Did Jesus Christ rise bodily from the dead?
Yes! On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.
Catechism for the Global Methodist Church, question 14
1Late on the Sabbath, at the dawning toward the first of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2And behold, a great earthquake occurred, for an angel of the Lord came down out of heaven, approached, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was white like snow. 4From fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5The angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus who was crucified." 6He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. Come and see the place where he was laid. 7Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you. 8They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to announce it to his disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings." They came near, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
1And when the Sabbath had passed, Mary the Magdalene and Mary the one of James and Salome bought spices in order that, coming, they might anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week they come upon the grave when the sun had risen. 3And they said to themselves, "Who will roll the stone away from the door of the grave for us?" 4And looking up, they see that the stone has been rolled away, for it was very great. 5And entering into the grave, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed with a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6And he says to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus the Nazarene, the one crucified. He has arisen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him." 7But go, say to his disciples and to Peter that he goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he said to you. 8And going out, they fled from the grave, for trembling and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Then they briefly proclaimed all the things commanded to those about Peter. After these things Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to sunset the sacred and incorruptible preaching of eternal salvation. Amen.
1Then on the first of the Sabbaths at deep dawn they came to the tomb bearing the spices that they had made ready. 2They found the stone rolled away from the grave. 3When they entered they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men in flashing clothing stood beside them. 5As they became afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" 6He is not here, but he has risen. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee. 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day. 8They remembered his declarations. 9They returned from the grave and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the others with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11These declarations seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them. 36While they were speaking these things, he stood in their midst. 37They were troubled and afraid and thought they were seeing a spirit. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do reasonings arise in your heart?" 39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While they still disbelieved because of joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Do you have anything edible here?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish. 43He took it and ate it in their presence.
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early, while it was still dark, to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3Then Peter and the other disciple went out and were going toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5And stooping he looked in and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there. 7And the handkerchief that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; and he saw and believed. 9For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Therefore the disciples went away again to themselves. 11Then Mary stood outside at the grave, weeping. Therefore as she wept she stooped toward the grave. 12And she sees two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the foot where the body of Jesus was laid. 13They say to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She says to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have placed him." 14After she had said these things she turned toward the rear and sees Jesus standing, yet she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus says to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing that he is the gardener, says to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have placed him, and I will take him." 16Jesus says to her, "Mary." Turning, she says to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni," which means Teacher. 17Jesus says to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and put your hand into my side; do not be unbelieving but faithful."
22Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with powers and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. 23This one, handed over by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hand of lawless men and killed. 24God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25For David says concerning him, 'I foresaw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.' 26Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you give your Holy One to see corruption. 28You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with gladness with your presence. 29Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with boldness about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us to this day. 30Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one from the fruit of his loins upon his throne. 31He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32This Jesus God raised up, of which we all are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this that you yourselves see and hear. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand.' 35Until I place your enemies as a footstool of your feet. 36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
3For I delivered to you among the first things which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the writings, 4and that he was buried, and that he has been raised on the third day according to the writings, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
3Praiseworthy is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has begotten us toward a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
The catechism asks this question bluntly and answers it with a plain "Yes!" followed by the creed's own words: "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures." The word "bodily" in the question comes from the church's standards. Article III of the Articles of Religion says that Christ "did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature." ΒΆ102 of the Book of Doctrines and Discipline names his "bodily resurrection" among the ways God's love is made manifest.
The four Gospel accounts supplied here agree on the empty tomb. The women find "the stone rolled away from the grave" (Luke 24:2), and the angel tells them, (Luke 24:6), (Matthew 28:6). Then the risen Jesus shows himself. The women "took hold of his feet, and worshiped him" (Matthew 28:9). To the disciples who think they are seeing a ghost, Jesus says, "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24:39), and then he eats a piece of broiled fish in front of them (Luke 24:42-43). He invites Thomas to put a hand into his side (John 20:27). These details are why the church says "bodily."
In accordance with the Scriptures points to the Old Testament. Peter's Pentecost sermon reads Psalm 16 as David's prophecy "that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:31), and concludes, "This Jesus God raised up, of which we all are witnesses" (Acts 2:32). Paul passes on the same tradition and lists the witnesses, including "more than five hundred brothers at once" (1 Corinthians 15:6).
For a Methodist the resurrection is the reason Sunday is the day of worship and the reason death is faced with hope rather than dread. Peter writes that God "has begotten us toward a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). The same body that was crucified was raised, and Article III of the Articles of Religion adds that he carried that body into heaven, where he remains until he returns.