They were startled
and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a
ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When he had said
this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still
did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave
him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it
in their presence. Luke 24:37-42
When he had led them
out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While
he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24:50-51
On the evening of
that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors
locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and
said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this,
he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw
the Lord. John 21:19-20
A week later his
disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors
were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace
be with you!”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your
finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop
doubting and believe.” John 20:26-27
From these verses, we discover these
facts about Jesus’ resurrected body:
- He had hands and feet
- He ate
- He ascended
- He could appear in a closed room
- He had scars from his crucifixion
Does that mean we will
have the same characteristics?
We will have hands and feet, all the physical traits
we had as a human (and for those who didn’t have either, they will be
whole).
We will be able to eat, so we’ll have some kind of intestinal
tract.
Can we ascend?
Well, Jesus walked around with his resurrected body on an old
earth. We will walk around with our
resurrected bodies on a new earth. Will
gravity be a factor? Hard to say.
Can we appear wherever we want? Again the new world properties could differ
and allow us transport since we aren’t confined by time, space and matter. Maybe.
Will we have our scars? Jesus’ scars healed us. They are testimonies to his love. Our scars hurt us, revealing the imperfection
of this world. More than likely ours are
healed while Jesus’ scars will be reminders.
Why would God want us to walk around for eternity with reminders about
our sinful past? Unlikely.
While Jesus’ body was a model for our resurrected body,
it’s hard to say if we get all the special qualities he received or whether
some characteristics are reserved for him alone.
Either way, we will be pleased with what we have.