As I
was studying Christ’s resurrection to teach a lesson about it about a year an a
half ago, I realized that all the witnesses of the resurrection are meant to
give us plenty of information about the reality of Christ’s power over death
and what a resurrected body is like.
Let’s look at some verses.
9 ¶And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them,
saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they
go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. (Matt. 28:9-10)
Christ has feet.
He can stand.
He can talk.
13 ¶And, behold, two of them went that same day
to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things
which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they
communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should
not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of
communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas,
answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not
known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they
said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed
and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers
delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which
should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since
these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company
made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came,
saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was
alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went
to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw
not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither
they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with
us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry
with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with
them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew
him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our
heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened
to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:13-32)
Christ can walk.
He can talk.
He seems to look like any other person; somehow he can
suppress his celestial glory.
He senses emotions.
He can chastise foolishness and unbelief.
He can quote from the scriptures and expound them and teach.
He can hold bread.
He still says prayers.
He can vanish from sight.
He wield the power of the Spirit to cause hearts to burn
from the truth of His words.
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to
Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with
them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared
to Simon.
35 And they told what things were
done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 ¶And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the
midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be
unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed
that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why
do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:
handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and
wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of
an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and
did eat before them.
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet
with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 ¶And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon
you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from
on high.
50 ¶And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he
lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was
parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:33-51)
He can appear suddenly in a startling manner without having
to use doors.
He has flesh and bones; he can be handled.
He can eat.
He remembers what he said to people before he died.
He can bless people.
He can levitate and ascend into heaven.
19 ¶Then the same day at evening, being the first day
of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for
fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace
be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad,
when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my
Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
them; and whose soever sins
ye retain, they are retained.
24 ¶But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was
not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have
seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print
of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand
into his side, I will not believe.
26 ¶And after eight days again his disciples were
within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus,
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger,
and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and
my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed. (John
20:19-31)
He
can come into rooms even when the doors are closed.
He
knows what we say even when we can’t see Him around.
He
can breathe.
He
can give power to remit or retain sins.
It is
still possible to see marks where He was wounded, but the wounds are healed.
1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called
Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two
other of his disciples.
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing.
They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a
ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood
on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye
any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the
right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they
were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith
unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into
the sea.
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship;
(for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging
the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they
saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which
ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land
full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so
many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none
of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and
giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed
himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
15 ¶So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I
love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son
of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third
time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou
knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou
wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when
thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird
thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he
should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple
whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and
said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and
what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry
till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23 Then went this saying abroad among the
brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He
shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these
things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. (John
21:1-24)
He knows what has been going on.
He knows where things are that we don’t.
He can make fire, obtain bread and fish, and cook it. (He can do mundane tasks to serve
others.)
He can carry things.
He can prophesy of our last days.
I’m glad for all these accounts because they tell me about
the nature of Christ’s resurrected body, and by inference, what my body will be
like when I am resurrected.
