The Resurrected Body of Christ

Q: My wife said something to me last night that raised my eyebrow. She
said when Jesus died (was crucified), that he came back to life (in
the flesh) and walked the earth for 81 days. I know that when Jesus
died, his soul arose from the dead. But not in the flesh. Which is right?

A: I have to give your wife the nod on this one--with one correction.

Jesus did appear in the flesh after his resurrection. In Luke 24:39, He
told His disciples when He appeared to them after His resurrection,
"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." He
specifically states that He was made of flesh and bones and not just a
spirit. In another post-resurrection appearance, Jesus ate bread and fish
with the disciples (John 21:12-13). These were not the actions of a
spirit.

However, we need to remember that this body was a resurrected body--like
the body we will have when we are resurrected. This body is also called a
glorified body. The glorified body does not have the limitations of our
present body. Jesus appeared in rooms where the doors had been shut and
certainly locked: "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" (John 20:19). Christ never passed through closed doors
during His earthly ministry; only after His resurrection.

1Corinthians 15:44 speaks of our death and resurrection: "It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and
there is a spiritual body. " The spiritual body is what I earlier called
the glorified body. It is the body of the saints when it has been
resurrected. It is an incorrupt body, but it is a body.

Now, the one correction. The amount of time Jesus spent on earth after
His resurrection and before His ascension into heaven was 40 days. Of
this time, Acts 1:3 states, "To whom also he shewed himself alive after
his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." We are clearly
told that He appeared for forty days on earth. Also, He ascended before
the feast of Pentecost which occurred exactly fifty days after the feast
of firstfruits, a feast that coincided with His resurrection. That means
that the believers prayed for ten days before the day of Pentecost for
the coming of the promise of the Father.

I hope this helps. Thanks for the question.

Till He comes,

Pastor David Reagan

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