It’s interesting to see in his various appearances that Jesus appeared to those who loved and believed in Him. If we were stage-managing matters, it would be handled differently. Plenty of witnesses to the actual resurrection, followed by a visit to Pilate and his wife, then onto the Sanhedrin. A victory procession, this time on a magnificent horse, not a donkey. It’s reasonable to think that his sheer living presence would force anyone to accept Jesus as Son of God. It would have saved an awful lot of trouble in ink and blood.

Reasonable, but not faithful. Just like his birth, God passed by all the centres of power of the time. He appeared to no one except those who were disposed to believe. His followers may have lost hope in Jesus after he died, but they never lost their love for him and their faith in him. And it was this love and faith that gave them the discerning eye that enabled them to recognize him, when others could not. Seeing the risen Jesus was not an experience of empirical data; it was an experience of faith.

A lesson that is as true for today. To those who don’t believe no evidence is enough, to the believer no evidence is needed.

(Comments to Tom at stmarysrcathlone@oceanfree.net )