The disciples were living prophetic experiences during the forty days before Jesus’s return to heaven, personal experiences that they did not envisage possible! how could they? They were used to Jesus preaching the gospel and mainly concentrating on the unsaved people, baptising them in great numbers, it is written that: ‘He baptised more disciples than John the Baptist, although as it is written that He did not baptise them, but left it to His disciples. (John 4: 1-2) But now, since His resurrection His focus is only on His disciples, not once was He found in the temple, among the people, but since He rose from the dead, His appearances were limited to His disciples. He had done what he had to do, He had things to do to, and to say to His disciples, and with them He spent forty days before returning home.

In his epistle to the Corinthians the apostle Paul adds the following to Christ’s appearances and writes: ‘For what I received (from the Lord) I passed on to you as at the first, that Christ died for our sins according the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve, most of whom are still alive. After that He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared unto James (His sibling) then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also! (1 Corinthians 15: 3-8) 

Firstly, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and then to some women who had come to His grave to anoint His body. Then He appeared to two disciples on the way to Emmaus, a village about eleven kilometres from Jerusalem, as mentioned before, He walked with them for quite a while and entered into the house with them, in it, they recognised Him in the breaking of the bread, last of all, to seven disciples by the sea of Galilee, thus we have the full list of people that saw Him alive, with this story John ends His Gospel. But He did walk, talk, and ate with them, and most of them saw and talked with Him. The Lord’s last appearance was on the Mount of olives. His last words are recorded by Luke in the first chapter of the book of Acts, we shall mention them later!

Going back to the shore of Galilee, we continue to listen to His conversation with Peter! It could have been some time after his first question to Him. I fancy that it was, I don’t mean half an hour or half a day! But I cannot see that Jesus would shoot these deep questions like arrows! I presume that, that is how it happened. I discovered, talking with Christians for many years, in one country or another, that most of them, as they read their Bibles, they tend to think that it all happened as quickly as they read it, not realising that between some verses in the same chapter, or between chapters in the same book, there may be days, months and even years! For instance, between miracles written in one chapter, they happened during some months in between them, and in different parts of the land!

So, to end the Lord’s conversation with Peter , after or a while: ‘Again Jesus said: ‘Simon, son of John, do you truly love me? He answered: ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said:’ Take care of my sheep.’ (not lambs anymore, but sheep) Then after, whenever, the third time He said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me? Peter said; ‘Lord, you know all things; you known that I love you.’ Jesus said:’ Feed my sheep.’ The vocation to such a prestigious career is not like taking a job, it is a mission impossible to unconverted men, or even Christians that are not called to preach, or do anything else! They were men totally committed to love Jesus, the chief shepherd, with the love with which He loved them! I have realised that the time came in my life that I have stopped preaching, but that somehow, I have never retired. I am still immersed in the work of God! Hoping that He leads people to read these ‘Links’ and find peace with Him through faith in Jesus Christ?