We had an awesome service and sermon at church on Easter. Our pastor used John 20 as his main text, focusing on the devotion of Mary Magdalene to her Lord and how it is our devotion and the way it impacts our lives that is most important.
Paraphrased, "Christianity at it's essence is not a theological, academic excercise. It is relational, devotional, impacting."
One thoughtful observation of his centered on Mary's response to seeing the angels, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus body had lain. She didn't say, "WOW! Angels!" and then go off into a torrent of questions about angel life.
Like a bulldog Mary honed right to her main concern: "They have taken away My Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." She was not going to allow the eye-popping, mind-boggling, heart-stopping sight of supernatural messengers from heaven sidetrack her for a single minute.
"Sir if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
A common girl grappling with the body of a grown man was a ludicrous thought, but Mary wasn't thinking about logistics. In her zeal and devotion, she leaped past every earthly obstacle.
Our pastor is an excellent Greek scholar and frequently translates entire passages for us from the original. In fact he has large portions of the Bible committed to memory and is able to give comprehensive, contextual references from almost any point in scripture.
More and more though, he has been talking about the futility of mere academic Christianity, such as arguing for hours, as he recently witnessed during a pastor's conference, over proper tense for a verb.
"If if walk out of that place to pass without incident a person in pain or need, I am become nothing but a modern-day Pharisee, swallowing camels and gagging on gnats."
In the midst of all the pre-Easter and Easter activities I did manage to get in a bit of Bible reading and studying on my own of some of the seasonal texts. I would like to share in the form of a short devotional some of what God seemed to be showing me.
More Than Proof is Love
After His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples. He stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” They thought He was a ghost and were terrified. He said, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39
More Than Proof is Love
After His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples. He stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” They thought He was a ghost and were terrified. He said, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39
He showed them His hands and feet, but they still dared not believe and wondered. Jesus asked the disciples if they had any food, so they gave Him fish and honeycomb. He took it from them and ate it.
In John 20:27, we see Jesus summoning Thomas, “Reach your fingers here, and look at my hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving , but believing.”
I receive more here than documented proof for doubting disciples. I sense a mixing of brotherhood blood. I feel love demonstrated.
In effect Jesus was saying to them - and to us, “Doubting is a painful state to be in. Your doubting is part and parcel with human weakness, one of the stripes of the flesh I took upon myself. As you suffer pain in your doubting, so I suffered pain of beating and the cross."
"See, I have kept the nail-prints and side-wounds: they show I am one with you forever. When I suffered I took on your suffering, when I died I took on your death. As I was resurrected, so you will be resurrected.”
We think we need tangible proof to believe: sight, taste, touch - or something academic or scientific. But the greatest proof of all is shared pain, shared victory. Jesus hands and feet and side were his proof. Not so much the feel of them, or the seeing, but love the animating force that defined them.
That is why we can say with Thomas, “My Lord, and My God!” We know, as he did, that it is our God Who is as near and as real as our own beating heart - our Lord Who is alive again.
