The Glorious Joyous Days: Days for Reflection, Restoration, and Reverence

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The Pentecost took place fifty days after the Glorious Resurrection. After His Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ continued to appear to His disciples throughout the forty days before His Ascension. During those forty days the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about the Kingdom of God and evangelism, "...you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:7-9).

Cyprian (c. 250) wrote, "He tarried for forty days, so that they might be instructed by Him in the precepts of life and so that they might learn what they were to teach. Then, in a cloud spread around Him, He was lifted up into Heaven-so that as a conqueror, He might bring man to the Father. For Christ loved man, He became man, and He shielded man from death."

In the Holy Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke described the Lord Jesus Christ's Ascension (His enthronement in the fullness of His Divine authority and glory) into Heaven on the fortieth day following His Glorious Resurrection. During the time period between the Crucifixion and the Ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples to prepare them for the task of evangelism which laid before them. The Lord Jesus Christ led the disciples from Jerusalem to Bethany, blessed them, reconfirmed them, and was finally "carried up to Heaven" (Luke 1:9).

On the very day of His Glorious Resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ appeared suddenly to His disciples in a private closed room; bearing all His likeness and the wounds of the Crucifixion and was without question the One whom they all knew. "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." He further gave them authority by breathing upon them saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:21-23). St. Thomas somehow was not present for this memorable moment. When the other disciples told them what had occurred St. Thomas was overcome with a sense of incredulous loss and doubt.

St. Thomashad the courage to face death with the Lord Jesus Christ when returning to Jerusalem at the time of Lazarus's death; but to believe in His Glorious Resurrection required even more faith than a mere willingness to give his life. "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). St. Thomas created much tension among the witnessed believers with his stubbornness or at least his perplexity and wanted direct proof of the Glorious Resurrection.

Eight days later, the Lord Jesus Christ again appeared in the midst of the disciples with St. Thomas present and showed Himself tangibly for St. Thomas' sake and said to him, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27). Certainly a blessed faith is one that trusts in the risen Lord Jesus Christ without proof; but the Lord wanted to lead St. Thomas to a greater faith. Restoration was specifically intended for St. Thomas. Without even touching the Lord's wounds, St. Thomas' reverence of the deity of the Lord was immeasurable as he proclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).

Origen (c.248) wrote, "After His Resurrection, Christ existed in a glorified body, as it were. For it was somewhere between the physicalness of the body He had before His sufferings and the appearance of a soul uncovered by such a body. It was for this reason that when His disciples were together and Thomas was with them, Jesus came and stood in their midst, even though the doors were shut."

St. Peter's strengths and weaknesses were also shown throughout the Holy Gospels. This was most probably not done to emphasize his weak nature but to make St. Peter an example of the struggle for faith and understanding that those who love the Lord Jesus Christ must face on occasions. The Lord Jesus Christ would rebuke St. Peter but He never wavered in His affirmation of this disciple. St. Peter was present at several post Resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ though prior to the Lord's Crucifixion he denied Him three times.

On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, St. Peter and some other disciples were fishing. Just as during St. Peter's initial call to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, he and the others were granted a great catch of fish. The Lord Jesus Christ then offered a morning meal of fish to the disciples and turned to face St. Peter. In the same manner St. Peter had denied the Lord Jesus Christ three times, the Lord asked him three times, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" and St Peter responded three times, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You" (John 21:15,17). St. Peter was restored to love and to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ during the fifty days following the Glorious Resurrection to the Pentecost. The Lord Jesus Christ responded to his affirmation of love, "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17). In deed, St. Peter lived out his life as a faithful follower, a steadfast disciple, and a martyr who refused to be crucified replicating the exact method of the Holy Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he requested to be crucified upside down, in humbleness and reverence.

Tertullian (c. 210) wrote this regarding the Lord's Ascension forty days following His Glorious Resurrection, "Jesus is still sitting there at the Right Hand of the Father-man, yet God. He is the last Adam; yet, He is also the original Word. He is flesh and blood, yet His body is purer than ours."

In joy and reverence may we all pray the conclusion of every hour reflecting upon the restorative fifty days following the Glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings on evangelism and message of Salvation, "Have mercy on us, O God, and have mercy on us, who at all times and in every hour, in Heaven and on earth, is worshipped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come."

May the Lord bless you during these fifty joyous days.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States