peter and john ran to it, john faster, but they both ran. and peter, all the way in . . . as close as he could get.
thomas doubted it. "unless i see . . .", he said.
we all come to the resurrected Christ in different ways.
some come to Him by surprise . . . living life as normal as possible, going here and there preparing their days when unexpectedly they are greeted by grace. angels tell them that true life, and true fulfillment do not lie where they are looking for them. they are elsewhere, in a man, the risen Christ.
others run to Him . . . again, by grace, some have been told of Jesus, of his power over death and that He gives life. and they run. having been renewed in their heart the at once drop everything that they know and run to embrace the miracle of Christ.
others need proof . . . like thomas, there are those who just need to see a little bit more--touch the hands and feet. "many impostors have tried to do the same." they say. and they are right. we chide thomas a bit, doubt is not faith. but sometimes me miss that Jesus does not chide him, He merely says, "see, and believe." and thomas does.
Jesus meets us where we are. He comes to us in our sickness and in our poverty. He comes to us in our broken homes and in our failed relationships. He comes to us when our hope is lost and our world has fallen apart. He's the eye of the hurricane, the peace in the storm. but most of all, He comes to us "while we are still sinners." the life of the Christian starts when the God of the universe condescends to mankind, enters the warm lake of humanity and stirs its waters. He became like us so He could save us. the redemptive purposes of God reach farther than walking an aisle and making our lives "happier." it reaches farther than my immediate need for relationship and your immediate need for a better home life. God's salvation is bigger than my financial needs and your job situation. our focus is so "us" centered that we miss the bigger picture. we miss that God is redeeming all of creation, a creation of which we are only part. in this vast universe we are but a microscopic part . . .
. . . yet it's much bigger, too. it was us who screwed this whole thing up. it was man who decided to be his own God and eat the fruit. it was man who needed to build bigger buildings, earn more money, achieve better status. we have made ourselves in to demi-gods, and that is the reason for all the mess . . . and it's the reason God had to become man. Jesus had to take on the full punishment and judgement of God for Him to redeem the whole of creation.
consider the universe and consider that it was us who brought the whole thing into ruin. and so it is us who needed saving first, so the rest could be saved later. He made us for relationship with Him and we threw it in the garbage. yet He still entered into it with us. reaching His hand down into the darkest parts of our lives and gently revives our hearts and breathes, again, His life into us. we are the new creation. He's started over. He's going to fix all that we messed up.
and it started today:
"He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Colossians 1.13-18
Happy Easter!
