Jesus In India — Page 56
56 J e s u s i n I n d i a the same fear in his heart lest the accursed Jews should arrest him again. Just study closely Matthew 28:7-10. These verses clearly say that the women who were told by someone that Jesus was alive and was going to Galilee, and who were also quietly told that they should inform the disciples, were no doubt pleased to hear this, but they departed with hearts full of fear. They were still afraid lest Jesus might still be caught by some wicked Jew. Verse 9 says, that while these women were on their way to inform the disciples, Jesus met and greeted them. Verse 10 says that Jesus told them not to be afraid of his being caught. He asked them to inform his brethren that they should all go to Galilee; that they would see him there, i. e. , he could not stay there for fear of the enemy. In short, if Jesus had really come to life after his death and had assumed a glorious body, it was up to him to furnish proof of this new kind of existence to the Jews. But we know that he did not do this. It is absurd, therefore, to accuse the Jews of trying to suppress the proof of Jesus’ coming to life again. Nor for that matter did Jesus give the slightest proof of his restoration to life; rather, by his secret flight, by the fact of his taking food, and sleep, and showing his wounds, he himself proved that he did not die on the cross. Here, Jesus did not console the women with the words that he had risen with a new and glorious body and that no one could now lay his hands upon him. Instead, seeing the women weak and frail he consoled them casually, as men are wont to console women. In short, he gave no proof of the glorious body; rather, he exhibited his flesh and bones and thus demonstrated that his was an ordinary mortal body. (Author)