What’s next?

After celebrating Easter, the pinnacle of the Christian experience, rejoicing in the fulfillment of the coming of the long-promised savior, and marveling at how God turned the torture and death of the cross into the hope and life of the resurrection, what’s next?!

The temptation is to turn all of who Jesus was, and all of what Jesus did, into ‘knowledge’ and ‘information’, and store it away in our brains as ‘beliefs’. The problem is…   as far as knowledge and information goes…   Jesus does not fully compute. Facts and figures can never arrive at the sure and certain miracle of the resurrection. It seems as though the more we abstract Jesus into bits of knowledge and information, the more irrational and unbelievable the whole thing becomes.

I’m sure those first disciples were very much feeling like the whole thing is irrational and unbelievable when:³⁶ While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate in their presence. (Luke 24:1-9 NRSV 

Look at all of those descriptive words: startled, terrified, frightened, doubts, joy, disbelieving, wondering…   is THAT how we felt after Easter?! If not, maybe we haven’t let ourselves enter fully enough into the new life Jesus offers us.

The resurrected Jesus appeared BODILY to those first followers. As we can see from this scripture, Jesus says “touch me and see”, and even eats a piece of fish in their presence. This was a concrete and tangible way for him to continue to reveal his presence, power, promise, and plan in a way that might be frightening…   but is also certainly undeniable. We may be able to doubt or disbelieve abstract bits of knowledge and information, but when the real live RISEN Jesus is right in front of us…   we simply cannot deny him.

2000 years later and we don’t have the experience of the bodily resurrection to confront us with the undeniable reality of the risen Jesus. But, that doesn’t mean he is not still revealing his presence, power, promise, and plan in concrete and tangible ways. Wherever there is hurt, need, abuse, oppression, injustice, sorrow, or grief we find Jesus working to bring healing, comfort, peace, justice, joy, and hope. What’s next for us today is go boldly into each new day knowing that Jesus is still present wherever the torture and death of the cross is being turned into the hope and life of the resurrection.

When we allow Jesus to engage us beyond merely ‘believing’ him, to following him in courageous faith, we are promised that even in the midst of being startled, terrified, frightened, doubtful, joyful, disbelieving, and wondering, we will experience the undeniable, real, and present Savior.