You are fortunate. Not everyone has seen Jesus yet, even many of those who believe that he is in fact alive. Stories are being passed around, many in Jerusalem who were not joining with his followers have questions, and want to know the Truth.
There are many who continue to spread rumors, saying you and the others stole the body, have it hidden away and are telling lies. The fact is that the rumors of his resurrection have been passed around without the help of the disciples. People know, and wonder.
Stories strange and understandable are passed around the marketplace, the Temple, wherever people gather.
Some say you all bribed the Romans, took the body, and they invented a story to cover their corruption. A pharisee apparently is telling people he saw the body thrown into the 
ditch and eaten by dogs. Two bodies were treated this way, you know, Jesus was not.
A person asked about the remains.
“Gone,” the pharisee said, walking away from the conversation.
Another pharisee suggests that Jesus did not really die, thus could not be resurrected.
"It is hard to tell death sometimes," he told those around him. "People seem dead and are not, waking up days later."
You felt the body, you felt how cold it was. You saw the spear go into him, the water mixed with blood. Romans know death. It is their art. Jesus was truly dead, of that you were sure.
You have even heard the idea that the resurrection is true and it proves Jesus was of Satan.
“Only pure evil could walk out of a tomb,” they say. “He was cursed, and walks cursed forever.”
A woman you heard earlier this morning at the Templewas telling her friend all the disciples were seeing visions.
“They are crazy, crazy for answers and seeing things they want to see,” she said. Her friend agreed. “I’m sure they think it is true, that is what scares me. This was supposed to end at Passover. There is trouble ahead.”
“What if it is true,” her friend said, “What if he is alive? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? He was such a man, a man who could really lead. Not like what we have now, sycophants and thieves.”
You stood by a pillar listening as they talked, pretending to pray.
“If only he rallied the pharisees,” the first woman said, “they would have fought for him. That was his mistake, he didn’t get the real leaders behind him, only the rabble.”
“He seemed to go out of his way to frustrate them instead,” the second woman replied. “Still, I wonder, what happened to the body? The Romans seem strangely silent.”
“There is a lot more going one here than we will ever know, that’s for sure. His disciples are silent as well, I’d like to hear their evidence.”
The second woman asked, laughing, “And join the rabble?”
“You never know,” the woman replied, also laughing. You walked back to Nicodemus’ home frustrated there was nothing you could do to convince anyone. You knew you should say something, but the words didn't come, nor the courage.
These stories, the rumors for and against Jesus being alive are why James suggested there be a meeting, a large meeting, with everyone who was interested in what went on.
That was two days ago. In the marketplace, in the Temple courts, everywhere, word was passed around to meet at Gethsemane to hear the disciples speak. You were asked to share as well.
Now, you are on your way, along with the others, nervous and excited at the same time. You don’t feel any great desire to be a public witness, but it is what seems right. It would be easier if Jesus showed himself, and proved himself in the Temple, showing rich and poor alike his return.
“They would come up with other reasons to deny him,” Matthias says when you mention your thoughts.
“How then,” you ask. “How do we prove this to people who won’t accept any evidence?”
“We say what we know, what we’ve seen, who we have touched. We can’t do more than that, what they do with it is up to them.”
“How many do you think will come,” John asks.
“Who knows? Those who are interested will come, and hear what we have to say,” James replies. “Maybe the Temple would be better, but that is a dangerous place right now. No telling what the guards would do if we talk about Jesus there. The priests might have us beaten, or… killed.”
You arrive at Gethsemane around one in the afternoon, about an hour before the time.
It is beautiful here, a wonderful place of meditation. The trees are filled with blossoms, white and purple bright against the green. The sounds of the city are far away, only the singing of a wren, and the occasional caw of a crow are heard. The air is still. The day is warm. In the shade of the garden, however, it is wonderfully cool. Grass is still damp from the morning dew. You sit in it anyhow, laying your head back, staring between the branches at the drifting clouds high above. And you wait.
People begin to come. Alone. In pairs. In small groups. Some walk boldly to where you are laying, others seem more cautious, watching, suspicious this may be a ruse by the Jewish leaders or Romans to catch any and all of those who believed in Jesus.
It would have been a good plan. Everyone is here, all the disciples, all the women. You are surprised by some of the faces. This is not a collection of rabble. There are many of the lower classes, laborers, tanners, others, but there are also some very wealthy men and women, and more than a few Pharisees who did not come to place accusations, but to hear words of evidence.
You sit up and look around. Walking up the path is Simon, the man who helped Jesus carry the cross, along with what appears to be his two teenage sons. He looks at you and nods in recognition. You smile back.
About an hour after you arrive James, John’s brother, stands up.
“Thank you for coming. You are those who want to know the truth about what we have seen, who we have seen. I tell you the truth, there are those here who have seen Jesus alive, touched him, shared bread and drink with him. We have not stolen the body. There is no body, Jesus has left the tomb, risen from the dead.”
Murmurs pass through the crowd.
“I am a humble man, and I speak humbly,” James continues,“but I speak of what I have seen and stand here as a witness, a witness before you all, a witness before the Law, a witness before God. What we are saying is truth, and I ask you listen to our words, hear our testimony, and weigh the evidence for yourselves.
“The man Jesus who we knew, was crucified, cursed under the law. He has overcome this curse, just as he cleansed the unclean, gave sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf. What he said has come to pass, what the prophets foretold centuries ago is coming to pass in our midst. Jesus is the Messiah and he will lead us in restoring the kingdom.
“You are here because you want to know what is true and what is false. You are willing to take risks, go out of your way to understand the events of this last month. Much has happened since Passover, much has changed, much has become clear. Listen to our testimony, and hear the words of Truth.”
He stops and gestures for John to stand. John gets up and begins to talk, sharing what he has seen, beginning with that first Sunday morning.
People listen quietly, respectfully. This is a group of followers who want to know what is true, not enemies seeking to cause problems.
John finishes after a while, and Peter stands. He too tells of his experiences. The others stand and also speak. You stand when asked and share with the crowd, numbering about five hundred. A burst of nervousness hits you as you begin, making your words shaky, but only for a moment. When you begin telling of your experiences, telling of your thoughts at the tomb when you were burying him, and the reality of the empty tomb a couple of days later, your words and excitement take over. With delight and excitement you tell everyone what it was like to first see Jesus alive, on the road, hearing the passages of the prophets and law spoken with such wisdom.
You finish, exhausted and exhilarated.
When the witnesses finish, James again stands and begins to speak.
“Many of the people who spoke mentioned the Scriptures, telling you Jesus has taught us from the Law and the prophets why what has happened is exactly what was predicted. I think it right to share what Jesus taught with you, so you hear our words and the words of the past.”
“A fine idea,” a voice from the back of the crowd yells. “The witnesses are many.”
Everyone turns. Jesus is standing there, a smile on his face, dressed in a white robe.
“Let me share, James. Let me tell what has been foretold. All is well, my friends, and all continues to be well. What I have done I have done for you, and what I do I continue to do for you.”
James sits, Jesus continues to talk, sharing again the passages you have heard before, and again you feel delight in being taught their meaning. Each time you learn more.
This time he continues, speaking of passages which have not yet been fulfilled, which remain to be part of his mission, the mission of his followers.
He speaks for several hours, no one stirs, all are completely convinced and wait only for word on what to do. They came to hear about Jesus, and they see Jesus for themselves.
That is the evidence which truly convinces.
Jesus ends with the command to wait in Jerusalem, until the Spirit comes and fills everyone with power.
Power to gain the kingdom, you know. Power to restore Israel, to overthrow the oppressors.
This is a power worth waiting for. You walk back to the city at dark. Jesus walks into the shadows at the edge of the trail and is not seen again that day. He remains, you know this for truth, and he will continue to visit, continue to lead, continue to embolden his followers. The time is coming, the Messiah has come.
The next day you send word to your family and friends back home that you are staying in Jerusalem for the foreseeable future.
Dear Lord, savior of my life and soul, thank you for your presence, thank you for your wisdom and teaching, thank you for all that you are so that I can be more than who I am. Forgive my doubts, forgive my missteps. I yearn to follow you and do not always know what that means. I trust in you, and pray you will teach me how to follow, how to live, so I can be a witness to your majesty, and a speaker of your Truth.