Although Jesus’ tomb was found empty Sunday morning and a number of His followers had seen visions of angels saying He was alive, with others claiming He Himself had appeared to them, still, by that evening, the majority of His apostles refused to believe it. Rationally, they understood that there was no way His crucified body that had been drained of its life fluids could have been raised again to mortal life, and even if by some miracle it had, He would certainly have fallen again into the hands of His enemies because of the guard that was posted at the tomb. But what they couldn’t rationally understand, since Jesus was the first fruits from the dead, was that He was raised to immortal life, resurrected with a spiritual body unlike the bare grain of His mortal body that was sown in death. Because of their failure to support Him at His arrest and trial, as well as their fears that they too might be arrested as His followers, and now their hardness of heart to believe those who had seen Him, His first words to them were, “Peace to you.” Nevertheless, His sudden appearance terrified them, for in their mistaken understanding, they imagined they were seeing a spirit or ghost, which was just as terrifying to them as the paranormal is to people today.
What do Jesus’ words to the apostles in Luk 24:38 indicate about the initial thoughts they were having based on their mistaken belief that they were seeing a spirit? Note that troubled is a natural, human emotion that results from being disturbed, frightened, or stirred up, as it is often translated in other contexts; see Joh 11:33, 12:27, 13:21 for Jesus Himself being troubled, and Joh 14:1,27 for the Good Shepherd’s words to His sheep in times of trouble. Note also that doubts refer to one’s inner thoughts, reasonings or motives, and is used almost exclusively in a negative sense, such as in arguing or disputing; see Luk 5:21-22, 6:7-8, 9:46-47, Rom 1:21, 1Co 3:20. I.e., their thoughts were disputing what their eyes were beholding, arguing that it couldn’t be real. What do Jesus’ words in Luk 24:38 indicate about His uniquely divine nature, that knows our thoughts, even as soon as they arise?
Did Jesus say that their doubtful thoughts were arising in their brains? See again Luk 24:38. Although our materialist worldview has taught us that the source of our thoughts is our brain, so that when our brains cease to function we become brain-dead and no longer have them, as Christians we understand that our thoughts originate in our immaterial soul, so that even though our brain which manages the many functions of our bodies like a supercomputer may die, who we are continues to exist as a conscious soul with thoughts and perceptions; see Pro 23:7 (lit., like one who calculates/reckons in his soul…)[1]. While in our physical body, those thoughts and perceptions inform our bodies to interact with the rest of God’s physical creation. But rather than arising in the brain, which interestingly is never mentioned in Scripture, what part of our body does Scripture repeatedly say is the connection point where the thoughts from who we are as a living soul are made manifest in our physical being? See again Luk 24:38; cf. Gen 6:5, Pro 15:14 (NAS mind = lit. heart), Pro 18:15, Ecc 1:13,16-17, Mat 12:34, 13:15, 24:48, Mar 2:6-8, Luk 1:51,66 (NAS mind = lit. heart), 2:19, 3:15, 9:47, 12:45, Joh 12:40 (NAS perceive means to think or understand), 16:6,22, Act 2:26, Rom 1:21, 10:9-10, 1Co 2:9, 4:5, 7:37, 2Co 8:16, 9:7, Eph 6:22, Col 3:12,15,16, Heb 4:12, 8:10. Also note that the heart has its own complex nervous system known as the “little brain” that communicates directly with the brain and both influences and is influenced by our thoughts and emotions.
Why is it significant that the heart is the connection point between the soul and the body? See Lev 17:11,14, and note the NAS text note: the soul of the flesh is in the blood. The heart is the organ that pumps the blood throughout the body, and it is in the blood where the soul that is the life of a living person is located. When the soldier pierced His side, Jesus’ soul / life was poured out with His blood, so that His apostles correctly understood that at that point His mortal life could no longer be restored to Him, as had Lazarus’ and others whom He had raised from the dead; cf. Gen 4:10. What did Jesus say to the apostles to address the doubts that were arising in their hearts that it was really Him? See Luk 24:39-40, Joh 20:20. What about His hands and feet and side would identify to them that it was really Him? Cf. Joh 20:27. What does the fact that they could identify that it really was Him from these physical characteristics teach us about our immortal, resurrection bodies having at least some physical relationship to our present bodies? Although still possessing such physical wounds, is there any indication that those wounds in any way left His spiritual body disabled or less than fully functional?
[1] See also The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul by Michael Egnor, who makes a powerful case that our capacity for thought, reason, and free will points to something beyond mere brain function.