Saturday, May 17, 2014

#83. Did Jesus Appear to his Mom?

The earliest testimony of the resurrected Jesus comes from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. Paul claims that Jesus "was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."

Was Peter the first to see the resurrected Jesus? Not according to the Gospels, which were written long after Paul's letters. Mark concludes his gospel with Jesus not appearing to anyone; Matthew and John both agree that he appeared first to Mary Magdalene; in Luke's gospel, Jesus is first seen by two guys walking on the road to Emmaus.

Sometimes, it is what is missing in a story that is the most important thing to pursue. Nowhere in the New Testament does it state that Jesus ever appeared to his mother, Mary, after the resurrection. How can this be? She was present at the crucifixion. Mary became known as the Mother of God and Jesus became known as the Son of God -- deity in the flesh. 

Why would he not appear first and foremost to his mother? Maybe the story got lost in the shuffle. Oh, here it is -- I found it the the Virgilian Version:
And so it was, just as Jesus had prophesied to his disciples, he rose from death in just three days. It was early Sunday morning and the very first item on his agenda was to visit his dear mother, Mary, grieving all alone in her home.
Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the family room, exclaiming, "Mom! I made it! Give me a hug!"
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#83. Did Jesus Appear to his Mom?