The seventh post-resurrection appearance of Christ
On a number of occasions the Saviour mentioned that after His resurrection He would appear unto the disciples in Galilee. Matthew's account particularly traces this line of thought in Matt 26:32, 28:7 & 28:10.
In Matt 28:16 we finally have the eleven disciples leaving Judaea and making their way to Galilee.
The next two post-resurrection appearances, firstly to seven of the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and then to five hundred disciples at one time, took place in Galilee.
John finishes his account of these meetings in Galilee by saying that this was the third time that Christ had appeared unto His disciples, John 21:14.
We know that it was the seventh time that Christ has appeared to His followers generally. However, it was indeed the third time that He has appeared unto them as a collective group. It is important to stress the importance of these collective meetings.
From what John records it is taken that the meeting on the shore beside the sea of Galilee took place before the meeting with the five hundred on the mountain.
This appearance took place at the time when Peter announced that he was going back to fishing. |
