Luke 24:36b-48
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I, myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
Opening Prayer: Redeemer God, open our eyes to see the truth, and our ears to hear the truth, and our minds to understand your word. Amen.
A number of things are happening in the scriptures that John just read. Today we are going to focus on just two of them. We’ll call the first one “Doubt” and the second “The Commission”. In order to better understand, let’s move into the scene. We see Jesus’ disciples standing together talking when Jesus came and stood among them and offered the standard greeting to them, “Peace be with you.” The response was not the usual, “And also with you,” but rather the startled, frightened, terrified stares of his thirteen disciples. They thought they were looking at a ghost. Big problem—the disciples were filled with doubt.
Jesus thought that perhaps they didn’t understand the true nature of his resurrection. Did they not know that his body of flesh and bones, that was crucified, died, buried and resurrected on the third day was exactly the same body standing before them? Perhaps they thought it was a spirit, intent on deceiving them. These disciples, filled with fear and doubt, were not what Jesus expected or needed. That was a big problem. Doubt threatened to destroy the essential message of salvation at its very beginning.
Doubt jeopardized the nascent movement started by Jesus before it ever got off the ground. In order to get things back on track and remove the disciples’ doubt, Jesus (if you will) went to Plan B. We’ll call that the proof Jesus presents as an invitation to the disciples to examine his hands and his feet; not to look at the nail prints, but to verify that they were indeed made of real flesh and bones. He invites them to come to touch him. But no one takes him up on that so doubt remains and the first proof fails.
So on to Plan B. Part 2. The second proof confirms that Jesus is not a spirit, because he requests, and he eats food in front of them as a flesh and blood body. Did that proof remove the doubt at this point? The scripture doesn’t give us the answer, so let’s think of what’s at stake if these doubts are not removed. The answer is everything for Christians. The belief in the redemption we received through Jesus’ death and resurrection is very simply bedrock essential. It must be the foundation of all that we believe and the scriptures so essential for the eyewitnesses and for all those who believe in him to understand. That means essential for the disciples, who were standing in his presence, as well as for us today. If Jesus’ story is going to survive, the eyewitnesses to the events of those three critical days must believe that the forgiveness everyone needs is only available to us because of Jesus’ death and resurrection of the same body. Without that full understanding, there is no story to tell.
We ask again, “What’s at stake if their doubts are not removed?” And now we understand, it’s everything we believe in as Christians. Is Jesus ever able to remove the questions that they have in their minds? Remove the fear? Remove the doubts? Well, let’s reread verse 45: “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” Jesus had the answer. He supplied the answer. He removed the doubts. What they saw with their own eyes was true. This was the same body, the same person, they knew before his death. Doubts were removed. Problems were solved.
Now that Jesus knows the apostles have a full and true understanding of death and resurrection, let’s move our focus to the Commission. Christ has given the Commission to these eyewitnesses. We no longer have to call them disciples. Now they become apostles. They are living witnesses to the fact that Christ rose.
Let’s refresh our understanding of what we’re talking about when we say a commission. A commission is the act of granting authority. A commission is the act of charging a group of persons with a specific function, a special purpose. A commission is the act of empowering. Jesus authorizes his disciples to speak for him. He gives them very specific functions. They are to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. Let’s listen to that commission again. The apostles are to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. He gives them the power to do this and promises them that a power booster, the Holy Spirit, will be sent to them. The fact that we are worshipping that same Jesus bears witness to the success of the commission that Jesus gave them. Commissions have been carried out by Christians for over 2,000 years. Our church follows Christ’s example and continues the practice of commissioning in his name. John, you know about commissions. You witnessed many of them here. Would you tell us some about them?
Certainly, thanks Marilyn. I love the word “commission.” It’s one of those English words that has a lot of subtlety and multiple meanings. And, in this context, specifically, it’s a powerful word. Not many words can be used as both a noun and verb. For example, the first thing a lot of financial people will think of in regards to commission, is the percentage you pay a real estate agent when you sell your house. Another way to describe commission is in the military when you are commissioned to a new rank, like an Officer.
But that’s not obviously the context here. One dictionary definition of commission is: a group of people officially charged with a particular function. And, that’s the context that we are using here. Jesus gave his followers the commission to love one another and spread the Gospel of love and faithfulness and resurrection. And we continue to commission believers today in some of these instances through our ordination of deacons and elders. We commission them to carry out all the missions of our church and support our congregation. We also commission elders to represent our congregation at Presbytery and sometimes, also, at Synod or general assembly meetings and gatherings.
We commission members to carry out specific mission work. Sometimes that work takes us far afield to places like Kenya where we’ve, as a Presbyterian congregation, done and supported a tremendous amount of work over there, and also have commissioned folks to go out and work closer to home. We’ve commissioned some of our young people and some of their elders to go with them to support people in our own community and communities in this country who have been impacted by natural disasters or just extreme poverty. We also commission members of this congregation who have stepped up to that commission to feed the hungry locally by supporting our Loaves and Fishes mission downstairs, which is, a great success, but unfortunate that people have to get food from us for free, but we are commissioned to do that. We also commission the whole congregation at times and that usually happens at baptisms. We ask them to provide support to the parents and help the newly baptized to learn the ways of faith and love. But lastly, most Sundays we are dismissed with a benediction and that benediction is a commission in God’s name to all of us to go out and spread the Gospel.
Thank you, John, and now may all of us react with joy and praise that we are always commissioned to spread the good news through our words and deeds. Amen.