Deurpost

Why did the disciples have a problem recognizing the resurrected Jesus? I have been reading all the different verses which tell the story after the resurrection, trying to reconstruct what happens. And I am confused by the first appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden. According to Matthew (Mat. 28:1-10), she met Jesus outside of the tomb when she was already on her way back to the disciples, and it seems like she recognized Him immediately for she worshiped at His feet. Mark (16:1-10) doesn’t really say much about it for the reference is outside of the story at the garden. Luke doesn’t recount the meeting with Jesus, but John 20:11-18 tells that she met Jesus while still at the tomb (so before she was on her way back to the disciples as Matthew tells) and she doesn’t recognize Him immediately. My guess is that John’s account is most accurate and that Matthew’s account could actually match within this.

Some other interesting observations:

1. In Matthew 28:10, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” You can interpret this verse in different ways. It definitely meant seeing Jesus physically, as His physical appearance to the disciples is recorded many times. But, if it also meant seeing Jesus spiritually, then this is a prophecy and a promise!
2. In Mark 16:10-11, Mary Magdalene “went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.” It seems that just hearing about His resurrection (although Mary had seen Him) did not avail to much for the other disciples who had not seen Him yet (also many did not even believe when they also say Him).
3. In Mark 16:12-13, Jesus “appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.” I wonder what this means (Jesus appearing in another form), but this is the story of the Emmaus road where in Luke 24:16 it is said that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” It is clear from this verse that Jesus is sovereign over who really sees Him and not, yet Jesus also said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Something similar is written in Mark 16:14, where Jesus “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” Believe is always a heart issue! Then later “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30-31), “and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35). Again a beautiful verse displaying the sovereignty of the LORD!
4. In John 20:20, Jesus “showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Thomas likewise needed to see the marks in His hands and side. Although it seems that “seeing is believing” applies here, I do believe that Jesus opened their heart first, because there are many occasions where “seeing is believing” does not apply.
5. In John 21, “Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” (v.4), and “that disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!‘” (v.7) only recognizes Jesus after He repeats the miracle of the great catch (see Luke 5:1-11). Was this a not knowing as in that they weren’t aware someone was watching them in the first place? Or that they saw someone standing there, but did not physically recognize him (not so much because of scars etc, but because He was standing too far off or it was early in the morning so maybe foggy or still not fully day? Or that hey did not recognize Him spiritually? In any case, later on in the story we read in John 21:12 that, “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.“
6. In Luke 24:12, after being told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen, Peter “rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” Although Peter had to see with his own eyes that the tomb was empty, it seems that seeing the empty tomb himself did do the trick for him.

What to say from all of this? It seems to me that it is primarily a matter of the heart that the disciples did not recognize Jesus:

• Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for gardener not so much because of His mutilated physical appearance (although a plucked beard indeed could make someone unrecognizable – by the way, do you think this was on purpose, to enhance the spiritual aspect of seeing Him?), but because she believed that His physical body was stolen (i.e. she did not believe He would resurrect);
• Peter accepted Jesus’ resurrection just seeing the empty tomb (i.e. he did believe without seeing Jesus);
• The two disciples on the Emmaus road were spiritually blinded by Jesus (by the way, do you think this was in order to give Jesus the opportunity to tell the whole history in a nutshell?) before their eyes were opened by seeing the nail prints when Jesus broke the bread;
• Jesus on several occasions rebuked the disciples for their hard hearts;
• Although John recognizes Jesus, it did take a realization that He repeated an earlier miracle;

There is definitely a component of His physical mutilation which hindered them from recognizing Jesus, but to me this only emphasizes even more their hardheartedness. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)