Reflection: "He's Alive!"Whilst the majority of this reflection is taken from the gospel of John, the story is also told by Matthew, Mark & Luke and also in Acts, so I won’t only be sticking just to what John says.
Let’s set the scene in Jerusalem on that first Easter Sunday morning: One of the disciples runs in breathlessly to meet the others, who were hiding away, fearful for their lives, following the death of their master, a few days earlier. “Have you heard the good news? He’s alive! The master’s alive! The tomb’s empty and he’s risen from the dead – just like he told us he would! He said he’d go ahead and meet us in Galilee, so let’s go and tell the others.” I guess that’s how the disciples would have reacted on that Easter Morning after they had gone to visit his tomb, only to find that the stone, which had been blocking the entrance, was rolled away and the tomb was now empty. Instead of finding the dead body of their Lord, they found two angels outside the tomb, who asked the women why they were looking for the living among the dead? The angels told the women that Jesus had done as he had told them and gone ahead to meet them in Galilee. The disciples, however, were still a bit unsure and some, like Thomas, even refused to believe the words unless he saw Jesus himself - touched his body - and put his fingers in the nail holes. Over the ensuing years, many Christians have scoffed at Thomas and thus the expression “doubting Thomas” came into existence. To be fair to him, I think many of us would react the same way, if it were to happen to us today. Some people just have to see things for themselves. Jesus knew that and said to them “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Only a few days earlier, on that first Good Friday, the world of the believers had come to a shattering standstill, because their Lord and Master had been killed – crucified by the Romans - at the insistence of the Jewish High Priests, who were jealous and afraid of the popularity that Jesus had with the common people. Jesus had become well known as a preacher and teacher in the area around Galilee and Jerusalem and he’d attracted a huge following – over 5,000 men, plus the women and children, had come to remote places to hear him speak. Many strangers had approached him, asking him to heal them, or pleading for healing on behalf of their family members. This hadn’t escaped the attention of the Jewish religious leaders, who were worried about how popular Jesus was becoming. They thought that if this situation continued, he might even take over the roles that they performed – and they certainly weren’t too keen on that. They were so entrenched in their religious rules and regulations that they had forgotten, or moved away from, the agreement, or covenant, that their forefathers had made with God, all those thousands of years earlier. Then, along comes Jesus, a seemingly simple woodworker from Galilee, who, although he hadn’t been specially trained in their religious ways, seemed to know all the old scriptures and, worse still, quoted them back at the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees whenever they challenged him. They tried their hardest to make Jesus look silly and uneducated, to trap him into blaspheming, or to perform some other activity that they could arrest him for, but he always managed to get the better of them in discussions. They realised that he was becoming so popular with the people, that if they tried to do anything against him, the crowds would probably turn on them. Instead, they hatched a devious and political plan to get the Romans to kill Jesus on their behalf by convincing the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, to crucify Jesus for them, so that the blame could not be attributed to them. I’m sure that they would have considered that they had, in fact, won the day by having Jesus killed. That they had rid themselves, and the world, of a meddlesome troublemaker. However, we now know that it was actually a part of God’s larger plan. The Son of Man may have allowed himself to be killed, but he astounded everyone, including his closest friends and followers, by rising from the grave on the third day, just as had been prophesied in the old scriptures and had, indeed, been espoused by Jesus when teaching his disciples. But he wasn’t an apparition, a ghost, as many must have thought. He even ate and drank with his disciples and let them touch his body, to see that he was really there. And he didn’t just disappear on that day, never to be seen again, being observed on many occasions, by many followers, over the next 40 days - before he ascended into heaven to be with his Father. Oh yes, there were sceptics and scoffers then and there still are - even today - who say that it was all a big confidence trick - that he never really died. But think about it for a minute - and this is the thing that really convinces me of the truth of what was written in the gospels about the death and resurrection of Jesus - remember how his followers had hidden themselves after the crucifixion and were afraid for their lives. They were terrified that the religious authorities would come after them – to stamp out any remnants of the followers of Jesus, who had called himself the Messiah, the Christ, God’s son. But following his resurrection, after they had seen him in the flesh, seen the nail holes in his hands and feet, and the gash in his side, then and only then, did they become brave. Brave enough to publicly proclaim him, and his message of love, to anyone who’d listen. And not only in Jerusalem, or even Galilee, but throughout the known world. Apostles like Peter, Paul, Andrew and John travelled widely and preached the gospel – about how God loved everyone, not just the Jews, and that he wanted to be in a relationship with them. The apostles were so sure of what they were doing, that they were prepared to die, rather than deny Jesus. And in most cases, they WERE killed, sometimes very violently. And that’s still happening today, as we hear, all too often, that Christians in persecuted countries prefer to be killed, rather than to renounce their faith. The gospel didn’t finish with the martyred apostles, or those who’ve given their lives over the years. It’s grown and spread around the world to a point where billions of people have heard it and believed. Ordinary people, like you and me. So, what should we do with this knowledge? Should we just keep it to ourselves and feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Or should we, too, go out into all the world and let others also share in the Gospel - the good news about Jesus? I’ve made a decision to follow that course of action. Would you also like take part in the proclaiming of God’s Kingdom here on earth? I won’t deceive you - it’s not an easy task, but we’re much luckier here in Australia, as we can proclaim the gospel without fear of persecution. That’s not always the case outside of our great country. Each and every one of us can do something to make this story known to others outside the Christian faith. Search inside yourself, talk to God in prayer, and see what you can do – today, tomorrow, and for every day of the rest of your life. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Happy Easter............Pastor Rick
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