The moment of his Resurrection Jesus Christ's is, if not the most important, certainly one of the most important in Christianity. The Son of God, as he had foretold, after being arrested, ridiculed and tortured, crucified and resurrected three days after his burial!
Until Analipsi of Heaven, however, mediate, according to Christian tradition 40 days. During this time, most of us know about two appearances of the Godman. One is in Mary Magdalene, a few hours after the Resurrection. The other is to his students, just before he takes over.
And yet, apart from these two appearances, there are (within 40 days) another 10!
The Gospels they do not tell us many details. Few things reveal and especially the names of those who appeared before them the Resurrected Jesus.
If to some these 12 (a highly symbolic number) seem excessive to some it should be emphasized that - according to the teachings of the church - Jesus after his Resurrection had eliminated, now human nature, is now only God, and is free from compulsions, so he can appear everywhere, to witness the miracle of the Resurrection and to preach.
It is also important to note that Jesus chooses to appear first to a woman. To Mary Magdalene. Why this happened can be interpreted in two ways. One of them is the one that the Church teaches (and the only one that accepts) and the other is the one that wants to have an amorous attraction between the two.
We will start a little upside down and will refer first to these meetings that are not so well known.
Browsing one New Testament the second (after that with Mary Magdalene) meeting is in front of the Myrrh Bearers. The same day. The same breakfast. When they found the memory empty and heard from the angel the message of the resurrection, they ran to tell the students the joyful news. On the way "Jesus answered them, saying, Hail!" (Matt. 9: XNUMX). And they were thrilled to see Jesus again. Then they went to the disciples of the Lord to tell them the news.
The third meeting - appearance of Jesus was in Peter. If by women he first appears to Mary Magdalene, but by men, he first appears to the Apostle Peter. "Simon Ώφθη" (Luke, p. 34). Or, as Paul writes, "Kifa was taken away" (5 Cor. XNUMX: XNUMX).
The fourth is to two of his disciples, Cleopas and Luke, when they went to Emmaus. According to the scriptures, Jesus was walking with them. Up to the village. And only there they recognized him. Then he blessed them with their bread "and he was made unseen by them" (Luke 13: 33-XNUMX).
The fifth is for the ten students. Late on the night of the Resurrection. "Essential in that day" (John 19:XNUMX). At this time "Jesus came and stood in the midst, and they said, Peace be unto you" and then he shows them his hands and their side to see the marks of the wounds and to believe that this is Jesus.
The sixth is one of the best known as now one more has been added to the ten students. Thomas, who did not believe the others when they told him that Jesus He was resurrected.
"At eight o'clock Jesus comes with the doors closed, and stands in the middle" (John 26). Here the resurrected Jesus calls Thomas to put his finger on the marks of his wounds. To see with his own eyes his pierced hands. And to feel with his hands the side that was hit by the spear. And when he had done this, he confessed and said, “My Lord and God my".
The seventh is in the scriptures as a meeting with the seven, near the lake. "And after these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias" (John 1: XNUMX). Here Jesus invites the disciples for food and he takes and gives them bread and fish.
The ninth is with the five hundred somewhere in Galilee. This testimony is given to us by Paul from information he has from Peter. "Then five hundred brethren were laid up at once" (6 Corinthians XNUMX: XNUMX).
The tenth appearance of Jesus is in James the brother god. "Then Jacob was baptized" (7 Corinthians XNUMX: XNUMX).
Finally the eleventh is again for all students. "Either the apostles pass away" (7 Corinthians XNUMX: XNUMX). In fact, it is very likely that in this appearance "there were gar and other apostles, as seventy".
Mount of Olives was the last of the 12 appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection. The meeting took place on this particular Mount, located to its east Jerusalem. The place, obviously, was not chosen at random, since there, according to an ancient tradition, the Lord will return physically and with glory to judge the world on the last day, the Second Coming, that is, where sinners will be separated from the virtuous.
In this last appearance he blesses his disciples, turns them into apostles and by blessing them he ascends to heaven. "And it came to pass, as he was blessed, he departed from them, and was carried up to heaven" (Luke 50: 53-XNUMX).
The first appearance of Jesus after his Resurrection takes place in Mary Magdalene. "And on the morning of the first Sabbath he arose, and Mary Magdalene appeared first" (Mark p. 9). The way the meeting took place differs depending on which Evangelist mentions it, which makes the interpretation more complicated.
According to the prevailing version, however, the Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb of Jesus, finds him empty and converses with three Angels who were inside. At some point he realizes that someone is outside. The darkness does not allow her to see well and she thinks that the man is a gardener.
"Woman," he asks her, "why are you crying? Who are you looking for? " She wants to know where Jesus' body is to get it and asks the unknown man if he knows so he can go and get it. Now, Jesus addresses her by her name: "Mary"! She recognizes him and tries to touch him or hook on top of him but he prevents her. "Touch me not! Go and tell my brothers that I am ascending to my father and to your father, to my God and to your God. "
But why her first? Magdalene loved Christ very much. She washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. He was there when he was led to Golgotha, remained next to the Virgin Mary at the time of the crucifixion. She remained there until her death and then was present at the burial. And Christ first appears in it as a kind of reward.
This is the position of the official church. For supporters of the "Holy Grail" theory, however, the choice was clear. Jesus would bestow the highest honor of the first appearance after the Resurrection on the woman he loved and had a child with.