Why wasn't Jesus more public after His resurrection?

[PrayHarder]

My brother asked this question and I didn’t have a good answer so I thought I would submit it to CAF. After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared several time to various disciples. There are the accounts in the Gospels of men meeting Jesus along a road or by a sea shore. But why did Jesus appear to so few after His resurrection? Why not appear in the middle of the temple in Jerusalem for all to see? If He appeared to 40 people (a total guess), why not 45, 60, 100, or 1000 people?

 

[fisherman_carl]

I think he was more interested in equipping and teaching his disciples to go out into all the world to preach the gospel and spread his kingdom. If he wanted to prove his Resurrection to the world he could have appeared to Caesar or to Pilot. Instead, he appeared to his disciples. He was more interested in transforming the world through the advance of the kingdom of God. And, this was to come through his people, his church that he was building up to be prophets and apostles (Eph 2:20). This movement of God would not be led by political leaders like Caesar or Pilot, but through the simple folk transformed by the love of God.

 

[TEPO]

My brother asked this question and I didn’t have a good answer so I thought I would submit it to CAF. After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared several time to various disciples. There are the accounts in the Gospels of men meeting Jesus along a road or by a sea shore. But why did Jesus appear to so few after His resurrection? Why not appear in the middle of the temple in Jerusalem for all to see? If He appeared to 40 people (a total guess), why not 45, 60, 100, or 1000 people?

What’s the difference?

It hasn’t been until more recently that secular humanists have begun to campaign against organized religion. In the old days, it wasn’t hard to believe that the human soul animated the elements in order to have a physical body… There really was a widespread belief in distinguishing the body from the soul.

In todays progressive modern society, many now believe that natural selection is the guiding process that creates life. We have truly been dumbed down.

…anyways, it would have made no difference if Jesus would have flown down like superman and landed right on top of the Pharisees temple. People believe in things because their conscience allows it -not because of sensationalism.

 

[COPLAND_3]

Probably because it was more effective for Him to go back to the Father and send the Holy Spirit, for that’s when we saw a major change in the Apostles and massive conversions to the faith.

 

[seagal]

In 1 Corinthians 15:5 Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to “more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time”. That’s a significant number.

 

[Bezant]

What’s the difference?

It hasn’t been until more recently that secular humanists have begun to campaign against organized religion. In the old days, it wasn’t hard to believe that the human soul animated the elements in order to have a physical body… There really was a widespread belief in distinguishing the body from the soul. In todays progressive modern society, many now believe that natural selection is the guiding process that creates life. We have truly been dumbed down.

…anyways, it would have made no difference if Jesus would have flown down like superman and landed right on top of the Pharisees temple. People believe in things because their conscience allows it -not because of sensationalism.

Surely a public appearance could have pursuaded at least some of those who accused Christ of blasphemy or fraud, especially if as you say ancient people were more accepting of spirituality.

Moreover, Christ performed several miracles in public. If the resurrection was His greatest miracle, why was there no public announcement? It’s an interesting question, I think.

 

[TEPO]

Surely a public appearance could have pursuaded at least some of those who accused Christ of blasphemy or fraud, especially if as you say ancient people were more accepting of spirituality.

Moreover, Christ performed several miracles in public. If the resurrection was His greatest miracle, why was there no public announcement? It’s an interesting question, I think.

He came to us on a little donkey too, which wasn’t what they really expected either… Maybe His entrances are kept modest because God is modest.

…but I do agree it is interesting now that you mention it.

 

[mikekle]

Well, what would be the result if Jesus came flying down out of the sky like superman in the middle of NYC or some other highly populated areas? You would think this would prove to everyone he is real and people should be paying more attention to the christian faith…But I doubt, even if Jesus did this, people would be convinced, I think most would think its fake or a hoax, people are just hardwired to not believe in things, and in todays world, even if they see it with their own eyes…

These people tend to believe whatever the media tells them every night though?? Go figure??

 

[PJM]

=Bezant;11847791]Surely a public appearance could have pursuaded at least some of those who accused Christ of blasphemy or fraud, especially if as you say ancient people were more accepting of spirituality.

Moreover, Christ performed several miracles in public. If the resurrection was His greatest miracle, why was there no public announcement? It’s an interesting question, I think.

This was "RALLY the TROOPS period: however he was hardly hidden:
1st. Cor. 15: 6-10 “Then he was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me hath not been void, but I have laboured more abundantly than all they: yet not I, but the grace of God with me”

God Bless,
Patrick

 

[JCnMe]

It had to be a smaller group of those who knew Him to cement the seeds of faith in place… so there was no doubt what they had witnessed and could tell the whole story… if He had just shown up in front of His accusers- they would have been mortified and would have screamed witchcraft and evil…not the love of God… it’s that way today… people only listen when God shows Himself at work in individual lives- but sadly some people will still see such things as evil instead of the love of God at work… that’s where Faith comes in- and knowing God always will have to be about finding one’s Faith first…hope this helps

 

[Nacho45]

In 1 Corinthians 15:5 Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to “more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time”. That’s a significant number.

Verse 6, yes, that is a lot of people. I imagine, especially in that time, this was a significant amount to go out and say they say Him with their own eyes.

 

[kkollwitz]

I think the risen Jesus wasn’t especially comfortable being on Earth for 40 days, wanted to be in Heaven, and was visiting his mother most of the time.

 

[abucs]

The answer is probably very much in line with why God doesn’t do an interview today on an international TV network.

 

[Joy2day]

Verse 6, yes, that is a lot of people. I imagine, especially in that time, this was a significant amount to go out and say they say Him with their own eyes.

Yes, 500 is a lot of people. Let us not be ignorant of the scriptures. Let’s all read the Acts of the Apostles if we have not already. In the Christian life, I would say, the knowledge of the gospels and the acts of the apostles, and then the old testament, is somewhat, rather basic?

We all need to make time to have these basics covered.

 

[PrayHarder]

It had to be a smaller group of those who knew Him to cement the seeds of faith in place… so there was no doubt what they had witnessed and could tell the whole story… if He had just shown up in front of His accusers- they would have been mortified and would have screamed witchcraft and evil…not the love of God… it’s that way today… people only listen when God shows Himself at work in individual lives- but sadly some people will still see such things as evil instead of the love of God at work… that’s where Faith comes in- and knowing God always will have to be about finding one’s Faith first…hope this helps

Too bad I can’t mark your reply as “accepted” like Yahoo! Answers. Because your response if my favorite one. The other replies are good too, but yours “spoke” to me.

 

[JCnMe]

Glad to help

 

[lifllelovepeace]

Well, it’s important to remember that Jesus is God and thus all-knowing. He knew exactly who would be convinced by His appearance, who would be convinced by word of His appearance, and who would never be convinced no matter what.
It certainly wasn’t a matter of just not wanting to help people, because that totally goes against everything that Jesus is. I believe it is accepted in the Catholic faith that Jesus wanted everyone to convert, and wanted to do all he could to make that happen. But some people will never have faith, and there were better ways for Jesus to convince the world: as others said, by preparing his disciples and appearing to the people whom He knew would be important for the conversion of the world.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s all a part of God’s eternal plan. What Jesus did was the maximum that He possibly could have to convert the world to faith. It may seem obvious that appearing to 100 more people would make 100 more believers, or that appearing 100 more times throughout the centuries would create that much more of a Christian world, but that’s not how humans work. We often don’t want to believe even what is right in front of our faces, and it’s even possible to think that Jesus himself appearing over and over could cheapen His image in our sinful eyes and even destroy what could be a spiritual presence. That’s why there are other things, like saint’s visions and appearances of the Virgin Mary - which can be taken as proof that not everybody will accept what is in front of them, because many people still don’t believe accounts of these images.

Humans are simply sinful, and as long as God wanted free will in the world, there is not always something that can be done about it.

 

[oldcelt]

Surely a public appearance could have pursuaded at least some of those who accused Christ of blasphemy or fraud, especially if as you say ancient people were more accepting of spirituality.

Moreover, Christ performed several miracles in public. If the resurrection was His greatest miracle, why was there no public announcement? It’s an interesting question, I think.

There was a book in the 1960s called “The Passover Plot” that was done by a reputable scholar of Jewish history. I can remember the hoopla over the book and later movie, but have never read it myself.
One friend who did said itis not what you would expect from the title. Rather than bash Jesus he generally takes the approach of how people of that time would have viewed His ministry. Then he offers the conspiracy notion.

 

[TEPO]

One friend who did said itis not what you would expect from the title. Rather than bash Jesus he generally takes the approach of how people of that time would have viewed His ministry.

It would be hard to know how people were 2000 years ago. Just from looking at videos or clips from the 70’s to the 40’s shows dramatic changes in culture. What’s ‘normal’ changes all the time.

…to know how people reacted to Jesus’ ministry would be pretty amazing being it was 2000 years ago.