We continue with the reasoning behind our Lord having appeared as he did following his resurrection.

“That the bodies in which our Lord appeared were real human bodies, and not mere delusions, he gave them clearly to understand when he ate before them, and invited them to handle him and see that the body was real flesh and bones, saying, “Why are ye troubled? …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.”

There are two ways in which to interpret this statement, but only one is the correct one.

The first, which most believe is that what the Lord was saying was,

‘Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit (a mere vision or ghosts) hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.’

The second is,

 ‘Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit [being] hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.’

A “ghost” is generally considered by many as a vision or manifestation of the dead, some departed soul, however the Scriptures inform us that the dead are dead, and have no ability to manifest themselves in any shape or form, that what one is actually seeing in such case is one of the fallen spirits (demons) manifesting themselves in order to deceive. Thus we conclude our Lord was not referring to such.

The second interpretation is the correct one. What the Lord was saying was that, what you see and feel is an actual (a real) manifestation of a human being, consisting of flesh and bones, however this is NOT what a spirit being consist of.

Some Christians draw very absurd conclusions from this expression of our Lord as to the verity of his assumed flesh and bone body. They regard the assumed body as his spirit body, and declare that a spirit body is flesh and bones, and just like a human body, excepting that an indefinable something, which they call spirit, flows through its veins instead of blood. They seem to disregard the statement of our Lord, that this was not a spirit body–that a spirit being has not flesh and bones.

Do they also forget John’s statement, that “It doth not yet appear” what a spirit body is, and that we shall not know until we are changed and made like him and see him, not as he was, but as he is? (1 John 3:2)

Do they also forget the Apostle Paul’s express statement that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God?”–and his further assurance that therefore all the heirs with Christ must also “be changed?” 1 Cor. 15:50,51

Many Christians have the idea that our Lord’s glorious spiritual body is the very same body that was crucified and laid away in Joseph’s tomb: they expect, when they see the Lord in glory, to identify him by the scars he received on Calvary.

This is a great mistake, which a very little consideration should make manifest—

Firstly, it would prove that his resurrection body is not glorious or perfect, but scarred and disfigured:

Secondly, it would prove that we do know what a spirit body is, notwithstanding the Apostle’s statement to the contrary:

Thirdly, (and most importantly) it would prove that our redemption price was taken back; for Jesus said, “My flesh I will give for the life of the world.” It was his flesh, his life as a man, his humanity, that was sacrificed for our redemption. And when he was raised to life again by the power of the Father, it was not to human existence; because that was sacrificed as our purchase price. And if that price had been taken back, we would still be under the condemnation of death, and without hope.

We have no more reason to suppose that our Lord’s spirit body since his resurrection is a human body than we have for supposing that his spirit body prior to his first advent was human, or that other spirit beings have human bodies; for a spirit [being] hath not flesh and bones; and, says the Apostle Peter, our Lord was “put to death in the flesh but made alive in spirit.”

Our Lord’s human body was, however, supernaturally removed from the tomb; because had it remained there it would have been an insurmountable obstacle to the faith of the disciples, who were not yet instructed in spiritual things–for “the spirit was not yet given.” (John 7:39) We know nothing about what became of it, except that it did not decay or corrupt. (Acts 2:27,31) Whether it was dissolved into gases or whether it is still preserved somewhere as the grand memorial of God’s love, of Christ’s obedience, and of our redemption, no one knows–nor is such knowledge necessary. That God did miraculously hide the body of Moses, we are assured (Deut. 34:6; Jude 9); and that as a memorial God did miraculously preserve from corruption the manna in the golden bowl, which was placed in the Ark under the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle, and that it was a symbol of our Lord’s flesh, the bread from heaven, we also know. (Exod. 16:20,33; Heb. 9:4; John 6:51-58) Hence it will not surprise us if, in the Kingdom, God shall show to the world the body of flesh, crucified for all in giving the ransom on their behalf–not permitted to corrupt, but preserved as an everlasting testimony of infinite love and perfect obedience. It is at least possible that John 19:37 and Zech. 12:10 may have such a fulfilment. Those who cried, “Crucify him!” may yet, as witnesses, identify the very body pierced by the spear and torn by the nails and thorns.” B128-130

We will consider this last thought concerning the presentation of our Lord’s fleshly body as an everlasting memorial to the faithfulness of the MAN Christ Jesus at the conclusion of this segment.

Continued with next post.