By Pastor Stephen Hess –
I have always been intrigued by the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus and his appearances to his disciples thereafter. It is clear as you read the Gospels that the disciples were experiencing a mixture of emotions including things like fear, excitement, awe, and joy. I often wonder how I would have reacted if Jesus had appeared to me following his resurrection. What emotions would I have experienced? What questions would I have asked him? What about you: If you could have breakfast with Jesus, what questions would you want to ask him?
I’m sure that the disciples had many questions for Jesus. What is fascinating is that he also had some questions for them. If you read the resurrection accounts closely you will see that Jesus asked his disciples several questions, and I would suggest that these questions are still worth reflecting on today. Imagine that Jesus asked you the following questions—how would you answer?
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). On the first Easter morning, a small group of women went to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. They did this because they loved him dearly and wanted to honor him in his death. But the angels told them that they should have been looking for a living body rather than a dead one. Jesus had predicted his resurrection and yet his followers did not yet have their eyes open to this reality. What about you? Are you looking for Jesus in the wrong places? Do you view him as a dead man who has little impact on your life or as a living Savior who walks with you every day?
“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38). Even after Jesus appeared in the flesh following his resurrection, many of his disciples still had doubts. Some thought that the initial report of the women was an “idle tale” (Luke 24:11). Thomas refused to believe unless he could touch Jesus’ wounds (John 21:25). In these cases, the problem was not that they didn’t have enough evidence. Rather, the problem was that there was still hardness in their hearts that was preventing them from having faith. What about you? Do you have doubts about Christ? Have you ever considered that the pathway to faith might be through examining your own hardness of heart?
“Why are you weeping?” (John 20:15). When Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb, her first assumption was not that Jesus had risen from the dead. She thought that someone had stolen Jesus’ body and she was overcome with sorrow. In her mind, not only was Jesus dead but she couldn’t even visit his body. She was completely without hope because she didn’t know that Jesus was alive. Are you someone who knows deep sorrow? Have you ever felt like you had no hope? Sometimes our grief overwhelms us because we lose sight of the fact that our Savior is alive and he promises eternal life that goes beyond all the suffering we experience in this world.
“Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17). At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus has a conversation with Peter where he asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Perhaps one of the reasons that Jesus asks him this question three times is because Peter denied Jesus three times before his crucifixion. Now Jesus is extending Peter forgiveness and giving him the opportunity to demonstrate that he really loves Jesus. Ultimately, we are all like Peter in that we have failed Jesus in a multitude of ways. Jesus extends forgiveness to all those who come to him in repentance and faith, but he also asks us, “Do you love me?” There are so many things that compete for our love in this world and Jesus wants to know whether we truly love him more than everything else.
This Easter, I encourage you to spend some time in prayer, but instead of talking, allow the Lord Jesus to ask you a few questions. He is a living Savior, and he is eager to speak with you.