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One of the more intriguing questions the New Testament posits is: 'If Jesus had the same physical body after His resurrection, why did Mary and His disciples not recognise Him on some of the specific occasions they met up?' The simple answer is that: 'He appeared to them in a form different from that in which they had previously recognized Him as Jesus' (Grassmick, 1983, Luke 24:13-35). However, is there more to this rather simplistic view than Grassmick suggests?That the disciples should have been eagerly anticipating Jesus' resurrection from the grave is beyond dispute. He had mentioned this to them continually, yet they failed to grasp the significance of what He said. So it should not have come as any surprise to diligent apostles and followers alike, yet it took them all by complete surprise. This is equally true of the Pharisees. They should have been awaiting His arrival too, as the prophets had all predicted the event, down to the last detail (Isa 52:13-15). Instead, they railed against Him because He disturbed the status-quo, a relationship with Rome, which they benefited from and were keen to see its continuance, even if they were under foreign domination and rule at the time. Both parties failed to recognise their Lord and Saviour because they were not looking for the signs of His return. Yet, of the two, one would have expected the disciples, who had walked with Him for 3-years, to be the first to recognize Him after a mere 3-days of absence. That they did not is the mystery this book seeks to examine.Amongst the many post-resurrection appearances, during the forty-days Jesus spent with His disciples, before the ascension, there are four occasions when those closest to Him did not immediately recognise Him (or refused to do so until proof was proffered). These are: (1) in John 20:11-18 where Mary Magdalene does not know it is Him until He calls out her name; (2) in Luke 24:13-32 when on the road to Emmaus, the disciples did not appreciate it was Him until He revealed Himself later during their meal; (3) in John 21:1-25 when the eleven disciples, who went fishing after His death, were unable to distinguish that it was Jesus as He stood on the shore and spoke to them, or even later on as they ate together; and John 20:26-29 when He met Thomas and showed him His nail marked hands (when it should have sufficed to simply appear in the room, but did not for some reason).
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