“To All The Nations…”

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Luke 24:36-48

Third Sunday of Easter B

April 30, 2006

Luke 24:36-48

[Lk 24:36] While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” [37] But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. [38] And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? [39] “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” [40] And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. [41] While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” [42] They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; [43] and He took it and ate it before them.

[44] Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” [45] Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, [47] and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [48] “You are witnesses of these things.”

Luke 24:36-38

“Peace be with you”

In our review of this event through John’s eyes [John 20:19-31], we already learned that the peace of Jesus is an alien peace to our culture. We tend to think peace as the absence of chaos or conflict; the peace of Jesus brings strength and courage in the midst of life’s confusion.

Here is a fuller example of the term, “peace be with you,” given from David at the end of his reign to Solomon at the beginning of his:

1 Chronicles 28:20

[1Ch 28:20] Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

That whole first sentence, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you,” is the literal translation of the term “Shalowm le chizaq,” or, “Peace be with you.”

“Why are you troubled?”

The words here are very interesting, “Why are you ‘troubled [GSN5015 tarasso],’” comes from a term that would be used for a boat on the sea tossed about by the wind. The term for doubt [GSN1261 dialogismos] is a term that literally translates into “two words” or, even more appropriately, “dueling beliefs,” and “double-mindedness.”

Let’s look at how James’ treats the topic:

James 1:5-8

[Jas 1:5] But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [6] But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, [8] being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Doubt (dueling beliefs) makes us like a worthless vessel. It is a huge problem in our culture. With so many opposing beliefs (or opinions) we can’t possibly commit to relationships, community, or a common purpose. We are a culture lost at sea.

Not only that, but we tend to have dueling beliefs about the most worthless of issues. We are losing a generation of children to hopelessness and apathy while churches are dividing over predestination and carpet colors. We’ve given up justice for theology and righteousness for membership drives. We may spend forty days on purpose but we’ll spend the other 325 days arguing over the music in worship.

Jesus’ first battle in the church was with doubt and that battle is yet to be won. Why are we rudderless? Why do we dual over the frivolous? The Lord has dawned and we’re still debating over the best way to make a ritual out of it. We’re not only lost, but we’re lost over the wrong issues.

Here are the issues:

1. Did Christ rise?

2. Has death been conquered?

3. Didn’t he commission us to carry that great news to the world?

So, why are we still debating over carpet colors in the upper room? Let’s get to work!

Luke 24:39-43

[39] “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” [40] And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. [41] While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” [42] They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; [43] and He took it and ate it before them.

“Have you anything here to eat?”

Look at how far Jesus is willing to go to reveal himself to the assembled men and women. He wants them to clearly know that “God is in the house!” Not a concept, not an hallucination, not a bad piece of Passover lamb that made everyone delusional; this was the living, breathing, touchable, dining, Jesus Christ who had come back from the dead.

Is that the same Jesus I know? Is my Jesus tangible and real, does he share every part of my life or do I only conjure him up when I need comfort? Ever since that day, two millennia ago, the way that the real, living, Jesus has chosen to walk into other’s living rooms and share their meals was through us. Am I carrying that Jesus into the homes of those around me?

Luke 24:44-48

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures

Do we want Jesus to open up our minds to understand the scriptures? Then here’s what we must do; hold on to our belief in Jesus’ power to reach beyond the parameters of our closed minds. It is an enticing trade: Our small, close-minded world of anger and blame exchanged for the freedom of forgiveness and opening of our hearts to God’s word.

Jesus is the key, not only to understanding scripture, but to making sense of life. He is the sacrifice that shows how much God loves us—even beyond our faults and our falsehood. Don’t we want our world opened up to that vision? Don’t we want our vision opened up to that reality?

We can still touch the wounds of Jesus when we touch those who are broken; “See his wounds, given freely for you?”

We can still dine with him whenever we dine with those are afraid and lonely; “Share his body; broken and blessed for you.”

This is the very real Jesus who longs to show up in our lives everyday. Have we touched him recently? Have we dined at his table? He is risen, waiting, and asking; “Have you anything here to eat?”

“That repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His nam.”

Here is how Jesus opens our minds to the scripture; no scripture ends in self-focus. The focus of all scripture is on taking (proclaiming) the forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations. Let’s look at some of these critical terms:

· Repentance [GSN3341 metanoia] for forgiveness [GSN859 aphesis] of sins [GSN266 hamartia]

Here we have some highly maligned worlds that seem very judgmental when used by many Christians today. Nothing could be further from the truth. Repentance means a greater knowledge or deeper intimacy. Forgiveness means; “Your debts been paid and you’re free to go home.” Sin is not so much an action as a way of living that leads to emptiness.

How could we best describe this incredible statement of Jesus? “Move in to the neighborhood and help people find a better way of living that is filled with an intimacy of a loving, forgiving God.”

That’s our ministry; that’s what we are to preach to others. So how are we to preach?

· Proclaiming [GSN2784 kerusso]

This is the word for preaching. Notice how it is given to all in the room—and it is not just the “guys” who are there. Jesus doesn’t say, “Oh, except for you women here.” Nor, does he say except for the elderly (surely Mary was there) or except for you kids (it was Mark’s upstairs so he was probably there too). Everyone was called to proclaim.

To proclaim also means to forward (pro) own (claim or take ownership).

Preaching is not just speaking at people; it is sharing in their lives. We preach loudest when we step down from a podium and into the everyday life of those around us.

We are the people called to share meals with those hungry and lonely. We are the people called to BE a proclamation of God’s forgiveness and inclusion. We can blame no one else if the world is a hostile place towards children or the elderly. We can point fingers at no other entity if there is genocide, war, and poverty in our world. We are the ones sent to BE the great news.

If the world—or my family, or my neighborhood, or my community—is becoming more divisive it is because we as Christ-Followers are dual-minded and focused on the wrong call. We are the called people.

“To all the nations”

Finally, Jesus ends his commission with a clear call of who we are to go out and be good news to. The word for “nations [GSN1484 ethnos]” actually means “all ethnic groups except your own.” To the Hebrew, the word would be “goys,” quite literally it would translate into the “other” people; those “heathens.”

While God’s people at that time were condemning the “others” Christ was calling his people to go to them. And… he was calling us to go to them to:

· Share meals with them;

· Move into their neighborhoods;

· Proclaim God’s forgiveness by being first among the joyful givers.

Does that sound like the benediction in your church? Are we closing our gatherings by sending people out with the same mission, passion, and enthusiasm as Jesus Christ? “Get out there, get among those ‘heathens’ and love them until they see the joy of God alive!”

Copyright Notice

“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.”

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