Christian religions place a lot of emphasis on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is that?
The Guide: There are two aspects involved, one of which I have commented on in the past. About the first aspect, I repeat, briefly, that it is a 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. It contains the deepest wisdom and truth, but in symbolic form. This symbolism is explained extensively in Lecture #82 The Conquest of Duality Symbolized in the Life and Death of Jesus. 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. Is that clear?
Yes, but your statement as to the error of this thinking would lead one to conclude that the parts of the Gospel which describe the disciples’ arrival at the tomb as a story of promise are entirely false, and not a factual account.
The Guide: No, not at all. When Jesus appeared to his disciples, his dear ones, a phenomenon occurred that has always been known and will continue to be known, if certain circumstances prevail. In your time and age it is called, I believe, a materialization of spirit substance. It is 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, as I have explained, 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 then, 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.
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