Scars
| 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." (John20:27) |
Seem unthinkable?
That's the incredible thing about the resurrection and ascension. Jesus took our humanity into the Godhead.
We keep thinking of heaven as spiritual - that we'll float around as disembodied spirits. But Paul describes physical death as the planting of a seed: "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." (1Cor15:42-44)
Did you see that? "It is raised a spiritual BODY!" The plant is a continuation of the seed.
If you want to know what heaven will be like, look at Jesus. (Paul says that Jesus is the "firstfruits" of eternal life.) A physical body that could touch and be touched, that could eat with His disciples, yet could appear behind locked doors. A physical body but without limitations.
The incredible thing is that Jesus ascends into heaven with something He had taken on 33 years previously - our humanity. The God family (which we call "the Trinity") now has humanity integrated into it.
Jesus could have discarded our humanity like a dirty rag saying "I'm glad that's over with." But in an amazing and beautiful act of love and divine accommodation, He has maintained His link to our humanity as He continues to be our Great High Priest.
This is great love!
