About a week ago, Cariolan made a comment in ‘ Where were the disciples?‘ which included the following 2 mistoqsijiet:

“Kif Ġesù ġie ppruvat u msallab pubblikament, għaliex irxoxta bil-moħbi peress li l-qawmien huwa l-bażi tal-fidi Nisranija? … and at last, għaliex it-​tlugħ taʼ Ġesù ma seħħx b’aktar pubbliċità biex jagħmlu l-​affarijiet aktar faċli għal dawk li jemmnu fid-​dubju?
Jekk jogħġbok għin! Cariolan”

These are really good and important questions: but to answer them properly requires me to go well beyond the scope of the original post (li kienet sempliċement dwar l-evidenza storika għal Ġesù’ qawmien) għal eżami aktar dettaljat ta’ dak li Ġesù fil-fatt għallem; u għaliex. Allura għal dik ir-raġuni, I have decided that it is best to make them the subject of this, separate, post…

It’s important to understand how our natural expectations and priorities differ from those of Jesus. The Jewish people in Jesus’ day believed their Messiah was going to immediately drive out the Romans who were occupying their land and establish a worldwide reign of peace. But Jesus had other plans. Even after spending 2-3 years following Jesus and listening to his teachings, his disciples still hadn’t grasped this. Meta Ġesù miet, they were initially shattered, as this seemed to contradict all they had traditionally believed about the Messiah, in spite of Jesus’ efforts to warn them and change their outlook. Even after Jesus’ resurrection they still imagined that the Kingdom Jesus was coming to establish was essentially a new political and religious government with Jerusalem at its centre and Jesus as its God-appointed ruler. eż:

“But we were hoping that it was he who would redeem Israel.” (Luqa 24:20-27)

“Mulej, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Atti 1:4-8)

Ġesù’ agenda was completely different.

“Is-Saltna t’Alla ma tiġix bl-osservazzjoni; lanqas se jgħidu, ‘Ara, hawn!’ jew, ‘Ara, hemm!’ għax ara, is-Saltna ta’ Alla tinsab fikom.” (Luqa 17:20-21)

“My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36)

Għall-bidu, He wasn’t planning to stay around in physical form on earth after his resurrection.

Kif semgħu dawn l-affarijiet, kompla u qal parabbola, għax kien qrib Ġerusalemm, u ħassu li s-Saltna ta’ Alla kienet se tiġi rivelata minnufih. (Luqa 19:11-27)

Shortly after, Jesus went into far more detail with them, making it clear that he was going to be away for a very long time, and they would be left to carry on his work.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. … Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake. … This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Mattew 24:3-14)

How were they going to manage without Him? And what did He mean when He said that the Kingdom of God is within you? On their final night together, Jesus went into this in much more detail, as recorded by John in chapters 14-17 of his gospel:

“I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever, – the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, la jafuh. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, u int fija, and I in you.” (John 14:16-21)

Notice that Jesus speaks here of 3 persons: his Father, the Counsellor (also described as ‘the Spirit of truth’) and himself. These are the three persons who are united together as the one God of the Christian Trinity. (This is explained more fully in the article, “Il Triune Alla“, elsewhere on this site.) But if Jesus is going away, how will the disciples keep in touch with Him? Because from the time of his resurrection onward the disciples will be living in God and God will be living in them. Quite literally, the Kingdom of God, and God’s temple, will no longer be just an outward institution: but an inward reality. We are destined to become living temples for God’s Spirit to dwell in; and He will be the one who keeps us connected with both Jesus and the Father.

“If a man loves me, he will keep my word. Missieri se jħobbu, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. … Jien għedtilkom dawn l-affarijiet, waqt li tkun għadha tgħix miegħek. Imma l-Kunsillier, l-Ispirtu s-Santu, li l-Missier jibgħat f’ismi, jgħallemkom kollox, and will remind you of all that I said to you.” (John 14:23-26)

This is something entirely beyond the disciples previous experience of Jesus. Up to this point, they could only be aware of Jesus’ presence when he was physically present with them: but now they are to have a permanent connection even when He seems to be absent. Minn issa 'l quddiem, they will qatt be alone. This is far better than their previous experience! And this is not just to be for them: but for all Jesus’ true followers in all succeeding generations!

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)”
“I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming.He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15)

“Mhux għal dawn biss nitlob, imma għal dawk ukoll li jemmnu fija permezz tal-kelma tagħhom, biex ikunu kollha ħaġa waħda; anke kif int, Missier, huma fija, u jien fik, biex huma wkoll ikunu ħaġa waħda fina; biex id-dinja temmen li int bgħattni. Il-glorja li tajtni, Jien tajthom; li jkunu jistgħu jkunu wieħed, anke kif aħna wieħed; Jien fihom, u int fija, biex ikunu pperfezzjonati f’wieħed; biex id-dinja tkun taf li int bgħattni, u ħabbhom, anki kif ħabbejtni. (John 17:20-23

But this is going to take a while for the disciples to get used to the idea. And the resurrection appearances were designed to help those first followers to discover what this meant. In the encounter on the Emmaeus road, Jesus really was there: yet somehow he didn’t look the same and they didn’t recognize him till right at the end. Later that same day, he appeared to them, along with ten of the twelve apostles.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” Imma qalilhom, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
After eight days again his disciples were inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be to you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Ġesù qallu, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.” (John 20:24-29)

Do you see what happened here? Ġesù, who seemingly wasn’t there when Thomas expressed his unbelief, immediately picks up the conversation where Thomas left off! Even though unseen, he was still there. But then Jesus affirms that those who believe without seeing are even more blessed. għaliex? Because they have already begun to experience that better, inseparable, yet even more personal, relationship with Jesus and the Father, through the agency of the Holy Spirit. And there is more to come …

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
(Atti 1:8)

Paul tells us, fi 1Korintin 15:6, that on one occasion he appeared to over 500 at once; most of whom were still alive when he wrote. Iżda, fil-bilanċ, this appears to have been a post-ascension appearance. When Jesus ascended he was neither needing nor seeking personal publicity. He was handing over responsibility to his disciples to continue his work under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit. And His final words to his disciples on that occasion were this simple reassurance:

“Ara, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mat 28:20

Feel free to comment or ask further questions about this in the space below.

For more information about the ways in which the presence of the Holy Spirit empowers a Christian’s life, see the 3-part series, “Il-Qawwa tal-Qawmien Tiegħu” fil- “dwar Ġesù” section of this site.