 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Tune
in to Grace Radio 24 hours a day!
Luke 24 "Beyond Expectation"
This last weekend there were some pretty big upsets. Here in Japanese politics the LDP lost the election dramatically forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Hashimoto. Please remember to pray for the next guy who comes into that job. I can't think of anyone who needs prayer more, and the Bible tells us to pray for our rulers. But perhaps more unexpected was France's 3-0 victory of the champion Brazil team. I got home late on Sunday night and was tempted just to stay up and watch but I couldn't keep my eyes open. That is how it is sometimes, you go to bed one night and the world is a different place when you wake up. Actually, in the world that we live in now it should not surprise us. I have heard from a number of places that change is the only thing in our global society that does not change. The only thing you can count on nowadays, is that everything is changing. This is what happened to the disciples. They went to bed, expecting to start the funeral arrangements for Jesus the next morning. The women had already prepared all of the spices. Some of the disciples had already decided that it was over and were on their way home.
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. (Luke 24: 1-12)
The women went to the grave that morning expecting one
thing, but when they got there it was different. Peter ran to the tomb
to check out their story and he marveled. At first he didn't believe
them. They must have made some kind of mistake. But when he got there
just as they had said the body of Jesus was gone. I think that this
is basic to Christian experience. We all come to church, read the Bible,
or start seeking God, with a set of expectations. Those expectations
are different for each person who comes. Some are seeking the truth.
Others think that they will find love. Still others come expecting to
get power for their lives or healing for their heart. But each of us
who has found Jesus has been surprised by Him. He is much different
than we thought He was.
The first way that He is different than we thought is that He is alive.
The women at the tomb looked this way and that thinking that someone
had moved the body of their Lord. But the angels said to them, "Why
do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"
Many people seek for God in the wrong places. They think that God is
a subject to be learned. They think that if you take a class or read
a book you will find God. Other people think that God is a commodity
that you can buy. If you pay the right amount of money to the right
people you will find God, or if you say the right prayer or do the right
good deed you will find God. Some people say that God is within, that
if you meditate on your inner being that you will find God. But this
is not where you are going to find Him. You have to look for Him where
there is life. I am not talking just about physical life, breathing
and the beating of the heart. We all know that many people whose vital
signs are fine, who are dead inside. If you really are seeking after
God, you know you getting close when you see signs of life around you.
What are these signs of life? Lately I have been getting a refresher
course in life! Nothing teaches you better what life is like than when
you get to experience it new and fresh. As I have been watching my newborn
baby Grace I have taken note of a couple things. Life is beautiful.
You don't get tired of watching it. You keep noticing new things about
it. It makes you smile. It makes you happy. Life is great.
Life is also noisy and messy. My first few moments with Grace were watching
her through the window at the hospital as she drew in great little lungfuls
of air and then hurled that air back out crying for all that she was
worth. She loves to drink and drink and then sleep in a drunken state
of total contentment. I have come to realize that the things in this
world that are perfectly quiet and perfectly clean and work perfectly
all the time are also perfectly dead. Life is too powerful, too full
of energy to be perfect.
Life is wonderfuly creative, unpredictable. Even though Grace is our
daughter we are not controlling her. Even though Grandma and Grandpa
and Aunts and Uncles and cousins are gathered around to see her pretty
little face, she continues to sleep through the entire visit only to
wake up as soon as they all leave. She is not a puppet or an electronic
doll that we can turn on and off. She is alive. Jesus is alive too.
And where you will find Him is in a place that is full of life. I believe
that Tokyo Horizon Chapel is that kind of place. We are not perfect,
but we are full of life. We are a bit unpredictable but full of life.
Being surprised by God is basic to the Christian experience. We come into this not fully realizing what it means that Jesus is alive. We cannot take it in. We invite Jesus to come into our hearts and think that we are being generous by providing Him a small corner reserved for Sunday or for religious thoughts. But Jesus patiently starts to open the doors and windows. He goes past our original intention of inspirational help and starts to show us that He is actually our love, our truth, our power, our life. Look what happened to the two disciples who were on their way back home.
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things which happened there in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. (Luke 24: 13-35)
The two disciples headed down the road to Emmaus not knowing
what was going on. They had hoped that Jesus would be the one to redeem
Israel, but those hopes were crushed on the cross and now to add insult
to injury it seemed that someone had stolen the body. Even as they discussed
these things together and Jesus came alongside them their expectations
kept them from realizing who He was. They knew that Jesus had been killed
and buried in the tomb and so therefore they also knew that their hope
was gone and they might as well go home. But this is where we see the
other way in which Jesus is different, the way in which we are surprised
by Him again and again. This is where we see the depth of His love.
These two men had given up, they were on their way home. They had not
listened when Jesus had told them in Galilee that on the third day He
would rise again. They help a mistaken view of His ministry anyway,
thinking that He would be a political leader to liberate the Jews from
Rome. And yet despite all of this Jesus sought them out, and gently,
patiently, suprised them, blowing away all of their expectatons and
replacing them with the good news, Jesus is risen! They rushed to tell
this good news to the rest of the disciples and then Jesus appeared
to them as well, again gently surprising them, exploding their expectations
with the truth that was so much wonderfuly better than what they thought.
Jesus loves us enough to work with us. He loves us enough to put up
with our ignorance and our expectations that are far too small. He loves
us enough to move into the tiny corner of our hearts that we make available
for Him, until He can tenderly redecorate.
Jesus is much more than we think He is. He is the fullness of life,
never boring, always unpredictable but incredibly beautiful. He is the
source of love, not just an example or advocate of it. As human beings
created in the image of God we have had a taste of life and love. But
we have not even come close to the fulness of life or the depth of love
that is God. This is why Jesus continues to surprise us, to bring us
into that fulness, that depth.
Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God, Amen.
| I have a question... | I want to receive Jesus Christ! | I want to confess sin... |
| I need prayer... | I want to come to church... | I want to be a prayer partner |