Friday 27 December 2019

Resurrection firsts

As far as I can understand from reading the Fourth Gospel; three 'resurrection firsts' are described:

1. Lazarus (Jesus's brother in law) was the first person to be resurrected to divine immortality - by Jesus; and Lazarus was resurrected into this world. It also sounds like he was resurrected into the space formerly occupied by his mortal body. His subsequent fate included looking after Jesus's mother.

2. Jesus himself was the second person to be resurrected. He also seems to have been resurrected into the space of his mortal body, and into this mortal world; after which Jesus was the first resurrected Man to ascend to Heaven.

3. Mary Magdalene was Jesus's wife. From the conversation after she discovered the resurrected Jesus in the tomb, it seems to me likely that she was expecting to join Jesus in Heaven as soon as he ascended; there to become his divine spouse. If so, Mary was the first Man to die on earth and be resurrected into Heaven, in the way that subsequently became 'normal' for Christians.

Each of these three resurrections is different in form, and both Lazarus and Jesus has features that were likely unique.

It was probably Mary Magdalene who was the first person actually to follow that path to Heavenly life eternal which Jesus incarnated to make possible.

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