If we were living in the first century, it would now be nine days after Jesus’ resurrection.
This past week – here in the 21st century – I’ve found myself examining the events that transpired during that time frame 2,000 years ago and trying to apply them to our lives today.
First, of course, came the early morning of Day 1. The women, including Mary Magdalene, found the tomb empty. Later that day, other disciples came to the tomb as well, and Mary Magdalene, weeping there after she returned, didn’t recognize Jesus when he first appeared to her.
As the day progressed, Jesus continued to appear – first to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who recognized him only after he broke bread with them, and then that evening to the disciples behind locked doors. In that later event, Jesus stood among them, offering peace and showing his hands and side.
So, in that one day, sorrow began to give way to belief, even if everything did not yet make sense.
Between that day and Day 8, which would have been yesterday, the disciples remained together, processing events, and on that eighth day, another incredible incident occurred. Jesus appeared to the disciples again – this time including Thomas, who had outspokenly expressed his doubts earlier and who now accepted the Savior’s invitation to “Put your finger here.” Thomas’ response? “My Lord and my God!”
Other sightings and experiences occurred over the next 40 days, such as: by the Sea of Galilee, where there was a miraculous catch of fish with a breakfast prepared by the Son of God; an event where more than 500 people were gathered; and finally, the day the Great Commission was given and Jesus ascended into heaven. Woven into these encounters, Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God and opened the disciples’ understanding of scripture.
Now, two millennia later, it’s hard to look at those days without seeing pieces of ourselves in them. Not just in the awe and wonder, but in the confusion, the hesitation and the slow, sometimes uneven movement toward belief. Those first witnesses to the resurrection weren’t standing on solid ground yet. They were just feeling their way forward, one moment at a time.
Mary stood there, looking straight at Jesus, and still didn’t recognize him at first. That moment alone says a lot about how easily we can overlook what’s right in front of us.
The two on the road to Emmaus spent hours walking and talking with him. Understanding didn’t come instantly. It unfolded later, after the fact.
The disciples gathered behind locked doors, unsure and unsettled. Jesus came into that room as it was, bringing peace into a place that needed it. He showed them his hands and side – something they could see and not mistake.
Thomas spoke what others may have been thinking. When he finally saw for himself, his response was simple and direct: “My Lord and my God.”
Even after all they had seen, they were told to wait – not to rush ahead, but to trust what would come next.
If those first disciples were still finding their footing eight days after the resurrection, then there’s hope for us, too. Faith rarely arrives full grown. It grows the way it did for them – in steps, in questions and in moments of recognition that catch us by surprise.
Maybe that’s part of the invitation for us right now: to look again, to pay attention, to notice the quiet ways Christ is already near. Because here we are, Day 8 people in a Day 8 world, still learning to see, still learning to trust – and the risen Christ keeps meeting us right where we are, one faithful step at a time.
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Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
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