Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the very foundation of the Christian faith. As Paul puts it in I Corinthians 15:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (I Corinthians 15:17-20, ESV)

If you had been a close follower of Jesus you would have recognized him when he rose from the dead, right? You would think that would be the case but several of Jesus’ resurrection appearances mention that Jesus was not recognized right away by his followers.

In this video installment of my series of Bible studies on Jesus’ resurrection appearances, Jesus spends significant time walking and talking with two of his disciples yet they did not recognize him. They did comment later though, that their hearts were burning within them while he walked with them.