UNRECOGNIZABLE

We have just celebrated Easter. It’s become popular for contemporary Christians to label it “Resurrection Sunday”. I agree with the categorization but disagree with the undertone that often accompanies it. Use of that label often carries a note of instruction that those who say Happy Easter don’t get it like those of us more authentic Christians who “do” get it. If you catch yourself saying “happy Easter” you must bite your tongue and re-state your greeting for fear of being classed as one of those who worships "hunted" eggs, chocolate bunnies and a certain disgusting (in my humble opinion) Cadbury egg that appears on checkout counters once each year.

The origin of the word “Easter” is debated. Some scholars believe that the word comes from the name of a pagan goddess of springtime or for dawn (e.g. sunrise in the “east” …). Others find connections to the Hebrew word for Passover. From my research I believe the latter, which means that Easter is appropriate for use by any “reformed” Jew - of which all Christians should consider themselves.

As “reformed”/”grafted-in” Jews, the Passover Lamb is replaced by our Lord who is our Passover Lamb - Jesus Christ. In fulfillment of the scriptures, our Passover Lamb is sacrificed for us, is resurrected, alive and seated at the right hand of God to come again one day with His Bride (the Church) to claim His kingdom on earth and reign for a thousand years. The uniqueness of our faith has two essential parts; the blood of the lamb that reconciles us and the power of His resurrection that is the power of re-creation and eternal life. In our faith Easter is victory over death. Easter is the promise of forgiveness, reconciliation with our Creator and eternal life.

Yes, I know – everybody gets that. Or do they?

I noticed that the musical “Jesus Christ Super Star” was broadcasted live on television on Easter evening. What a disappointment. No doubt, millions viewed that broadcast. Many viewers probably thought that they had a spiritual experience watching it. Maybe they had a religious experience but there was nothing Christian about it. Andrew Lloyd Webber stole a story line from the Bible, truncated it and misrepresented it in blasphemous fashion. It's too bad that any viewers who thought they could replace true faith with the experience of a few hours of emotional entertainment are literally “dead” wrong. Deceived by a counterfeit.  In the climax of the rock opera musical, the character playing Jesus is whisked up, up and away on a cross against a blinding bright light and that is it. The end, show’s over folks, go home. That is the end – according to Webber and all “JC Super Star” believers. Jesus, a good man who did a lot of good things and said a lot of profound things dies and that’s it. What a shame – right? Actors and audience crying. The sting of tears. “Oh death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting?”(Hosea 13 and 1 Corinthians 15). Death’s victory and sting are intact by that account. But, the music has a good beat, the base is solid and the words rhyme – so it must be gospel. Talk about taking the Lord’s name in vain.

This is what happened. Jesus was crucified and He died. Through Him the sins of the world were nailed to that cross. His Spirit immediately went to Paradise (Heaven). Recall Jesus’s brief conversation with the other condemned man with whom he was crucified? Jesus’s lifeless body is taken off of the cross and is quickly embalmed, wrapped and entombed in order to observe the Sabbath. On the third day His lifeless body miraculously comes to life, He walks out of the tomb. He walks among the people AGAIN for 40 days (witnessed by hundreds - not everyone) before being transformed into a perfect body and ascending up to heaven (in front of a few devout witnesses). This is a continuation of His first coming. He is victorious. Death is defeated. Death has no sting. We are ransomed and redeemed from death through Jesus Christ Who is the plague and the destroyer of death. (Hosea 13:14).

To Mary Magdalene, to two dejected believers on the road back to their home in Emmaus and to eleven disciples cowering in a place where the doors were shut and they were assembled Jesus appears in bodily form. But there’s a hitch. No one seems to have immediately recognized Jesus when He appeared to them after His death on the Cross. He is unrecognizable!

Even after showing up and then disappearing and then showing up again on the shore one morning after a night of fruitless fishing – Jesus is initially unrecognizable.

I often wondered why no one re-arrested Jesus after the resurrection if he was truly showing up as the historical Bible accounts record. This explains it – He was unrecognizable. He showed up un-recognizably, spoke or broke some bread, was recognized, imparted some wisdom or instructions, then disappeared. This happen several times. The Bible says that their eyes were opened.

I don’t think that anyone who was NOT a true believer saw or recognized Jesus during those 40 days. The eyes of unbelievers were not opened. Only believers saw or recognized Jesus. The book of Matthew even records that soldiers reported the disappearance of Jesus’s body to the chief priests and they responding by bribing the soldiers to report that the body was stolen. Why do that if there was hard, eye-witness, evidence that Jesus walked and could be recaptured? Why risk Jesus showing up alive somewhere? There was no evidence amongst unbelievers that Jesus was resurrected, only that his body was missing. By Jesus’s own actions, He proved He was not afraid of the authorities. He never begged for His life nor offered any defense to save Himself during His “trial”. They would not think He was alive and hiding somewhere or scurried off to a foreign land to live out His life in fear of being discovered.

I think we do not see what we do not truly believe. Unbelief is blind. I think Jesus walked about, wounds and all, in plain view, unseen, unrecognized. Except for a few ...

But Jesus is gracious and He knows our heart even when we don’t. He comes close and whispers our name or breaks bread with us in some familiar, intimate way that we recognize it is Him. And He is alive and we see. He whispers and we see Him.

If you are a blood bought Christian, baptized by the Holy Spirit it is no longer you who lives but Christ in you. Are you recognizable? How ought you be?

Blessings,

Bill