Luke 24:36-43. 36As (he disciples) were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate before them.
The two Emmaus travelers have made it back to Jerusalem and are exchanging “ghost stories” with the Twelve Disciples. We saw Jesus, did you see Jesus? The women have seen Jesus, so has Peter, and now these two. Could it be true that Jesus is alive?
And then suddenly Jesus appears before them in a room that had a closed door. That’s pretty cool. But that’s not the really cool part. The cool part is that Jesus is not only alive, but that he is alive in a body. He is NOT A GHOST. How do we know? Because Jesus could be touched and he ate a piece of fish, things a ghost cannot do (also, there’s no such thing as ghosts).
There are lots of people who don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead. This is mostly because they don’t believe in miracles (God breaking the laws of nature). But if miracles and resurrections aren’t real, then how do we explain so many people not only believing that Jesus rose from the dead, but also worshiping him as God? Especially people who would never believe in a resurrection unless it really, truly happened.
It takes faith to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. And it takes faith to believe that we will also rise from the dead someday. But believing in the resurrection is what makes a Christian a Christian. The resurrection of Jesus in the body is one of the most important things we believe in. Why is it so important? Because it means that Jesus is still a person. A human being. And that means that he is returning humans to what they were created to be – the image of God and rulers over creation. That’s what Jesus is still, even now in Heaven. How? Because he still has his human body. This is how Paul explains it in Philippians:
Philippians 3:20-21. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
You and I still have a lowly body, a body that can get hurt, and sick, and die someday. But Jesus has a glorified body. It’s a human body, but it’s immortal; it will never die again. And notice what Paul said, we will one day have glorified bodies like Jesus. We will be immortal and invincible like him. Maybe we will even be able to disappear and walk through closed doors like Jesus did.
Never forget that God created your body. God loves your body. And in the end, God will resurrect your body and make it completely perfect, just like he did Jesus’ body. Our bodies are so important to God that everything he asks us to do requires our body. That’s why we must never hurt our own bodies or the bodies of anyone else.
Jesus completed his mission in a body, and he is still in that same body today. His crucified body. More than that, we will worship him forever in that nailed scarred body. Why? Because that body will forever show the goodness and kindness of a God who would die in our place.
And again, we will worship Jesus from within our bodies. We won’t become angels some day or be part of some energy blob. We will be humans with bodies on a physical Earth worshiping a physical Jesus. We will hug him, and high five him, and run and dance with him and with each other. It’s gonna be great.
Until that day, don’t be afraid of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus is no ghost. And neither are you. You are a living, breathing, person. Let coming resurrection of your body give you all the courage you need to face whatever comes your way in this world, knowing that you are now immortal, invincible, incorruptible, and in Jesus.
You: Does knowing that God created your body help you to like yourself more?
You with Jesus: How does knowing that Jesus is a person in a body forever help you to be kind to other people especially when it comes to their bodies?
Prayer: Father, you made me. You love me. You will bring all of me to Heaven, even this body. Thank you Jesus for staying in your crucified body so that we will never forget your love for us. Amen.
TLICfamily 