Answer: Mary Magdalene
Bible Stumpers
Appearances of the Risen Jesus
As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, consider the amazement of His followers on that first Easter morning. What began in confusion and sorrow quickly turned to awe as they realized the tomb was empty and the Lord was alive.
In the 40 days that followed, the Gospels record more than 10 appearances of the risen Jesus, as He revealed Himself to His disciples and others. How many of these can you identify?
1. Which follower of Jesus was likely the first to encounter the risen Lord, initially mistaking Him for the gardener?
2. According to Matthew, the witness mentioned in the previous question was accompanied by a woman when they both encountered the risen Jesus and worshiped at His feet. What name does the text use for her?
Answer: "The other Mary" (identified in Matthew 27:56 as the mother of James and Joseph)
3. Which apostle is reported to have seen the risen Jesus individually on the very day of the resurrection, even though the actual meeting itself is never described or narrated in any of the Gospel accounts?
Answer: Simon Peter (Cephas)
4. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked with two disciples and explained the Scriptures to them, yet they did not recognize Him. At what exact moment were their eyes finally opened to see that it was the risen Lord?
Answer: When He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
5. Although Luke refers to the group as “the Eleven,” how many apostles were actually present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples in the locked room on resurrection evening?
Answer: Ten (Judas was dead and Thomas was absent)
6. Eight days after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to the disciples and specifically invited Thomas to touch two places on His body to overcome his doubt. What were those two places?
Answer: His hands (the nail marks) and His side (the spear wound)
7. Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples encountered the risen Jesus together. Where did this appearance take place?
Answer: The Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias)
8. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus had already prepared a meal for the disciples. What two food items did they find when they came ashore?
Answer: Fish and bread
9. According to the apostle Paul, how many people saw the risen Christ at one time during one of His appearances?
Answer: More than five hundred believers
10. Which member of Jesus’ own family later received a personal appearance from the risen Lord?
Answer: James (the Lord’s brother)
Bonus. As the risen Jesus was about to be taken up into heaven near Bethany, what was His final physical action toward the eleven disciples?
Answer: He lifted up His hands and blessed them
May these questions send you back to the Gospels to experience the risen Christ anew.
