During the Easter Season Gospel passages called "appearance narratives" are proclaimed at Mass. When we hear these separate readings over and over as the years pass, we may tend to blur them together in our minds. We may miss some of their distinctive features and mistakenly feel that they relate events that happened long ago with little direct relevance for us today.

A closer look at these narratives reveals much. Unlike other Gospel incidents, such as the feeding of the multitude or the garden arrest of Jesus, no two appearance narratives are alike. In Matthew, Jesus is manifest on a mountain in Galilee (Mt 28:16). In Luke, he is encountered in and around Jerusalem (Lk 24), while in John, Jesus comes to his friends despite locked doors in Jerusalem (Jn 20), and later prepares them a breakfast by the Lake of Galilee (Jn 21). In the original ending of Mark's Gospel there is no appearance narrative at all, only an empty tomb from which women flee in terror (MK 16:8). In John, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene (Jn20:11ff); in Matthew to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" (Mt 28:1ff); and in Luke to Simon Peter (Lk 24:34).

These discrepancies show that Jesus' resurrection was not simply "seen" by spectators who then recorded their combined observations. They did not behold the appearance of a shimmering luminescent figure, like Obi-wan Kenobi in Star Wars. The Greek word that is rendered in English as "appearance" might be better read as "manifested" or "made known."

For all these differences the appearance narratives have some revealing commonalities. In all of them only friends perceive the crucified-yet-living Jesus. He does not manifest himself to foes such as Pontius Pilate. No, only those in relationship with him discern the reality that the Crucified one still lives, though now in transcendent glory. This discernment required faith.

Moreover, in many narratives Jesus' friends have an initial lack of recognition or feelings of bewilderment. Mary Magdalene thinks she is speaking with a gardener who has moved Jesus' corpse (Jn 20:15). The two disciples returning in grief to Emmaus have no idea who is conversing with them on the road (Lk 24:16). Jesus' friends in the boat do not recognize the person on the beach until the always- perceptive Beloved Disciple exclaims, "It is the Lord!" (Jn 21:4,7). Some have doubts when they encounter Jesus on a Galilean mountaintop (Mt 28:17). In Jerusalem, Jesus eats a piece of broiled fish to demonstrate that he is not some sort of ghost (Lk 24:36-43).

In several of the appearance narratives, food is involved. Besides the eating of fish in Jerusalem (Lk 24:42) and beside the Lake of Galilee (Jn 21:9), there is the dramatic moment when the Emmaus disciples recognize Jesus in "the breaking of the bread" (Lk 24:30-31).

Finally, in some narratives there is new understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus - to teach the world (Mt 28:20) or to love Jesus and feed his sheep (Jn 21:15ff) - or of new ways of reading the scriptures (Lk 24:27,45-48).

Even those written decades later, do these texts offer us insights about the experiences of Jesus' friends shortly after the crucifixion? It seems that faith-relationship with Jesus was a pre-condition to grasp the resurrection. Although the exaltation of Jesus to transcendent life was an objective reality, it required the subjective openness of his friends for this reality to be discerned. As the Pontifical Biblical Commission [PBC] put it in 1984, "there is also needed 'the decision of faith' or better 'an open heart' so that the mind may be moved to assent."

It also took time for the disciples to comprehend what they were experiencing. This is not surprising given the unprecedented nature of their experiences! Indeed, as the PBC noted, "they accepted the truth of his resurrection only with hesitation." Once gifted with this conviction, though, the disciples began to read Israel's scriptures in a new way and they came to understand that they had a mission to fulfill out in the wider world.

It may be that the awareness that Jesus still lived was most powerfully felt when his friends came together to have meals in memory of him (Lk 22:19). This would explain the references of food in the
appearance narratives. Resurrection faith is linked to the celebration of the Eucharist.

When we share Holy Communion this Easter, we might imagine, despite our formal liturgies and stylized rituals, that we are Jesus' friends, gathered together after the trauma of his crucifixion, experiencing with joy and confusion and wonder that he still lives and is present in our very midst. We too, may feel empowered to undertake a mission in the wider world.