Apparition of Jesus to St Mary Magdalen and to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus

St Mark Chapter XVI : Verses 9-13

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalen. J-J Tissot.

[9] But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 

[10] She went and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping.

[11] And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe. 

[12] And after that he appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. 

[13] And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them.

[9] Surgens autem mane prima sabbati, apparuit primo Mariae Magdalene, de qua ejecerat septem daemonia. [10] Illa vadens nuntiavit his, qui cum eo fuerant, lugentibus et flentibus. [11] Et illi audientes quia viveret, et visus esset ab ea, non crediderunt. [12] Post haec autem duobus ex his ambulantibus ostensus est in alia effigie, euntibus in villam : [13] et illi euntes nuntiaverunt ceteris : nec illis crediderunt.

The apparitions of Jesus to His Disciples

In all there are ten (or eleven) apparitions recorded in Scripture, though no single gospel gives more than four. A pious tradition tells us that Jesus appeared first to His holy Mother ; Scripture makes no reference to this apparition, but we can see the fitness of such a visit on the part of our Lord, since He had all the love of a son for Mary ; and as she had suffered more than all His disciples, it was meet that she should be the first to see Him after His Resurrection. The recorded apparitions are as follows : —

Of these apparitions the first six and the eleventh certainly took place in Judea.

    1. The first six apparitions occurred in Jerusalem, within eight days of the Resurrection, and consequently during the Paschal season.

    2. The seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth occurred in Galilee between the Pasch and Pentecost. It is possible that the eighth and ninth may be identical.

    3. The last appearance of Jesus to His apostles and disciples was in Jerusalem, whence He led them out as far as Olivet.

    4. The exact time of the apparition to St James, though placed as the tenth by many expositors, cannot be determined with certainty.

    5. Of these apparitions we notice that —

St Matthew relates 2.

St Mark relates 3.

St Luke relates 4.

St John relates 4.

St Paul relates 2.

    6. In addition to these apparitions we know that, after His Ascension, Jesus appeared to St Paul on the road to Damascus. An ancient tradition asserts that our Lord appeared to Joseph of Arimathea. We may be certain that many like favours were granted, of which neither Scripture nor tradition has preserved any record.

Notes

    9. he rising early. This is the only reference to the time of our Lord’s Resurrection. The exact hour is not specified.

    the first day of the week. The memory of the day of the Resurrection has been perpetuated in the Church by the observance of the first day of the week as the day of rest instead of the seventh or “ Sabbath ” which the Jews kept by God’s command. This transference of the Sabbath is not formally mentioned in Scripture ; it has been handed down to us by a tradition, which is said to be of apostolic origin.

    appeared first to Mary Magdalen , — i.e. before He appeared to any other disciples. St Mark gives a very abridged account of the apparition, which is fully given by St John (xx. 11-18). The chief details of this apparition are as follows —

(a) Mary Magdalen followed St Peter and St John to the sepulchre.

(b) She remained there weeping when they left.

(c) The angels consoled her.

(d) Jesus appeared to her, but she did not recognize Him.

(e) He called her by her name, and she greeted Him, Rabboni.

(f) Mary Magdalen was then charged to announce the joyful news.

    out of whom he had cast, etc. Perhaps St Mark refers to Mary Magdalen’s former state, in order to emphasize our Lord’s loving condescension in appearing to her first.

    10. She went and told, etc. She would tell the glad tidings to the Apostles and to her companions, and we can picture her running to our Blessed Lady, to whom, as we may piously believe, Jesus had already appeared.

    with him. One of St Mark’s expressions ; he uses it in ch. i. 36, v. 18-40.

    mourning and weeping. It was a Jewish custom to keep up the ceremonial mourning for a certain time. Though the disciples could not publicly mourn for Jesus, since He was condemned as a criminal, we know that they mourned privately. The disciples had clearly lost all faith in the Resurrection. This is seen by —

    (a) Their mourning and weeping on the third day.

    (b) Their preparations for anointing Him.

    (c) The explicit testimony of St Mark, who says that the disciples did not believe St Mary Magdalen’s testimony, and when the two disciples returned from Emmaus with the news that Jesus was risen, neither did they believe them. The disciples were only convinced when they saw Jesus Himself.

    12. after that. Not necessarily immediately after, for between the apparition to Mary Magdalen and that to the two disciples, Jesus shewed Himself to the women at the sepulchre and to St Peter. This apparition took place before sunset on Easter day.

    in another shape. Jesus drew near, but they did not recognize Him. Our risen Saviour did not always reveal Himself at once. Thus, when He spoke to Mary Magdalen “ she knew not that it was Jesus” and the same remark is made about the disciples, when Jesus appeared to them on the shore of the sea of Galilee.

    to two of them walking. One was Cleophas, probably not “ Cleophas ” the father of James the Less. The name would seem to indicate a Hellenistic Jew. We do not know the name of his companion. It has been conjectured that it was either St Luke or Nathanael.

    as they were going into the country: to Emmaus. The true site of Emmaus is unknown. St Luke tells us that it was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, that is about seven and a half miles.

    13. they going , told it to the rest , etc. They returned at once to Jerusalem and told the Apostles, who, except Simon, had not yet seen our Lord. St Thomas was certainly one of the incredulous. Perhaps their incredulity was due to the sudden appearances and disappearances of Jesus, which, so far, were common to each apparition. We are distinctly told that St John believed when he saw the empty sepulchre, and St Peter certainly believed, for he had already seen our Lord. The evangelist therefore refers to the greater number when he says neither did they believe them. The Apostles had yet to learn that a glorified body was not subject to laws of time, space, and matter.

    Note. — St Luke (xxiv. 13-35) gives this beautiful incident in detail. From his gospel we learn that —

(a) The two disciples were conversing about our Lord and His passion.

(b) Jesus drew near and went with them, but they did not recognise Him.

(c) He asked the subject of their conversation and sadness.

(d) They were astonished that He ignored “ the things that have been done.”

(e) He explained the Scriptures to them.

(f) He accepted their invitation and sat down to table with them.

(g) He made Himself known to them and then disappeared.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.