Do You Doubt?

Scripture: Luke 24:36b-48

I wonder how surprised I would be if Jesus just showed up at my place? Have you ever thought of that? Would I Hit him with the hockey stick my wife keeps by the bed or would I recognize Him for who He is?

It is sad to say that chances are I would probably threaten Him. I wonder if that is why He said peace be with you to His disciples. I would not doubt it since Peter chopped the ear off of one of the men that came to arrest Jesus. So often we act first and then think later. We tend to be very reactionary people. We rarely plan for something to take us by surprise. Maybe that is why there is a seat set for Elijah at passover, to encourage the Jewish people to anticipate the unexpected.

But I do not think they were expecting anyone to really show up. They had the doors locked up and were in an upper room, they would have heard smeone approach. Jesus took them by surprise first off and then scared them because they thought hey saw a ghost. The giving of peace was necissary. The issue of a spirit was another matter. Jesus knew they needed some sort of proof. What evidence would you need to believe it really was Jesus in your room? I have not really thought about that. It is now nearly two thousand years after the event, so I am sure the evidence I would need would need to be great.

Jesus proved His humanity by showing the wounds, letting them squeeze His body to feel His bones, and He ate with them. I am sure these would be necissary for me as well, but I would need more. There have bee many crazy people claiming to be Jesus, I have even heard stories that some of these people went so far as having scars in their wrists, feet, and side. So even though I have full faith that Jesus is alive I would have to say I would be one of the biggest sceptics on the planet if He were just to show up unannounced. This reality scares me. Would I know my Savior if I were to see Him face to face?

Doubts are part of life, if we acknowledge where w have doubts then God can work with us in these areas. If I would in my own mind make a list of things that I would need to see then I am sure He would meet me there. He did with His disciples. What scares me though is that I would no know His charactor enough to be able to discern who He is. That is the point and purpose of Prayer. It is a conversation with the Creator that loves us. In these times of reflection on scripture and conversation we begin to see Jesus our Lord and King as He realy is. We can see His humanity as well as His divine nature and hopefully we will be so close to Him relationaly that all He would have to do is show up and say “peace be with you.”

That is what my Journey is all about. It is my reflections on scripture as I pray. I use methods that I have learned from my Quaker background as well as methods I have learned from participating with the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises. I do this and encourage you to participate so that we can know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow we my attain the resurrection from the dead. (Phillipians 3:10-11)

As you pray today consider what your doubts are about the resurrection, and take a journey to move you from doubt to belief. As you do this may the blessing of Jesus be on you in this quest. “Peace be wth you!”