The Story of the Bible

Simon Peter waded out to where the net was lying, filled with fish, and drew it to the shore. Afterward they counted the fish that were in it, and found them one hundred and fifty-three large fishes, besides small ones. Yet the net was not broken with all these fish in it. Jesus said to them, "Come now and breakfast."

THE NET FULL

He took the bread, and gave it to them, and gave them fish also; and the seven disciples ate a breakfast with their risen Lord. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples in a company after rising from the tomb, the seventh of the times that he was seen.

After the breakfast, Jesus turned to Simon Peter, the one who three times had denied that he knew Jesus, and he said to him, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?"

Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I live thee."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."

Then after a time Jesus said again, "Simon, son of Jonas, dost thou love me?"

Peter answered him as before, "Yes Lord; thou knowest that I love thee."

And Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."

The third time Jesus said to him, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?"

Peter was troubled to have this question asked again and again, and he answered, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee."

And thus Peter, after his fall, three times declared his love to Christ, and was again called to his place among the disciples.

After this the followers of Jesus met on a mountain in Galilee, perhaps the same mountain where Jesus had before given the teachings called "The sermon on the Mount," if which we read in Story Thirteen. More than five hundred people were gathered at this time; and there Jesus showed himself to them all. He said to them:

"All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and preach my gospel to all the nations of the earth, baptizing them in the mane of the Father and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to keep all the commands that I have given you. And I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

This was the eighth time that Jesus was seen after he rose from the dead. The ninth was when he showed himself to James, not the apostle of that name, but another James, who was called "The Lord’s Brother," and may have been a son of Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and Mary his wife. We do not know what was said at this meeting; but from this time James was a strong believer in Jesus.

Once more, the tenth time, the risen Saviour showed himself to all his eleven disciples. It may have been in Jerusalem, for he told them not to leave the city, but to wait until God should send down upon them his Spirit, as he had promised. And Jesus said to them:

"When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall have a new power, and you shall speak in my name in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and in the farthest parts of the earth."

(670) Jesus led his disciples out of the city and over the Mount of Olives, near to the village of Bethany. And he lifted up his hands in blessing upon them; and while he was blessing them, he began to rise in the air, higher and higher, until a cloud covered him and the disciples saw him no more.

JESUS TALKS WITH TWO OF HIS FOLLOWERS ON THE WALK TO EMMAUS

While they were looking up toward heaven, they found two men, like angels, with shining garments, standing by them. These men said:

"O ye men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you, shall come again from heaven to earth, as you have seen him go up from earth to heaven!"

Then the disciples were glad. They worshipped their risen Lord Jesus, now gone up to heaven; and they went again to Jerusalem. And they were constantly in the Temple, praising and giving thanks to God.

The Church of the First Days

Acts i: 12, to ii: 47.

After the Lord Jesus had gone away to heaven, the eleven disciples and a small company of those who believed in Christ were left alone on the earth. But they were not sad, as were should have expected them to be. They were very happy, for their Lord had left with them his promise to send power from God upon them. Every day they met together, and praised God, and prayed, in the large upper room where Jesus had taken his last supper with them.

The eleven disciples chose a twelfth man to take the place which had belonged to Judas the traitor. His name was Matthias. With these were Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, and the women who had been at the cross and the tomb, and a number of others, men and women, who believed in Jesus as the Christ. The whole number of the company was one hundred and twenty people. In all the world these were all who at that time believed in Christ.