… who raised him from the dead—
Summary: When Jesus his raised from the dead, he is not raised up as he was, that is as a mortal. Instead, he is raised immortal and imperishable.
As Paul opens this letter to the Galatians, he is bringing the full weight of his position as an apostle of Jesus Christ to bear on his readers. He is not mincing words. All of the authority God has placed on him is being brought into focus immediately.
His first credential, that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, is buttressed by a second, “… and God the Father.” Jesus didn’t commission Paul in a vacuum. Paul’s apostleship carries the full authority of the Father as well. As if this wasn’t enough, Paul adds, “and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.”
What does it mean to be raised “from the dead?”
About three hundred miles north of the Island of Crete, on the eastern shore of the Aegean Sea, was a town called Troas. On his last trip through that area, while he was on his way to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, Paul stayed in Troas for seven days. On the night before he departed, Paul spoke to the people there. He had much to tell them, so he talked with them all night.
In the middle of the night, a young man named Eutychus fell asleep while sitting in an open, third-story window. He fell through the window opening, and when they went down to investigate, he was dead. Then Scripture says, “Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’” (Acts 20:10)
Paul had just raised the young man from the dead. Is that what he is talking about when he says that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead?
Bringing a dead boy back to life is amazing, yet the miracle pales in comparison to what God did for Jesus. Jesus didn’t just fall off a ledge and die. His body was brutally beaten and abused. Then, he was nailed to a wooden cross and hung on the cross until he died. To make certain he was dead, a spear was thrust into his side, piercing his inner organs.
The Pharisees wanted to make sure he was dead.
The body was prepared for burial and placed in a tomb. The tomb was closed and sealed. On the third day after all this happened, Jesus rose from the dead.
He didn’t just wake up. Something completely unprecedented happened. His body was indeed restored, and the tomb opened. Jesus was alive and free. But it is also true that his new body was different.
His new body could move through walls without bothering to use a door. He appeared and disappeared at will. People who knew him witnessed his return. They talked with him, touched him, and ate with him. Yet he still came and went in ways nobody could explain. Then, he rose again. This time, he was raised up from earth to be with his Father in heaven.
To review:
Jesus, the man, was physically brutalized and killed. He was dead and buried. Then, on the third day, his Father, God, raised him up. Not just from the dead, meaning brought back to the state of being human flesh and blood. What God did was much more than that. God gave Jesus a new, eternal body. The new Jesus can exist in both places, heaven and earth. Keep that in mind because Jesus says, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
Application: Never underestimate the power of God.
Food for Thought: How does Jesus’ new body help him be the head of the church? (Ephesians 4:15)
I am not sure His new body helps Him anymore than His old body did. To me the miracle is that He has a human body at all – which we celebrate this time of year as we celebrate the Incarnation. He is, was and always has been God (John 1: 1 – 5; Colossians 1: 15 – 19). He is exalted on high but never lost the fact that He is God (Philippians 2: 5 – 11). Indeed, in His character Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13: 8).
I guess my point being that I think Who He is has more to do with Him being the head of the church than in what type of body He has. Certainly in His glorified state He can never die again. His glorified state and being seated at the right hand of the Father is a better state and a prelude to what awaits us. But Who He is has never changed. And the Incarnation is a miracle of His love for each of us.
Thank you, Brother.
You are absolutely right. The essence of Jesus is the heart of God.
That is quite a question and I’m not sure how to answer it.
I like the passage in Matthew 28: 18-20. To me, it encapsulates Jesus as the head of the body:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Authority, purpose, and engagement (not sure I know the right word here–like a leader who supports, is present in the purpose, uses their authority to help, unwavering).
Jesus’s glorified body demonstrates His authority, and serves His purpose and engagement.
Chris,
I think “engagement” is a good word for what you are describing. Raised from the dead, Jesus engaged with his disciples and followers for a time. Now he engages with his whole body.
11-30-2023, How does Jesus’ new body help him be the head of the church? (Ephesians 4:15)
Jesus no longer confines himself to a single, physical body as He did during His earthly ministry. The body of Christ today is the church empowered by the Holy Spirit to present God’s truth’s to the entire world. We are His body gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve as Jesus, the head of of His church directs by spiritual inspiration.
Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:27, Colossians 1:18
Thanks Ron,
You have touched on the part of this question that fascinated me the most. You write, “Jesus no longer confines himself to a single, physical body…” Yet he can be here in a physical body if he wants to. That is the part that is amazing. The risen Christ that Jesus’ followers saw after the crucifixion is the same “body” he has today.
How does Jesus’ new body help him be the head of the church? (Ephesians 4:15)
I don’t know. I like everyone’s comments. God is amazing, all powerful, all knowing, and yet He wants a relationship with us.
And that, my friend, is the key! Jesus not only wants a relationship with all of us, but he is uniquely able to be in relationship with each of us all the time.