In the church calendar, the 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead are one of the most significant times, and at the same time one of the least celebrated.
According to the Bible, Jesus repeatedly appeared to His disciples after His resurrection over the course of 40 days, before ascending miraculously into God’s presence after a period of 40 days. Acts 1:9 tells us that he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight until he was taken up by the Lord.
Jesus was on earth for at least 40 days after His resurrection.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was on earth for at least 40 days after His resurrection. This means that the time between His resurrection and ascension was at least 40 days, but it could have been more.
The reason we know this is because when Jesus appeared to His disciples, He asked them how long it had been since He died. He told them, “What did you eat the day I was arrested?” (John 21:12). Then He said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
If you add up these two events—the time between Jesus’ death and when He appeared to His apostles—it came out to about 40 days. But if you add up all of these events from John 11:23-27 until Acts 1:3-8, it comes out to about 43 days. That means that it’s possible there were an additional 3 days between these events or that some of those 43 days were part of the 40-day period mentioned above.
The 40 days is significant because it is the same amount of time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai before returning to Egypt with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:18). It also represents the time period between Passover and Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21).
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread immediately followed Jesus’ death.
Jesus’ resurrection was on a Sunday, which was the day before Passover. That means that Jesus was on Earth between Friday and Sunday.
The feast of Unleavened Bread began when the lamb was slain at the start of the 14th day of Nisan (the 15th day of Abib). After this first night, the people were to eat unleavened bread for seven days. The next day was the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is when Jesus appeared to his apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 1:3).
The Feast of Weeks occurred 50 days after Passover, according to the Jewish calendar.
Jesus was crucified on Passover and rose from the dead on Sunday, which was the first day of the week. He appeared to his disciples on several occasions before ascending into heaven (Luke 24:36-50; John 20:19-23).
The timing is also significant because it marks a time when Jews would normally be celebrating the Feast of Weeks. This festival commemorates Moses receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and God giving him instructions for building an altar there.
This feast is also known as Pentecost or Shavuot and is celebrated by Christians today as well as Jews in their own way. The Bible says that it was during this festival that God gave his people their laws and also sent them some special signs—such as manna appearing daily in the desert—to show them how much he cared about them (Exodus 16).
At the Feast of Weeks, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ disciples.
The Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. It commemorates the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ disciples, who had gathered together in Jerusalem to pray for guidance.
The exact date of this event is not recorded in the Bible. However, since Jesus died on a Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday, it is believed to have occurred sometime between Sunday and Thursday.
Signs that Jesus showed his disciples after his resurrection.
1. Jesus appeared before his disciples in the upper room and showed them his hands and side, which were still bleeding from his wounds.
2. Jesus ate with the disciples.
3. The doors were locked, but Jesus entered the room anyway, showing that he could pass through locked doors.
4. The disciples touched Jesus’ body and felt the wounds in his hands and side (Luke 24:36-43).
Takeaway: It’s important to know what happened between Christ’s resurrection and ascension.
It was a brief visit.
The Bible says that he was seen by his disciples for forty days after his resurrection, and then He ascended into heaven so that He could be with God the Father.
Hope you found this helpful. Thanks for reading!