On the day after his Resurrection, the Savior appeared to those who knew him best during his mortal ministry—Mary Magdalene, Cleopas, ten of the apostles, and many other followers. While they saw him physically, they did not recognize him. Instead, they mistook him for a gardener, stranger, passing traveler, and even another prophet, as they misunderstood his role as the Redeemer of Israel or the promised Messiah. Rather than rebuking them, the Savior and ministering angels worked to correct their mistaken expectations by teaching them the true identity of Christ. In this episode, Professor Krystal V. L. Pierce describes how the Resurrected Savior opens the spiritual eyes and minds of his followers and disciples, in ancient and modern times, through visual, audible, and tangible signs and teachings. By learning to identify the spiritual nature of the Savior, we can prepare to see him physically in the Second Coming.   

Publications:

• “Seeing, Knowing, and Recognizing the True Identity of Christ” in He Was Seen: Witnessing the Risen Christ (Religious Studies Center, 2024)
• Book of Mormon Insights: Letting God Prevail in Your Life, ed. Kenneth L. Alford, Krystal V. L. Pierce, and Mary Jane Woodger (Religious Studies Center, 2024)
• “The Tower of Babel, the Jaredites, and the Nature of God” by George A. Pierce and Krystal V. L. Pierce in They Shall Grow Together: The Bible in the Book of Mormon (Religious Studies Center, 2022)
• Approaching Holiness: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Old Testament, ed. Krystal V. L. Pierce and David Rolph Seely (Religious Studies Center, 2021)
• “The Ger in the Pentateuch and the Book of Mormon: Refugee Treatment under the Mosaic Law” in Covenant of Compassion: Caring for the Marginalized and Disadvantaged in the Old Testament (Religious Studies Center, 2021)
• “Egypt and the Egyptians” in Pearl of Great Price Reference Companion (Deseret Book, 2017)
• “Egypt’s New Kingdom” in A Bible Reader’s History of the Ancient World (Religious Studies Center, 2016)
• “The Brazen Serpent as a Symbol of Jesus Christ: A Dichotomy of Benevolence and Admonition” in I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon (Religious Studies Center, 2023)

Click here to learn more about Krystal V. L. Pierce