Eastertide
As we are now about halfway between Easter and Ascension Day, I reflect on this 40 day period that our risen Lord spent with his disciples. During this period Jesus taught them more regarding his death, which they had not understood, and of his resurrection, which they had witnessed!
It always strikes me as strange that in many west European countries Ascension Day is a public holiday, while here in North America it hardly gets any notice. Even the name “Christi Himmelfahrt" (in German) or “Hemelvaartsdag” (in Dutch) points very clearly to this very needed event, while here in Grand Rapids “Ascend” is used to draw attention to a pot shop (And the arrow in their logo points downward…).
I say this was a very needed event because our risen Lord used these 40 days to explain to the disciples where he was going. Oh, what heart break it must have been for the group that, after just getting used to the Savior being in their midst again, he was going to leave them!
We read in John 20 that our Lord appeared to the apostles many times during that period. Can you picture what took place? Here all the brothers were together after the crucifixion, fearful of what the Jewish leaders would do next. Would they send the Roman soldiers (who were no choirboys) after them as well?
Think of the upheaval when the women came back from the grave having found the tomb empty, and told Peter and John. We read of the disciples not understanding what this meant going forward UNTIL he himself appeared to them that same evening. Think of what Peter must have felt when Jesus, whom he had betrayed only the week before, stood in front of him and said, “Peace be with you”.
Let’s go further in this 40 day period to when they had gone back to the job they knew, fishing. Then the Lord appeared to them and we read how he took Peter aside. “Do you love me?”, was the question to Peter and to all of us. “Do you truly love me?”
As an aside, the same Don Francisco, whom I referred to on Easter Sunday and who wrote the song, “Adam, Where Are You”, also wrote a song titled, “He is Alive” which describes Peter bursting forth with this confession and joyful release of all his fear and guilt. “He is alive and I am forgiven, Heaven’s gates are open wide, He is alive!”
May this be our confession as we gather this Sunday and every day of our lives.
Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash