Paper 191 Overview: Appearances to the Apostles and Other Leaders

The immediate aftermath of Jesus' resurrection found ten apostles sequestered behind barred doors, grappling with conflicting emotions and intellectual uncertainty despite reports of the momentous event. Each apostle responded distinctively to the extraordinary circumstances: John steadfastly advocating Jesus' resurrection based on the Master's previous predictions, Peter oscillating between faith and doubt, and others manifesting their own characteristic responses ranging from philosophical contemplation to withdrawn despondency. The apostles' isolation intensified their confusion, depriving them of their customary information network through David's messengers.

Through a series of strategically timed morontia appearances, Jesus systematically rebuilt the apostles' faith and prepared them for their future mission of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. These manifestations included intensely personal encounters, such as his appearance to Peter in the garden where he offered forgiveness and spiritual redirection, and collective appearances that reinforced community and shared purpose. Particularly significant was Jesus' careful handling of Thomas's doubt, deliberately waiting until Thomas rejoined the group to provide the sensory evidence he demanded while simultaneously blessing future generations who would believe without physical proof. In addition to these appearances to his closest followers, Jesus engaged extensively with morontia beings, progressing through seven distinct stages of morontia transformation while instructing these beings and learning from them. These resurrection appearances served not merely as evidence of his triumph over death but as calibrated spiritual interventions designed to transform fear and doubt into readiness for world-changing service.

Resurrection Sunday represented a profound spiritual and emotional crisis for the apostles, with ten of them spending most of the day secluded in the upper chamber behind barred doors, paralyzed by fear of arrest by Sanhedrin agents. Their isolation exacerbated their confusion, as they lacked access to comprehensive information about unfolding events in Jerusalem. Thomas, having separated himself from the group, brooded alone in Bethpage, depriving himself of the communal support that might have ameliorated his doubts. This fracturing of the apostolic community reflected the disorientation following the crucifixion, as the disciples struggled to integrate the contradictory realities of Jesus' violent death and the women's reports of his resurrection, all without the stabilizing presence of their Master's direct guidance.

Throughout this turbulent day, each apostle responded according to his distinctive temperament and spiritual predisposition. John, the youngest member of the group, consistently advocated for Jesus' resurrection, citing at least five explicit predictions by the Master about rising again and three references specifically to the third day. His youthful conviction exercised considerable influence, particularly on his brother James and on Nathaniel. Peter experienced dramatic emotional vacillations between faith and doubt, unable to reconcile the empty tomb with Jesus' absence from the apostles. His guilt over denying Jesus in Annas's courtyard compounded his distress, leading him eventually to withdraw to the courtyard in the belief that his presence might be preventing Jesus from appearing to the group. This self-imposed isolation paradoxically positioned him for his personal encounter with the risen Master.

The other apostles manifested equally characteristic responses to the crisis. James Zebedee initially favored taking direct action by visiting the tomb, but heeded Nathaniel's reminder of Jesus' warning against unnecessarily risking their lives. By noon, James had settled into a pattern of watchful waiting, disappointed that Jesus had not yet appeared. Andrew, released from leadership responsibilities, experienced both perplexity and relief, while Nathaniel offered philosophical counsel that gradually inclined toward belief in the resurrection. Simon Zelotes remained prostrate with disappointment, Philip posed persistent questions, Matthew fixated on financial concerns following Judas's betrayal, and the Alpheus twins simply maintained childlike trust in their mother's testimony of seeing Jesus. This spectrum of responses illustrated the diverse psychological and spiritual states that Jesus would need to address in his forthcoming appearances.

Jesus deliberately postponed his first morontia appearance to the assembled apostles for several strategic reasons that revealed his profound understanding of human psychology and spiritual development. He recognized their need to process the initial reports of his resurrection intellectually and emotionally before experiencing his presence directly. Furthermore, he specifically wanted Peter to wrestle through his particular difficulties stemming from his denial, and desired Thomas to be present at his first group appearance to address the doubter's skepticism directly. Although John Mark had located Thomas in Bethpage on Sunday morning, Thomas's pride prevented him from returning to the group voluntarily after his departure the previous evening. His emotional state would deteriorate into a weeklong depression that ultimately required Peter and John to bring him back the following Saturday evening, delaying the apostles' departure for Galilee until Thomas had personally encountered the risen Master.

Near half past eight on Sunday evening, Jesus made his eighth morontia manifestation, appearing to Simon Peter in the garden of Mark's home. This encounter was strategically timed to address Peter's profound psychological and spiritual distress, as he labored under the crushing burden of guilt and doubt stemming from his denial of Jesus during the trial. Throughout the day, Peter had vacillated between faith and doubt, unable to reconcile the evidence of the empty tomb with Jesus' absence from the apostolic group. In a moment of painful self-awareness, Peter concluded that his presence might be preventing Jesus from appearing to the others, prompting him to withdraw to the garden where this pivotal encounter occurred. As Peter contemplated the loving look Jesus had given him at Annas's courtyard and the message brought by the women to "Go tell my apostles—and Peter," his embattled faith began to prevail over his doubts, leading him to assert aloud his belief in the resurrection.

In this moment of nascent spiritual victory, Jesus appeared before Peter and addressed his condition with profound compassion and wisdom. Rather than focusing on Peter's past failure, Jesus spoke to his future purpose: "The enemy desired to have you, but I would not give you up." With extraordinary grace, Jesus declared, "I knew it was not from the heart that you disowned me; therefore I forgave you even before you asked." This preemptive forgiveness liberated Peter from his paralyzing guilt, while Jesus' subsequent instruction redirected his attention from self-absorption to spiritual service: "Cease to think about yourself and the troubles of the hour while you prepare to carry the good news of the gospel to those who sit in darkness." This fundamental reorientation from self-concern to outward service represented the essential spiritual transformation Jesus sought to catalyze in all his followers: "No longer should you be concerned with what you may obtain from the kingdom but rather be exercised about what you can give to those who live in dire spiritual poverty."

The ensuing five-minute conversation between Peter and the morontia Jesus covered matters past, present, and future, providing Peter with the personal reassurance and renewed purpose he desperately needed. The brevity yet profundity of this encounter exemplified Jesus' post-resurrection ministry: focused, transformative, and calibrated to specific spiritual needs. When Jesus vanished with the simple words, "Farewell, Peter, until I see you with your brethren," Peter experienced a revolutionary shift in consciousness, moving from doubt and self-recrimination to certainty and renewed commission. Overwhelmed by the realization that he had conversed with the risen Master and remained an ambassador of the kingdom, Peter rushed to the upper chamber, exclaiming to his fellow apostles: "I have seen the Master; he was in the garden. I talked with him, and he has forgiven me." Although Andrew cautiously warned the others not to be overly influenced by his brother's report, alluding to Peter's previous vision on the Sea of Galilee, the Alpheus twins expressed sympathy and affirmed their belief in Peter's experience, demonstrating the varying degrees of receptivity among the apostles to testimony about the resurrection.

Shortly after nine o'clock that evening, following the departure of Cleopas and Jacob and during a moment when the Alpheus twins were comforting Peter while Nathaniel remonstrated with Andrew, Jesus made his ninth morontia manifestation to the ten apostles gathered in the upper chamber. The timing of this appearance reflected Jesus' sensitivity to the apostles' emotional state and readiness for direct encounter. With all doors securely bolted due to fear of arrest, Jesus suddenly materialized in their midst, immediately addressing their terror with the reassuring words: "Peace be upon you." He gently but directly confronted their fear and doubt: "Why are you so frightened when I appear, as though you had seen a spirit? Did I not tell you about these things when I was present with you in the flesh?" This subtle reminder of his previous teachings established continuity between his pre-crucifixion ministry and his post-resurrection appearance, helping to bridge the conceptual and emotional gap that had paralyzed the apostles.

Jesus methodically addressed the apostles' lingering doubts by referencing his earlier predictions and connecting them to current realities: "Did I not say to you that the chief priests and the rulers would deliver me up to be killed, that one of your own number would betray me, and that on the third day I would rise?" By framing the crucifixion and resurrection as fulfillments of his explicit teachings rather than as unexpected disasters, Jesus helped the apostles integrate these events into a coherent narrative of divine purpose. He gently rebuked their persistent skepticism despite the accumulating testimonies: "Wherefore all your doubtings and all this discussion about the reports of the women, Cleopas and Jacob, and even Peter?" This reference to multiple witnesses emphasized the evidential basis for belief and challenged the apostles to transcend their fear-induced isolation and engage with the emerging reality of the resurrection.

Jesus concluded this brief but transformative appearance with forward-looking instructions that reoriented the apostles from retrospective doubt to prospective mission. He noted Thomas's absence and directed that once they were all reunited and convinced of his resurrection, they should proceed to Galilee. His parting words established a transitional framework for the coming days: "Have faith in God; have faith in one another; and so shall you enter into the new service of the kingdom of heaven. I will tarry in Jerusalem with you until you are ready to go into Galilee. My peace I leave with you." The reference to "new service" signaled that the resurrection marked not merely a validation of Jesus' teachings but the inauguration of a transformed approach to the kingdom message. After delivering these measured words of comfort, correction, and commission, Jesus vanished instantly from their sight, provoking a profound worship response as the apostles "fell on their faces, praising God and venerating their vanished Master." This physical prostration symbolized their spiritual reorientation from doubt and fear toward reverence and renewed commitment.

The next day, Monday, Jesus devoted himself entirely to interaction with the morontia creatures then present on Urantia, revealing an aspect of his post-resurrection ministry entirely invisible to his human followers. This extraordinary cosmic event brought together more than one million morontia directors and associates, along with transition mortals from the seven mansion worlds of Satania, who had come to participate in the Master's morontia-transition experience. For forty days, Jesus engaged with these "splendid intelligences," simultaneously instructing them and learning from their directors about the intricate processes of morontia transition that mortal beings experience as they progress through the system morontia spheres. This reciprocal educational exchange illustrated Jesus' unique position at the intersection of divine and mortal experience, capable of both receiving and imparting wisdom across the continuum of existence.

At approximately midnight on Monday, Jesus' morontia form underwent adjustment for transition to the second stage of morontia progression, marking the beginning of a systematic ascent through the seven stages of morontia existence. This progression followed a precise schedule: the third stage on Friday, April 14; the fourth stage on Monday, April 17; the fifth stage on Saturday, April 22; the sixth stage on Thursday, April 27; and the seventh stage on Tuesday, May 2. Each transition rendered Jesus' morontia form increasingly difficult for mortal eyes to perceive, reflecting the progressive spiritualization that characterizes movement from material to spiritual existence. This technical detail explains the varying visibility of Jesus in his subsequent appearances and underscores the transitional nature of his post-resurrection presence. His body was neither fully material nor completely spiritual, but partaking of both realities in a uniquely revelatory manner.

Jesus' morontia journey culminated in his attainment of Jerusem citizenship on Sunday, May 7, followed by his entrance into the embrace of the Most Highs of Edentia on Sunday, May 14. This progressive ascension completed Michael of Nebadon's service of universe experience, which had previously included bestowals corresponding to every level of created existence. Through this comprehensive experiential journey, "the Creator Son of Nebadon really finished and acceptably terminated his seventh and final universe bestowal." The detailed chronicle of Jesus' morontia progression provides a rare glimpse into the cosmic mechanics of transition between material and spiritual states of being, revealing that resurrection involves not a single transformation but a graduated series of adjustments that facilitate the translation of consciousness and identity across fundamentally different orders of reality.

Jesus' tenth morontia manifestation occurred shortly after eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, April 11, at Philadelphia, where he appeared to Abner, Lazarus, and approximately one hundred and fifty of their associates. This gathering included more than fifty members of the evangelistic corps of the seventy, who had convened for a special meeting in the synagogue to discuss the crucifixion and recent reports of resurrection delivered by David's messenger. The presence of the resurrected Lazarus among this assembly created a uniquely receptive environment for considering Jesus' resurrection, as the group had before them living evidence of Jesus' power over death. This appearance demonstrated Jesus' concern for followers beyond the immediate apostolic circle and recognized the strategic importance of the Philadelphia community as a center of the kingdom movement outside Jerusalem.

The circumstances of Jesus' appearance were carefully choreographed for maximum impact on the assembled believers. As Abner and Lazarus stood together in the pulpit initiating the meeting, Jesus suddenly appeared between them, a position of symbolic and practical significance that commanded immediate attention from the entire assembly. Without preamble, he addressed the group: "Peace be upon you. You all know that we have one Father in heaven, and that there is but one gospel of the kingdom—the good news of the gift of eternal life which men receive by faith." This opening statement established the theological foundation for the post-resurrection community: divine fatherhood and the gospel of eternal life received through faith, principles that would sustain the movement through the tumultuous period following Jesus' departure.

Jesus then delivered a comprehensive discourse on spiritual unity and evangelistic responsibility that established key principles for the expanding kingdom movement. He emphasized familial spiritual love as the distinguishing characteristic of his followers: "You are to love all men as I have loved you; you are to serve all men as I have served you." This universal love transcended traditional boundaries, encompassing "all your brethren who are dedicated to the proclamation of the good news, whether they be Jew or gentile, Greek or Roman, Persian or Ethiopian." Jesus anticipated the imminent arrival of the Spirit of Truth, which would unify these diverse believers in common purpose despite their cultural and ethnic differences. He cautioned against "the misunderstanding entanglements of mortal suspicion and human intolerance," recognizing the centrifugal forces that might fragment the movement along cultural lines, and concluded with clear instructions for global evangelism: "Go, then, into all the world proclaiming this gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men to all nations and races." With the closing words, "And my peace I leave with you," Jesus vanished from their sight, leaving behind a community energized for immediate action. The following day, "even while the apostles tarried in Jerusalem awaiting the emotional recovery of Thomas," these Philadelphia believers "went forth proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead."

Thomas spent a solitary week in the hills surrounding Olivet, oscillating between periods of sleep and solitary walking as he grappled with his profound disappointment and doubt. Though his physical separation from the apostolic group exacerbated his spiritual isolation, it served the providential purpose of delaying the apostles' departure for Galilee until Jesus could appear to them collectively with Thomas present. On Saturday, April 15, Peter and John successfully located Thomas at Simon's house in Bethpage and persuaded him to return with them to the apostolic gathering at the Mark home. The following day, Thomas listened to the numerous accounts of Jesus' appearances but remained resolute in his skepticism, insisting that Peter had merely enthused the others into believing they had seen the Master. Despite Nathaniel's rational arguments, Thomas could not overcome the "emotional stubbornness associated with his customary doubtfulness," a psychological state compounded by his chagrin at having abandoned the group and his unconscious enjoyment of the attention his skepticism attracted.

The climactic moment of Thomas's confrontation with the risen Master occurred during the evening meal shortly after six o'clock, when Thomas categorically declared, "I will not believe unless I see the Master with my own eyes and put my finger in the mark of the nails." In response to this explicit challenge, Jesus suddenly materialized inside the curvature of the table, positioned directly before Thomas while the doors remained securely shut and barred. Jesus immediately established the purpose of his delayed appearance: "For a full week have I tarried that I might appear again when you were all present to hear once more the commission to go into all the world and preach this gospel of the kingdom." This statement revealed Jesus' strategic patience in waiting for Thomas's return and his prioritization of collective commissioning over immediate gratification of the apostles' desire for his presence. Jesus then proceeded to deliver an extensive discourse on the nature of the apostolic mission that redefined the parameters of their future ministry.

Jesus' instruction to the apostles encompassed both the theological content and the existential methodology of their commission. He emphasized that their mission transcended mere verbal proclamation: "As I have revealed the Father, so shall you reveal the divine love, not merely with words, but in your daily living." The apostles were commissioned "not to love the souls of men, but rather to love men," shifting focus from abstract spiritual concerns to concrete human relationships. Their credibility would derive not from theoretical knowledge but from authentic spiritual experience: "You are not merely to proclaim the joys of heaven but also to exhibit in your daily experience these spirit realities of the divine life since you already have eternal life, as the gift of God, through faith." Jesus contrasted their current fear-driven seclusion with their future Spirit-empowered boldness: "When you have been baptized with the Spirit of Truth, you will bravely and joyously go forth to meet the new experiences of proclaiming the good news of eternal life in the kingdom of God."

Having delivered this comprehensive commission to all the apostles, Jesus turned directly to Thomas's specific spiritual condition. Without requiring Thomas to articulate his doubt again, Jesus acknowledged his explicit demand for tactile verification: "And you, Thomas, who said you would not believe unless you could see me and put your finger in the nail marks of my hands, have now beheld me and heard my words; and though you see no nail marks on my hands, since I am raised in the form that you also shall have when you depart from this world, what will you say to your brethren?" Jesus penetrated beyond Thomas's intellectual skepticism to the deeper spiritual struggle: "Your doubts, Thomas, always most stubbornly assert themselves just as they are about to crumble." Thomas's response, falling to his knees and exclaiming, "I believe! My Lord and my Master!" represented the complete dissolution of his resistance, while Jesus' blessing of "those in the ages to come who will believe even though they have not seen with the eye of flesh nor heard with the mortal ear" extended the spiritual principle beyond the immediate circumstance to encompass all future believers. Having resolved this final impediment to the apostles' collective faith, Jesus instructed them to proceed to Galilee where he would appear to them again, and then vanished from their sight, leaving the eleven apostles "fully convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead."

While the eleven apostles journeyed toward Galilee, Jesus made his twelfth morontia manifestation on Tuesday evening, April 18, around half past eight o'clock, appearing to Rodan and approximately eighty other believers in Alexandria. This diverse assembly included both Greek and Jewish followers, representing the cosmopolitan character of the kingdom movement in this intellectual center of the Mediterranean world. The occasion for this appearance was the conclusion of the report delivered by David's messenger, Nathan of Busiris, who had arrived that afternoon with news of the crucifixion. As the fifth runner in the Jerusalem-Alexandria relay system, Nathan had faithfully transmitted the tragic news, concluding with the hopeful addendum that "David, who sends us this word, reports that the Master, in foretelling his death, declared that he would rise again." This preparatory statement created an atmosphere of anticipation that Jesus fulfilled by appearing in full view of the assembled believers at the precise moment Nathan completed his report.

Jesus immediately established the universal scope of his mission and message: "Peace be upon you. That which my Father sent me into the world to establish belongs not to a race, a nation, nor to a special group of teachers or preachers. This gospel of the kingdom belongs to both Jew and gentile, to rich and poor, to free and bond, to male and female, even to the little children." This comprehensive inclusivity transcended all social, economic, ethnic, and gender boundaries, establishing the fundamental equality of all persons before God as the foundation of the post-resurrection community. Jesus then articulated the essential character of kingdom citizens: "You shall love one another with a new and startling affection, even as I have loved you. You will serve mankind with a new and amazing devotion, even as I have served you." This transformative love would serve as both the method and the evidence of authentic discipleship: "When men see you so love them, and when they behold how fervently you serve them, they will perceive that you have become faith-fellows of the kingdom of heaven, and they will follow after the Spirit of Truth which they see in your lives, to the finding of eternal salvation."

Jesus concluded with the formal commissioning of these Alexandria believers as emissaries of the kingdom, parallel to the commission given to the apostles: "As the Father sent me into this world, even so now send I you. You are all called to carry the good news to those who sit in darkness. This gospel of the kingdom belongs to all who believe it; it shall not be committed to the custody of mere priests." He announced the imminent arrival of the Spirit of Truth and charged them with global evangelism: "Go you, therefore, into all the world preaching this gospel, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the ages." After Jesus vanished, the believers remained together throughout the night, "recounting their experiences as kingdom believers and listening to the many words of Rodan and his associates." Their conviction of Jesus' resurrection was so complete that when David's official herald of the resurrection arrived two days later, they responded, "Yes, we know, for we have seen him. He appeared to us day before yesterday."