After his crucifixion,
according to Luke, the disciples were trying to sort out the meaning of the
reports they had received about appearances of the risen Jesus. It was most
confusing, maybe a hoax. But suddenly Jesus himself stood among them, saying, "Why
are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands
and my feet; see that it is I myself..." Luke tells us that, "Even in
their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering." It was too
wonderful to be true! He was dead, yet now alive and with them. No wonder they
had difficulty believing. Some persons still have that problem today. Many
desperately want to believe but something holds them back. So, says Jesus, "See
my hands and my feet..." See if it’s not I who is with you.
From
frightened and uncertain men marked by doubt and envy, the disciples developed
courage and purpose. How about you? What difference has been made in your life
by seeing the hands and feet of the risen Christ? By knowing He is with you?
Has it caused you to take more seriously your discipleship? Has it had an
effect on the goals you have set for your life? Harold Kushner tells about a
young man who left home to find fame and fortune in Hollywood. He had three
dreams when he set out: to see his name in lights, to own a Rolls Royce, and to
marry a beauty contest winner. By the time he was thirty, he had done all
three, but he was a deeply depressed, in spite of, or perhaps because of, his
dreams coming true. By thirty, he had run out of goals. What was there for him
to do with the rest of his life? Those who have seen the hands and feet
of the risen Christ and live their lives in the light of eternity never run out
of a purpose, God’s purpose. "See my hands and my feet..." Follow me.
-DJ
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