In an effort to prove that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature, the Watchtower notes that Acts 10:41 says, “He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”
Based on this, they ask, “Why did not others see him too? Because he was a spirit creature and when, as angels had done in the past, he materialized fleshly bodies to make himself visible, he did so only in the presence of his disciples.”[i]
You can answer this argument with two soundbites:
- Does this passage say anywhere that Jesus went around invisibly throughout Israel and materialized in manufactured physical bodies only in front of his disciples?
- Doesn’t it just mean that after his resurrection, Jesus was selective in where he went?
That is, Jesus didn’t show up at the temple or another public place or walk into a meeting of the Sanhedrin in order to authenticate his resurrection to the Israelites at large or to skeptics and enemies.
What about the fact that Jesus ascended to heaven? Acts 1:9-11 states: “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” Because he disappeared from their sight into a cloud, the Watchtower concludes that he will return in like manner—invisibly!
You can reply with the following soundbite: “If you see an airplane take off and disappear into a cloud, do you conclude that it has dematerialized? Do you expect that when it returns in the same way in which you saw it go, it will come back invisibly?”
The Watchtower also argues that if Jesus had a physical body, he wouldn’t have been able to ascend into heaven at all.
A good soundbite reply is this: “Given that Jesus was able to walk on water before his death without dematerializing, why would his ascension require dematerialization?”
Your turn:
Have you ever been stumped by the “invisible Jesus” arguments? Do you find my soundbite responses helpful?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
[i] Reasoning from the Scriptures, p. 334
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6 Comments on "Dealing with the “Invisible Jesus” Argument"
Your arguments are so solid, David. I really need to dig deep like you in my Bible studies, so I can handle the Word with similar dexterity in any setting I may happen to be in, be it with JWs or any other cult member.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! My goal in doing the blog and in writing a book that is about to come out is to exhort, encourage, and equip Christians to reach out and to explain and defend the gospel.