One Final Appearance

Introduction

We approach life through our eyes. It takes real effort to look beyond ourselves to see things from another set of eyes. We have to teach counseling students how to do that. It isn’t easy. It isn’t permanent. It takes real practice to see things through the eyes of another person. We engage our world through our own thoughts and senses and as a result we have opinions and views which differ from others. We tend to believe that other possibilities do not exist. What happens though when we finally see another possibility? It is freeing. It releases us from the bondage of one view to see things another way. It opens up the idea that there are options and options allow us to engage the world differently. It is the beginning of hope. Being able to see things differently brings hope.

The belief that we are not stuck. The confidence that something else is available. That there is another possibility. And beyond possibility the belief that something else is going to happen. There is a different outcome. This is hope. The confident expectation that something different is coming. Hope is what keeps the cancer patient trying new treatments. Hope is what keeps us going. Remove hope and life is lived in frustration and without direction.

The disciples watched Jesus die. Hope died. But now what. Reports are starting to come in. The women have been told he was raised from the dead. Two from Emmaus says that they talked with him. What is happening? What are these disciples to do? Is there hope? Perhaps you have come today wondering about your hope. Life is seen through the eyes of despair, rejection, loneliness, and isolation. There is hope. There is another view. There are options. They are found in Jesus and today we will join with the disciples in realizing that hope still lives.

The Appearance

The room is buzzing with talk. The disciples are listening to the travelers from Emmaus tell their story. They are confused. And suddenly Jesus appears in the room. He doesn’t knock on a door. He doesn’t walk up any stairs. The disciples look up and Jesus is standing there speaking peace. Luke tells us they thought they were looking at a ghost and so they are very frightened. Who wouldn’t be? Cut to the point. Jesus confirms that he is alive. They see him. He invites them to touch him. He wants to eat with them.

Like a good Father, Jesus explains the law, prophets and psalms to them. In other words he takes all of the scripture at the time and goes through showing how he is fulfilling those things. Children become frightened. They need reassurance. They need to know that things are going to be okay. Jesus does that with his disciples. And on top of all that, Jesus tells them how God is going to use them. They are going to speak on his behalf. As witnesses of all these things they are going to speak a message of hope. This message will begin in Jerusalem but it will spread to all nations.

The last four verses of Luke has Jesus and the disciples outside the city of Jerusalem in the vicinity of Bethany and the Mount of Olives. This is the place Jesus had prayed before his crucifixion. He took them back to the place where chaos occurred and now he is restoring order, direction, focus. Blessing them he is taken up into heaven. The disciples worship Jesus and spent time every day at the temple—waiting—confidently expecting something to happen.

So What?

The gospel of Luke ends where it began at the temple. At the beginning of Luke we have Zechariah serving in the temple. He is praying for the deliverance of the people. He is praying for God’s mercy and God intervenes. God hears the prayer of his people. Luke 24:45 reminds us of truth. God has designed every part of this. From the beginning, God planned for Jesus to come. He was working to bring people to him. Through Moses, the prophets, even the inspired songs, God has been revealing what he was going to do. And when the time finally came, the people treated God’s plan as they treated all of life—through human eyes. God has a plan.

We see life through our own eyes. We tend to think about how we can live life to keep things moving in a direction that benefits us. Nothing wrong with that most of the time. It is the means of self-preservation. But to live life through our own eyes without seeing possibilities can bring a sense of lostness and isolation especially when things are not going well. God has a plan. The plan starts with a basic message.

We are sinners. We see life through our own eyes trying to make things work; trying to control the future; trying to understand. God says my plan for you begins with repentance. Repentance means more than a changing of actions; it includes changing our way of thinking. If we look at the world through our own eyes only there is little hope. Evil is well entrenched. But God’s people repent. We change our heart and our actions. We begin to see the world through the eyes of God. Hope exists. Not in the ability of people to make things right but in the ability of God to change lives. People can change. Sins can be forgiven.

Zechariah spoke about deliverance for Israel in Luke 1. Luke ends this first book pointing to the resurrected Jesus as the one who brings deliverance. This deliverance is not on our terms. It is on God’s terms. We repent. Hopelessness gives way to praise. Rejection gives way to blessing. Loneliness gives way to the family of God. We refuse to allow the world to set the agenda for our emotions and our perceptions. God’s plan includes change. And so we join with God in his plan to seek repentance. We repent and there is forgiveness and there is hope. God can use us like he did the disciples to bring others to hear the message of forgiveness.

Follow Jesus

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