It is hard to believe that it was only this past Monday that our family stopped in a park by a lake near Rochester NY to watch the sun disappear completely behind the moon during this year’s solar eclipse. As many of you experienced, we did not get to directly see the moon slip over the sun. Like the person changing clothes who looks up to see that the curtains of their hotel room are wide open to those staring on from the pool, the sun was apparently feeling stared at by too many people also, so it quickly put on some cloud cover.
But, that does not mean that the event was any less impactful as we stood in the path of totality; the path of complete blockage of the sun’s warm rays. As I have said to others, it is amazing how much light even a tiny sliver of sun showers upon us, because when even when that sliver of light was shut away at exactly 3:20 in the afternoon, in the snap of a finger the world around us became black. Our eyes adjusted to the darkness as the street lights turned on and the world of the birds became silent. A sense of how small you are in this big universe of ours sinks in as you stare at the darkness above and gaze to the light far off on the horizon.
My own inner world of awe and amazement was broken suddenly by the kids recalling the story they had just heard two weeks ago in church, about how the sky turned dark the afternoon that Jesus spoke his last words.
Here is that story as told by Luke: “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46).
The story suddenly became real to all of us in a way that it never had before. The cosmic sadness of Jesus’ death became very real in that moment; the skies proclaiming to us the story of the death of eternal love.
And, after three minutes of wonder and amazement, it was done. Just as quickly as our cosmic light had been switched off, it was suddenly turned back on. The birds started singing their morning songs. They were just as confused by the event as we. However, they continued on with their life, as did we, everyone immediately packing up their lawn chairs and heading back to their cars. We were on the road in less than five minutes, trying to beat the post-eclipse traffic jam.
As I drove down the interstate I thought about what did not happen as the day briefly turned to night. The world did not come to an end as some American preachers had predicted. Nor, were faithful North Americans raptured into heaven, leaving behind only their clothes where they were once standing. Or, maybe they were and just no one in New York State was included among their numbers.
No, the world did not end last Monday, just as it did not end when the sun turned dark the day that Jesus died. The sun’s light returned to normal back then, and it did so this week. The air started to get warm once again, and the world continued on.
And, that made me think about how we get so focused on “the end” and get ourselves wrapped up in the idea of death and the beyond. How many words were preached before the eclipse, focusing on “the end?” How many of us at least gazed briefly at the possibility of the end. How many of us live with death on our minds, even if the dark thoughts are not in the forefront? How many of our lives are influenced by fear, death, and the uncertainty about the future? As I said, it is easy to get all wrapped up in death. It is easy to focus on the end.
The disciples did. Even though he promised that he would rise again after three days, the disciples somehow could not focus on that promise of life, and instead focused on the sadness of Jesus’ death. They were caught in the dark shadow of Friday, even though it had passed over and the birds had started singing again on Sunday.
And, later on, even though Jesus was walking right next to the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus, they were still so focused on his death that they did not see him. They did not realize that he was with them until Jesus broke bread with them.
And, in today’s story, even though Jesus comes and stands right with the disciples in Jerusalem, they are convinced that he is merely a ghost. The Bible says, “They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost” (Luke 24:37). He cannot possibly be alive? He cannot possibly, actually be right there with them?
Yet, he is. Their eyes are blind, even though they can see. Their eyes are focused on death even though he is very much alive.
And, that is human nature. We focus on death. We focus on our fears. We say things like, “This world is getting worse by the minute.” We mutter generational fears saying, “I wouldn’t want to be born today.” Even preachers are not immune, focusing on things like the sins of the world and the “final days,” rather than focusing on divine promises.
Many of us think obsessively about the stresses of life, and the hardships of life, allowing those thoughts to take up the majority of our time and the majority of our headspace. How easy it is to be caught up in the darkness, blind to the light that has returned to the world; blind to what Jesus is doing in this world around us.
In response to our obsession with death and the darkness of this world, Jesus steps into our lives, and the first words out of his mouth are, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36).
I want you to know that the “peace” that Jesus gives here is more than the peace that is provided when plucking up and rocking an upset child. The word for “peace” used here harkens back to that time in the Garden of Eden when people walked happily with God, and God with them, and they worked together without toiling…without breaking a sweat. It is the type of peace that the Jewish faith refers to as “shalom.” It is a peace where everyone is on the same page and everyone is in harmony with one another once again. That is the sort of peace that Jesus blows on his people as he returns.
In addition to sharing that deep peace, Jesus says to his terrified and death focused disciples, “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. Touch me and see” (Luke 24:38-39).
In other words, Jesus’ answer to fear and death is himself. His own risen body is the answer to fear and death. Jesus shares the promise that fear and death do not have the last word, in a way that they can actually feel and touch. Jesus eats some fish right in front of them to seal the deal. He is there. He is really present. He has risen from the dead.
The lesson is clear: when fear and death loom, the disciples are to focus on Jesus. They are not to focus on the end. They are not to focus on their fears. They are not to focus on the darkness. They are to focus on Jesus, because in him is true life.
And, that is great for the disciples. They get to focus on Jesus. His body is literally right there in front of them, wounds and all. But, what about in the future, after he is no longer bodily present, after he has ascended? What about then? How are they to focus on him then?
The Bible continues the story: “Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Luke 24:35-38).
How is Jesus present to us still today? The Bible says that he is present through the scriptures and through the Lord’s people. Our minds are opened up to seeing Jesus when we read the scriptures detailing his suffering sort of love, and the new life that he brings. Not only that, Jesus is present and active when his hands and feet, his people, share his good news and share his forgiveness with the world.
In a world that focuses on death, Jesus gives his people a Spirit that focuses on life. In a world that seeks revenge, Jesus gives us a Spirit that focuses on forgiveness and second chances. In a world that stared into the darkness, Jesus gives us a Spirit that stares at what the world could be: a place where we can walk together and work together with the Lord in the fruitful garden of peace.
Where the world sees darkness, Jesus sees light. Where the world sees lost causes, Jesus sees second chances. Where the world seeks death, Jesus brings new life. Where the world sees failure, Jesus sees hope. Come, see the Lord. Come walk with the Lord. Come and be a part of Jesus’ life of forgiveness and peace.
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