Jesus' Nineteenth Appearance 

Two days after his eighteenth appearance to the believers in Tyre, Jesus appeared in his resurrected form for the nineteenth and final time on the morning of May 18, 30 CE. He appeared to the eleven apostles (minus Judas) in the upper room where they had all celebrated the Last Supper, and where the apostles had been gathering since Jesus’s death and resurrection.

He greeted them with his blessing of peace and told them that he wanted them to be together like this until he ascended to the Father and sent them his Spirit of Truth, who would strengthen them. Simon Zelotes wanted to know if this would signal the restoration of the kingdom and bring God’s glory to earth. Jesus answered: "Simon, you still cling to your old ideas about the Jewish Messiah and the material kingdom. But you will receive spiritual power after the spirit has descended upon you, and you will presently go into all the world preaching this gospel of the kingdom. As the Father sent me into the world, so do I send you.”

Jesus then spoke to the apostles about the importance of their loving and trusting one another. He reminded them of the tragedy of Judas, whose love grew cold and who refused to trust his brethren. He reminded them that he would always send them out two-and-two so they would not suffer loneliness and isolation. He asked them to remember that even he, Jesus, was never alone for very long and that he most often had two or three of them with him, even when he was communing with the Father. He asked them to trust each other, to confide in each other going forward; and this was important because he was getting ready to leave them alone in the world. The hour had arrived that he would be returning to the Father.

Jesus then motioned for them to follow him as he led them out onto the Mount of Olives. They were a silent group as they made this journey, finally pausing at about seven-thirty that morning. From their vantage point, they could see Jerusalem spread out before them and Gethsemane below them. Without being told, the apostles knelt in a circle around the Master.

Then Jesus spoke to them, telling them he was about to leave; promising again that once he had ascended to the Father, he and the Father would send the Spirit of Truth to them. And when this good spirit arrived, they would begin to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom – first in Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to the ends of the world.

Then Jesus spoke the last words he would speak on earth: “Love men with the love wherewith I have loved you and serve your fellow mortals even as I have served you. By the spirit fruits of your lives impel souls to believe the truth that man is a son of God and that all men are brethren. Remember all I have taught you and the life I have lived among you. My love overshadows you, my spirit will dwell with you, and my peace shall abide upon you. Farewell."

At about seven forty-five on this morning, Jesus vanished from their sight, just as he had done in all of his other eighteen appearances. But now, Jesus began the ascent from our world to the right hand of the Father, who formally received him and confirmed that he had completed his bestowal mission and had gained complete sovereignty over his universe.