Year B

Luke: 24:36B-48

The Rev. Denise Vaughn

Peace Too Good to Be True!

Have you ever had something happen or received some news that was so good you thought to yourself, “This is too good to be true!” For a while you can’t quite believe your good fortune and your perspective on life is suddenly different. Or perhaps you prepared yourself for the worst to happen and receive news that is the opposite. This is exactly what happened to me when I was waiting to hear back from the search committee here. I knew another candidate was being considered and I had prepared myself to hear that the search committee had decided on that other candidate. When I finally got the call from Jack that you wanted me, I was very happy and surprised.

If you have experienced these things happening in your life then we can certainly understand the gospel reading from Luke and have some empathy with the followers of Jesus as they deal with the “too good to be true” resurrection of their Master. Having seen his crucifixion on Friday, they were not prepared on Sunday for what took place. It was not a quick, “Oh I get it,” type experience. Easter dawned gradually for them, as it does for us, as we continually come to understand more fully what the implications of Easter are for our lives.

It was Easter Sunday and Jesus had already made three appearances. According to John, Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene in the early dawn. Later that day, according to Luke, he had appeared to the two walking to the village of Emmaus. It is while the two men who saw Jesus on their way to Emmaus were reporting their experience to the disciples and their companions in Jerusalem later that day that Jesus appears to them a third time. Last week, we heard John’s version of this visit and today we hear from Luke. We find the disciples huddled together behind locked doors, afraid the authorities will come after them. They struggle to take in the reports of his sightings and wonder what it all means. Then suddenly, Jesus is there in their midst wanting to dispel their unbelief. He say’s “Peace be with you.” “Don’t be afraid and don’t doubt.”  “Look at me,” inviting them to look at his wounded hands and feet.

Could it be true? The disciples were filled with so much joy it clouded their belief. Could their Master really be alive and with them and yet, here he was before them, warm flesh and bone with a hungry belly asking them for fish! It was the same Jesus, yet different, once dead but now alive. Just when they thought it was all over, God transformed a tragic consequence into a new thing. Luke tells us at the beginning of his gospel that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for all of creation. Jesus’ life and ministry, his crucifixion and death, and now his resurrection, was about what God was doing in the world for them and for us today; all of this, so that peace might come to us as we are reconciled with God and with each other. Jesus first words to those frightened disciples is; “Peace be with you,” when God’s plan comes together, then or now, peace results.

It was imperative then that those early disciples know and understand the meaning of what had transpired through Jesus, since his whole life, death, and rising is about what God is doing in the world, just as it is imperative for us today. Therefore, Jesus as he had done time and time again in his earthly life and now in his resurrected life taught them by reminding them of the lessons of the scriptures. From the Law of Moses, to the word of the prophets, to the guiding, comforting, exhorting psalms, Jesus opened their minds so they could understand it has always been about God and God’s purpose, God’s aims and agenda for all creation.

Christ’s suffering and rising from the dead was not for the sake of a dramatic display of power. There was a purpose; an eternal message in his life, death and resurrection so that all of God’s people, every single nation on the earth, would repent of their sins in the knowledge that in his name they would find forgiveness, and God’s peace would come upon them. With patience and the love of God, Jesus appeared to different people to assure them that he lives; to teach them to put their fear and doubts in the context of God’s grand plan; to open their understanding of the Scriptures and to commission them as witnesses of all that God has done and is doing in the world.

Jesus told the disciples “You are witnesses of these things!” What they had known and seen of him needed to be told to others, beginning from Jerusalem and extending to all the nations. This is exactly what the disciples do and we read about their witnessing in Luke’s book of Acts.  These words of Jesus were to his followers and they were to be delivered to their followers and on through the ages to our own time. To truly, fully understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to understand that we are also witnesses to these things. Yet, we couldn’t possibly be eyewitnesses to the good news of resurrection. How could we be?  We weren’t there. No, Jesus Christ needs us to engage in a different sort of witnessing. Our Lord needs us to be character witnesses.

If defense attorneys are angling to undermine the prosecutor’s argument, they are likely to call one or more character witnesses: people who know the defendant, who are willing to vouch for that person. That’s the kind of witnesses Christians are called to be for Christ: character witnesses. We can’t tell first hand stories about the resurrection—other than the timeworn stories of the scriptures. Yet, we can witness to a personal Christ, a living Lord whom we know; one who has touched our lives and made a difference. Our message is one of hope, freedom and peace for all who receive it. It is a message that has to be proclaimed throughout the world. And we are a part of it. The resurrection is more than a spectacular event that gives us the gift of forgiveness and hope for eternal life. It is a mission given to every believing person. It is a partnership with Christ.

Today’s text challenges us to ask ourselves: What and who in our community needs the presence of the risen Christ? How do we participate in God’s work on earth? Do we take our commission seriously as character witnesses? No matter how we might answer these questions, Jesus still commissions each one of us to declare the presence and power of God in the midst of our world; a world not much different than in Jesus’s day. God’s purpose and intention has always been to bring peace, unity, harmony, love, compassion, grace, justice, and mercy to a world that is broken and sinful and Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances assure us that God is alive and working on behalf of healing and community. As people of faith, we have been given a message to share in our words and deeds that is almost too good to be true. As the Easter message continues to dawn in our lives, let us be faithful to the task of sharing the Good News with all people.