There is one point, to which we do well to draw attention. When our Lord rose from the dead it would have been very convincing, if He had suddenly appeared to Pilate, Herod, the chief priests, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In such a case surely the evidence to His resurrection could not have been denied. If the narrative had come from the pens of uninspired writers, this would have been the likely story they would have given forth. On the contrary our Lord's appearances in His risen state were only to His own disciples, to those who loved Him, and not to the world. The Apostle Peter emphasizes this when we read, " Him God raised up the third day, and showed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead." (Acts 10:40, 4140Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; 41Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10:40‑41)).
Why was this? Let us lead up to the answer of our question.
It is significant that all through the Lord's public ministry of three-and-a-half years, though the Jews continually plotted to kill Him, He was never subjected to physical injury, until the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord said, " When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against Me: BUT THIS IS YOUR HOUR, AND THE POWER OF DARKNESS." (Luke 22:5353When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53)).
Once that hour came by Divine permission our Lord was subjected to scoffing, the hair plucked off His cheek, His face spit upon, scorn and contumely were His portion. A reed was put into His hand as a mock scepter, and a crown of thorns in mockery of a kingly diadem was placed upon His head. Finally He was crucified.
But when He rose from the dead everything was different. Risen from the dead, not a single unbeliever saw Him, Those, who loved and adored Him, alone witnessed Him in His risen state. Why was this? It was because He could say, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." (John 12:4747And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. (John 12:47)).
If our Lord had publicly appeared to His enemies, it would have meant destruction to them. Instead of con-fronting them with their evil deeds to their utter confusion and destruction, He commissioned His disciples to preach the Gospel, beginning at Jerusalem, the very city of His murderers.
An illustration of this was seen in the time of our Lord's public ministry on earth. The Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand, and our Lord's brethren pressed Him to go up to the feast publicly. This He declined to do, for when the Lord presents Himself publicly He will have to take out of His kingdom all things that offend, and" them that work iniquity, who will be cast into a furnace of fire where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:41, 4241The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41‑42)). If the Lord had gone up publicly, and all offenders had been removed, how many would have been, left?
But our Lord went up, as it were, secretly, thus enabling Him to present Himself in grace. Hence He could cry on the last great day of the feast, when lifeless ritualism had left the worshippers empty and unsatisfied, "If any man thirst, let him come unto ME and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37, 3837In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37‑38)).
When our Lord, as Son of Man, does come publicly, we read, "Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen." (Rev. 1:77Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)).
And now we would notice a very striking and unusual type of the resurrection of our Lord, the sign of the prophet Jonas.