Heartfelt Response

Psalm 116; Luke 24:13-35; Acts 2:36-41; 1 Peter 1:17-23

Rev. Chris Harbin, Central Baptist Church—Lowesville, VA

06 April 2008

How do we respond to important news? When spinach had been found contaminated, local restaurants pulled fresh spinach from their salad options. When certain airplanes were found to display certain safety irregularity, flights were cancelled by the FAA for inspection. When Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, many responded with aid in very creative ways. Relief efforts are still underway, close to three years later. How do our lives evidence a response to the news of Jesus’ resurrection?

When we first meet Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, he is struggling with response. Along with his fellow traveler, he did not know what to make of reports concerning Jesus and an empty tomb. In so many ways, he was in the position of Thomas, not yet having seen Jesus for himself.

Cleopas’ wife had been there at Jesus’ crucifixion. Doubtless, he knew well what had transpired. As he reports, it was the talk of the town, even among all the pilgrims swelling the Jerusalem walls for the festivals of Passover and Pentecost. He had been one of those devastated by the fact of Jesus’ death. Jesus’ death, however, had become reality in his mind. What he had not been able to process was the news pointing to the resurrection.

Oh, he knew the stories. It was still resurrection Sunday, but word had gotten to him of the early morning visit to an empty tomb. He had heard the news of angels saying Jesus was risen. He had received confirmation by other disciples that Jesus was indeed absent from the tomb. He was stuck on one point, however. The men had not seen Jesus, just the empty tomb.

It seems somewhat incredible, perhaps, that they were discussing the greatest news of all time, yet they were sad. The message they had received should have given them renewed hope, a fresh outlook, a vision of new possibilities and God’s immediate care for a greater redemption than they had anticipated. Instead of joy, however, they were captured by doubt, despair, and uncertainty. Perhaps they were just too afraid to have hope dashed once again. It is safer to remain in despair than to rise in hope that might be crushed once more.

Questioned about the theme of their discussion, it was simple enough for Cleopas to share the data of the events reported about Jesus’ death, the crushing of his own hope, talk of an empty tomb, and the message of angels. The harder part was to express how he could understand and respond to the uproar that had taken over his life with the events of the recent days.

As we would expect, Jesus’ words cut to the heart of the matter. “How can you be so foolish? How can you stand there and not trust all God’s spokesmen have announced?” I wish I could have been there for the Old Testament lesson portraying the message of Christ throughout the Scriptures! Luke does not see fit to record this treasure trove of Messiah’s foreshadowed suffering. In reality, that was not nearly as important as the message they already had. There was no sense in recording what should already have been obvious.

“How can you be so foolish as to ignore what you already claim to believe?” That is the point of Jesus’ words. As far as Luke is concerned, the specifics of Jesus’ conversation are not nearly as important as the message that was already available to them—or to us, for that matter.

In reality, they already had what they needed. They were waiting for something more, though it was not really necessary. Jesus was willing, however, to encourage them with an extra dose of teaching they were not really missing. It was time for response, not speculation, doubt, fear, curiosity, or putting the issues off for some later date. Faith and faithfulness demanded response from the heart, where the real battle was raging.

Peter’s words at Pentecost did not really convey much of anything new. He just brought together what was already common knowledge and popularly discussed. As Cleopas had mentioned, Jesus’ had been the talk of the town from weeks back. Reports of resurrection, a missing body, Jesus’ appearance to various groups of disciples had circulated widely by this time. Peter’s words were not so much news heretofore unknown. If that had been the case, no one would have listened. Peter’s speech simply called on the crowds to do something about what they had already heard.

It was time for response. It was time to do something with the news, reports, and discussion of the day. It was time to move from talk and reporting to action and heartfelt response.

Years later as Peter wrote to Jewish believers in the Diaspora, he again spoke of response. When we invoke God’s name as father, we are to live in reverence for what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. The resurrection claims that we have been changed drastically from a perishable existence into a new eternal reality. We are then to lay claim to this new life not in word, but in the deeds of living faith.

Such a living faith through the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection is to breed a response of genuine love in our lives—the same kind and quality of love that brought Jesus from eternity to a cross on our behalf.

“What must we do?” the crowds had asked Peter. “Repent and begin new lives under the Holy Spirit.” Allow ourselves to be transformed by the will and action of God in reconciling a world nailing the Christ to a cross. This is to be our heartfelt response to the resurrection news. It is to take over our living and refashion us into new creatures after the love of God in Christ Jesus.

The resurrection is not just a topic for reflection and study. It is not a theme to be analyzed and viewed for all its theoretical implications. It is not a subject for scientific and metaphysical inquiry. It is not an event for which we need more facts and information. It is a clarion call for a living response—a response that changes us from the inside out.

Cleopas had left Jerusalem to go home. The day was done with its routine of work and shopping. Routine said it was time to settle down to rest. Jesus’ encounter changed all that. He ran back to Jerusalem with a changed heart and message to share. He went back, no longer in doubt, fear, and despair, but with a fresh purpose to encourage others that hope lived in the risen Messiah.

Are our lives in Christ more than comfortable routines? Does the message of Jesus’ resurrection impact our living in greater ways than simply the topic of our discussions? Peter would remind us that our actions and habits express our response to God’s grace. Are we prepared to allow the news we claim to believe and trust to make a transforming impact in our lives? If there is no heartfelt response in our living, what good has the news of Jesus’ resurrection accomplished?

—©2008 Christopher B. Harbin

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