How does the Church interpret the disciples not initially recognizing Jesus after his resurrection, such as on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13), or at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:4)? What is the message here?
The Church does not offer an infallible interpretation of those passages, so we can simply speculate. It is possible that there was a purpose to the delayed recognition, such as on the Emmaus road when Jesus instructed the disciples about the Old Testament prophecies before revealing himself to them as the prophecies’ fulfillment. It is also possible that the resurrected, glorified body is so unlike expectations that Christ was not recognized right away.
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