.

12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him,

“Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.

13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised

from the dead.

This is the third time Jesus appears to the disciples, this time there are only seven of

them (Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of

Zebedee (John and James), and two others who are unnamed; but it is v

ery likely they are Philip and Andrew who were often listed with Peter, James and John).

Jesus came to them at the Sea of Tiberias [Sea of Galilee], standing on

the shore He called to them, to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.

They caught so many fish that they weren’t even able to pull their net into the boat.

Peter jumped into the sea and dragged the full net of fish, 153 large fish, about 100 yards to the shore, where Jesus had a fire going to cook some of the

fish for them..

#8 ~ Read 1Corinthians 15:6…

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom

remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

The next appearance of Jesus seems to take place on a mountain in Galilee for,

“He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,

most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”

Jesus had told His followers

(Matthew 28:1,

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

Matthew 28:5-10)

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus

who has been crucified.

6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going

ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for

Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

to go to Galilee and there they would see Him. This is very likely where

Jesus had gave the Great Commission in

Matthew 28:18-20.

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to

Me in heaven and on earth.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name

of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.”

#9 ~ Read 1Corinthians 15:7a…

7a then He appeared to James,

It is likely that the James mentioned here is the Lord’s half-brother,

who did not come to saving faith until he saw the risen Lord; although w

e don’t know where Jesus appeared to him.

There are four James mentioned in the New Testament

(cf. Mark 3:16-19;

16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),

17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave

the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”);

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas,

and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot;

19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

Luke 6:12-16):

12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the

whole night in prayer to God.

13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them,

whom He also named as apostles:

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John;

and Philip and Bartholomew;

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called

the Zealot;

16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

James the brother of John (sons of Zebedee), James the son of Alphaeus,

and James the father of Judas (not Iscariot).

#10 ~ Read 1Corinthians 15:7b…

7b …then to all the apostles;

I believe the statement here, “then to all the apostles,” mostly applies

to what occurred in appearance

#6 (John 20:26-29),

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came,

the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach

here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they

who did not see, and yet believed.”

it was on the second Lord’s Day after Jesus rose from the grave, when He

appeared to all eleven of the disciples who were again hiding in a house

with the doors/ windows secured, just like ten of them (Thomas absent)

had done the week before in appearance

#5 (Luke 24:35-43;

35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by

them in the breaking of the bread.

36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them,

“Peace be to you.”

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit

does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement,

He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

43 and He took it and ate it before them.

John 20:19-21).…

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors

were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their

midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side.

The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

There is also a possibility that “all the apostles” could be related to what is

recorded in

Acts 1:1-12.

1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,

2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders

to the apostles whom He had chosen.

3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs,

appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what

the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many

days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this

time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has

fixed by His own authority;

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you

shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the

remotest part of the earth.”

9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on,

and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold,

two men in white clothing stood beside them.

11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus,

who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near

Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

What do you think, any thoughts on this?

#11 ~ See 1Corinthians 15:8-9…

8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I

persecuted the church of God

All the apostles had seen Him while He was alive and after He had risen;

but Lord didn’t appear to Paul until several years later, after the Lord had

already returned to heaven, on the road to Damascus

(see Acts 9:1-9;

1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to

the high priest,

2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any

belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a

light from heaven flashed around him;

4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you

persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”

7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing;

and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Acts 22:6-11;

6 “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime,

a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,

7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene,

whom you are persecuting.’

9 And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice

of the One who was speaking to me.

10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus,

and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’

11 But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by

those who were with me and came into Damascus.

Acts 26:1-18).

1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out

his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

2 “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate,

King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today;

3 especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews;

therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning

was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

5 since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a

Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.

6 And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers;

7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day.

And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.

8 Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?

9 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons,

having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.

11 And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; a

nd being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

12 “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining

all around me and those who were journeying with me.

14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew

dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint

you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;

17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the

dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance

among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Did Saul actually see and hear the Lord?

See 1Corinthians 9:1;

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you

not my work in the Lord?

1Corinthians 15:5-7…

5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of

whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

Note:

The Greek word phone [fo nay] translated voice, means sound, speech, voice.

Most common use in the Bible is the voice of God, human, angel, or any sound in general

(cf. John 3:8;

8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it

comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Revelation 1:10-15).

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to

Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven

golden lampstands;

13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching

to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and

His voice was like the sound of many waters.

Acts 26:14…

14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect,

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

A goad [noun] is a spiked stick used for driving cattle; the verb form, to goad
someone, means to provoke or to stimulate someone to action or reaction.

What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make to us now, in the present, as well
as for eternity?

(See Philippians 4:12-13,

12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any

and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having

abundance and suffering need.

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19;

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2Peter 1:2-4).

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through

the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may

become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Pastor Mike
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