Forty Days That Changed Everything

Hi everyone,
Bruce the sheep here.

There are times, usually in the quiet of the early morning, when my thoughts settle on something from Scripture that I’ve read many times before… and yet, it still invites me to look a little deeper.

This post is one of those times.

I have often found myself mulling over the period following the resurrection of Jesus, those forty days where He appeared to His disciples before ascending to the Father. Scripture tells us that He presented Himself alive “by many convincing proofs” over that time (Acts 1:3 NASB), and I find myself wondering… what was that actually like for them?

Not just the theology of it.
Not just the doctrine.
But the experience.

Because if I am being completely honest, I know what my first reaction would have been. I would have wanted to touch Him. In fact, I would have a hard time not touching Him.

FROM LOSS . . . TO SOMETHING THEY COULD NOT YET UNDERSTAND
These were not men and women expecting a resurrection.

They had watched Him suffer.
They had seen Him die.
Everything they had hoped for seemed to come to an abrupt and crushing end.

So when the first reports came that He was alive, Scripture tells us plainly:
“…these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.” (Luke 24:11 NASB)

They were not gullible.
They were grieving.

And even when Jesus first appeared to them, they did not immediately rejoice:
“…they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.” (Luke 24:37 NASB)
Can you imagine that moment? I know I have, many times.

“PEACE BE WITH YOU”
There is something else that stands out in these encounters, something easily passed over, but deeply significant.

Very often, the first word Jesus spoke when He appeared to them was simple:
“Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 NASB)

He said it again:
“Peace be with you.” (John 20:21 NASB)

And again, when He appeared later:
“Peace be with you.” (John 20:26 NASB)

This was not a casual greeting.
These were men who were afraid.
The doors were locked.
Their world had been shaken to its core.

And into that fear, Jesus did not begin with correction.
He did not begin with explanation.
He began with peace.
The very thing they lacked… and the very thing only He could give.

A peace that was not dependent on circumstances…
but grounded in the reality that He had overcome death itself.
It is as if His very presence was saying:

You have nothing to fear anymore.

“TOUCH ME AND SEE”
Jesus did not leave them in that fear.
He met them right where they were.
“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see…” (Luke 24:39 NASB)

And there it is.
The invitation I know I would have needed…
is the very invitation He gave.

This was not a vision.
Not a spirit.
He was there.
In the flesh.
Alive.

Thomas, who struggled as many of us would, was given the same opportunity:
“Reach here with your finger, and see My hands…” (John 20:27 NASB)

I find that there is something incredibly comforting in this.
Jesus did not rebuke honest doubt that was seeking truth.
He provided what was needed to bring about belief.
And He does that with us today, if we truly seek Him.

MARY MAGDALENE . . . AND A MOMENT OF CHANGE
One of the most touching encounters is with Mary Magdalene.

Overcome with grief, she encounters Jesus, but does not recognize Him at first. When she finally does, her response is immediate and deeply human, she reaches for Him.
And yet Jesus says:
“Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father…” (John 20:17 NASB)

This has always struck me.
It is not that she could not touch Him, others would.
It is that something had changed.
The relationship, as they had known it, would not continue in the same way.

He was gently preparing them…
for a different kind of nearness.

A BODY LIKE OUT . . . YET NOT BOUND LIKE OUR
During those forty days, we are given glimpses of something remarkable.
Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
He sat and ate with them.
“…He took it and ate it before them.” (Luke 24:43 NASB)
He prepared a meal for them by the Sea of Galilee.

And yet, at other times:

• He appeared in a room with the doors locked (John 20:19)

• He vanished from sight (Luke 24:31)

The same Jesus…
and yet, something gloriously different.
A body that could be touched…
but not limited.

FORTY DAYS OF ASSURANCE AND PREPARATION
Scripture gives us a clear summary of what He was doing during this time:
“…appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3 NASB)

He was not simply proving that He was alive.
He was preparing them.

• Opening their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)

• Reinforcing the truth of all that He had said

• Commissioning them for what lay ahead

What had once been confusion…
was becoming clarity.
What had once been fear…
was becoming conviction.

THE FINAL DEPARTURE
There would come one final moment.
Not a sudden disappearance this time,
but a visible, unmistakable departure:
“…He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9 NASB)

No more appearances after that.
The forty days had accomplished their purpose.

This is another aspect that I have thought about many times.
What did they say to one another?
Can you imagine the thoughts that went through their minds?
I think there would have been amazement, followed by determined resolution to do what Jesus had commanded them to do.
Can you imagine it being anything otherwise? I can’t.

A PERSONAL REFLECTION
I still come back to that simple thought.
If I had been there…
I would have wanted to touch Him.
And in truth, I think many of us would.
But what those forty days reveal is something even greater.

Jesus met them in their need to see.
To hear.
To touch.
But He did not leave them there.

He was leading them toward something deeper.
A relationship not based on physical presence,
but on the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Remember doubting Thomas. What concluding words did Jesus say to Thomas?
“Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
(John 20:29 NASB)

A CLOSING THOUGHT
Those forty days truly did change everything.
They transformed a group of fearful, uncertain followers
into bold witnesses of the risen Christ.
Not because they were convinced by an argument,
but because they had encountered a living Savior.
And while we were not there to touch His hands,
we are not left without witness.

The same risen Christ…
the same truth…
the same power of God’s Holy Spirit…
remains with us.

And that, my brothers and sisters, is the greatest assurance of all!

From one sheep in God’s flock to another,

Respectfully submitted for your consideration.

Worthy is the Lamb!

Blessings!