#83. Did Jesus Appear to his Mom?

The earliest testimony of the resurrected Jesus comes from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. Paul claims that Jesus "was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."

Was Peter the first to see the resurrected Jesus? Not according to the Gospels, which were written long after Paul's letters. Mark concludes his gospel with Jesus not appearing to anyone; Matthew and John both agree that he appeared first to Mary Magdalene; in Luke's gospel, Jesus is first seen by two guys walking on the road to Emmaus.

Sometimes, it is what is missing in a story that is the most important thing to pursue. Nowhere in the New Testament does it state that Jesus ever appeared to his mother, Mary, after the resurrection. How can this be? She was present at the crucifixion. Mary became known as the Mother of God and Jesus became known as the Son of God -- deity in the flesh. 

Why would he not appear first and foremost to his mother? Maybe the story got lost in the shuffle. Oh, here it is -- I found it the the Virgilian Version:

And so it was, just as Jesus had prophesied to his disciples, he rose from death in just three days. It was early Sunday morning and the very first item on his agenda was to visit his dear mother, Mary, grieving all alone in her home.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the family room, exclaiming, "Mom! I made it! Give me a hug!"

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#64. Resurrection of the Aloe Plants 2

As a response to some of your comments from part 1, allow me to conjecture on some interesting possibilities. I welcome your comments, as well. Here are a few things to contemplate about the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus: 

1.  Miracle is defined as "an event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a divine or supernatural cause". As our science continues to advance, we discover more and more of the principles involved in miraculous events. Rather than attribute the resurrection of Jesus to a supernatural cause, or that he was God, let us seek to more fully understand the natural laws that can cause an apparent death to become a return to life. 

2.  If God says he wants you to save people from their sins, will you do it? YES! Good! Next, to accomplish this, God asks you to leap off a 100-foot cliff to your death and then allow him to restore your body to life -- now will you do it? NO! 

Then why would Jesus say YES to the crucifixion event? Could it be that he had already demonstrated to himself that he could rise again to life. Is it plausible that Jesus found a way to heal his body and return to life? Is it probable that Jesus had experienced resurrection already? I think so. 

3.  Most likely, Jesus was raised as an Essene at Mt. Carmel in Galilee (not far from Nazareth). This branch of Essenes were known to be accomplished healers. Did the Essenes have a plan for healing the body of Jesus? The 100 pounds of aloe and myrrh had to be acquired, mixed, and transported to the tomb by late Friday afternoon. This would require time, money, containers, candles, means of transportation, and of course, volunteers for the next two or three days. Obviously, there was a plan which had been initiated long before the crucifixion date. 

4.  The Essenes were familiar with plants and herbs having excellent medicinal uses. Aloe is a succulent plant of the lily family with pointed, thick leaves and has the affect of invigorating and restoring the tone and health of the body and its organs. Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin and has the affect of contracting the tissues of the body, and thus, diminishing the discharge of mucus and blood; it can also be used to cleanse the skin and constrict the pores. 

5.  The process of healing the body of Jesus would require several helpers from the Essene community to remove the body from the cross, transport the body to the tomb, clean and prepare the body, and administer the mixture to his body at regular intervals. They probably took turns in the tomb over a period of 36 or more hours. 

6.  The pain from the beating and crucifixion would be enormous – maybe unbearable. People who have near-death experiences (NDE's) leave the physical body but do not experience any pain while out of the body. Had Jesus mastered the ability to astral project at will, and thus, avoid the extreme pain and agony of it all? I hope so! I bet so! 

7.  When the body of a NDE shows no vital signs, he/she is considered dead, only to revive at a later time. Rather than death, we now know that the NDE was in a coma state. The English coma is "a prolonged state of unconsciousness", steming from the Greek koma, meaning "a deep sleep". 

In John 11, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus said to his disciples, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." Seems to me that Lazarus had been in the coma state. What about Jesus? Did he truly die -- or was he also in a deep sleep -- a coma? 

8.  While Jesus was in the coma state, what did he do? I mean, did he have knowledge that would facilitate the healing process? Was he a highly advanced soul that could alter his consciousness and provide healing energies to his body? Did the cells of his body resonate to his consciousness of wholeness? 

9.  After the resurrection, why did the various witnesses – including Mary Magdalene – not immediately recognize Jesus? Hmmmm. Maybe he was still a little bruised and disfigured, you think? 

10.  What was the purpose of this event? That will have to wait for a future time when I am in my body but out of my mind!

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#61. Reincarnation: Then and Now

“The latest Pew Forum survey of religious beliefs (2009) puts the overall percentage of Americans who believe in reincarnation at 24%.” That is ¼ of the country! WOW! 

The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus stated that the sect of Pharisees believed in reincarnation. Indeed, many of the Jews 2000 years ago believed in reincarnation, including Jesus. However, he did not use the word reincarnation. Instead, Jesus used the word resurrection. It means: “to rise from the dead” or “to come back to life”. Christians of today interpret it to mean a return to the same physical body. They do not believe or understand reincarnation! Nor did Nicodemus, a Jew in Jesus' day. 

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus stated, “Don't be surprised when I tell you, ‘You must all be born again.’” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can this be?” (John 3:4,7,9). 

Consider that Jesus also taught ‘Eternal Life’. The spirit or soul always was and always shall be. The eternal spirit is drawn back to the earth from the ‘spirit’ realm, incarnating into the embryo, and born as a baby human being. As the sojourn is completed, so ends the human experience. “People are destined to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). After a period of preparation, the eternal spirit, or soul, again is drawn back to the earth into an embryo and is born again. When the sojourn is completed, the body dies – destined to die just one time. 

If this process should seem so unbelievable, consider Jesus. He left heaven, entered into the embryo, was birthed in 9 months, died at 33 years, then returned to heaven. “I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28). Why is the word again there? Again and again, Jesus left the world and returned to the Spirit realm. If Jesus can do it, then we all can do it. It’s a piece of cake. 

Such is indicated in this story: 

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither’” (John 9:1-3).

How could the man have sinned before he was ever born? Obviously, the disciples question shows clearly that the disciples of Jesus believed the man born blind had lived before. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Jesus to pooh-pooh the doctrine of reincarnation, if he did not adhere to it. 

Jesus was quite explicit about reincarnation in his reference to John the Baptist.

“And if you are willing to accept it, he (John the Baptist) is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11:14-15). 

Do you believe in reincarnation ... now? And did you believe in reincarnation ... the last time? 

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