“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”
- Acts 1:3
To learn how to imitate the ministry of Jesus after His resurrection.
After the resurrection, two discouraged disciples were walking toward Emmaus, carrying grief, confusion, and broken hopes in their hearts. Luke says they were discussing everything that had happened when Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them, though they did not recognise Him at first. The risen Lord patiently opened their understanding, and later they exclaimed that their hearts had burned within them as He explained the Scriptures on the road (Luke 24:13–35). The story shows that Jesus did not leave His followers trapped in sorrow; He met them in their disappointment and turned their despair into faith.
That same pattern appears throughout the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension. Acts 1:3 says Jesus “presented Himself alive,” not merely as a private comfort to a few frightened followers but as a public and repeated witness to the truth of His victory. The result was dramatic: His grief-stricken, hesitant disciples became joyful, confident, and courageous witnesses of His kingdom. In this article, we will learn from Jesus how to encourage others, reason from the Scriptures, and train people so that God’s work continues through faithful servants.
Encourage Others
Jesus’s disciples needed encouragement because following Him had cost them dearly. Some had left homes, families, and businesses to become full-time followers of Christ (Matt. 19:27), and others had risked social rejection and even expulsion from the synagogue because they confessed Him as the Messiah (John 9:22). They had made those sacrifices because they believed Jesus was the promised Christ (Matt. 16:16), yet His crucifixion seemed to crush everything they had hoped for. Their sorrow was therefore not a trivial emotional reaction; it was the pain of people whose faith had been tested by what looked like total defeat.
Jesus answered that grief with compassion. He did not treat sorrow as spiritual failure, but as a human response to real loss. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene while she was weeping near the tomb (John 20:11, 16), and He also came near the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and later to Peter (Luke 24:34). In each case, the risen Christ moved toward hurting people, not away from them. He did not shame them for their tears; instead, He met them where they were and began building them back up in hope.
Mary Magdalene’s experience is especially moving. Early on the first day of the week, she came to the tomb and found it empty, then remained behind after Peter and John had left. John says that “Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping,” and while she wept, Jesus spoke to her gently, calling her by name. He then gave her an important assignment: she was to tell the disciples that He had risen. (John 20:11-18) The Lord not only comforted her tears; He dignified her with a message to carry. That is what encouragement does at its best: it restores a person to usefulness, not merely to temporary relief.
How can we imitate Jesus? We imitate Jesus when we notice pain that others may hide. Many believers are still carrying burdens that are invisible to everyone else: disappointment, fatigue, loneliness, family pressure, or spiritual discouragement. Howard Hendricks captured this truth well when he said, “You can impress people at a distance, but you can impact them only up close.” That is exactly how Jesus ministered after the resurrection. He drew near, listened, spoke personally, and then strengthened people for service. If we want to help brothers and sisters endure, we must learn to look carefully, listen patiently, and respond with words that heal rather than wound.
This kind of encouragement is also beautifully summarised by Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reminder that “The church is the church only when it exists for others.” A church that follows the risen Jesus cannot turn inward and care only about its own comfort, programs, or preferences. It must become a place where the hurting are noticed, the discouraged are strengthened, and the overlooked are restored to hope. In practical terms, that means we obey Romans 12:15 by learning to “weep with those who weep,” not as a slogan, but as a way of life shaped by the compassion of Christ Himself.
Reason From the Scriptures
The disciples also needed help because they were confused. They had accepted God’s Word and followed Jesus sincerely (John 17:6), but His death seemed to make no sense to them. Their doubts did not come from a hardened heart so much as from limited understanding (Luke 9:44, 45; John 20:9). That is why Jesus did not merely tell them what to think; He taught them how to reason from Scripture. On the road to Emmaus, He showed them that the Messiah had to suffer before entering His glory, and He interpreted Moses and the Prophets in light of Himself.
Jesus’s method is as important as His message. He began by asking questions, allowing the disciples to express their sadness and expectations. Then He patiently opened the Scriptures and connected their situation to God’s saving plan. By the time they reached Jerusalem, their confusion had turned into conviction, and they were able to testify, “The Lord is risen indeed”, and that He had appeared to Simon. The risen Christ did not bypass their minds; He engaged them through truth, evidence, and Scripture until their faith became grounded rather than fragile. (Luke 24:33-48)
How can we imitate Jesus? This is a powerful lesson for Bible teachers, disciplers, and pastors today. Proverbs 20:5 says that “a man of understanding will draw it out,” which means wise teaching does not merely lecture; it uncovers what is already going on in a person’s heart. When helping someone grow, we should ask tactful questions, listen carefully, and then show how specific passages apply to real situations. John Piper has said that “People need to become Christians, and people need to be taught how to think and feel and act as a Christian.” That is a helpful description of true discipleship, because Christian maturity involves the mind, the emotions, and the will being shaped by the Word of God.
When we take time to reason from the Scriptures, people often begin to see truth more clearly for themselves. Paul prayed that believers would be “strengthened with might” through the Spirit, rooted in love, and filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19). That tells us spiritual growth is not produced by pressure alone, but by truth applied with patience and love. In real ministry, the goal is not to give quick answers that end the conversation; the goal is to help people learn to search the Bible, understand God’s heart, and apply truth in ways that lead to deeper faith and obedience.
Help Others Become Gifts to Men
Jesus also used His final forty days to make sure His Father’s work would continue after He returned to heaven. Ephesians 4:8 says that when He ascended, He “gave gifts to men,” and that gift-giving is seen in the way He prepared and entrusted His disciples for future service. Jesus had perfectly completed the work the Father gave Him, saying in John 17:4, “I have finished the work.” Yet he did not operate with a do-it-yourself attitude. He trained others, formed them, corrected them, and prepared them to carry on the mission of making disciples.
During those final days, Jesus was frank but loving (Luke 24:25-27). He corrected doubting Thomas by inviting him to see and believe (John 20:27). He redirected Peter’s attention from comparison and distractions toward shepherding the flock (John 21:20-22). He also corrected the disciples’ misunderstanding about the kingdom by telling them that times and seasons belonged to the Father, while their responsibility was to receive power from the Holy Spirit and witness to Him to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:6-8). Jesus did not flatter His followers, but neither did He crush them. He gave truth with tenderness so that their ministry would be shaped by clarity, humility, and purpose.
Pastors and Christian leaders can learn much from that approach. 1 Timothy 3:1 says that aspiring to oversight is “a good work,” and 2 Timothy 2:2 instructs believers to commit truth “to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” That means Christian leadership is not built on charisma alone, but on character, training, and multiplication. Mature leaders should invest in younger believers, not expecting perfection on day one, but helping them become humble, steady, and teachable. The goal is not merely to fill positions; the goal is to raise up servants who can carry God’s work faithfully over time.
This is why loving counsel matters so much. Proverbs 27:9 says that “the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel,” showing that wise correction and warm friendship are not opposites. When a pastor or discipler speaks truth in love, he helps a believer see blind spots, overcome immaturity, and grow into usefulness. A church that corrects with gentleness rather than harshness becomes a place where people can mature without fear and serve without pride. Jesus did that with His disciples, and His way still works because truth becomes more persuasive when it is wrapped in grace.
Another important lesson is that Jesus trusted His disciples before they were fully polished. He told them, “Go therefore and make disciples,” and promised, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:19-20) He did not wait until they felt completely capable; He gave them a mission and His own presence. That confidence matters. Leaders imitate Christ when they delegate responsibly, train others patiently, and express genuine trust in those who are learning. People often rise to the level of the confidence wisely placed in them, especially when that confidence is paired with coaching, prayer, and accountability.
Jesus’s trust in His followers is also seen in John 20:21, where He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” That statement is breathtaking because it links the disciples’ mission to the mission of Christ Himself. They were not being handed a vague religious task; they were being sent as representatives of the risen Lord. In that sense, ministry is never merely about personal ability. It is about being commissioned by Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, and sustained by the promise that the Lord who sends also remains with His people.
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
- Philippians 2:19-22
At its best, this kind of leadership produces a healthy, outward-looking church. Bonhoeffer’s line that the church exists “for others” becomes concrete when leaders equip people rather than control them, and when mature believers pour into younger ones instead of guarding ministry as personal property. Howard Hendricks’s insight about impact happening “up close” helps explain why Jesus spent time with His disciples after the resurrection instead of handing them a manual and leaving. The risen Christ formed people through presence, conversation, correction, and trust, and that remains the pattern for Christian ministry today.
Conclusion
What should we be determined to do after considering Jesus’s final forty days on earth? We should aim to follow His example closely by encouraging the discouraged, reasoning patiently from Scripture, and training others for faithful service. The risen Lord did not waste His final days in self-display; He used them to strengthen people, clarify truth, and prepare witnesses. 1 Peter 2:21 reminds us that Christ left “an example” so that we should “follow His steps,” and that example is as practical as it is beautiful. If we walk in His steps, we too can help others move from fear to faith, from confusion to clarity, and from weakness to fruitful service. And we do so with confidence, because the same Jesus who sent His disciples also promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
References
Bible to Life. (2022, February 4). Heart-to-heart ministry requires intentionality. Bible to Life.
Christian History Institute. (n.d.). Exploring Bonhoeffer’s writings. Christian History Institute.
Desiring God. (2016, January 25). What is discipleship and how is it done? Desiring God.
