Gregg DeMey 0:08
Good morning friends and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. It's Thursday, May 2, it's still the season of Easter and we are walking the Emmaus road with Jesus. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church and today we're going to talk about the nature of Jesus' resurrection body.
Gregg DeMey 0:26
Now, Jesus' body after his resurrection doesn't behave the same way that our current bodies behave. We are three dimensional beings (Or, four dimensional if you count time). We inhabit a world of up and down, side to side and back and forth - height, depth, width and we move through time. But after his resurrection, Jesus seemed to move around in inexplicable ways to three dimensional people like us - he could appear and disappear. He disappeared from a meal in Emmaus with two disciples (in Luke 24) and then later in Luke 24, the Gospel says: Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
Gregg DeMey 1:29
Did you know there were ghosts in the Bible? While there's not really, Jesus is not a ghost. In fact, the Gospel continues by saying this: as the disciples stood there in disbelief filled with joy and wonder, Jesus asked them, "do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.
Gregg DeMey 1:48
The resurrected Jesus still eats and drinks, he still has scars and wounds from his torture and crucifixion. And he is also existing in a reality or dimension of reality that is not yet apparent to us. Jesus new body was even able to ascend to heaven days later. I can't quite fathom what that means or how it worked, but one day, we will experience it too because God promises us that we will have a resurrection body, like Jesus resurrection body. 1 Corinthians 15 has a lot to say on the topic of the resurrection, but consider these words.
Gregg DeMey 2:32
Let me reveal to you a wonderful secret - we will not all die, but we will all be transformed. And it will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. When that trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever and we who are still living will also be transformed for our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die. And our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Gregg DeMey 3:06
Friends, let's pray. God, we praise you for the power that raised Jesus from the dead and for the victory of the resurrection. And we wonder in amazement at your promise that you will give us and those we love and those who have gone before a new resurrected body like Jesus. What will that be like? We wonder, we can't wait. Amen.
