Jesus Alive, The Man in White

It has been a while since I read the following in Paul's letter to the 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NIV:

[1] "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

[3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. [6] After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, [8] and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 

[9] For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. [10] But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them---yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. [11] Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."

Paul, is laying the foundation for a discussion about the resurrection from the dead, following these verses.  What caught my attention was his recounting of the appearances/visitations of Jesus following His resurrection from the dead.  Paul is reporting what he had heard here, for at the time He was not an apostle, but was rather "abnormally born" and later at that. 

Having just come through the celebration of Easter, revisiting Jesus resurrection, I am familiar with the  different accounts of Jesus' interactions with his disciples immediately following His rising from the dead.  The accounts are similar but all include unique components, and here we find some additional information.  The one that interests me is the appearing to "more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time" as this does not seem to be reflected in any of the other accounts.  Paul, in referencing this event, also notes that many of the 500+ were still alive.   He must have had some level of knowledge of these people to have written that statement.  Paul wrote this about 20 years after Jesus resurrection, and thus his statement is certainly possibly true, and would have been wonderful to experience.

Paul also writes that the Lord appeared to himself. It is not clear if this was when confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, or if this another more intimate appearance that resulted in Paul understanding and presenting the Gospel so clearly, even without personal eye-witness experience and knowledge of Jesus ministry, death and resurrection.  Paul wrote that he received the gospel directly from Jesus in Galatians 1:11-12 NIV:  "I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."

The point of all of this is that Jesus is alive and capable of appearing as He wills.  Clearly the appearance to Paul was after Jesus ascended to heaven, and as such, is a different sort of appearance, in my opinion, but one that sets the stage for possible continued appearances and visitations.  We don't hear much about Him appearing today, but apparently in the Muslim world today, there are many experiences of the "Man in white" appearing to complete unbelievers, and those that experience this appearance are converted to follow Christ Jesus, for He is the "man in white".  Here are just a few links describing these appearances:

https://lausanneworldpulse.com/perspectives-php/595/01-2007

https://www.godreports.com/2022/05/man-in-white-appears-to-muslims-brings-salvation/

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/jesus-christ-himself-the-man-in-white-leading-muslims-to-embrace-christianity-through-dreams-and-visions/88556.htm

https://everyhome.org/blog/the-man-in-white/

This morning I find myself both reminded of the foundation of the Gospel, and that this Gospel is as alive, as is our Savior Jesus Christ.  There are times that all of this can feel like a bit of a historical study, but the reality is that Jesus is alive and well, and we can and do experience Him.  Our faith is not based on some character that only lived 2000 years ago, but is meant to be connected to and directed by Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, alive and active in our daily lives in intimate and individual ways.  

Oh Lord, I pray that my faith might become more alive and well, as You are alive and well.  Help us to engage with You in the present, and not just worship You as a revelation from the past! 

Amen!