John's Resurrected Jesus
HOW THINGS WORK – Consideration #140 (Book II Science & Religion)
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Tuesday June 18, 2014
“What we call the 'gospels', the narratives of Our Lord's life and death, were composed later for the benefit of those who had already accepted the gospel. They were in no sense the basis of Christianity: they were written for those already converted. The miracle of the Resurrection, and the theology of that miracle, comes first: the biography comes later as a comment on it…
The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection. If they had died without making anyone else believe this 'gospel' no gospels would ever have been written.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
PREFACE
The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.
– Deepak Chopra
Welcome Everybody!
There are three unique considerations related to the resurrected Jesus in the Gospel of John. First, the disciples of Jesus are very confused about the events and what is going to happen next. Second, the people who knew Jesus best seem not to recognize him after the resurrection. Third, John specifically describes a Jesus who has gone through some kind of physical transformation. These unique themes present themselves several times in John’s gospel.
Upon discovering an empty tomb, the disciples of Jesus believe Jesus has somehow risen, but remain clueless about why or how it fits in with his teachings.
The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
John 20:7-10
In John’s narrative, Mary is standing outside the tomb, waiting for the disciples, when she encounters two angels and Jesus himself; however, she does not recognize him, mistaking him for the gardener. Not until Jesus “speaks her name” does she recognize who it is.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
John 20:11-16
In the next verse, Jesus cautions Mary not to touch him because he has not yet been fully transformed. Jesus has “risen” but not yet “ascended” to the “Father.” He is in some kind of “in between” state of being physical and non-physical, however Jesus does not explain it in any detail.
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
John 20:17
Once again, Mary is recorded to have been the first disciple to encounter the “risen Christ,” essentially making her the first apostle. However, in John’s gospel he appears to the other disciples several times.
CONSIDERATION #140 – John’s Resurrected Jesus
After ascending to the Father and returning to earth, Jesus visits the disciples who are hiding in fear from the authorities. However, now he is once again in a completely physically incarnated form, literally showing them his wounds from the crucifixion.
However, he seems to have a power beyond normal physical limitations, mysteriously “appearing” before them despite the door being locked. He “breaths” the Holy Spirit into them, as God had once breathed life into Adam, giving them the power once associated with himself.
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.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:19-23
However, one disciple, Thomas, was not present at Jesus’ first visit. When the other disciples tell him about their encounter with the risen Jesus, he does not believe them. Therefore, Jesus makes another visit to “prove it” to him. Once again, Jesus appears to them despite the door being locked. The proof of Jesus physical existence is demonstrated by having Thomas physically touch his wounds; proving in fact, that he was physically “real.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus, one of the Twelve), was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
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.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:24-28
Jesus points out that even their belief has been based on empirical evidence and proof; however, those who believe without the necessity of such proof are even more blessed.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29
John specifically states that Jesus actually did much more than had been recorded in his gospel, and that it would be essentially impossible to have recorded it all.
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31
The resurrected Jesus encountered in John’s gospel is not a spirit; he is a physical being. He has wounds that can be touched. However, he mysteriously enters through a locked door and “appears” to his disciples. The physical nature and identity of Jesus becomes even more complicated in their next, and final, meeting.
POSTSCRIPT
The Gospel of John features a kind of postscript to Jesus’ ascension, where Jesus returns to tie up a few loose ends. Particularly in regard to Peter. Here, Jesus reminds his disciples of the first miracle he performed for them, which had originally brought them all together. The character arch of the Jesus they had first met, and the Jesus they now knew as the Son of God, was complete. The gospel ends with the recognition of its author (John), who leaves with Jesus.
In this encounter, the disciples are no longer in hiding. They are once again in the “empirical” world, fishing; just as when Jesus had first met them. And like their first meeting, they do not immediately recognize who he is.
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
John 21:1-6
Not until they were reminded of their first meeting with Jesus and his first miracle, did they realize who he was. However, once they realized the connection, they understood who they were talking too. The first to recognize Jesus is John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and the author of this gospel. However, once Peter understands what is happening, he jumps off the boat and swims to meet Jesus, as is typical of his character in the gospels.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
John 21:7-9
Jesus establishes his physicality by eating breakfast with his disciples as a way of re-establishing their physical relationship. Similar to the Last Supper, where Jesus transforms physical food into a spiritual metaphor. It is strange that although they now recognize who Jesus is, they still seem somewhat confused, because it is stated that no-one “dared” to ask him who he was. Why would they be tempted to ask such a question if they already “knew” who he was? His actual physical appearance, and perhaps speech, seem to be somewhat ambiguous.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
John 21:10-14
At this point, Jesus addresses Peter’s triple denial of him by repeating a simple, yet profound, question three times. A question that holds the seeds of forgiveness, redemption and responsibility.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21:15-17
In the depth of Peter’s acceptance and understanding Jesus charges him with his destiny; follow me. Peter was to follow Jesus in every way, not only by establishing a church, but even how he was to die. Now, Peter must follow Jesus to the very end, including crucifixion. However, in this encounter Peter realizes that even in the midst of his publicly denying Jesus, that Jesus still “knew” that Peter loved him. However, this was about more than love, it was about responsibility.
“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
John 21:18-19
To understand the ending of this gospel it is important to remember that John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is the author of this gospel. Here, it appears that he has a special relationship with Jesus but wants to clear up a misconception about that relationship.
Having obviously lived to write the gospel, John seems compelled to explain something Jesus said that had been misunderstood . His relationship with Jesus was different than Peter’s relationship with Jesus. Peter’s responsibility in this relationship is made clear; John’s, however, remains a mystery.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
John 21:20-24
John closes his gospel by once again reminding the reader that Jesus had said and done more remarkable things than could ever be recorded. The gospel is not even the whole truth about Jesus, just a brief introduction told by those who directly witnessed and experienced the whole truth regarding those remarkable things.
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 21:25
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, also wrote another book in the New Testament. Perhaps the most controversial and debated book in the Bible, The Book of Revelation focuses not on the earthly Jesus of the Gospels, but on his Messianic apocalyptic return at the end of days. Appropriately, The Revelation of John is the last book of The Bible.
How did the simple gospel narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John eventually lead to the first institutionalized religion called the Roman Catholic Church?
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“How did Einstein determine that time was the missing factor in Newton’s theory of gravity?” “How did this revelation solve the problem of “spooky action at a distance?” “Why would the universe be flat if there were no massive objects in it?” “How does gravity bring motion into the universe?” “Is gravity Aristotle’s metaphysical “Unmoved Mover”?” These are some of the knots we will attempt to untangle in this week’s podcast. That’s a lot of reality warping gravity for one podcast! So, let’s get started…
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THE ESSENTIAL PHYSICS & METAPHYSICS OF SOUND, WESTERN MUSIC, & STRING THEORY!
• What is the "Music of the Spheres?"
• How did the Music of the Spheres Evolve into String Theory?
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