Why Didn't the Disciples Recognize the Risen Christ?

Read: Why Didn’t Mary Recognize the Resurrected Jesus?

[jeanwanchen]

Oh my goodness Wallace’s Wall of awards and badges behind him is hard core.

[blindspot]

Thank you! I have really been trying to understand that part but this is the most reasonable explanation I've seen yet

It is interesting that later they did recognize Him. Even Thomas as soon as he saw Him he said, my lord and my God.

[buzzard]

This is actually a pretty good answer.

[justincameron]

Great video. Thanks for answering this question Mr Wallace

[johnborucinski]

Thank you DD I want to stop and see you this year

[jeanwanchen]

Hi I’m new to this channel, I discovered this channel through Cross Examined. I have the books God’s Crime Scene and Forensic Faith . This channel is amazing needs more subscribers!!!

[ClarifyingChrist]

Good topic!

I don't know if I believe Jesus had a different body at the time he revealed Himself to the disciples because He still had holes in his hands, feet, and side. So while I am not arguing that we won't have different body's, I am not convinced that was the reason the disciples did not recognize Jesus. Jesus could have easily & purposefully choose not to show his full self to the disciples at certain times.


Thoughts?

[CaryHawkins]

What I am curious about is this: if it's a new body, why did he have scars and wounds to show the disciples? Was it only partially resurrected? Not fully transfigured (as that happens later) but different enough to not be recognizable?

[alexstewart]

Not only that, Jesus's face was beaten to a pulp, and unrecognizable as a man was He, like The Bible describes, and most of The Apostles had not seen that, since most of them, but John, ran away in fear. Besides, if Jesus showed His wounds on the side, and hands (He obviously had kept them, ''as sign, proof, Eternal testimony of all God endured in His passion, on the cross for the love of US'', like a saint once said) He most likely also would have kept His swollen face as well, if only to show The Apostles. Probably, that is why the other 2 disciples on the way to Emmaus, also didn't recognize Him until He broke the bread, and then miraculously disappeared. Also it could be just as J. Warner Wallace says on this video.
BUT WE ALL ONE DAY WILL FIND OUT FOR SURE; but just remember that we won't be needing faith, nor charity in Heaven, since we will be plenty satisfied, while seeing God's face ( with or without bruises, or dare I speculate maybe both. Only God knows; pun intended of course)) but there in Heaven will be plenty of love in God's Truth; hence God Jesus' first commandment for US while on Earth to love God above all, and our neighbors like ourselves...and we all should!!!

[John-...]

Jay Warner Wallace you are my top guy for apologetics(really dislike that word) currently and I watch all your stuff. I do think that this particular question might warrant a longer video because skeptics could use this non recognition as a basis for saying they didn't recognize him because it was a different person. I obviously don't believe that myself being a Christian and totally agree with your explanation

[brettmciver]

They didn't recognize him because he had just died and they were full of grief and fear, they were mentally unprepared for it, that's why Mary asked the "gardener" where he had moved the body to? And when Jesus called her name in the way she new her eyes were opened that's also why he had to tell her to stop clinging to him, he wanted to go to see his Dad for the first time, same thing happened on the road to Emmaus with the 2 disciples as soon as he broke bread they recognized him for it was a familiar scene to them

[yasminehayles]

Not recognizing is different from not believing.

[JohnS-oldn]

Trying to keep up with you, but you somewhat lost me on not having the car-accident body.

Per John 20:27-29, Jesus still had the holes in his hands and side where Thomas could place his fingers.

For me, I can reason this out though as such things being specific solely to the Son of God's ressurection body... i.e. the evidence of His atoning sacrifice pointing to His glory. It's speculative, though...in the same way your reasoning was to some degree.

What do you think?

[theflyingotis]

Its the pain. The suffering. Idk why but thats what i feel. I know its not to punish us but god wants us to feel pain for some reason.

[PhylosophyHour]

I have this theory that the Bible hints at the rapture involving a sort of two-dimensions, two-versions of us scenario, like a godly us and an evil twin. It mentions two people being together in bed (not spouses), and two women using a (singular) hand-mill (which has one small handle and is meant for one person and thus two different bodies couldn’t be using it together), then one (higher version) gets taken and the other left, like a dimension/timeline shift, or the soul being elevated while the body is left behind.

So if that’s true, it might be a similar two-versions and glorification of Jesus (that is called the Christ) and the Jesus Barabbas (Son of the Father) that were presented before the crucifixion with Pilate, as a symbolic representation of what we will experience in the rapture. They would still both be Jesus, but the Godly Jesus rose to the higher dimension (heaven and new Earth) and the Barabbas that was released from crucifixion was left behind to continue interacting with the apostles, but since Jesus is literally God he rose again to heaven after making His point that yes He is still in fact alive. Either that or perhaps His glorified form looks like a mix of Jesus the Christ and Jesus Son of the Father. Either way, the curious description of the rapture, the two Jesus’s and them not recognizing Him strikes me as important and that possibly our previous idea of the rapture might be a bit off. Like it could have easily said ‘the church will be caught up’ but instead it details out people in pairs and almost implies 1/2 of the population would be raptured because of it.

People have also been getting rapture dreams with two moons, which also hits me like a convergence of two different realities, and a hint toward the good and evil version of everyone/everything.

[glennwiebe]

I always wondered about this since, in Matt 17, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him to the transfiguration. They saw His glorified body. Not just what a glorified body looked like but Jesus' specifically. Interesting thoughts, thanks.

[ryanprosper]

If the disciples had recognized Him right away, that would lead to more credibility that it was hallucinations. But they didn't recognize Him, which means their minds weren't playing tricks on them.

[Yahusha-Saves.]

Rev 5:6 it says stood a lamb as it had been slain. Isa 50:6 talks about how they plucked HIS beard and beat HIM. He was unrecognizable beyond belief. He kept HIS scars on HIS hands and feet and side. Isa 53:2 there is no beauty that we should desire him. Eze 1:26 talks about a man sitting on the throne. HE kept HIS scars. I believe

[Tribilante]

That would be very reasonable if you did not read the Bible. but in Jesus case, he was resurrected with the same body because he had the wounds and Thomas verified it.