The time for doubt to die is here. The time for faith born in evidence is now
right there in the middle of that room looking them straight in the eyes and
hearts. But once again, human weakness,
is the response to Jesus, even when He just got finished saying “peace be unto
you”. In effect Shalom. A greeting of peace. A greeting meant to assuage fear. But when we refuse to see, we often refuse to
hear, all because we are so set in our ways that even if Jesus appeared right
in the very room with us, we cling to our notions of the past. Luke continues recording their responses in
verse 37 saying … “But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that
they had seen a spirit.” It winds
up easier for us to believe in ghosts than God.
We prefer the darkness to the light, even when it shines right in front
of us. Consider that every disciple in
that upper room (man or woman, part of the 12 or part of the 70), every one of
them, knows and has seen firsthand Jesus raising the dead while He was yet with
them in His earlier ministry. They know
it can be done, because they have all seen it done. Some of them will do this in His name in the
future. But regardless, they all know it
is possible. No ghosts back then. No tricks back then. But when Jesus shows Himself to be alive, we
reject the possibility of resurrection and cling to the notion of evil spirits
or ghosts.
Is it any different today?
We accept death as inevitable and permanent, never considering for a
moment that our resurrection is assured.
Never considering that God may even bring us back to this world early to
accomplish the mission He has in mind for us.
But no one asks that prayer. And
worse NO ONE believes it could ever happen.
So NO ONE tests their own faith in the name of Jesus by asking it. We just see death, and give up all hope,
barely trusting in the resurrection that will one day come. We just assume death is the will of God. How could it not be? If God did not want death, then why is it so
inevitable? But these musings are the thoughts
of believers who accept the results of sin, without considering that God never
intended for us to understand death at all, let alone to experience it. We were created with the notion of forever in
mind. Time was to have no end. Endings would be a foreign concept. So why do we believers now choose to NEVER
ask for God to bring life back in the here and now, in order that we may
continue the work He has set for us. It
is possible that work was prematurely ended by death. And it is possible that God would have that
work restarted now, if those fellow servants would only have the faith to ask
and believe in those same possibilities.
What is the worst that can happen; He says “no”. Seems like we are already settling for that
answer, without ever asking for something else.
The lesson in this upper room is one for our church
today. Our ideas of the past, what we
believe the doctrines dictate, so inform our judgment that even a risen Lord is
unable to penetrate them. We get in our
heads what we think things should be, then cement those ideas so that nothing
can shake them. Even a plainly risen
Lord Jesus, is translated into the ideas of a spirit or ghost instead. A spirit or ghost is still consistent with
their earlier beliefs, a risen Lord is not.
And are we any different? Our
ideas create our fear, our doubt. Any
evidence, or testimony, that lends itself to the notion we are mistaken, is
discarded in favor of ridiculous conclusions that keeps us fully in line with
the past. We choose, like our disciple
forefathers, to look backwards even when standing in the presence of God
Himself. And in so doing we nurture our
fear and self-reliance, not our faith, and our ability to step forward. Imagine if even when you do not have the
money, you pay your tithes anyway.
Common sense tells you that this is a financial mistake. There is no way that spending money you do
not have, on church of all things, or ministry of all things, could possibly
make sense. But I challenge you to
challenge God and spend that money that way, then stand back and watch. Somehow, someway, everything works out. It does not make sense, but it does work out.
And this lesson is to be applied to more than just our
money. Imagine if instead of returning
some well deserved righteous indignation to someone who has wronged you, who is
guilty, who clearly has it coming and they know it – instead – you return some
undeserved love and total forgiveness, you show kindness where it is not
deserved. And believe me, kindness is
the last thing that will be expected in that situation, from them or you. But instead of “being human”, you react
through the power of His love, letting it flow through you, and only then;
lives will be changed, perhaps yours most of all. To apologize when you have done no wrong, to
be humble when you are in the right, to be forgiving when you are the aggrieved
party; these are the hallmarks of a true believer in Jesus Christ as your lord. We should not need evidence before we are
able to trust this way. We should not
need Jesus appearing in our living rooms, to truly know that living this way,
is living a better way. And no
difference of doctrine or denomination should warrant a limit to our love, our
forgiveness, or our kindness.
Luke continues in verse 38 saying … “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your
hearts? [verse 39] Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have. [verse 40] And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his
hands and his feet.” So Jesus
must reach out to us even farther. He
offers his own flesh as proof of His identity.
Jesus humbles Himself enough to let His followers poke the holes in
hands, or feet, or side. Imagine how far
Jesus will go, to assuage your doubts and fears, to turn you from looking
backwards and start you on looking forwards to what really matters. The only way the incorrect beliefs or
doctrines you hold to will ever be corrected, is if you look forward to Jesus,
and to where and how He leads you. Nothing
can change while we cement ourselves in a backwards posture. Looking to Jesus can be the full death of
doubt if we let it.
But humans can be stubborn when we choose to. Luke continues in verse 41 saying … “And while they
yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? [verse 42] And they gave
him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. [verse 43] And he took
it, and did eat before them.” So
even when we start seeing the potential in the future, even when that potential
introduces so much joy we can hardly stand it, we still find a way to keep
doubting, and keep the door to all that - sealed shut. Where Jesus is concerned, too good to be
true, is not yet good enough. Jesus
always brings more good, more joy to us, than our limited brains ever thought
possible. As a final demonstration that
He is not some spirit or ghost, Jesus eats something right in front of them. In the kingdom of the Lord there are no
spirits or ghosts save the Holy Ghost or dimension of the God head we do not
fully understand. Think about it, other
than that, when Enoch goes to heaven he is translated alive in full bodily
form, just as he was born to his parents.
When Moses dies, he is buried in a secret place by God, but when the
devil finds his body, Moses is resurrected and taken to heaven in full bodily
form. When Elijah goes it is the same
story. When Lazarus was brought back it
was in no spirit form, but in full bodily form, as was every other resurrected
person during the ministry of Christ. When
the firstfruits go to heaven, it is the same story once again, resurrected in
full bodily form. And Jesus is no
different. God does not need a shell of
who we are. He did not make us this way,
He has no interest in seeing us this way.
We are either living as we do now, or dead and sleeping in a grave with
no memory, or interest in what happens today.
But the disciples were more inclined to believe in demons masquerading
as spirits or ghosts of those no longer alive, than in a resurrected Lord. It took more than just His appearing in their
room and speaking with them. It took
more than poking the holes of His wounded flesh, wounds He has chosen to keep
forevermore. It took Jesus eating a meal
in front of them, before they would finally set aside their doubt. This was Jesus subtlety teaching them their
superstitions should be undone by what is real.
We don’t need the ghosts of the past, we need the Lord of today, the
Lord of the future. We should not allow
our ideas of doctrines and what we think “should” be, cloud our notions of what
the Lord is actually doing right now, right here in front of your face. God is bigger than our box. God is greater than our limitations, or our
imaginations. Now is the time for the doubt
of the past to meet its end. Is your
faith capable of letting go of the past, and fastening hold of the future Jesus
has in mind for you? I hope mine is …
