In His life and ministry on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ performed many miracles. Every miracle had a message, a purpose, a lesson, and an outcome. Some were witnessed by a few and some were witnessed by many. The Lord emphasized that His disciples and apostles would be first and foremost in witnessing His miracles and His resurrection. He did appear to some select individuals after His resurrection, but not everyone needed to be an eyewitness. Today, the world is filled with many Christians that were not eyewitnesses, but witnesses by faith, as He taught us along with St. Thomas, that Christ is indeed risen from the dead!
Among the eyewitnesses, who may have subsequently become believers or not we are not sure, are the guards. They reported all that had happened on the morning of the glorious resurrection to the chief priests. Thus, the chief priest had firsthand knowledge that Christ is indeed risen, but they chose to cover-up the miracle of His resurrection and worse than that to fabricate a story of deception.
"Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, 'Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure.' So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day" (Matthew 28:11-15).
St. Paul also writes about the eyewitness of the risen Christ after His holy resurrection by many including himself. The holy resurrection was of course the confirmation of His divinity and the holy ascension was the precursor of Christ's continuing holy ministry which lives on in every generation, even until today, and unto His Second Coming.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
In the book, "On the Incarnation," St. Athanasius writes: "Even on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight, rather, he made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker. Then, having once let it be seen that it was truly dead, He did not allow that temple of His body to linger long, but forthwith on the third day raised it up, impassable and incorruptible, the pledge and token of His victory." Additionally, St. Athanasius states: "A blind man cannot see the sun, but he knows it is above the earth from the warmth it affords; similarly, let those who are still in the blindness of unbelief recognize the Godhead of Christ and the resurrection which He has brought about through His manifested power in others."
