Not a Ghost!
Luke 24:36-49
Jesus again appears to his bewildered
disciples. He saw them in the upper room. He walked with two of
them to Emmaus and revealed himself in the breaking of the bread.
Those two ran back to Jerusalem and told the 11 what they had seen.
They were talking about these things. Perhaps in the middle of
telling the whole story, again, now, at least the third time, Jesus
appears.
They were shocked... again. Trying to
make sense of it all. Well, a resurrection doesn't make much sense.
They are troubled. Doubts arose in their hearts. And they were also
afraid – phobic, in the greek. Even though Jesus, alive and well,
was standing in their midst. Even though their eyes told them –
it's really him, he's really here! They literally couldn't believe
their eyes. They thought he was a ghost.
The disciples were a superstitious lot.
This wasn't the first time they thought
Jesus was a ghost. Remember when he walked on water late in the
night – they freaked out. He had to assure them, “Fear not, it
is I!” In their minds, the appearance of a ghost was more likely
than a human being (even if he is the Son of God) walking on water.
But this was Jesus – who turned water into wine, who fed thousands
with scraps of food, who rebuked demons and fevers, even raised the
dead. Why should they be surprised? Why should they think it was a
ghost? Why shouldn't they believe?
But when you think about it,
superstitions are pretty common among men. Unwarranted fears of
spirits and spooks, things that go bump in the night – people of
all times and places have been susceptible. They've dug up clay
charms with good luck phrases written in Hebrew that ancient Jews
used to hang around their homes. The Chinese culture is practically
fixated on good luck and bad luck. Martin Luther grew up in a world
full of superstitions. Even in our modern “enlightened” era –
you don't have to look far to see people under the same influences.
We just had a Friday the 13th 2 days ago. I bet you heard
someone mentioning it, who was at least partly serious about it being
bad luck.
Some would look at us Christians as
pretty much the same – Superstitious. I know some do. They see
our faith in Christ as no more solid than an imaginary friend or
boogie man under the bed. They mock Christianity by parodying it
with a flying spaghetti monster. And they say our prayers are
useless. Our churchgoing is a waste of time. And the Bible is full
of fairy tales and lies. Might as well throw some salt over your
shoulder and knock on wood.
What superstition really is: looking
for the spiritual, the mystical in all the wrong places. A lucky
rabbit's foot? A golfer who always wears red on Sunday? Playing the
lottery with the lucky numbers on your fortune cookie? We might
laugh at those who turn to such things for tangible benefit or good
luck – as if we're so much better, but we're not. Fear of evil
spirits? Don't break a mirror, walk under a ladder, or do anything
important on Friday the 13th? Anxieties about forces
beyond your control, or perhaps, that even God himself is “out to
get you” for some past sin or offense? Yes, we can even be
superstitious about God himself, if we look for him to work where he
hasn't promised to do so.
Imagining some message from heaven that
God has laid upon your heart? A modern form of superstition. Seeing
in the coincidences of life a message that God is sending you about
some decision or action? Putting God to the test – if so and so
happens, God, then I know that you mean such and such? Superstition.
Any ideas about the spirit world, the
things that are unseen, that go beyond what God has revealed in his
word are not to be trusted. We have no reason to believe – from
God's word - that dead humans come back to haunt us. In fact it's
just the opposite, “It is appointed for a man to die once and then
the judgment”. We have no evidence for such a thing as luck –
good or bad – or that doing anything can bring you good or bad
luck. A Christian doesn't look to the constellations for his answers
or listen to a palm reader to plot out his life. These things are
all, at best, a distraction. They are, at worst, damnable lies of
the devil. And yet every sinner has a tendency to fear, love and
trust in other things – other gods – besides the true God.
What is sure and certain? The word of
God. Jesus himself. Even my own heart and mind can fail me, lead me
astray. But Christ never will.
And make no mistake: Jesus is no
ghost. He is truly alive, and he goes on to prove it. Not that he
needs to. Blessed are those, like you and me, who have not seen, and
yet believe. But he proves it nonetheless. So that our faith is
based on the word – the word of testimony. The eyewitness accounts
of those who have seen him alive, and many of them died for their
testimony. A famous unbeliever, Carl Sagan, once said,
“Extraordinary claims, they say, require extraordinary evidence.”
Well, Jesus gives it. St. John tells us he gave “many convincing
proofs” that he was alive. Here in our text we see just a few
examples.
He showed them his hands and his side.
The wounds. The marks of nail and spear. You should check out how
some of the artwork imagines these wounds must have looked –
especially paintings of doubting Thomas. Somehow, even though Jesus
was fully healed and restored to life, even though now in a glorified
body, he still bears the marks of his death. He still retains the
evidence of his crucifixion, his sacrifice. For him, it is to his
glory and honor. And for us, it is an identifier of who he is. Even
in John's vision of the heavenly throne room in the book of
Revelation – he sees Jesus depicted as “a lamb who had been
slain”. These wounds serve as a reminder of his great work of
salvation for us. They show that it's not some imposter – but it's
really Jesus! And that someone could live and breathe just fine with
gaping wounds in hands and side – it is further evidence of the
miracle of the resurrection.
But he goes further. They thought he
was a ghost, but he answers that falsehood directly. Just has he
answers Thomas' objection word for word. So also now, he says, “I'm
not a spirit! I have a body! Look, does a spirit have flesh and
bones? Does a spirit eat fish?” They touched him to see. Yes,
he's really here, flesh and bone! And he ate broiled fish right in
front of them. Sight, sound, touch, all confirmed – Jesus bodily
risen from the dead.
You see, with God, the body matters!
For too many Christians, even today, Jesus is only a spiritual
savior, not also a bodily savior. That's part of the reason so many
think of heaven only as a spiritual reality – that your spirit
floats around with God forever. But they forget or haven't heard, or
it's never emphasized what we confess in the creed every week – we
believe in the resurrection of the body. That's our body! We have a
bodily resurrection to come. If Jesus was only a spirit, then that's
all we could look forward to. But Jesus is risen, bodily, and so too
will we live forever in resurrected bodies. As Job said, “I know
that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand (that means
bodily) upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in
my flesh (in a resurrected body) I will see God.” The body
matters. Jesus saves the whole person – spirit and body.
And now that they have that settled,
Jesus interprets all this for them. In fact, he interprets his
entire work – his life, death and resurrection for them. He shows
them this all happened in accord with the scriptures.
that
the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the
dead, and
that
repentance
for
the
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed rin
his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You
are witnesses of these things. And
behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay
in the city until you are clothed with power from on
high.
First, Jesus connects his death and
resurrection with the message of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins. This wasn't just some circus, or dog and pony show. Jesus
didn't go to all this trouble for nothing. His death and
resurrection are the foundation for, the basis of, repentance and
forgiveness of sins.
Without the cross and the resurrection,
sin still reigns, death is our master, and the devil the prince of
this world. But with Jesus and his salvation accomplished –
repentance and forgiveness become a reality. The world's sin is
paid. Death is destroyed. And the devil's might unraveled. Men are
called to turn away from sin, and turn to Christ in faith. Children
of Adam, conceived in sin and soaked in sin's sewage are washed clean
in the blood and baptism of the Second Adam. Buried with Christ,
only to be raised with Christ. Repentance and forgiveness come, only
through the crucified and risen Christ.
Second, this message is to be
proclaimed – in Christ's name – beginning at Jerusalem. It is a
message that cannot be kept under wraps. Unlike when Jesus, early on
would heal a leper or cast out a demon and then strictly charge them
to tell no one. Now, the witnesses of the resurrection are sent.
That's what apostles are – sent ones – and it is on the
foundation of their witness, their teaching of Christ, their writing
of these gospels, their founding of churches, sealed with the blood
of their martyrdom – that Christ builds his church. And he has
done so – brick by living brick – built his one, holy, apostolic
church down through the ages, to the ends of the earth. Beginning at
Jerusalem, but ever marching on, even to here and now, even to you.
Finally, for this great task, he
doesn't leave them on their own. He will, and very soon, send the
Helper. The Promise of the Father. The One who clothes with power
from on high – the Holy Spirit. They have that Spirit already, who
works in the word and creates and sustains faith. He breathed it on
them again with the power to forgive and retain sins. But soon,
Pentecost, and he will give the Spirit yet again as the message of
the risen Christ who forgives sins will go out to every corner of
creation.
And one more thing. The same
resurrected Jesus who comes to be physically present among his
disciples, comes also into our midst today. The same Jesus who
showed them his body – gives us his body and blood. The same Jesus
who died and rose for the repentance and forgiveness of sinners, bids
you to his altar in repentance to receive his forgiveness.
He's not here to prove it to you –
for indeed, we receive him by faith. But he is here to comfort and
strengthen you, to give you that same peace. The same Jesus who ate
with his disciples now invites you to his meal, where he is both host
and feast. So welcome to the Lord's table. Seek him where he
promises to be for you – not in mystical superstitions, but in
sacramental reality. Not in superstitions of your imagination, but
in the certainty of his promise. Taste and see that the Lord is
good. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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