Many of them had staked their whole future
in following Jesus.
They’d left everything else behind. Jesus
was their friend; and following Jesus
seemed to be the most exciting and
compelling thing they could possibly do.
And now Jesus had been executed by a
foreign power on a brutal cross.
Jesus had told his disciples a number of
times that this was bound to happen,
but it still didn’t make sense to any of
them.
None of what they had experienced with
Jesus made sense …
if it all ended on a cross, or so they
thought. They were confused, disappointed,
discouraged, grief-stricken, defeated,
maybe even depressed.
We ourselves can lose hope when life seems
to turn against us.
Many people have lost hope – life has
become too hard or lacks meaning.
There are times when we think we have
failed, or times of desperation where
answers seem to allude us, or times when
we just feel broken.
An evil injustice may have been done to
us. Sickness and pain can get on top of us.
Broken relationships break hearts. Maybe
we think that we are wasting our life.
It could seem that those big dreams we had
… have been killed off.
The character of Fantine in the musical
version of Les Miserables,
who was so badly treated by so many
people, sings “I dreamed a dream in days
gone by … now life has killed the dream I
dreamed”.
If this is not true for you, it
easily could be for someone you know.
Those lacking hope need to experience
something new –
something that reassures them, lifts them,
offers them a new way forward.
This is what Easter Sunday is about. Hope
is generally defined as,
“a desire with the expectation of
fulfilment”.
When the disciples started following
Jesus, their desire for meaning had gained
high expectations. Such expectations had
been suddenly dashed, but now,
just a couple of days later, there was to
be new reason behind their hope.
Life was to take a new trajectory, yet
again.
The original disciples of Jesus were going
to receive some very good news.
God had raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus
was alive … he is risen!
So, for them, the worst of situations had
now turned into the best of situations.
For these first disciples, a deep sense of
hopelessness turned into exciting new hope.
This was worth celebrating then, as it is
worth celebrating now.
Some people need more convincing than
others.
We have read about one of these – his name
was Thomas.
Why wasn’t Thomas with the others when
Jesus first appeared to them following
his resurrection? Maybe this reveals the
depths of his despair at this point –
not feeling able to be with others or talk
about it.
Perhaps Thomas shouldn’t have needed so
much evidence, but he did!
He has been called ‘Doubting Thomas’, and
maybe many of us would have been
like him if we were in his position. Had
we seen Jesus die on a cross,
we may have wanted more proof as well.
So is this really Jesus? Let me see his
wounds! Let me touch where his body was injured!
Maybe these are fair enquiries
– Thomas didn’t want his hopes dashed again!
The Bible tells us that Thomas did get
that opportunity, just a week later,
to see and to touch the One who was
unmistakably Jesus.
Jesus did not castigate Thomas for
being slow or dumb or anything like that;
rather Jesus just makes himself available
to Thomas. Then,
with love and understanding, Jesus said to
Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe”!!
Take a step of faith – you have seen
enough!
Thomas indeed gained new faith and hope as
doubt was dismissed. What did he say?
One of the moment famous responses in the
Bible: “My Lord and my God”.
Those feelings of hopelessness and
discouragement that Thomas had experienced …
surely they could now be overcome.
If Jesus could rise from the dead, then
anything is possible.
The fact that Jesus
had risen Jesus, meant everything to Thomas.
The Gospel of John is quick to apply this
to the generations that will follow:
“Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed”.
The blessing of the resurrected Jesus is
for everybody! Or as Romans puts it,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved” (10:13).
Like Thomas, when doubt gives way to
belief, we can also say to Jesus,
“My Lord and my God”! A blessed people are
we, when we believe in Jesus!
These first disciples had not only
re-established their relationship with Jesus,
but now they had an exciting and
challenging new phase in their lives.
They were being sent on mission. They were
going to be peace-makers.
They were going to receive the Holy
Spirit. They were going to live like Jesus lived.
They were going to work as a team. They
were going to care for the poor,
comfort the sick, encourage the lonely,
visit people in jail,
and stand up for the oppressed.
They were going to set a new standard for
loving their neighbour.
They were going to share the Gospel and
talk about the path to forgiveness.
Now that’s purpose! In all this there is
great hope for making a difference.
Was the resurrection real? The first
witnesses were clearly convinced!
That the first disciples risked their
lives, often against severe opposition,
to share in the loving ministry of Jesus
to the world, is a pretty good reason to
believe that they were on exactly the
right track.
The significant growth of Jesus-followers,
leading to the celebration of an
Easter festival over the centuries,
shows how important Jesus has been to so
many millions of people.
Jesus will abide with his people and give
them his very special personal peace.
Whereas we may have not felt very good
about ourselves previously,
now Jesus will say, ‘You’re forgiven …
you’re okay … you’re acceptable …
you’re valuable … you belong to me’!
We can and should open ourselves up to a
relationship with this Jesus –
a relationship that will make all the
difference.
In the end, it will be Jesus the person,
who is our hope.
Not all of our worries will disappear
straight away.
Many issues will still have to be worked
through.
But the resurrection of Jesus does offer a
whole new perspective,
a whole new way of thinking, a whole new
bag of purpose –
we actually shouldn’t limit the
possibilities of what a relationship with the
resurrected Jesus might mean for us. We
may be able to start dreaming again.
God will do something good in us – it
might just take us a while to recognise what it is.
I’ve met up with some pretty excited
people this week, enjoying the prospect of
celebrating and worshipping God today. Not
all of these people have everything
together by any means, but they do have
hope and purpose.
Another one of these early disciples was
Peter.
Peter had had his own moments of fear and
failure – denying even knowing Jesus.
The Gospel of John goes on to tell about
Peter’s recommissioning and the
reestablishment of his relationship with
Jesus. Peter had learnt something through his
bad times, and now any lingering guilt for
his past actions had been forgiven by Jesus.
Later, Peter would write these words:
Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new
birth into a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead (1 Peter 1:3).
Jesus is alive … hope lives on!
People continue to find forgiveness,
restoration and new possibilities in life because of
what happened at Easter. I invite you to
deeply consider all this again today.
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