The Third Sunday of Easter: The 'compulsory' reading from Acts 9:

Acts 9:1-20 (NRSV)

The Conversion of Saul

¹Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’⁵He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ ⁷The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ ¹¹The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ ¹³But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ ¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul Preaches in Damascus

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’

(I am indebted to Professor William Barclay for guiding me through this passage for this reflection).

My text is written in Acts 9:10:

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’

I think Paul’s experience of the execution of Stephen must have had a huge impact on him. The vehemence with which he set out to silence the Christians in Damascus would suggest that, as often is the case, one’s opposition to something can be the result of one’s realising that there must be some truth in what one is opposing. The more this truth seems convincing, the more strenuous become the opposition. Albert Winn writes:

“Unable to forget Stephen, Saul transferred his guilt into hostility against all the disciples of the Lord and tried to silence his conscience by feverish activity.”

Saul was also steeped in the Scriptures and so he would have known – deep down – that Jesus did in fact fit the Biblical prophecies of the Messiah. Paul’s experience took place about three years after the Resurrection and so he certainly would have had time to ponder all that had happened since then.

And then he is granted permission to go on his mission of getting rid of the Christians. The journey would have taken a few days and this would have given Saul time to think. And suddenly he has this amazing experience – the culmination of everything – and a great turning point in his life. Not all conversions need to be as dramatic as this.

Secondly, this part of the retelling of the Conversion of Paul introduces us to an interesting and gracious character: Ananias, an ordinary Christian used by God for great purpose. Barclay comments:

“If it is true that the Church owes Paul to the Prayer of Stephen, it is also true that the Church owes Paul to the brotherliness of Ananias.”

I love the intimacy he had with our Lord. I am amazed at his response: “Here I am Lord” – which echoes the experience of Samuel in the Temple. But there is also the challenge, the discussion, the questioning of what our Lord asked him to do. Again, Barclay paraphrases the incident well:

“Go and help the man who came here to throw you into prison and who would have liked to murder you.” He might so well have approached Paul with suspicion, as one who was doing an unpleasant task; he might so well have begun with recriminations and blame; but no; his first words are “Brother Saul.”

This is one of the finest examples of Christian love and forgiveness that characterises the Christian life; it is the sort of forgiveness that can only result from the outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit – for it is not something that either comes naturally nor can be summoned up through a deliberate act of the human will. We see this throughout the history of the Church.

“…be filled with the Holy Spirit …” Ananias says to Saul. What joy! In one important sense, are not our ‘infillings’ just another way of referring to kairoi moments? But, how often do we ask: “Lord, fill me again with your Holy Spirit?” in my case, not nearly enough!

There seems to be little doubting Paul’s enthusiasm as “… immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’”

This is the essence of all Christian teaching. We take note of Jesus because he was no mere mortal, no mere ethical teacher, no mere great and profound philosopher: ‘He is the Son of God.’ Paul’s message caused amazement because his reputation had gone before him; he was well known as an opponent of The Way and the people would have known that he had travelled to Damascus in order to silence this new Jewish sect and return them to the ‘truth’ of their faith. Even more, they also knew that Paul felt so strongly about this that he was willing to go to extreme measures to stop this ‘heresy’ – he had been part to the execution of Stephen after all. Now he was espousing their teachings!

I can just imagine his conviction, and the forcefulness of his argument. He was convinced and he would have made this very clear. His argument would have been – to him at least – watertight, and probably, like my early Christian days, not far from the bombastic verging on the arrogant. And so, instead of winning many over for the Lord, they were alienated and plotted to kill him and he had to escape by night by being lowered down in a basket through an opening in the wall.

This is one of the many examples of the fact that, because we read something in Scripture, and because a saint performed such things, it does not necessarily mean that we should always follow their example. I believe that in Paul’s early ministry here, he got things wrong (and from reading Galatians 1:15-24 where Paul gives his own account, I believe he would agree that he had).

On leaving Damascus he went to Arabia where he collected his thoughts and reflected on what had happened and was able to find both perspective and direction for the way forward. Barclay writes:

Into Paul’s life there had come this shattering change and just for a little time he had to be alone with God. Before him there stretched a new and different life. Therefore first of all Paul sought God.

And over the years, he got what he needed in bucket loads. Don’t you simply love the clarity of his thought as revealed in his letters to the Churches? He originally spoke of Jesus as ‘… the Son of God …’ but this became

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in^* him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in^* him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

It is almost as if God chose Paul, the great theologian of the Scriptures, to provide us with the first systematic theology; to be the one who would make sense out of the life, ministry, death and Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For indeed, if we understand Paul, we understand what Jesus is all about. Some have gone so far as to suggest that his letter to the Romans is the key that unlocks all of Scripture.

Entering into debates is not the best way of getting people to come to know our Lord, no matter how good we think our arguments are. We need clarity of thought and we need to be taught and to teach others so that we can grow in our faith; but we need to earn the right to speak. Eventually Paul came to this understanding and the power of the effective Christian witness preached – not through words – but through holiness of life before words spoken or written. Writing his second letter to the Church in Corinth he states:

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:1-2)

I am so grateful that Our Lord plucked me from the fire; I am so grateful that I have been given the privilege of a direct and intimate relationship with God, that the creator and sustainer of the universe knows and loves little, imperfect and insignificant me. And what is more He is there for all who would receive Him.

We need to live lives that are so holy and filled with God’s love that people want to know what it is about us that makes us different. While being filled with a deep sense of joy as I write these words, I am also convicted by the fact that my life so often falls short. But I also know that God is able to do more than we can ever ask or think and so I go forward in hope and renewed and forgiven to live and work to His praise and Glory.

The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-end (NRSV)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

Jesus and Thomas

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin^*), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ ²⁸Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ ²⁹Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe^* that Jesus is the Messiah,^* the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

This week (with the aid of William Barclay, J C Ryle, John Suggit and John Marsh) I reflect on verses 19-23; Jesus appears to his disciples:

To the modern reader, these opening verses present some difficulty. John takes care to include the detail that the doors were closed and securely locked and Jesus was still able to enter. Ryle comments:

“Like all the events which followed our Lord’s resurrection, there is much in the facts before us which is mysterious, and requires reverent handling.”

To try to explain them – according to Ryle – leads to ‘… unprofitable speculation. … We shall find it safer and wiser to confine our attention to points which are plain and instructive …’

The disciples returned to the upper room where they had shared the Last Supper with Jesus. Now, however, they were terrified because they knew that the Jewish authorities were on the warpath to eliminate even the memory of Jesus. Would it be the rest of them next? Barclay writes:

“So, they were meeting in terror, listening fearfully for every step on the stair and for every knock at the door, lest the emissaries of the Sanhedrin should come to arrest them too.”

Into their midst Jesus suddenly appeared and greeted them with the words: “Peace be with you …”

These would have been loaded with meaning for the disciples gathered here. Ryle comments:

“He spoke, we may be sure, with special reference to the events of the last few days, and with special reference to their future ministry. ‘Peace’ and not blame, - ‘peace’ and not fault-finding, - ‘peace’ and not rebuke, - was the first word which this little company heard from their Master’s lips, after He left the tomb.’

This is entirely in keeping with our Lord’s ministry. ‘Peace on earth’  was the song sung at Jesus’ birth, and peace and rest for the human soul was the essence of what Jesus had taught over the past three years of the disciples’ experience. Ryle suggests that it is ‘peace’ that Jesus intended to be the key-note to the Christian ministry and Jesus wanted this to be central to the Christian message of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that what Jesus came to earth to give is peace between humankind and God as he wrote in the opening verses of chapter 5 of his letter to the Romans:

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

This is indeed the essence of the Gospel. We, like the disciples who met in the Upper Room on this occasion, so often get things terribly wrong and we find ourselves fearful and full of guilt as a result. Just as Jesus entered into their presence in a miraculous way on this occasion, so he miraculously comes to meet us where we are and gives us the same message. “It’s okay, I forgive you, peace be with you…”

It is interesting to note how Jesus provided this gathering with excellent evidence that it was in fact he who had risen from the dead: he showed them his hands and his side. He invited them to see with their own eyes that he had a real, material body and that he was no ghost or spirit. Ryle comments:

“… great … was the principle which He established for the use of His Church in every age until He returns. That principle is; that our Master requires us to believe nothing that is contrary to our senses. Things above our reason we must expect to find in a religion that comes from God, but not things contrary to reason.”

And then Jesus commissioned them: “As the father sent me, so I send you …” And he equipped them for the task as he breathes on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit …”

The Church is now the presence of Jesus in the world – as Paul explains in Ephesians 1:23 and 1 Corinthians 12:12) - we are ‘… the Body of Christ …’ It is our task to take the message of peace to all people. The Church is the mouth of God to speak and reveal God’s message to the peoples of the world. But we need to remain united with Christ for without this we have no power, no support, no strength. We need to nurture our relationship with God through the study of the Word and the faithful offering of the Sacraments. It is this relationship that matters and here it requires obedience and perfect love. Barclay writes:

“The Church must never be out to propagate her message; she must be out to propagate the message of Christ. She must never be out to follow man-made policies; she must be out to follow the will of Christ.”

To fulfil our commission we must always rely on the witness and testimony of the Holy Spirit which is that which makes us – transforms us – into the image of Christ, both as individuals and as a gathering of the Church.

John reminds us that at creation what gave humankind the image of God was God breathing into them (Genesis 2:7) Ezekiel (37:9) saw the  same thing in the valley of the dead, dry bones until God breathes life into them. The coming of the Holy Spirit is like the wakening of life from the dead and when it fills the Church she is recreated and equipped for her task. Without it, the Church simply does her own work and dies.

We have the lovely message of peace and with it comes the essential message of forgiveness. Only God can forgive sins, but we are given the power and authority to act as God’s agents and thus able to say to those who are truly penitent: “Your sins are forgiven!” Barclay concludes: “This sentence lays down the duty of the Church to convey forgiveness to the penitent in heart and to warn the impenitent that they are forfeiting the mercy of God.”

For Thomas, the Cross was what he expected. When Jesus had mentioned that they were going to Bethany after the raising of Lazarus, remember what Thomas had said: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). He was not lacking in courage; he probably just considered himself to be a realist (and a pessimist). There was no doubt that he loved Jesus because he was willing to go with him to Jerusalem and die, even when the other disciples expressed their reluctance. What happened was just as he expected and he was broken-hearted, to such an extent that he felt the need to be alone with his grief. So, when Jesus appeared in the Upper Room, Thomas was not there. When he was given the news, he refused to believe it because it seemed to be too good to be true and he needed more, because he probably could not cope with having false hopes dashed yet again.

A week passed and Jesus appeared again – this time – Thomas was there. Jesus knew just what Thomas needed and repeated the words that Thomas had used himself, inviting him to do as he wanted: ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’(verse 27)Thomas was thrilled and exclaimed: ‘My Lord, and my God.’(Verse 28)

Barclay suggests that we can learn the following from the experience of Thomas:

(i)                  He made the mistake of withdrawing from the Christian fellowship and as a result missed meeting with Jesus. There are certain things that we can only experience when we are an integral part of the Christian fellowship. The modern notion of not needing to go to church to be a Christian is a folly. We can only know God’s blessing when we are part of his body here on earth. Barclay comments: “… we should seek the fellowship of Christ’s people for it is there that we are likeliest of all to meet him face to face.”

(ii)                Thomas was a man of virtue: He refused to claim to understand when he did not and this sort of honesty is good. Lord Tennyson wrote: “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds.” And when he was sure, he went the whole way exclaiming “My Lord and my God.” Thomas doubted in order to be sure. Barclay comments: “… When a man fights his way through his doubts to the conviction that Jesus is Lord, he has attained to a certainty that the man who unthinkingly accepts can never reach.”

I believe the Lord inspired John to include this because Thomas reflects the experiences of so many. Thomas thought he needed physical evidence, but it is plain from John’s account that he did not accept the offer to touch the wounds of Jesus. As John Marsh explains: “He had learnt in the mere ‘seeing’ of the glorified Lord that sense and sight were not the sufficient things he supposed. In a strangely paradoxical way he had found through seeing that seeing was not believing.” So often people today think that if Jesus were to become physically present to them, it would be easier for them to believe. This is not so, because the only way that belief is possible is through the work of the Holy Spirit. There were no real advantages for the disciples in seeing Jesus because (as Marsh adds) “… physical seeing can be as seriously questioned as any other experience of sense …” This is why Jesus concludes with the words: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (verse 29b)

Verses 30 and 31 are crucial in our understanding of the Gospel, because they give us insight into the paradigm of the Gospel writers – their philosophy – as it were. It seems very clear that John (and the others) did not set out to provide a detailed account of the life and ministry of Jesus. They are selective, choosing what for them are some of the things that will give us a deep and significant insight into who Jesus was, what he was like and the sort of things Jesus said and did. The Gospels are not meant to be biographies of Jesus, but documents designed to encourage people to faith – or Barclay puts it – ‘… Their aim was, not to give information, but to give life …’ Their bias is clear and honest. Barclay continues:

It was to paint such a picture of Jesus that the reader would be bound to see that the person who could speak and teach and act and heal like this could be none other than the Son of God; and that in that belief he might find the secret of real life.

This means that, if we approach the Gospels, expecting to find biography or history, we ‘… approach them in the wrong spirit …’ Rather we must come to them seeking God. This does not mean that they are worthless as historical or biographical works, because they are filled with important information and increasingly, people are finding them to be works of massive literary importance as well. All this remains true – but they are also much, much more.

There were many other signs which Jesus did, but John had made a selection to help the reader and informs his readers of the basis of his choice. Marsh suggests that it is highly probable that John knew of the existence of the Synoptic Gospels or at least a source used by the synoptic writers – probably a source of his own as well. He wanted to help people – all people – even those who find belief difficult (the Thomas’ of this world) – to be able to come to faith in Jesus. He wants this to happen because it has been his experience (and the experience of others) that to believe means to have life in Jesus name. John has spoken of praying in Jesus’ name. This means much more than just ending a prayer “In Jesus’ name we pray…” it means ‘… offering prayer in Jesus Christ, as if the believer were his Lord, and his prayer the prayer of his Lord.’ So, to have life in Jesus’ name is to share his life, to become identified with him to the extent that Jesus’ eternal life becomes the life of the believer as well.  Life becomes sharing the life of God – as Marsh puts it – ‘… in his eternal felicity and bliss …’

The events as recorded in John’s Gospel all happened. I do not believe that the Gospel writers simply made them up. But they are not meant to be taken exclusively literally. John Suggit writes:

“The signs – words and narratives – used in the scriptures are what constitute poetry, in the widest sense of the term, not of course in the sense that they are untrue, but because they enable believers to receive the word not simply as an opportunity to participate in it, to become creative (poiesis – creation) in giving it meaning for themselves and for others so as to be changed and transformed by it.”

SOME THOUGHTS FOR AN EASTER SERMON

We are in Wales for Holy Week without internet connection. Palm Sunday reflection is below

The first day of the week.

                                                                 Luke 24:1-12.

Luke 24.1-12 (NRSV)

The Resurrection of Jesus

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

My text is written in Luke 24.12:

¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Verses 1-12 describe what happened on that first Easter morning in the garden of the tomb where Jesus had been laid to rest. When the women arrived at the tomb, they found that the stone that had been placed in front of the entrance had been rolled away. They were worried about what this meant and were frightened by what they saw - two men whose appearance shone greeted them with the news that Jesus had risen from death:

⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen (vs 4-5).

For them, this was the straw that broke the camel's back - they never understood Jesus' betrayal, his crucifixion, nor this resurrection - everything was equally perplexing to them. But the angels reminded them of what Jesus had taught them:

⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words ... (vs 6-8)

Jesus had warned them that he would be delivered into the hands of evil people and would be crucified and that he would rise again on the third day. Luke adds in verse 8: ‘Then they remembered what Jesus had said.’

Nothing that ever happened to Jesus did so without his prior explanation to the disciples - but the disciples - like all humans - forgot and needed to be reminded. In the world today, the words of Jesus are freely available through the Bible which has been translated into just about every language and dialect in the world, but many tend to forget and so it becomes vital that the church reminds the world of our Lord's teachings and show how they remain relevant for all generations.

Another significant lesson we learn from this passage is the fact that, like the disciples, our ignorance of our Lord's teachings often leads to unnecessary confusion. The first step in our salvation is to realise and acknowledge that life does not make sense unless we accept Jesus and his teachings as the central feature of our lives. In the midst of unnecessary suffering, Christians need to spread Christ's teachings and remind people in the same way that the angels reminded these women: "Remember, Jesus told you ..."

McBride reminds us that none of the Gospel narratives actually recounts the rising of Jesus because no one was actually there to witness it. All the Gospel narratives can do is register the fact of the empty tomb and the resurrection appearances. The empty tomb by itself does not make for adequate evidence for the resurrection because all it can do is bear witness – like an empty room – that no one was there. And there can be a number of explanations as people have tried to explain over the thousands of years since then: the disciples could have stolen the body and hid it somewhere so that they could ­claim that Jesus has risen; dogs might have eaten the body etc. There have been many others which I am sure you have been reminded of over the years. But none of them can withstand historical scrutiny. What matters is that over 500 credible witnesses experienced the risen Christ over a period of 40 days and more importantly, we experience Christ even now in the power of the Holy Spirit, as our lives and the lives of millions of other credible people, are transformed as we are touched by the power of his love.

But the empty tomb is important, because it is filled with symbolism. The worst place – the place of death and darkness, becomes the best place, a symbol of life and hope – it shows how tragedy can be transformed into the best news of all, especially is one remembers what Jesus had said. This is why being steeped in the Scriptures is so important, because it reminds us of the Gospel; it reminds us that even the dark places in our lives can be transformed into something beautiful when touched by the love of God in Jesus Christ, and especially so when we remember what God has taught us.

At first the women are not believed and their message is dismissed – Luke uses the word leros which implies demented ramblings. It is almost as if the men think that the women are so stricken with their grief that they are not making any sense at all. Peter runs to the tomb to see for himself and he too finds it empty, this does not make him believe either, but it does make him wonder – which is always a preface to belief (McBride). Barclay reminds us that the presence of Peter in the group is of great significance as it says much about his character. The story of his denial of Jesus must have been well-known ‘... and yet he had the moral courage to face those who knew his shame ...’ Barclay continues:

           

‘There was something of the hero in Peter, as well as something of the coward. The man who was a fluttering dove is on the way to becoming a rock.’

We need to wonder more. Evidence matters, as does the testimony of reliable witnesses, but nothing can replace experiencing things for ourselves, first hand. This does not mean that we fly in the face of evidence and blindly believe – not at all – it does mean that it is good to doubt, it is good to search, it is good to find things out – all for ourselves – to experience firsthand the love of God in the risen Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is also a story of faithfulness, as John Wesley advised his preachers who were going through times of difficulty – ‘Preach faith until you have faith’. The women in their doubt were given the reliable testimony of the two men in dazzling clothes. We are given reliable testimony through scholarship and faithful preaching.

But it always comes down to the same thing again – all the evidence can only take us part of the way; we still need to experience firsthand the reality of the loving presence of God in our lives, and this becomes real for us as we are prompted to respond to others in the same way as our Lord responds to us – with love and forgiveness and acceptance.

There is so much here for our blessing and edification, and I close with some thoughts given by William Barclay when he reflected on this passage himself. He explains that one of the problems for people is that they continue to look for Jesus among the dead; so many people are willing to acknowledge that he was one of the greatest men of all time, perhaps even the noblest hero ever to have lived. It is easy to see that he lived one of the loveliest lives ever seen on earth – but then he died. But this is not the end of the story, because Jesus is not dead; he is alive. ‘He is not merely a hero of the past; he is a living reality of the present’.

There are others who claim that it is worthwhile to study the life and teachings of Jesus. And I agree, it is important to study, but Jesus is more than someone to be studied, he is someone who is meant to be met and lived with every day – he is a living presence.

Barclay continues: There are still others who see in Jesus the perfect pattern and example. And this is also true, but trying to follow the perfect example can also be the most heart-breaking thing in the world, because as we sincerely try to model our lives on the perfect example all it ever does is show up how far short we fall from the ideal. But Jesus does more. Just as a teacher will come alongside a pupil and help them to improve, so our Lord is with us to forgive, renew, encourage – as Barclay puts it ‘... he is not simply a model for life; he is a living presence to help us to live ...’

We need to be like Peter and experience it all first hand for ourselves and be amazed by the Love God has for us. As Luke records:

... Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.