👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 #How Did Our Lord #Jesus Christ #Rise from the #Dead?
Part 2
In the spirit of the ancient Fathers, with the gravity of Saint John Chrysostom and the fiery clarity of the prophets, let us contemplate, O beloved, the divine mystery: How did our Lord Jesus Christ rise? Let no ear be dull, nor heart be slow, for what we now proclaim is the very foundation of our hope and the marrow of our salvation.
He is the Firstborn of the Resurrection
Behold, the Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, did not simply rise from the grave as one among others He is the First Resurrection, the Firstborn from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-23). He is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, the second Adam who reversed the curse brought by the first. As in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive. He did not merely return to life as Lazarus did; He rose with power, never to taste death again (Rom. 6:9).
From eternity He is the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:16-18), for all things were made through Him. Yet in time, He became the Firstborn of the dead, that He might have preeminence in all things, even over death itself. Unlike the prophets who raised others by prayer (1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:32), or the Lord's own raising of Lazarus and the widow’s son (Luke 7:15; John 11:44), these were but shadows, foretastes—none of them conquered death by their own essence. They all died again. He alone rose by His own divine authority.
He said plainly, “I am the first and the last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:18).
He Who Rose Did So With His Same Body
The Lord did not shed His flesh like a garment, nor rise as a phantom or spirit, but in the same body that was crucified, glorified. He appeared to the disciples in the locked room, and when they doubted, He invited them: “Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:36-43). He even ate before them, not because He hungered, but to dispel their unbelief. This eating was a concession, not a necessity a demonstration that the risen Lord is not a ghost, but truly and bodily alive.
He appeared by the Sea of Tiberias and ate again with them (John 21:9-14). Yet we must understand: He did not eat and drink out of need, for after the resurrection, He was beyond corruption and mortality.
Why Did He Say to Mary, “Touch Me Not”?
Mary Magdalene, devoted and trembling with love, sought to embrace her risen Lord. But He said, “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). Was this a rebuke? No. It was a lifting of her understanding. She mistook Him still as a man bound by death, but now He is glorified, soon to ascend to the Father. He sent her, a woman once captive to darkness, as the apostle to the apostles, declaring, “Go to My brethren and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.”
These words contain profound theology. He says "My Father" because He is Son by nature. He says "your Father" because they are children by grace. He says "My God" because of His assumed human nature. He says "your God" because they are creatures made by Him.
Later, when Thomas doubted, He said not “Touch Me not,” but “Put your hand into My side” (John 20:27). Why the difference? Because faith must be nurtured according to the soul's need. Mary already believed; Thomas required sight and touch. And so he cried out with trembling lips, “My Lord and my God!”
Hope of the Old Testament Saints
Before Christ, all who died were held captive in Sheol. Death reigned from Adam to Christ (Rom. 5:14). Even Abraham and David, the patriarchs and prophets, descended into the netherworld not as punishment, but because the gates of paradise were closed. The Law could not deliver. Their righteousness was but filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). They longed for the light, for redemption. David cried, “Come and save us, O Lord!” (Psalm 79:2). Isaiah cried, “Send out Your light and Your truth” (Psalm 43:3).
Continues👇🏽