Christian religions place a lot of emphasis on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is that?
The Guide: One aspect of this is the misconception that stems from the inherent fear of physical death. People want to believe in a physical continuation of life. Therefore, they need to interpret Jesus Christ’s reappearance as a physical resurrection.
The other aspect has a much deeper and wider significance. This symbolism is explained extensively in lecture Lecture #82 The Conquest of Duality Symbolized in the Life and Death of Jesus. It contains the deepest wisdom and truth, but in symbolic form. Jesus Christ’s resurrection teaches symbolically that if you do not flee from your fear of death, suffering and the unknown, but go through it, you will truly have life in its deepest sense, while you are still in the body.
Pure, unadulterated life can be had only if death is met squarely. In using the word “pure,” I do not suggest what is generally understood by purity: an insipid state that rejects the body. The body is part of the spirit, and the spirit part of the body. Both form one whole. That is why Jesus Christ appeared as a human body, to show that the body is not to be rejected or denied. If you accept death, you will be resurrected in life – in the body – by the flowing life force, which will truly make you experience pleasure and joy on all levels of your being, including the physical level.
When Jesus appeared to his disciples, a phenomenon occurred that has always been known and will continue to be known, if certain circumstances prevail. It is called a materialization of spirit substance. It is a condensation of spirit matter, as all physical life is. But the fact that this happened contains a deep philosophical and psychological meaning, which is generally ignored.
The meaning is that if you meet both life and death, you cannot die. You will then live in the true sense of the word. Therefore, what the disciples saw was real, although most of them did not understand the meaning and purpose of the event, even though Jesus tried to explain it to them, as he had often done before. There were a few who understood, but not all of them. Those who did not, took it simply as a phenomenon, which in itself was not unique.