Ed.
Let us go to John 20 and look at the Person of Christ who is the head of the new creation. We have a few verses here about the powers of that new race. The chapter is well known, so we will pick out certain parts of it. The chapter begins with an empty tomb. The Lord has risen from the dead. Mary comes and stands "a t the sepulcher weeping" (vs. 11).
The day was the first day of the week. It was the day of resurrection, and there was the empty tomb. Mary could not find Him and was weeping. "And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?”
“She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him." What a devoted soul she was. "And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing." Now here is the very first view of new creation, and it was for Mary to see first. She saw Jesus standing in the new creation. She did not recognize Him; He had a different appearance to her. That is one of the powers of that new creation.
"And [she] knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener." You see, to her mind He appeared to be somebody that kept the garden where He was buried. Now that's one of the powers of the new creation: to have a slightly different form, if necessary, and to do many mighty things.
She said to one of the angels, "Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take him away." Notice the faith of this devoted woman. She thought that she would just pick Him up and take Him away, but she was talking to Him and did not know it. Oh, the wonders of that new creation.
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary." There was the One who knew her name just as when He approached the grave of Lazarus and called him by name and said, "Come forth." I think it is a sample (an illustration) of what is going to happen when the One who has the power and the keys of hell and of death calls out, at the first resurrection, everyone whose body is lying in this earth. The Lord has that power and will call them out personally; it seems so to me.
Mary, hearing her name, turned herself and said to Him, "Rabboni; which is to say, Master." Immediately, when He spoke her name, she knew Him. Quick intelligence, because she knew the Lord and He revealed Himself to her in that personal way.
Then He says, "Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father." Here is another power of the new creation. When Elijah went up, he was carried out of this scene. When the Lord went up, it was in the power of that new creation. He brings in a new relationship—"I ascend unto My Father, and your Father.”
In 1 Corinthians 15, there is a long list of those who saw the Lord in resurrection. And He only showed Himself to His followers, those who knew Him. He did not show Himself to the world. When He comes again to the world, it will be in power and glory after He has righteously judged it and prepared it for this display. But to His own, in comfort, He showed Himself right away. About 500 brethren at once saw Him. The new creation was seen on the earth for forty days—a proving time. What a wonderful thing the new creation is! We have seen a little bit of the power of it in these verses.
“The same day at evening, being the first day of the week." This all happened on the resurrection day. Now notice the power shown here: "When the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst." There were no limits in that new creation as we know them. There are no limits to the new creation in time, in distance or in physical barriers. It is a spiritual body. Granted, I cannot understand it, but it is a fact and it is true. The doors being shut, He stood in the midst, and what did He say unto them? "Peace be unto you.”
Now let us go on to the next chapter and enjoy a little bit of the new creation and the power of it seen there. In this chapter He appears a third time to some of His disciples. The scene in the first fourteen verses is in connection with the Lord's reign in power and glory over more than the Jews. It includes the Gentiles, as well as the spared of the nation.
This fishing expedition, which was carried out by seven of the Lord's brethren, typifies the going forth of the gospel of the kingdom to gather in souls for the millennial day. It connects with the fishing expedition in Luke 5 when the Lord had come the first time. Their net broke in Luke, but it did not in this chapter (John 21). And they made a great catch of fish. When the gospel of the kingdom goes forth by His brethren, it will be in great power to bring souls in to be there for the King to reign over them.
They made a big catch, but as they drew it to shore, look at what has happened. "As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught" (vss. 9-10). What an interesting scene. "Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken." Men will be caught in the net of the gospel of the kingdom when it goes forth during the end of the tribulation period.
First there will be a preparation for the kingdom; then He is going to rejoin them. In the end of John and in the end of Matthew, He is in Galilee, for in Galilee it is the Lord in connection with the remnant of the Jews who believed on Him.
To His disciples, He says, "Come and dine." Now here is new creation. Here is the Lord standing on the shore, having already prepared a feast for them.
He tells them to come and eat with Him. In John 13 He had departed from supper. He had been eating with them and then arose and took a new position—He washed their feet. That is His high priestly service —one He is still doing for His followers. He is going to change from that priestly service; He is going to rejoin the godly remnant on the earth and have food for them and eat with them, I believe. And it is another power of the new creation.
Go back now to Luke 24 where we get the interesting picture about the two on the road to Emmaus and the Lord's love to restore discouraged souls to the divine center. Think of those two discouraged disciples. One was Cleopas. Perhaps the other was his wife; we're not told. They had been disappointed; they had lost Jesus, the One they thought was to be their king. They did not understand, and so they were walking away, discouraged. The Lord seeks them. Oh, yes, He seeks and He seeks until He finds.
These, His sheep, were discouraged and rightly so. He appears to them and walks with them as a stranger. "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem?" they asked Him. They did not recognize Jesus yet. Their eyes were holden, and He is testing them. If you and I walk away from the Lord, He is going to seek us. If we depart from the divine center, He wants to bring us back. He will walk with us as far as He needs to in order to get the job done.
He is going to test your heart: "Do you want Him in your home?" If you are walking away from the Lord, invite Him into your home. He will come in just as He came into the home of those two from Emmaus, and He will warm up your heart and display who He is. You remember it says that "He was known of them in breaking of bread," and then immediately He vanished out of their sight—the power of the new creation. Their hearts had been reached; they returned to Jerusalem and found the Lord there.
Go back in thought with me to the mount of transfiguration. Matthew, Mark and Luke all record it. Peter, James and John, as specially privileged servants, were taken up into a high mountain and the Lord Jesus "was transfigured before them...and, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias." These were real men. One of them had died and been buried by the Lord, and the other had been caught up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Now we will turn to 2 Corinthians 12 to get an experience of the Apostle Paul, which tells us just a little bit more about the power of that new creation. "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord." If we are going to get these things, they have to be as a revelation of the Lord. And Paul says, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago." Here is the power of the new creation which Paul could not understand or know for sure. He says, "Whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth.”
It is wonderful what God tells us here, which is all we can get hold of. It is just the absence of any limitation in the new creation. We have great limitations in these bodies in which we now live. Paul says that he did not even know whether he had a body or not. The power of that body is so great you are not even conscious of any limitations. He says it again in verse 3: "I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth)." Yes, God knows all!
Why did not he report more on this? Read the next verse: "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful [or, not possible] for a man to utter." It is God telling us through Paul that it is so wonderful, it cannot even be put into language, so we just have to stop and believe it.
Thank God for the few things that we do know about the power of that new creation, which appear here and there. There were no limitations of distance—Emmaus or Jerusalem. He could appear instantly in one place or the other. There was also the power to ascend, for Jesus at least. He will take us up, we know that, but Paul was caught up: "Such an one caught up to the third heaven." That's where you and I are going to be caught up soon. And we'll have the body that is suited for that place of glory.