“To whom He also
presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being
seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
The Lenten Season for 2007 is now complete.
Good Friday is over and so is Easter. Passover was done on April 9th, and we
won’t see it again until April 20th, 2008. For most, it’s back to “business as
usual!” The churches were full at Easter, and the people might come back at
Christmas, but in between, where are they? And, where are WE? Where are OUR
hearts during the “other” times of the year?
“C-E” or “Christmas-Easter” Christians are
an anomaly. Such “Christians” were not God’s intention for this world. It wasn’t
that way for the first followers of Jesus and it shouldn’t be that way for you
and me. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, died for our sins and then rose from the dead.
And He did it in a most interesting, continuing manner.
He didn’t just pop-up and shout, “I’m
alive!” and then disappear again. Instead “He…
presented Himself alive after His suffering by many
infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). He became part of
the fabric of their lives once more. Jesus showed He was alive in many
ways and to different groups of people for more than a month, in a variety of
situations after He was raised from the dead. He was and is –
alive.
Jesus appeared daily to mere human beings
like you and me, for a period of forty days (Acts 1:3). His followers could be
inside a locked room and He would suddenly be there with them (John 20:19). His
wounds were still open and yet were healed, all at the same time (John 20:27).
He spoke with them and gave them instructions (Matthew 28:18-20). He could seem
to be someone else, but then suddenly reveal Himself and then vanish in an
instant (Luke 24:31). He was amazingly changed and yet still had “flesh
and bones” and a human-appearing body (Luke 24:39). He ate food with
them (Luke 24:43). He knew the future and revealed some of it to His listeners
(John 21:18). He was seen by “over five hundred brethren”
at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). And at the end of the forty days, He “was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).
Can you imagine how His disciples felt at
that moment? He was back, He was alive, He was with them once more! The
preceding three years, in which they had given up their careers, left their
families, and lost their standing in the community, had been vindicated by
Jesus’ return from the dead, and now He was gone once more! But He had also
given them instructions, clearly indicating what they were to do: They were to “receive
power when the Holy Spirit” came upon them, and they were to “be
witnesses to (Jesus Christ) in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Jesus is alive and that same "Holy
Spirit" is offered to us right now. He showed Himself alive
many times to His disciples and He is showing Himself alive to you right now.
“Good Friday” and “Easter” aren’t mere events to be acknowledged once a
year. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are living realities His
followers rejoiced in each and every day. And His joy is also available to you
right this minute.
In Humanity, we tend to celebrate events
without fully understanding the reality behind them. Jesus was baptized (Mark
1:9), but unlike us, He was innocent and had no personal need for baptism. He was
baptized for you and me – on our behalf. We are to learn from this – we
need to be baptized also. Not only in water, but even more important, we are to
die to our own desires in relation to this world and come alive in another. When
we are taken under the water, we enter a place where we cannot live (you cannot
breathe under water), and then we are brought up out of death into new life!
In communion, as at the Passover meal, we
celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord. We believe that He died on our
behalf, we have forgiveness for our sins, and our life is now His; not our
own. We take the matzo cracker and drink the crushed fruit of the grape,
acknowledging the ruin of His body and the shedding of His blood, which gave us
freedom, healing, redemption and forgiveness of our sins. Our part is to
believe.
Jesus washed the feet of His followers
(John 13:5) and said that we in turn “ought to wash one
another’s feet” (John 13:14). Does this mean we are to physically go up
to
other people feet and ask, “Pardon me, sir, may I wash
your feet?” You can if you want to, but it actually means more: we are to truly CARE
for others. When you see the homeless person, it may be you are being
called to meet that need. And when your neighbor doesn't know the Lord, as shown
to you by the
Holy Spirit, it may be you will help them. Can any of us do it? Can we meet the needs
of those around us? The answer is “no” because we are limited, but the
Lord in us CAN meet what is needed and more.
We are to be washed and made clean, as
represented by baptism. We are to receive the Lord and share Him with others, as
represented by communion. And we are to help others as seen in the washing of
feet. And first of all, most important of all, we are to believe the eye-witness
testimony of the hundreds of people who saw, touched, ate with and listened to
the Risen Christ. EVERY DAY we are to REJOICE that our Lord is ALIVE!
Do you love the Lord? If you do, then Good
Friday is for today. His death is for you, every moment, every day of your life.
He died for your sins, and every day is a cause for joy – forever. Easter is
also yours, today, tomorrow and for all the days of eternity. He is Alive! and
because of Him and what He has done, you also can be alive forevermore.
Baptism is an ongoing reality for you
because through faith in Christ you have given up your old life and now walk in
Him. The Passover, which we celebrate in modified form in Communion (the
Lord’s Supper), is a living reality for each and every day. We confess our sins; and
we are forgiven and made clean – daily. And let’s go ahead and wash some feet.
Believe it or not, there are others out there in humanity who need what you have
to give, and the Holy Spirit in you will enable you to MEET those needs. You can
be there for them because He is there for you. Place Your faith in the Lord
right now, and He will show Himself, His LIFE to you and in you, through “many
infallible proofs.”
Lord, thank You that Your death and Your
life is for me right now. I receive You and trust in You, now and forever.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
