"It is Christ that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead." Rom. 8:34

Today we study one of Jesus' most striking manifestations to His disciples after His resurrection. Early that morning He had appeared to the women who came to embalm His body. They had communicated the news to St. Peter and St. John, who hastened to the sepulcher, but found it empty. The disciples were perplexed. Although Jesus had told them that He would be crucified and would rise from the dead on the third day, they had not comprehended the teaching.

That afternoon, as two of the company were walking home, discussing their disappointment, Jesus overtook them. They knew Him not, because of His resurrection change. St. Peter tells us that He was "put to death in flesh, but quickened in spirit." This we understand in the light of St. Paul's explanation of the Church's resurrection: "Sown in weakness, raised in power; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown an animal body, raised a spirit body." 1 Cor. 15:42-44.

The same thought is impressed again by the Apostle's statement: "We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye"; for "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." The change which the Church is to experience is the same which Jesus experienced when He was raised from the dead, a life-giving Spirit no longer a Man.

Our Lord's title, "Son of Man," still belongs to Him, as goes the title, "the Logos." When the Logos was made flesh, the identity was preserved; and likewise when Jesus became a spirit being again. Respecting our Lord's human experiences we read: "A body hast Thou prepared Me" for the suffering of death. (Heb. 10:3-10.) When He had accomplished that purpose, He no longer had need of human nature; but as He had foretold, He ascended to where He was before to the spirit nature and, later on, to Heaven itself.

To assume that Jesus is a fleshly being in Heaven, bearing wounds and scars to all eternity, is to imply that the Father never really exalted Him to the glory which He had before the world was (John 17:5), and is unsupposable. The Scriptures plainly show that the Father highly exalted our Redeemer "far above angels, principalities and powers."

St. Luke declares that Jesus showed Himself alive after His resurrection (Acts 1:3). In every way He manifested the fact that a great change had taken place with Him. He appeared and showed Himself not only in different bodies, unlike each other, but also in different clothing. When He suddenly disappeared, the clothing disappeared also.

The stranger who overtook the two disciples en route to Emmaus inquired, Why so sad? Astonished that He did not know, they explained that the chief priests and rulers had delivered up and crucified Jesus, a prophet mighty before God and the people. Their hope that He was Messiah had been crushed. Then they told the events of that very morning that some women of their company had found His tomb empty and had seen angels, who said that He was alive.

This gave Jesus opportunity to explain quietly that their experiences were part of the Divine Plan; that it was necessary that Messiah should thus suffer, in order to become King of Glory and bless mankind. He pointed out from Scripture what God had foretold respecting Messiah's experiences. He probably showed that when Isaac was offered up by Abraham, he foreshadowed Jesus' death and resurrection; that the smitten rock represented Messiah, who must be smitten in order to give the Water of Life to humanity; that the serpent lifted up in the wilderness typified Messiah's crucifixion; and that the passover lamb typified Jesus, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." No wonder their hearts burned within them!

When the travelers arrived in Emmaus, something in their guest's manner of asking the blessing at supper reminded them of Jesus. Their eyes of understanding began to open. Then, having fulfilled the purpose of His Materialization, Jesus vanished clothes and all.

Unable to sleep, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, and there learned that Jesus had manifested Himself to Peter. Then they told their experiences; and faith, hope and joy began to grow in all their hearts. [HGL590] During the forty days following our Lord's resurrection, He only twice appeared in a form similar to that which they had seen, bearing the marks of crucifixion. On both occasions He appeared and vanished while the doors were shut.