How Could They Not Recognize Him?

[kujo]

I was discussing this today with a few of my friends.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection, they were unable to recognize Him. Why was this?

We came up with a few possible explanations:
1. Their disbelief and doubt clouded their vision, causing them to not recognize the Lord.
2. Jesus appeared different than He had appeared prior to His death.
3. They were not paying attention.

Each of these scenarios has components of truth. However, I proposed that it is possible that Jesus actually looked physically different than before. Not a drastic change, but enough that He could be mistaken. For, in the days leading up to His Passion, Jesus must have been becoming increasingly worried and stressed. And, during the Agony in the Garden, Christ bore all of humanity's sins becoming so worried that we are told that He began to sweat blood (hemitidrosis). Thus, it's fair to say that His followers became acclamated to a harsher-looking Jesus. And, after His Glorious Resurrection, His appearance had to be different, for His body had been restored.

What do you think?

[CatholicCid]

One also has to take into account his Glorified Body. We are told of a few changes that happened after the Resurrection, such as Christ being able to enter a closed room and such. Maybe his body was not just restored, but possibly looked different. I don't want to say "more complete" or something like that, but maybe the glorified body holds something that we lack here on Earth that would make him unrecognizable. Not positive on what Church teaching would be about this.

Edited April 12, 2007 by CatholicCid

[kujo]

[quote name='CatholicCid' post='1239450' date='Apr 12 2007, 01:33 AM']One also has to take into account his Glorified Body. We are told of a few changes that happened after the Resurrection, such as Christ being able to enter a closed room and such. Maybe his body was not just restored, but possibly looked different.[/quote]

He's Jesus....He could do what He wants because HE'S GOD!

[KnightofChrist]

It was my understanding Christ did not fully reveal Himself to them yet.

"But their eyes were held, that they should not know him." Douay-Rheims

"but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him." NAB

Edited April 12, 2007 by KnightofChrist

[Jaime]

He may have been wearing glasses


Hey it worked for Superman

[got2luvjc]

well I don't think I would've believed my eyes, He was supposed to be dead!

I would've been happy to see Him, but if my mind knows He's dead, and here He is alive, it contradicts everything I knew about science and death, therefore unbelievable (this is all if I was a woman in the third decade AD)

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='hot stuff' post='1239496' date='Apr 11 2007, 11:48 PM']He may have been wearing glasses
Hey it worked for Superman[/quote]


Close, jokes aside, He did "[url="http://www.drbo.org/chapter/48016.htm"]appear in another shape[/url]" to the two, He, Christ looked different. He had a glorified body, which He would not allow Mary Magdalena to touch, perhaps He did not allow the two disciples see.

Edited April 12, 2007 by KnightofChrist

[kujo]

[quote name='got2luvjc' post='1239550' date='Apr 12 2007, 02:04 AM']well I don't think I would've believed my eyes, He was supposed to be dead!

I would've been happy to see Him, but if my mind knows He's dead, and here He is alive, it contradicts everything I knew about science and death, therefore unbelievable (this is all if I was a woman in the third decade AD)[/quote]

I don't know if it's an issue of them not believing their eyes. After all, this isn't Ripley's Believe It or Not. Rather, I think that there was a physical change in Jesus' appearance.

[quote name='KnightofChrist' post='1239583' date='Apr 12 2007, 02:16 AM']Close, jokes aside, He did "[url="http://www.drbo.org/chapter/48016.htm"]appear in another shape[/url]" to the two, He, Christ looked different. He had a glorified body, which He would not allow Mary Magdalena to touch, perhaps He did not allow the two disciples see.[/quote]

Do we know anything, from Scripture or Tradition, about this "glorified body?" Is it something unique to Christ's Resurrection or is it something we will all experience when Christ establishes His Kingdom on Earth? And what is different about the "glorified body" as opposed to our regular terrestrial body?

[ReinnieR]

[quote name='hot stuff' post='1239496' date='Apr 12 2007, 12:48 AM']He may have been wearing glasses
Hey it worked for Superman[/quote]
glasses weren't invented yet

[dUSt]

There was a speaker who came to a local parish in my diocese who was explaining that Jesus was unrecognizable because of the scourging, beating and crucifixion. Apparently, the speaker was saying that this is how He appeared to the apostles and this is why He was not recognizable.

[dUSt]

[quote name='ReinnieR' post='1239778' date='Apr 12 2007, 09:31 AM']glasses weren't invented yet[/quote]
He could have used see-through rocks.

[FullTruth]

Why couldn't the apostles realized Jesus was walking with them.

I think it is a combination of the first and third option.

These men were so concerned with the loss of Jesus Christ, and how their lives weren't going to be as fulfilling for them anymore (focused on self in other words), that Jesus Christ was with them and they didn't recognize him because they weren't paying attention to him.

That is a lesson us saints need to really realize. When things are not going well with us, we need to realize God is still with us, and we can go to him, and let him speak wisdom into that situation. Too many times saints just focus on the problems, and forget our source of wisdom and blessings. So Jesus could be there with us at that moment, and we don't recognize that, so we miss out on a blessing.

Edited April 12, 2007 by FullTruth

[Groo the Wanderer]

[quote name='FullTruth' post='1240286' date='Apr 12 2007, 05:47 PM']Why couldn't the apostles realized Jesus was walking with them.

I think it is a combination of the first and third option.

These men were so concerned with the loss of Jesus Christ, and how their lives weren't going to be as fulfilling for them anymore (focused on self in other words), that Jesus Christ was with them and they didn't recognize him because they weren't paying attention to him.

That is a lesson us saints need to really realize. When things are not going well with us, we need to realize God is still with us, and we can go to him, and let him speak wisdom into that situation. Too many times saints just focus on the problems, and forget our source of wisdom and blessings. So Jesus could be there with us at that moment, and we don't recognize that, so we miss out on a blessing.[/quote]


Well put, FT. We must always remember who the story is about....us. Perfect illustration of how we fail to see Christ before our very eyes every day.

[FullTruth]

[quote name='Groo the Wanderer' post='1240603' date='Apr 12 2007, 10:44 PM']Well put, FT. We must always remember who the story is about....us. Perfect illustration of how we fail to see Christ before our very eyes every day.[/quote]
Thanks Groo,

God is wonderful, and has always been a constant source of strength and wisdom in my life, especially in these trying times.

[Anomaly]

[quote name='dUSt' post='1240254' date='Apr 12 2007, 06:20 PM']There was a speaker who came to a local parish in my diocese who was explaining that Jesus was unrecognizable because of the scourging, beating and crucifixion. Apparently, the speaker was saying that this is how He appeared to the apostles and this is why He was not recognizable.[/quote]That would mean the Shroud of Truin is a complete fake. Was the speaker's name Move, Jostle, or Bump?

[Aloysius]

How would that make the Shroud of Turin fake?

I think the whole idea is that they weren't expecting it... they weren't looking for Jesus to be walking around. They thought He was dead, so they weren't lookin for him. They had no hope until He identified Himself to them.

[Anomaly]

[quote name='Aloysius' post='1240759' date='Apr 12 2007, 11:42 PM']How would that make the Shroud of Turin fake?

I think the whole idea is that they weren't expecting it... they weren't looking for Jesus to be walking around. They thought He was dead, so they weren't lookin for him. They had no hope until He identified Himself to them.[/quote]The image in the Shroud is not of someone beat into an unrecognizable condition. I've seen people beaten to a bloody mess. It takes a hell of alot of damage to make someone unrecognizable. The image in the Shroud is not that damaged.

[kujo]

[quote name='dUSt' post='1240254' date='Apr 12 2007, 06:20 PM']There was a speaker who came to a local parish in my diocese who was explaining that Jesus was unrecognizable because of the scourging, beating and crucifixion. Apparently, the speaker was saying that this is how He appeared to the apostles and this is why He was not recognizable.[/quote]

Wouldn't that mean that Jesus was scarred from the crucifixion? He'd be walking around all beat up and such...I don't know if that sits well with me. Obviously, his hands and feet and side still bore the wounds, but I don't know if He'd be all beat-up looking.

[quote name='FullTruth' post='1240286' date='Apr 12 2007, 06:47 PM']Why couldn't the apostles realized Jesus was walking with them.

I think it is a combination of the first and third option.

These men were so concerned with the loss of Jesus Christ, and how their lives weren't going to be as fulfilling for them anymore (focused on self in other words), that Jesus Christ was with them and they didn't recognize him because they weren't paying attention to him.

That is a lesson us saints need to really realize. When things are not going well with us, we need to realize God is still with us, and we can go to him, and let him speak wisdom into that situation. Too many times saints just focus on the problems, and forget our source of wisdom and blessings. So Jesus could be there with us at that moment, and we don't recognize that, so we miss out on a blessing.[/quote]

Awesome here, FT. How can you go from having wonderful theological insights to spouting garbage about the occult and the US government?

[Winchester]

The only thing that permits us to recognize Jesus as the Christ is a revelation from God.

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='kujo' post='1239770' date='Apr 12 2007, 08:12 AM']Do we know anything, from Scripture or Tradition, about this "glorified body?" Is it something unique to Christ's Resurrection or is it something we will all experience when Christ establishes His Kingdom on Earth? And what is different about the "glorified body" as opposed to our regular terrestrial body?[/quote]

I forget where the source of this is from since I rewrote it. Other than Saint Thomas of course...

Saint Thomas and the others identify the four "properties" of the glorified body: impassibility, subtlety, agility, clarity.

Impassibility- the glorified body no longer suffers

Subtlety- the glorified body is entirely subject to employment by the Spirit

Agility- the glorified body has abundant energy and ability to move

Clarity- the glorified body is luminous. This state fulfills the original higher and dignified purpose of the human body

[b]Why did Jesus' glorified body have wounds?[/b]

Thomas Aquinas gave an excellent summary of reasons: to confirm the disciples' faith, to rightly intercede for humanity, to show the Father what he had suffered for humanity, to demonstrate the continuity of the pre and post-Easter body, and to show on the last day to all humans "an everlasting trophy of his victory"