The Appearances of the Risen Jesus

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to many people in many places.  On the same day that He rose from the dead, two of His followers were walking back to their homes from Jerusalem.  They were dejected about the death of Jesus, when a stranger joined them and explained to them from the Scriptures how the Messiah must suffer just as Jesus did.  They invited him to eat with them when they reached the town of Emmaus near dark.  When He broke bread, they suddenly recognized Him.  He disappeared and they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what they had seen.  Here are some paintings entitled The Supper at Emmaus.  The first is by Caravaggio.

Notice that in this painting, Jesus has no beard, but has the appearance of a beardless youth.  This is to emphasize that He  had changed His appearance and was not recognized.  In the following paintings, the first by Velazquez and the second by L'Hermitte, there are also strange things going on with beards.  People, including even Jesus in the painting by Velazquez, have less than full beards--a thing completely unacceptable (and even shameful) to any self-respecting Jew of the time.

After the travelers to Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples that they had seen the risen Jesus, Jesus Himself appeared to the disciples in the midst of the gathering in the large room where they were locked up, hiding out from the Jewish authorities.  Thomas, however, was not there and so he refused to believe the stories that Jesus was alive (which is why he is called "doubting Thomas").  A week later Jesus again appeared to the disciples--and this time Thomas was there.  Jesus told him to put his fingers in His wounds and believe, and a no-longer-doubting Thomas acknowledged Him as Lord and God.  Following is The Doubting of Thomas by Caravaggio.

The following painting is The Incredulity of Thomas by Van Honthorst.

Another time when Jesus appeared to the disciples was when they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee and He called to them from the shore.  Here is Christ at the Sea of Galilee by Tintoretto.

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