Luke 24

Clothed

Posted on by Betsy

It is that time of year in the Outer Banks when you need every season of clothing accessible to you. You may wear all seasons in one day. A week ago we left the house with the heat turned on, wearing jackets and boots. A week later, we’re in sandals and short sleeves. Who knows what next week might hold?

If you’re like me, you give your clothing selections serious consideration. Things need to be appropriate, flattering, cost-effective. comfortable, and like Goldilocks’ porridge, not too hot and not too cold. Clothing is how we armor ourselves for the world. It says who we are before we say who we are. Clothing can make or break an interview, a first date, or your credibility. Mama was right to counsel us on the fact that clothes not only should fit, but they should also fit the occasion. If you’ve ever misjudged an outfit and wore something way too casual for what turned out to be a formal occasion, you know what I’m talking about.

In this beautiful passage from Luke, we continue the Easter story by exploring what happened during the 40 days after the resurrection. Jesus met with his eleven disciples to give them some last instructions and marching orders. Notice in verse 44, he almost says, “I told you so” without really saying “I told you so.” Good restraint, Jesus!

Luke 24 (New International Version)

44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you:Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

So, in this important moment, he reminds them of what he had already told them regarding the prophecies from the Pentateuch through the Psalms. He was the fulfillment of it all.

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Jesus gives them the startling news that they will be clothed with power from on high. I’m sure that just as they had no idea what his messiahship would entail, they had no idea what this would mean, either. But the gift that our Lord promised enabled them to take the Gospel and go into the world and form a new church. And here we are today, recipients of that gift as well.

The Ascension of Jesus

50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

The clothing of the power of the Holy Spirit brought the world the good news of forgiveness of sins and the promise of the resurrection of the dead. This is a good reminder to us today as we sometimes get frustrated with the politics and policies of our churches. When we remember the main purpose of the church and by whom the church is powered, it helps us stay focused on our mission, and we can then continue to clothe ourselves in other things, as Paul suggests:

Colossians 3 (New Living Translation)

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Above all, clothe yourselves in love.

What are you wearing today?

Clothed in Glory by Michelle Robertson

Leftover Fish

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever had something incredible happen and nobody believed you when you told them? Very few things are as frustrating as telling the truth and not being believed. I wonder if that is how our Lord felt after the resurrection. He had a hard time convincing people that what he had been saying all along had actually happened just as he said.

We continue our post-resurrection appearances stories today as Luke records an encounter with the risen Jesus and the Eleven. They were in Jerusalem trying to figure out what has happened, and they did not believe the women’s account of an empty tomb. Meanwhile, Jesus met two men on the road to Emmaus and revealed himself to them. These men hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples, when all of a sudden this happened:

Luke 24 (The Message)

36-41 While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.

The disciples didn’t believe the women. They didn’t believe the two Emmaus witnesses. Now they couldn’t believe their own eyes. Then, something simple and earth-shattering happened: Jesus ate.

41-43 He asked, “Do you have any food here?” They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. He took it and ate it right before their eyes.

Somehow it was in this little act of asking for something to eat that the disciples started realizing that this indeed WAS Jesus…their Jesus. It was not a ghost or a fraud. It was truly him. It is interesting to note that just a few verses earlier, the two men on the road to Emmaus talked to him for quite a while, but only recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread when they sat around a table together.

There is something to be learned here. Perhaps it is in the sharing of life-giving essentials such as food and water that we come to know Jesus. Perhaps the simple act of sitting together and passing bread around the table is our best way to explain to doubters and non-believers who the Bread of Life really is. (Maybe we Methodists, with our love of potluck suppers, have been onto something for two hundred years!)

Who do you know that is hungry for Truth? Who in your family or neighborhood needs the sustenance of the Bread of Life and the Living Water?

It has probably been a while since most of us sat down to dinner around a table and shared our faith with someone. Maybe that should be job number one when the pandemic is over. Sharing our witness over a plate of home-cooked food might just be our greatest opportunity for evangelism to folks who don’t know Jesus.

You’re the Witnesses

44 Then he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

45-49 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem!

You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.

We are the witnesses! So let’s go and tell….and eat!

Fishers of Men by MIchelle Robertson

Known in the Bread

Posted on by Betsy

I have always loved the “Walk to Emmaus” passage. It is one of my favorite post-Easter readings. I totally relate to two men who unknowingly encounter the risen Jesus and are so startled by the very notion of a risen Jesus that they don’t know until the very end that they have been walking with the RISEN JESUS!

Let’s be honest. There are many times in our lives when we have failed to realize that the risen Jesus has been walking by our side, too.

Jesus is sneaky like that.

Jesus joins these guys as they are discussing all the events that had just taken place in Jerusalem, ending in the crucifixion. They related a lot of good detail about Jesus, and how they thought he was the Messiah, the One who would deliver Israel. They then recounted how the women had “confused them” this morning by reporting that the tomb was discovered to be empty. Everything was laid out before them, but they couldn’t put two and two together.

Jesus was a tad peeved.

Luke 24 (The Message)

25-27 Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?”

Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.

Can you image any better “Prophets of the Old Testament” professor? The fellows still didn’t get it…but at least they had the good sense to invite Jesus to dinner.

28-31 They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

In all that is beautiful about this passage, it is the singular moment when Jesus blessed and broke the bread that the power of the risen Lord was revealed, and their eyes were opened.

That is exactly what happens in communion. Jesus becomes known to us in the breaking of the bread. We arrive at the altar, looking for him. When the bread is broken, we know that it is for our sake that the brokenness happens. He broke his body to heal OUR brokenness. That is what we recognize in the bread.

Communion has been set aside in my church for the duration of the pandemic, following the suggestion of our Bishop. Many people have adopted a practice of home communion, and some churches have created online communion. I have a friend who celebrated communion all by herself on Easter Sunday by carrying the elements in a backpack up a sand dune, and taking them as the sun came up. I think that is beautiful. I think it is ALL beautiful. I think abstaining is also beautiful.

I know for me, when I finally am able to take and serve communion, the abstinence from it will make that moment all the sweeter. I want more than anything to be TOGETHER when that happens, and I pray it happens soon.

But in the meantime, know this: the risen Jesus has been walking with us all along.

Walking with Jesus by Janie Serbousek