All Episodes
Previous Next
Dec. 26, 1995 - Bill Cooper
59:27
The Second Life of Christ
| Copy link to current segment

Time Text
- Yes, and if you don't know who, then put your bags in the bag.
Thank you.
Good evening.
You're listening to the Hour of the Time, and it's not the time that you think it is.
I'm William Cooper.
Ladies and gentlemen, after eight days of really being very, very ill, I broke down and went to the hospital, and it appears I have pneumonia.
And I've had to promise the doctor not to do any shows or any work at all, as a matter So you're going to be hearing some more reruns, and I'm going to try to get a guest co-host or two to sit in for a few nights, anyway, just to break up the monotony.
Tonight's broadcast was originally aired in April of 1994.
1994.
It is tape number 324 in our catalog.
Poo was only three years old then.
If you listen carefully, you can hear her wish you a happy Ishtar.
Even at three, she knew that Easter originated with the ancient pagan fertility rites of the goddess Ishtar.
I think you're going to find this in keeping with the Christmas season, and most of you should find it extremely illuminating.
Happy Empire, everybody!
And I, too!
Folks, tonight, I'm going to deliver to you The Life of Christ, the Second Life, from a book entitled The Life of Jesus Christ, by Giuseppe Ricciotti, the King James Version of the Holy Bible, my own research, and several references from other sources.
So please settle down, make sure that you have pen and paper, and pay close attention.
Whether you're an atheist, an agnostic, a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, or a follower of the Prophet Muhammad, you will learn something tonight.
And for those of you who have followed our series on Mystery Babylon, you will make some very important connections.
Mystery Babylon
Mystery Babylon
The same historical documents which have narrated the story of Jesus do not stop with his death, but with the same authority they relate his resurrection and second life.
Thank you.
That's right, folks, I said second life.
That is more than sufficient for those ancients as well as moderns Who do not admit the possibility of the supernatural to promptly reject this whole second part of the Gospel narrative?
These persons are logical, granted the principles from which they start, but you must understand that it is significant that their conclusion is determined solely by those principles, not by any deficiencies or uncertainties in the documents.
In the account of Jesus' second life, the four evangelists follow the same procedure as before.
They do not pretend to give a complete, detailed, strictly chronological account of what happened.
They choose the facts which seem most opportune to them, and they arrange their material in the order most convenient for their individual purposes.
Yes, folks, even they had an agenda.
In relating the discovery of Jesus' empty tomb, Matthew and Mark are parallel enough Luke does not give so many names, but he does not differ very much from Mark's account.
Finally, John is more sketchy, because here again he wants to specify and fill out the familiar story of the synoptics with a few points on his own authority as an eyewitness.
No one, no one saw Jesus in the act of rising from the dead, not one single person.
None of the evangelists say how he emerged from the sepulcher.
One of them applies that he did so without disturbing the stone rolled against the entrance, although his resurrection was accompanied by extraordinary signs.
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and drawing near, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment like snow.
Hence, it was the angel who rolled away the stone.
But the tomb, the tomb itself, was already empty, and the stone no longer served any purpose.
All four evangelists agree that the sepulchre was discovered to be empty very early Sunday morning.
The soldiers sent by the Sanhedrist had been on guard there since the day before, and certainly at that early hour of the morning they were still stretched out asleep on the ground.
And the appearance of the angel in the wide-open tomb so terrified these hardened Roman soldiers that they fled for safety through the nearby city gate.
Once surrounded by houses, feeling a sense of security once again, and recovered somewhat from their panic, they remembered that their flight was formal desertion of their post And subject to heavy penalties according to Roman military discipline, and yes, they could even be sentenced to death for deserting their post.
They had to find some remedy, and shrewdly perceived that their best hope lay with the Sanhedras, who had the greatest interest in the matter.
So they went straight to them to make a bargain.
The supplicant did not remain alone very long, for a group of pious women was already on their way from the city.
They were the women who on Friday evening had prepared the spices in order to give the beloved body of Jesus a more fitting burial as soon as the legal repose of the Sabbath was over, for it was forbidden for them to perform any task on the Sabbath.
From one or another of the evangelists, we learn the names of Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and, quote, the other women who were with them, unquote.
The time at which they arrived at the sepulcher is indicated in a very curious fashion by Mark, chapter 16, verse 2.
And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb, the sun being now risen.
At first glance, it is difficult to reconcile very early with, quote, the sun being now risen, unquote, sun spelled S-U-N.
Coincidentally, coinciding with the sun spelled S-O-N, also being risen.
Since the former would mean the very first light of dawn, or about four o'clock in the morning, well, the latter phrase would seem to refer to a time no earlier than six.
It all becomes clear, folks, if we read between the lines.
Very early in the morning, they come to the tomb and reach it, the sun being now risen.
Certainly, they did not have to go a great distance to get to the tomb, but the reason why they took so long is given by Mark himself, chapter 16, verse 1, who has just said, quote, when the Sabbath was passed, end quote, that is, on the same morning they bought spices that they might go and anoint him.
Their devotion was not satisfied with the spices some of them had prepared two evenings before, and the rest wanted to make their own contribution of ointments, which it took some time to buy.
And they had to wait for the market to open.
These feminine delays were too much for the most ardent and whole-souled among them.
Mary of Magdala, the only one whom John mentions, and the first one named by all three Synoptics, sped by her great love, for she dearly loved her master Jesus.
She left her companions and ran on alone to the tomb.
She reached it, as John says, in complete agreement with Mark.
Early, while it was still dark.
John, chapter twenty, verse one.
But what she saw, as soon as she arrived, struck her with dismay.
She knew nothing about the soldiers placed there on the Sabbath, so she was not surprised by their absence.
She never knew they were there.
But she did see that the round stone had been rolled aside, and the entrance stood open.
A glance inside was enough to tell her that the tomb was empty.
What had happened?
Who could tell her?
Who knew what was going on?
She must go to the disciples.
Perhaps they knew.
Especially Peter and John.
Quote, She ran therefore, and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.
John chapter 20 verse 2.
The plural, we, kept by John as an excellent link between his account and the synoptics.
They speak of several women at the sepulchre, whereas he speaks only of Mary Magdalene, but he has her use the plural we.
Mary's late companions, meanwhile, finished their purchases and were on their way to the tomb, but near the end of their walk they suddenly remembered a difficulty they had not thought of before.
And they were saying to one another, Who will roll the stone back from the doorway of the tomb for us?
Mark 16, verse 3.
We know that those round stones, ladies and gentlemen, were very large and very heavy, and the women certainly could not move the one in front of Jesus' sepulcher by themselves.
As soon as they reached the sepulcher, however, and looked about them, they saw that the stone had been rolled back, for it was very large." Mark sixteen, verse four.
No less startled than Mary Magdalene, but far less impulsive.
They made their way in, and, quote, on entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed, unquote.
Mark sixteen, verse five.
Luke says more accurately that there were, quote, two men in dazzling raiment, unquote.
Luke 24, verse 4.
The young man in Mark said to the women, Do not be terrified.
You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has risen.
He is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee.
There you shall see him as he told you." Mark 16, verse 6.
And Matthew 28, verses 5-7.
The two apparitions in Luke say much the same thing, but they develop the last thought more fully, and their words produce a far different result.
According to Mark, the women, quote, fled from the tomb, for trembling and fear had entered into them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid, unquote.
According to Luke, on the other hand, the women, Having returned from the tomb, reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest, and this is what Matthew 28.8 says also.
Mark's account refers probably only to the women's first impression.
They were in the beginning so stoned with fear and bewilderment that they said nothing.
The news they were about to communicate was certainly not such as to win them a very cordial welcome, and that is perhaps another reason for the reluctance indicated by Mark.
When they returned to the city, they, quote, were telling these things to the apostles, but this tale seemed to them to be utter nonsense, and they did not believe the women, unquote, Luke 24, verse 11.
Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene's announcement had made a much greater impression on Peter and John.
As soon as they heard her excited story, Peter went out and the other disciple, and they went to the tomb.
The two were running together, and the other disciple ran on before, faster than Peter, and came first to the tomb.
And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief, which had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded in a place by itself.
As if someone very neatly had risen from bed and taken off their scarf and folded it and just placed it there.
Then the other disciple also went in, who had come first to the tomb, and he saw the disciples, therefore, went away again to their home.
What he saw was enough to convince them that the body had not been stolen, as Mary Magdalene supposed.
to you.
If it had been, there would have been no purpose in unwinding the linen cloths or carefully folding up the handkerchief and setting it by itself.
That's not something that thieves do.
There was nothing more to be done there, however, and so the two hurried back to the city, anxious to consult with the other disciples.
Mary Magdalene, who had returned to the sepulcher, either with them or shortly afterward, did not leave with them, but, quote, was standing outside weeping at the tomb, unquote.
John 20, verse 11.
After a little while, she stooped down to look once more at the niche in the burial chamber, for in her desolate love, her desolate, desperate love, she still hoped against all hope.
She saw two angels, seated one at the head and one at the foot of the niche where the body had lain, and they said to her, quote, Roman, why art thou weeping?
And she answered, quote, Because they have taken away my lord, and I do not know where they have laid him, unquote.
And with this she turned around, almost as if looking for him still, and saw a man standing before her.
But she hardly glanced at him, for, absorbed as she was in her own grief-filled thoughts, she mistook him for the gardener.
But the man said to her, quote, Woman, why art thou weeping?
Whom dost thou seek?
And she answered, Sir, if thou hast removed him, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
But the man that she was speaking to was Jesus.
And Jesus said to her, Mary!
Turning, she said to him, Rabboni, which means Master.
It was the first time that the risen Christ had been seen and recognized by any human being unless he had already appeared to his mother, which there is no record of, although the evangelist also He said nothing about this, and as soon as she recognized the Master, Mary threw herself at his feet to embrace them as she had done before.
For she was accustomed to not only embracing his feet, but washing them.
And he said to her, quote, Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
John 20.17 It was urgent for his disciples, whom he calls his brethren, to know that he was soon to ascend to his Father and God and theirs, and hence Her natural expression of affection was not to delay the message.
He was not putting her off for lack of love, but so that the message would not be delayed.
As she did, immediately as she was bid, Mary Magdalene came and announced to the disciples, quote, I have seen the Lord in these things He said to me, unquote.
John, chapter 20, verse 18, quote, her announcement.
A very humiliating response.
Quote, And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe it.
Mark chapter sixteen, verse eleven.
You see, these were not people who set this thing up, ladies and gentlemen.
They did not believe it themselves.
And they shone Mary Magdalene, women's foolishness.
As a matter of fact, the immediate disciples of Jesus, as we shall see presently, were anything but ready to believe anyone, man or woman, and particularly in this patriarchy society, a woman.
He said that she had seen Jesus alive again.
To whom the soldiers went after their flight from the sepulcher, on the other hand, seemed much more ready to believe them.
These Jewish leaders found nothing incredible in the story told them by the soldiers.
They believed it, still breathless from running and from fright as they recited what they had experienced, and they, like the soldiers, saw the need of some expedient to save themselves as well as the guards.
So they began in their usual fashion to hang little screens up in front of the sun to blot out its unmistakable light.
When the chief priests had assembled with the elders and had consulted together, they gave much money to the soldiers, telling them, say, his disciples came by night and stole him while You were sleeping.
And if the procurator hears of this, we will persuade him and keep you out of trouble.
And they took the money and did as they were instructed, and the story has been spread abroad amongst the nations even to the present day.
The coaching of the runaway soldiers received from the Sanhedris, quote, they stole him while we were sleeping, unquote.
with hardly a miracle of shrewdness, and St.
Augustine's answer is still the final one, when he figuratively addresses the Sanhedrin to ask wittily, quote, How is this?
Do you call on witnesses who were asleep?
unquote, and thus exposes the lie.
For the soldiers, if they were sleeping, as they claimed, saw nothing, knew nothing, and concocted the story, according But the lie took hold.
When Matthew was writing his Gospel, it had become the official Jewish explanation for the empty tomb.
But to return to the Gospel narrative, it was still the Sunday after Jesus' death, and two or three hours had passed while the various persons mentioned went back and forth to the tomb.
Meanwhile, the news of the empty tomb had spread among the disciples of Jesus gathered in the city for the Posh And the word that Mary Magdalene had seen Jesus and spoken with Him had not yet had time to circulate.
But all this was nonsense prattled by women, and it was not to be taken seriously The Paschal solemnity did not require the Pilgrims to remain in the Holy City for the entire Octave, and on the day after the Pasch, the sixteenth Nisan, many of them were already setting out for home.
This was what two of Jesus' disciples did, one of whom was called Corophus, hopeless and dispirited over what had taken place.
They set out together for Emmaus, where they lived.
It must have been about nine in the morning.
Delicacy and psychological insight that it seems an idol as if he's twiddling with thought, and it would be impossible to tell it in any other words.
They walked along.
They were talking to each other about all these things that had happened, and it came to pass, while they were conversing and arguing together, that Jesus Himself Just walked right up beside them.
The Bible says that Jesus himself also drew near and went along with them.
But their eyes were held that they should not recognize him.
And he said to them, What words are these that you are exchanging as you walk along?
And they were thinking, Who is this strange great bear who questioned them, putting his on the wound in their hearts, this terrible, terrible pain.
Their surprise interrupted their journey for a moment, and they stood still, looking very sad.
But one of them, named Cleophas, answered and said to him, Aren't thou the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened in these days?
And he said to them, What things?
Consider Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be sentenced to death and crucified Him.
But we were hoping that it was He who should redeem Israel.
What redemption is Cleopas thinking of?
It is difficult, ladies and gentlemen, to exclude the Nationalist messianic meaning, namely that Jesus would deliver the holy people from all foreign domination.
But at Jesus' death, that hope had vanished, and so Cleophas continues, Yes, and besides all this, today is the third day since these things came to pass.
And moreover, certain women of our company, who were at the tomb before it was light, astounded us.
and not finding his body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he is alive.
So some of our company went to the tomb and found it even as the women had said, but him they did not see." These last words show that the two left Jerusalem before Mary Magdalene's announcement that she had seen Jesus.
Otherwise, they would have mentioned this also.
If only to cast doubt upon it.
But when Theophis had finished, the unknown traveler's manner suddenly changed.
Rather than ignorant of all these things, he now seemed extraordinarily well-informed.
But he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, did not the Christ have to suffer these things before entering into His glory?
And beginning then with Moses, and with all the prophets, or with the first two parts of the Hebrew Bible, he interpreted to them all the Scriptures, the things referring to himself, hence the care taken by all the evangelists, but especially by Matthew and John, to demonstrate the fulfillment of the ancient biblical prophecies in the things pertaining to Jesus, is but a continuation of what Jesus himself
Did in this lesson on this day.
The lesson lasted to the end of the journey, but to the disciples, both seemed much too short.
The narrative continues.
And they grew near to the village to which they were going, and he acted as though he were going on, and they urged him, saying, Stay with us, for it is getting towards evening, and the day is now far spent.
And he went in to stay with them.
It's not necessary to suppose that it was already nightfall.
You see, the expression, toward evening, could apply any time from noontime on.
And so, if the two disciples had left Jerusalem about nine o'clock in the morning and traveled approximately twenty miles, it must have been now toward two or three or maybe even four in the afternoon.
And it came to pass that when He reclined at table with them, and He took the bread, and blessed and broke, and began handing it to them, And their eyes were opened, and now, at this moment, they recognized Him, and at that moment of recognition, He vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, Was not our heart burning within us while He was speaking on the road and explaining to us the Scriptures?
The fact that the two disciples recognized Jesus at the breaking of the bread has often been linked with the phrase, quote, to break bread, unquote, which in the early church designated the Holy Communion.
But the conclusion is not justified, historically speaking, for we do not know whether these disciples knew that Jesus had instituted what the Catholic Church calls the Eucharist three days before, or whether Jesus spoke to them of it along the way, or whether He would be likely to perform the rite for anyone who had no idea of it.
If we restrict ourselves to the letter of banality, we may conclude only that the disciples recognized Jesus while He was breaking the bread, that is, before eating.
Their emotion and wonder was so great that they immediately set out again.
And rising up that very hour, they returned to Jerusalem Where they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.
And they themselves began to relate what had happened on the journey and how they recognized him in the breaking of the book.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, you're listening to a rerun of a special broadcast of The Hour of the Time, which was originally aired in April of 1994.
of 1994.
It is tape number 324 in our catalog.
Thank you.
Thank you.
But even when they reached the city, it was not easy to find the Apostles, because no one knew where they were.
They finally discovered them in a safe hiding place, with all the doors barred, quote, for fear of the Jews, unquote, John chapter 20, verse 19.
But notwithstanding their outward caution, they were all much moved and excited.
As soon as the two dust-covered travelers entered the room, certain that they were bearing astonishing news, They were greeted with an outburst which prevented them from saying even a word.
All the apostles crowded around them to announce, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon.
Hence, on that same day, after the two disciples had left Jerusalem, and after he had appeared to Mary Magdalene, Jesus appeared also to Simon Peter, and the latter hastens to tell the apostles and other disciples, winging from them the belief which Mary Magdalene And isn't it ironic that she appeared first to Mary Magdalene?
Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, the one whom no one believed, and only afterward appeared to one of his disciples.
None of the evangelists relates any detail of Jesus' appearing to Simon Peter on this day, but it is unquestionably the same appearance which Paul sets first in his list of the resurrected Christ's appearances.
Luke, the disciple of Paul, learned of it from his master, who in turn had learned of it from Peter himself, and still knew to the faith he had gone to Jerusalem to see Peter.
Galatians 1.18 The rock of the church, as the Catholic church believes, had been singled out by virtue of his office.
He who had denied Jesus had been abundantly forgiven because of his abundant tears of repentance, such as Judas had not shed.
But, in my research, I find that this a poor description of a rock.
A rock is solid, steadfast, immovable, heavy, a solid foundation.
A rock would not have denied Jesus, not even once.
Peter cannot be the rock of which Jesus spoke.
Jesus, when He sat upon this rock, I found my church was speaking of the stone, the stone that appears over and over in the Bible and in the mysteries and in the history, the stone, the smooth black stone.
that had been here from the foundation.
The stone, you see, is God.
The stone is Jesus.
The stone is God.
The stone is the Holy Ghost.
The stone is Jesus, God, the Holy Ghost, the rock.
When the two travelers Finally got the opportunity to speak of their experience.
Their words were received with unexpected coldness.
Whether it was a certain diffidence the Apostles felt toward the two from Emmaus, or a subconscious resentment that these obscure disciples had received the same privilege just granted to Peter, but still denied to them, it is certain that if not all, at least several of those present even then did not believe.
And it is so easy to imagine the discussions which arose between the two, insisting they had seen the Master, and those refusing to believe that they had.
But that day was to end with certainty, not with discussions and disbelief Or, quote, Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus himself stood in their midst, and saith to them, Peace be to you.
But instead of being pleased, they were terrified, stricken with fear, and thought that they beheld a spirit.
Why are you troubled, and wherefore do doubts arise in your hearts?
See my hands and feet?
That is my very self.
Feel me and see!
For spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me to have.
He showed them his hands and his feet, but as they were still disbelieving, for very joy and marvel, he said to them, Have ye aught here to eat?
They handed him part of a broiled fish, and he took and ate it before them.
Luke 24, verses 36-43 We must remember, dear listeners, that this scene is described for us by a physician and psychologist.
The same episode, related by John, chapter 20, verse 19 through 23, does not contain the practical observations that show the scientific mind or the subtle notice that the Apostles, quote, disbelieved for very joy, unquote.
or fear of deceiving themselves since it is so easy to believe what one is anxious to believe, isn't it, dear sheeple?
They were afraid that they would deceive themselves.
They wanted so much to believe and to see their master, Jesus, that they could not believe.
They refused to believe, afraid that they would fool themselves.
Their doubts were dispelled by the physical reality.
The physical reality.
In his second life, Jesus has the same body as before.
He can eat as he did before.
He's not a misty shade.
He's not some apparition.
His physical body has come to life again and rejoined his soul.
That is the religious explanation.
And if you are a Christian, you must believe this.
Having assured them of this fact, Jesus tells them of the future, and that is what John records for us especially.
Quote, As the Father has sent me, I also send you.
And he had said this, he breathed upon them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." John, chapter 20, verses 21-23.
The old promise made the Apostles regarding the future government of the church was here fulfilled.
Now, I'm not talking about the Catholic Church.
I'm not talking about the church of Rome, I am talking about the church of Christ, the original church which He established on this earth Himself.
Not man's church, not a perversion, not a wedding of what Christ taught and the pagan religions, which is now known as Christianity, but what He established on that day.
Not present that evening in the Apostles' retreat with the skeptical Thomas.
Was his absence perhaps another manifestation of his character?
Did he refuse even to discuss the assertions of Mary Magdalene and Peter, and therefore avoid the company of the other Apostles?
You see, he didn't believe.
Certain it is that when a little later he was with the Apostles and they assured him, quote, He shook his head, almost as if scandalized.
He was angry, and vehemently declared, quote, "...unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Unquote.
After all, they must be reasonable.
How could a man rise again?
He had been crucified, reduced to a mass of torn and wounded flesh with his hands and feet pierced and a gaping hole in his side.
You tell me he's alive?
Mary Magdalene had seen him?
Now what reason could there possibly be for believing a hysterical woman?
The other apostles had seen him and had especially noticed his hands and feet?
Well, I, Thomas, I know those apostles were all fine men, but they were a little on the volatile side, and too easily imagined they saw what they wanted to see.
He, Thomas, was the calm, deliberate man among them, just the right man to have around in certain cases.
You all know the type, and in cases like this it was not enough to see.
One must touch and feel and put one's fingers only on this condition, would he believe.
There's nothing wrong with that, ladies and gentlemen.
For I am that type.
I wasn't always, but I am now.
The Prince of Hypercritics remained unshaken in his conviction for eight days, and no argument the Apostle might propose could budge him.
But after eight days, his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors being closed, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be to you.
Then he said to Thomas, Bring here thy finger, and see my hands, and bring here thy hand, and put it into my side.
And be not unbelieving, but believing.
Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God, Jesus said to him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed.
Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.
I want to say that again, for this is extremely important.
Jesus said to him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed.
He didn't condemn Thomas, folks.
But he made an extraordinary statement, "'Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.'" Did Thomas stick to his intention to feel the body of the resurrected Jesus, the Christ?
Well, from the evidence, we have every reason to believe that he did not.
His positivism collapsed, as it always does, not so much as the result of intellectual discussion, as of a change in spiritual disposition.
All of the appearances of Jesus so far mentioned took place in Jerusalem or its environs, that is, in Judea, the land of the lion.
There were still others, also narrated by the evangelists shortly afterward in Galilee.
Of those recorded by Paul, some undoubtedly took place in Judea and some in Galilee.
Remember, the instructions were that he would appear to them in Galilee.
The difference in place has an importance of its own.
The angels at the sepulchre had charged the women to bid the disciples and Peter to go into Galilee, where they would see the risen Christ.
When the festivities of the Posh were ended, the apostles returned into Galilee.
In obedience to Jesus' command, Matthew chapter 26 verse 32, and prompted besides by the fact that in Galilee it would be safe from the direct surveillance of the Sanhedrin, Jesus' promise had mentioned the place, but not the time.
So there was nothing to do but wait.
Some days later, we find once more on the shores of Lake Tiberias, Simon Peter Thomas Nathaniel, who was also called Bartholomew, James and John, and two other unnamed apostles who were perhaps Andrew and Philip.
No one really knows.
The little group probably still supported themselves from their common earnings, just as they had when Jesus was with them.
It may be that after Judas' disappearance, with all their resources and their expenses in Jerusalem, and for the journey, they had little or nothing left.
They were fishermen, and fishermen that they were, they could not remain idle with the lakes rippling right before them.
And while awaiting, from one day to the next, the return of the risen Christ, they resumed their old occupations.
One evening, Simon Peter said to the others, I'm going fishing.
And they answered, We also are going with you.
When they were about two hundred cubits, which is about a hundred yards, folks, from land, they glimpsed a figure through the mist.
Then they could use the long drag nets, so they got into the boat and passed their nets, but it was a bad night, and at dawn they had not yet caught anything, so they pulled toward shore again to disembark.
When they were about 200 cubits, which is about 100 yards, folks, from land, they glimpsed a figure through the mist.
They could not see it clearly, but it seemed to be a man waiting for them.
Perhaps he wanted to buy their catch.
Thank you.
When they were within calling distance, he asked, "'Young men, have you any fish?' After that long night of wasted toil and effort, the question sounded more than a little ironic, and from the boat came a brusque, "'No!' which would normally discourage any further discussion.
But the man shouted again through the morning mist, and I quote, Cast the net to the right of the boat, and you will find them." Now, can you imagine the apostles in this boat, wondering, who is this guy telling us where to cast our net?
Who was this unknown person giving them such confident advice?
Who is this arrogant appearance?
Did he know what he was talking about?
Amen.
Did he know what he was talking about?
I mean, we need fish.
So, one more attempt would not cost them too much.
After all they had done in vain, the net was cast exactly where the man had said, and now they were unable to draw it up to the great number of fishes which it contained.
But this old memories rose in the minds of those fishermen, an instant of tremulous uncertainty, and then the disciple whom Jesus loved leaped to Peter's side, and pointing to the man on the shore, shouted, It is the Lord!
And everything was perfectly clear and natural.
When Simon Peter therefore heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him, for he was naked, and cast himself into the sea.
But the other disciples came with a boat, dragging the net full of fish So they were not far from land, but about a hundred yards off.
The impetuous Peter, naturally, could not wait.
He had to get to shore as quickly as possible to swim more easily.
He tied up his coat about him, which he wore over his bare skin while working.
A few strokes carried him to shore, and he was seen at the feet of his risen master.
But the other stayed in the boat, which came in slowly, because it was dragging the great weight of the fish.
When they disembarked, they saw a little fire already lit, with a fish laid upon it, and the bread prepared for them.
Jesus said to them, Bring here some of the fishes that you caught just now.
Peter went back in the boat, and with the other apostles hauled the net to land, and it contained one hundred and fifty-three large fish.
And though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, Come and breakfast.
None of the disciples dared ask him, Who art thou?
knowing that it was the Lord.
The apostles felt a certain reverent fear that prevented them from asking their risen master anything about himself.
That he was himself, there was no doubt.
But, oh, how they would have loved to ask him, Master, how did you rise from the dead?
Where have you been all these days?
How did you come here?
Where are you when you are not with us?
How can we find you?
But they could not speak for reverence, and none dared ask him any of those questions.
But their reverence did not affect their appetites, and they ate joyously the bread and the fish which Jesus divided among them.
And when their bodies had been refreshed, Jesus spoke to their souls, their souls, quote, When therefore they had breakfasted, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, dost thou love me more than these do?
He, Peter, said to him, Yes, Lord, and knowest that I love thee.
Jesus said to him, Feed my lambs.
And he said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, dost thou love me?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He said to him, Feed my lambs.
A third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, dost thou love me?
People was grieved, because he said to him for the third time, Dost thou love me?
And he said to him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." And he said to him, "'Feed my sheep, dear sheeple.'" Jesus' threefold question, in practical charity, made no explicit reference to the past, but in its threefold repetition it was nevertheless linked with a painful, painful past.
Had Peter denied the Master in the hour of darkness, and now, in the hour of life, he three times professes his love for Him?
But the question was linked with the past in still another way.
You see, on the day of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had proclaimed the same Simon Peter the rock according to the Catholic Church, which was the foundation of the Church, and had charged him to govern it as a shepherd rules his flock. and had charged him to govern it as a shepherd Now Simon Peter must remember that this office is to be a labor of love, a consequence of the love he has professed for Jesus.
The Supreme Shepherd will depart from his flock.
He will not leave it unprotected.
Instead, he places over it a shepherd, who is his vicar, and he must rule it with the same love, and for the same love which has animated the Supreme Shepherd.
In this episode of the Hour of the Time, to be fair, to all who believe whatever version they believe.
The shepherd has been killed for that love, hence it is possible that the same fate awaits his vicar.
Jesus predicts this as a certainty for Peter personally, for he continues, Amen, Amen, I say to thee, when thou wast young, thou didst gird thyself.
As Peter had actually done but a little while before, and walk where thou wilt, but when thou art old, thou wilt stretch forth thy hands, and another will gird thee, and lead thee where thou wilt not.
Now this, he said, to signify by what manner of death Peter should glorify God.
When John wrote this statement, Peter had already been killed several years before, for his faith in Jesus and his love for that entrusted to him.
Others had, in truth, girt him with chains and led him to his execution, so that Peter followed his master even in his death.
And that was why Jesus closed his message to Peter, saying, by way of exhortation and of comfort, Bo, follow me.
But this, and Jesus' other appearances in Galilee, obviously did not have the solemnity of the occasion mentioned by Matthew.
This incident occurred on a mountain which we are told, incidentally, Jesus had already named to the Apostles as the place where He would meet them.
It is impossible to determine which mountain it was.
It is possible that at the beginning or the end of this appearance, which must have been a long one, there were other disciples besides the Apostles present, but it is not
at all certain that Paul is referring specifically to this occasion when he mentions that the risen Jesus was seen by more than 500 brethren at one time, many of whom are with us still.
Entirely absorbed in all of this idea that the story of Christ according to the flesh is but the first chapter in the history of the church, the evangelists have given little emphasis to his physical departure from the earth, namely, his ascension.
The loss of his visible and tangible presence did not matter so much now that they had convinced, had been convinced of his invisible presence and his continued assistance from heaven.
So, we find that Matthew doesn't relate the ascension at all.
It's briefly mentioned in the appendix in Mark.
And John barely suggests it.
And then, in the form of a prediction, the only evangelist who describes it at any length is Luke, in chapter 24, verse 50.
But this is because when he brings to a close his gospel, which is the story of Christ according to the flesh, he is already planning to follow it immediately with the story of the mystical Christ as well.
His Acts of the Apostles are an episodic history of the church.
And at the beginning of this new work, Acts 1.1-11, he repeats the story of the ascension with which he had ended his gospel.
The ascension occurred on the Mount of Olives near Bethany 40 days after the resurrection.
Since the apostles had left Jerusalem for Galilee no less than eight days after the resurrection, and were again in Jerusalem sometime before the ascension, they must have stayed in Galilee less than a month.
It is to this period that we must assign the other many appearances indicated in a general way by Paul and also by Luke, when he says that the risen Jesus appeared to the apostles showing himself alive, by many proofs, speaking to them of the kingdom of God and meeting habitually speaking to them of the kingdom of God and meeting habitually with Acts, chapter 1, verses 3 through 4.
Undoubtedly, they had gone up to Jerusalem again at Jesus' bidding, and there they met for the last time.
The Risen Master gave them his last instructions, among them that they were not to leave the city, but were to wait there for the promise of the Father, of which you have heard by my mouth, for John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.
But the promise referred to what took place shortly afterward on the day of the Jewish Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, that even at this last meeting with the risen Master, the Apostles felt vaguely that something extraordinary was about to happen, and in their minds rose again the old Messianic ideas so deeply rooted in their Jewish souls that they had survived in part even the realities of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Jesus' four official biographers do not go beyond the earth.
Their narratives end with the ascension or just before it.
Only the appendix of Mark's Gospel, chapter 16, verse 19, casts a fleeting glance heavenward and states that Jesus was taken up into heaven and sits at the right hand of God.
These last words, which proclaim that the man Jesus was associated in glory and power with the Heavenly Father,
are especially dictated by the mind of the church, and this mind, which has given us the four accounts of Jesus' early life, shrank from even a single narrative of His heavenly life, and has recorded only what would be its fundamental theme, quote, He sits at the right hand of God, end quote.
Good night, and God bless you all.
▲
Export Selection