After Jesus had risen into heaven, He then returned to earth in His resurrected body to comfort His disciples and to reassure them: he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days. (Acts 1:3)
In total, we read of Jesus appearing about a dozen times over a period of forty days, sometimes to individuals and sometimes to groups. Although it is possible for a person to see an illusory vision, it is not possible for eleven apostles both independently yet collectively, see Jesus eat a piece of fish and hear Him speak. To say that all the events over the three days: the three hours of darkness (much longer than an eclipse); the earthquakes; the angels; the empty tomb; and the appearances were all illusions, is not being honest.
Many of Jesus' apostles died for their testimony. If Jesus did not rise it means that they gave their lives for a cause they knew to be a lie (not just for a cause about which they were mistaken). Evidences of the resurrection in terms of Jesus' appearances are spoken of in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20 and 21, Acts 1:1-11, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-19.
The resurrection should convince us that Jesus is the Messiah. When the Pharisees asked of Him a miracle to convince them, He told them that the only miracle they would have would be: the sign of the prophet Jonah, who rose out of the depth of the sea similarly to Christ's resurrection. Paul speaks of this as the evidence of Jesus' authority and power, saying: he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
I shall now discuss the evidence for this by describing the sequence of events in as close to chronological order as I can discern.
The disciples, at first, seemed to have believed only in a spiritual resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It was too difficult for them to believe that Jesus would arise bodily from the grave in His same body. By not believing in the eternality of Jesus' body, they could not have fully appreciated His deity. They forgot His promise to them: A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. (John 16:16) So Jesus was promising them that soon after He had ascended to the Father He would return bodily to earth to appear to them.
The first evidence to the resurrection, therefore, was the words of Christ to His disciples before the cross. These words of Jesus were quite well known, as even the Pharisees knew of them, saying to Pilate: Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. (Matthew 27:63)
The empty tomb is a significant witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, because it was guarded by a watch set by the chief priests and Pharisees to ensure that the body of Christ was not stolen, according to Matthew 27:64,65.
It was the women who first discovered that the tomb was empty:
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words. (Luke 24:1-8)
But even though the testimony of angels to the words of Christ explained the significance of the empty tomb, the apostles still did not believe. The words of the women: seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. (Luke 24:11)
Nevertheless Peter and John ran down to the tomb:
they ran both together: and the other disciple (John) did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre; and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head . . . Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. (John 20:4-9)
So it seems that John, of whom it is written: he saw, and believed, was the first to understand and believe in the physical reality of the resurrection. John believed, even before He saw the risen Christ. John was promised more blessing for His faith, than Thomas, who only believed when he saw, when Jesus later said to Thomas: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29) Perhaps John's blessing was that He was able to understand the eternal power of the Son of God in the creation of the world, of which He spoke in John 1:1-14. John also saw a vision of the world to come of which he wrote in the book of Revelation.
Peter also may have believed at the testimony of the empty tomb for it is written in Luke 24:12: Peter . . . departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. We also can marvel because the story of the risen Christ is just as true today as it was then. Hence all God's promises will come true for those who take the way of faith.
Mark 16:9: Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. After Peter and John had left the tomb, Mary Magdalene must have returned to the tomb where she was first to see the Lord:
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre. And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:11-18)
Jesus then ascended to heaven, from whence He returned on occasions over the next forty days to appear to His disciples.
What was presumably the second appearance is recorded in Matthew 28:9,10, where Jesus meets several of the women returning from the tomb: Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
The message to go to Galilee was not primarily for the apostles, who saw Jesus in Jerusalem, but rather for hundreds of other believers who would see Him only in Galilee. All who obeyed this word were to be privileged to see the Lord. How important it is to obey the Lord and to be in the right place at the right time.
It is quite possible that the women went to and from the tomb many times during the day and in different groups. In fact this would be expected in the light of the events that were happening around the tomb. In different ways, different writers of the gospels may have grouped events for the purpose of simplicity, each omitting those details that they thought less important.
Details omitted for the sake of simplicity are not ordinarily considered as errors. For example an historian might say that World War II began when England declared war and ended when Germany surrendered. Another historian might say it began when America declared war and ended when Japan surrendered. Perhaps some historian, in hundreds of years time might conclude that the war had not occurred because the historical records differ. However, a more intelligent approach would be to consider that a degree of independence adds credibility to the evidence, even if it is difficult to unravel the exact sequence of events.
The purpose of writing the accounts of the resurrection is: that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (John 20:31) The greater the number of independent accounts, the better the scriptures achieve this purpose even if they appear to be some minor inconsistentancies.
Peter must have felt terrible after denying the Lord before the cross. But the Lord did not forsake Peter. Perhaps it was to comfort Peter that his name was specifically mentioned by the angel at the tomb when he said to the women: go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him. (Mark 16:7)
However, the Lord appeared to Peter before they went to Galilee for on the day of the resurrection, when the two disciples returned from Emmaus, they were told: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. (Luke 24:34) Paul also confirms that Simon, also called Cephas or Peter, was the first of the apostles to see the Lord when he writes: He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and . . . was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:4,5)
On the same day that Jesus rose from the dead, two disciples, one of whom was named Cleopas walked to Emmaus, and it happened that: while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden, that they should not know him. (Luke 24:15) It was only after they reached the village of Emmaus, and had broken bread that they recognised Him, and: their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. (Luke 24:31)
Then: they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32) So to these disciples there was not only the witness of their eyes, but also the witness of the Old Testament scriptures from which: beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27) Jesus had reproved them for their unbelief saying to them: O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:25,26)
This reproof was warranted because they had not comprehended His deity, in that He would rise again from the dead. They had disbelieved not only Christ's words but also the Old Testament prophecies of the cross and the resurrection. And this unbelief still existed even after the tomb was empty and the women had told them of the angel's message.
On the day of the resurrection, while the apostles were discussing the Lord's appearances to Cephas, and to the two on the road to Emmaus:
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are you troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, did eat before them. (Luke 24:36-43) Some say that the apostles imagined seeing Jesus, but as Peter testifies the apostles: did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10:41)
That it was Christ and not another imitating Him was revealed by His power in entering the room while the doors were shut: Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19,20) This was the last of the five appearances on the day Jesus rose from the dead.
If we assume that Matthias, who replaced Judas, was with the other apostles for this appearance, then there were still only eleven apostles because: Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (John 20:24,25)
After eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he said to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (John 20:26,27)
That it was Jesus and not another is evident from the nail prints in His hands and the spear wound in His side. That this convinced one so reluctant as Thomas to believe, shows that it was not just wishful thinking that made them imagine the Lord had appeared.
In obedience to God's command, all the disciples, including the twelve apostles, went to Galilee where, they were told, they would see the Lord. At Galilee: Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias (sea of Galilee). (John 21:1)
Seven of the apostles were there: Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee (James and John), and two other of his disciples. (John 21:2) John tells the story of how they caught nothing that night, and in the morning someone told them to cast their net on the other side, which when they did, they caught a multitude of fish. Then: that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. (John 21:7) Jesus cooked some fish, and then after breakfast, spoke to Peter.
Although He appeared to some of His disciples individually, collectively this was: the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. (John 21:14)
Paul writes that after Jesus had appeared to the twelve: He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6) These five hundred were those that had obeyed Christ's command to go to Galilee.
On the day Jesus arose from the dead, the message of the angels, and the message of Jesus for His disciples in general had been to go to Galilee to see Him there. The twelve apostles remained for a while still in Jerusalem: Then the eleven disciples (not including Matthias) went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:16-18)
That some doubted before Jesus spoke, implies to me that other than the twelve apostles were also there, as the doubts of the twelve apostles should have been fully cancelled by this stage. I therefore think that this scripture may refer to the appearance to the five hundred as well as to the twelve apostles. Although some doubted at first, perhaps after Jesus spoke to them, they believed.
Recent scholarship has shown that the accounts of the resurrection, as with most ofl the New Testament, were written in the first century by eyewitnesses or by those who learned from them. Therefore we have reason to trust them as no alternative explanations were written at the time. The idea that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept is a ludicrous story when one considers the noise that would have been made moving the stone, and it also does not account for the appearances.