One of the most debated subjects for Christians with regard to Easter and resurrection is the question of the form of the resurrected Christ. Was the resurrection Christ a physical presence or a spiritual form? Did he come to the disciples as a body or as a spirit?
I think it was a spiritual presence and I completely understand how that could happen. I happens in our lives all the time. There are people who have died and who continue to have a living presence with us even though they are not with us in body at all.
We know loved ones who are almost as alive to us now as when they were actually with us and interacting with us on a daily basis.
Other people see this very differently. They believe that Easter is suspension of natural law and that the Risen Christ was actually a bodily form with whom the disciples. The premise is based on the idea that God is God and God can do anything including bring back the dead in a bodily form.
The Gospel of John gives us no help. If you look at the 20th chapter beginning with the 18th verse (which is where we left off on Easter Sunday) we find Jesus appearing to the disciples in the Upper Room. John makes it very clear that the room was shut tight. The doors were closed and the windows were not open and the Risen Christ comes through the walls of the room. In other words the it is a spiritual presence that confronts the disciples that time.
I could be confident that I am right about the assumption of the spiritual presence except that John also suggests that Thomas touches the wound made by the torture of the crucifixion. That implies a physical presence for the Risen Christ.
The debate is not settled and so it continues.
What do you think?
Was the Risen Christ a spiritual presence or a physical form?
If you have thoughts on this subject write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to share your thoughts with the other readers of the blog click on the 'comments' box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
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1 comment:
Would Paul's witness in 1 Cor. 15 be an additional, and perhaps stronger source regarding resurrection? This text would certainly indicate that the appearance of Christ was physically tangible to those who claimed to see Him. Likewise, Paul's premise is that the resurrection is not so much a suspension of physical law as it might be an extension beyond our normal experience. That the perishable puts on the imperishable. That a physical ressurection is more than just a reanimation of the body.
I think sometimes we must try to grasp that, while seeing is believing, our sight and experiences are also limited. To deny what we have not actually experienced is to potentially limit our possibilities.
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