Resurrection Appearances

Definition and Meaning

The resurrection appearances are the occasions on which Jesus Christ, having died on the cross and risen again, showed himself to his disciples and to others. The Korean term for "appearance" (hyeonhyeon) means "to come into view" or "to make oneself manifest." Together with the account of the empty tomb, the New Testament presents these appearances as an important basis for faith in the resurrection.

Biblical and Historical Background

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 is regarded as one of the earliest records of the appearances. In this passage, Paul reports that Jesus was seen in turn by Cephas (Peter), by the Twelve, by more than five hundred brethren, by James, and by all the apostles, and last of all by Paul himself. The Gospels describe specific scenes as follows:

• Appearance to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)
• Appearance to the women who had gone to the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10)
• Walking along the road with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
• Appearance to the disciples gathered behind closed doors, and eight days later to Thomas (John 20:19-29)
• Eating with the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and charging Peter, "Feed my sheep" (John 21)
• Commissioning the disciples on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20, the Great Commission)

Acts 1:3 records that Jesus was seen by the disciples over a period of forty days before his ascension.

The Gospels differ somewhat in the locations and sequence of the appearances. Some interpreters seek to harmonize them into a single chronology, while others understand the differences as reflecting each author's theological emphasis. Views also diverge on the nature of the appearances. The traditional understanding regards them as genuine encounters with Jesus raised bodily from the dead, whereas some historical-critical scholars interpret them as the disciples' inner experiences or visions.

Practice in the Korean Church

The appearance narratives are the passages most frequently used in Easter sermons. At Easter sunrise services and united Easter services, the accounts of Mary Magdalene or of the road to Emmaus are often read.

Churches that follow the liturgical calendar, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, and some Presbyterian churches, read the appearance passages in sequence on each Sunday of the Easter season, which runs from Easter to Pentecost. The passages read on these occasions follow the lectionary (a list that assigns the Scripture readings for each Sunday according to the liturgical calendar). Churches that place less emphasis on the liturgical calendar generally address the appearances in sermons on and around Easter Sunday.

The major Korean Protestant denominations generally teach the appearances as historical testimony to the bodily resurrection and connect them with the confession of the resurrection in the Apostles' Creed.