Jesus’ (a.s.) Reunion with the Apostles

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The various Gospels are incongruent on where Jesus (a.s.) met the Apostles after the Resurrection. 

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus (a.s.) appeared in a mountain in Galilee. 

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ And now the eleven disciples took their journey into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had bidden them meet him.  ¹⁷ When they saw him there, they fell down to worship; though some were still doubtful.  ¹⁸ But Jesus came near and spoke to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth,” he said, “has been given to me; ¹⁹ you, therefore, must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all the commandments which I have given you.  And behold I am with you all through the days that are coming, until the consummation of the world.” 

¹⁶ Οἱ δὲ ἕνδεκα μαθηταὶ ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν εἰς τὸ ὄρος οὗ ἐτάξατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς,  ¹⁷ καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν προσεκύνησαν, οἱ δὲ ἐδίστασαν.  ¹⁸ καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων: ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.  ¹⁹ πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ²⁰ διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. 

¹⁶ Undecim autem discipuli abierunt in Galilæam in montem ubi constituerat illis Jesus.  ¹⁷ Et videntes eum adoraverunt: quidam autem dubitaverunt.  ¹⁸ Et accedens Jesus locutus est eis, dicens: Data est mihi omnis potestas in cælo et in terra: ¹⁹ euntes ergo docete omnes gentes: baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti: ²⁰ docentes eos servare omnia quæcumque mandavi vobis: et ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, usque ad consummationem sæculi. 

In the Gospel according to Mark, he appeared while the Apostles were gathering in Jerusalem, while they were at the table. 

Mark 16:14-16

¹⁴ Then at last he appeared to all eleven of them as they sat at table, and reproached them with their unbelief and their obstinacy of heart, in giving no credit to those who had seen him after he had risen.  ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go out all over the world and preach the gospel to the whole of creation; ¹⁶ he who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who refuses belief will be condemned.” 

¹⁴ Ὕστερον δὲ ἀνακειμένοις αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἕνδεκα ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ὠνείδισεν τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν καὶ σκληροκαρδίαν, ὅτι τοῖς θεασαμένοις αὐτὸν ἐγηγερμένον οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν.  ¹⁵ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς: πορευθέντες εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα κηρύξατε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει.  ¹⁶ ὁ πιστεύσας καὶ βαπτισθεὶς σωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ἀπιστήσας κατακριθήσεται. 

¹⁴ Novissime recumbentibus illis undecim apparuit: et exprobravit incredulitatem eorum et duritiam cordis: quia iis, qui viderant eum resurrexisse, non crediderunt.  ¹⁵ Et dixit eis: Euntes in mundum universum prædicate Evangelium omni creaturæ. ¹⁶ Qui crediderit, et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit: qui vero non crediderit, condemnabitur 

In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus (a.s.) appeared back in Jerusalem, after they had met, but did not recognise him while sixty furlongs from Jerusalem. 

Luke 24:33-36

³³ Rising up there and then, they went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven apostles and their companions gathered together, ³⁴ now saying, “The Lord has indeed risen, and has appeared to Simon.”  ³⁵ And they told the story of their encounter in the road, and how they recognised him when he broke bread.  ³⁶ While they were speaking of this, he himself stood in the midst of them, and said, “Peace be upon you; it is myself, do not be afraid.” 

³³ Καὶ ἀναστάντες αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ καὶ εὗρον ἠθροισμένους τοὺς ἕνδεκα καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς,  ³⁴ λέγοντας ὅτι ὄντως ἠγέρθη ὁ κύριος καὶ ὤφθη Σίμωνι.  ³⁵ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξηγοῦντο τὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ ὡς ἐγνώσθη αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου.  ³⁶ Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτῶν λαλούντων αὐτὸς ἔστη ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς εἰρήνη ὑμῖν … 

³³ Et surgentes eadem hora regressi sunt in Jerusalem: et invenerunt congregatos undecim, et eos qui cum illis erant,  ³⁴ dicentes: Quod surrexit Dominus vere, et apparuit Simoni.  ³⁵ Et ipsi narrabant quæ gesta erant in via, et quomodo cognoverunt eum in fractione panis.  36 Dum autem hæc loquuntur, stetit Jesus in medio eorum, et dicit eis: Pax vobis: ego sum, nolite timere. 

Perhaps the account in the Gospel according to Luke is an attempt to reconcile the discrepancy between the accounts in the Gospels according to Matthew and Mark, that they met Jesus (a.s.) twice.  However, this raises the contention that there is no record of there being a village called Emmaus, that they were walking to. 

Luke 24:13-16

¹³ It was on the same day that two of them were walking to a village called Emmaus, sixty furlongs away from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ discussing all that had happened.  ¹⁵ They were still conversing and debating together, when Jesus himself drew near, and began to walk beside them; ¹⁶ but their eyes were held fast, so that they could not recognise him. 

¹³ Καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἦσαν πορευόμενοι εἰς κώμην ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους ἑξήκοντα ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλήμ ᾗ ὄνομα Ἐμμαοῦς, ¹⁴ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡμίλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ πάντων τῶν συμβεβηκότων τούτων.  ¹⁵ καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὁμιλεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ συζητεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸς Ἰησοῦς ἐγγίσας συνεπορεύετο αὐτοῖς ¹⁶ οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐκρατοῦντο τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτόν. 

¹³ Et ecce duo ex illis ibant ipsa die in castellum, quod erat in spatio stadiorum sexaginta ab Jerusalem, nomine Emmaus.  ¹⁴ Et ipsi loquebantur ad invicem de his omnibus quæ acciderant.  ¹⁵ Et factum est, dum fabularentur, et secum quærerent: et ipse Jesus appropinquans ibat cum illis: ¹⁶ oculi autem illorum tenebantur ne eum agnoscerent.