In our studies the last few weeks, we have been mentioning that it is important to know what was Jesus’ resurrected body like. It was also mentioned that Christians, when we are raptured, will have the same type of body as Christ’s resurrected body.
When studying this topic, we must be careful that we do not derive our understanding from any other source, belief or tradition but only from the Bible. All other sources are nothing but speculation or conjecture.
The first time that Jesus mentions His resurrection from the dead was in Jerusalem at the temple just after driving out those who were selling animals to be sacrificed and overturning the money changers tables. He was misunderstood by the Jews who were demanding justification from Him for His actions when He gave the following answer. John 2:19, Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
In Matthew 17:1-9 on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured, Jesus again mentions His resurrection from the dead to the three disciples that were with Him. Verse 19, “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
The last time Jesus refers to Himself and His resurrection is in John 11:25, talking to Martha, Lazarus’ sister, right before He was going to raise him from the dead. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
However, in these three verses we do not have any indication of what the resurrected body of Jesus would be like. For this reason, we will look at what the gospels tell us to find out what were some of the characteristics of Jesus’ resurrected body.
The Morning of Jesus’ Resurrection
Matthew 28:8-10, “8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” In Luke 24:16 Luke also tells us of the same incident. “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.”
What we see from these portions of scripture is that Jesus was not a spirit as some today would think such as a ghost. The Faithlife Study Bible tells us that because the women “clasped Jesus’ feet” that, “This is no apparition or hallucination; Jesus is physically alive.” Jesus had a physical body to grab or to hold on to.
Later On – the day of Jesus’ Resurrection
As two of Jesus’ disciples were walking from Jerusalem to the nearby town of Emmaus, we see “Jesus himself came up and walked along with them”. This tells us that Jesus, in His resurrected body, did not float or glide through the air but walked just like any normal person. Luke 24:13-16, “13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.”
Later on, in this same encounter of Jesus with two of His Disciples He extensively explained to them what the Old Testament said about Himself as we read in Luke 24:27, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” This verse tells us that Jesus, just like he always was able to do before His death, was to carry on normal conversations, teach and explain from the scriptures. Jesus had the cognizance and ability to communicate clearly what the Old Testament taught.
In this same encounter with the two disciples, we read that Jesus had the ability to immediately vanish from their presence. Luke 24:30-31, “30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”
The Night of Jesus’ Resurrection
That night on the same day the two disciples returned to Jerusalem, we see that Jesus suddenly appears to the group of followers gathered listening to what the two disciples were saying about their encounter with Jesus earlier that day. We understand from these verses that Jesus was not present when the two were explaining to the others what had happened. Wuest, in his Expanded Translation Of the New Testament states verse 36, “He himself stepped into their midst and stood there.” In other words, Jesus suddenly appeared in the middle of them all. Luke 24:33-43, “33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
If Jesus would have already been present with the others and or arrived with the two disciples, the reaction of all who were there would not have been as stated in verse 37. “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.” As was previously pointed out, the resurrection body of Jesus was not a spirit or a ghost. He assures and challenges everyone present to touch and find out for themselves. 38 “He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”
Because of Jesus’ sudden appearance, all those who were present were still in unbelief. The next thing that Jesus did to convince everyone that He was not “a ghost” as some of them thought was that He showed them that a resurrected body of could eat food. 41 “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.”
We must remember that Luke, the author of the third gospel that bears his name, was not part of the twelve apostles and he was not even recognized as a disciple or follower of Jesus at this time. What we read about what Luke wrote concerning Jesus was told to him by others. Luke 1:1-4, “1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
On the other hand, what the apostle John wrote, was from a first-hand experience of who Jesus was and what He said, he wrote from His personal experience, especially about Jesus in His resurrected body which gives us some details that we do not get from Luke’s gospel. What we read in John 20:19-29 is the same incidence that we read in Luke 24:13-44. However, with an additional important detail of a characteristic of Jesus’ resurrected body. We read that Jesus had the ability not only to suddenly appear and disappear when and where ever He liked. But we see that Jesus’ appearances were not hindered by solid objects as we read in, John 20:19-20, 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.
The second occasion was similar to the first. A week later when Jesus appeared to the apostles the doors and windows were also locked. 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
John 21:14, This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. In John’s account in John 21:1 to 14 about Jesus appearing to him and six other disciples while fishing in the sea of Galilee, there is really nothing that displays an extraordinary characteristic of Jesus’ resurrected body as we have previously seen.
The final examples that we can see some characteristics of Jesus’ resurrected body is found in Acts 1:3-5 in which Luke clearly sums up our study. 3 “During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
Luke states the period of time of which we can see all of the examples of our study occurred over a period of forty days. All of which as Luke states in verse 3, “proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive.”
One last time in verse four we see the frequent example of a characteristic of Jesus’ resurrected body which was when He was able to eat while enjoying the fellowship of His apostles and others. “Once when he was eating with them”.
Now that we know these various facts about some of the characteristics of Jesus’ resurrected body, we need to address the point that was mentioned in the beginning of our study, how this relates to a believer’s body when resurrected in the rapture. The answer is, we will have the same type of body as Christ’s resurrected body. Even though this is a separate study in itself, we can find our answer in several of the following verses;
1 Corinthians 15:35 NLT, “But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”
1 John 3:2, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him…”
Philippians 3:20-21, “20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own…”
In a future study we will study this topic of how our raptured bodies in many ways will be just like Christ’s resurrected body.
Pastor John
