The Man, the Mystery, the Meaning, Part 4: He heard their story
We really can’t blame those who struggle to believe the resurrection of Jesus. It’s too fantastic to accept matter-of-factly.
But the facts are astounding.
The execution of Jesus was public, as was his burial. Those who killed Jesus were frantic to find this body after they heard his sealed tomb was now open and empty. The story would have ended, Christianity would never have happened, if this simple task could have been accomplished. But it wasn’t. The only body anyone found was walking and talking among them for weeks after they had seen him executed.
We have account after account of the hundreds who saw him and talked with him. At least one, the apostle named Thomas, touched his resurrected body. And soon the church spread like a California wildfire; multiplied believers knew God had lived among them, even after he had been definitely dead.
Many of these believers died rather than reject their firm faith. In fact, we believe all but one of his 12 apostles were executed rather than repudiate their testimony. John, the one who lived, was banished to die in exile—aged, sick, and alone.
It’s interesting to note the hesitation among his closest followers to believe Jesus was alive. They struggled to accept the impossible until they confronted him face-to-face. And then they knew this was fact—not a rumor, not a fantasy, not a hallucination. After he died, Jesus came back to life.
Today’s text tells us one story of two followers struggling with his death and mystified by the reports of his resurrection. We can hardly blame them for not recognizing him at first, certain as they were their great hope had died.
And neither will we criticize our friends or berate ourselves for wondering whether this could be true. But we owe it to ourselves to probe the historical records and push for facts we can rely on. If the story isn’t true, we can go ahead living our self-absorbed, self-serving lives.
Soon we’ll admit, however, that feeding our self leaves us unfilled and frustrated. We need the story to be true, because it offers us the only hope in a world dominated by death, riddled with heartbreak, and burdened by fear.
Thank God the two confused followers in today’s story finally recognized the truth about Jesus. Their eyes were opened, and the direction of their lives was set. The same has been happening with uncounted millions from that evening until today.
Read: Luke 24:13-34
Pray: Thank you, Lord, for helping us believe the truth that changes our lives. We can only begin to grasp the reality that you loved us enough to prove what that love accomplished: the sacrificial death and unique-in-history resurrection of the one who came to show us you are real.
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