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36 Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:36b-48 NIV Bible)
Happy Monday, dear Friend! May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus be your strength for today and all days. Pray for one another. Prayers for this old man as this coming Saturday we will have the memorial service for the young suicide victim from Nixon, Texas. Pray for his family, friends, and all who loved and knew him. The memorial service will be in Smiley, Texas at the Methodist Church there, at 10 a.m. Friends, please pray for The Rev. John Fletcher, pastor of Kelsey Memorial UMC of Corpus Christi, who is in Houston awaiting a transplant surgery in his battle against cancer. Pray for John's healing and victory over cancer. Prayers for his wife, Gloria, and their children. May God's peace be with them.
For the second time in less than a month, we visit the passage where Jesus presents Himself among the disciples who were hiding in the Upper Room. The one we studied last time was by John in his gospel; today's is from the Gospel of Luke. Each writer highlights what they see as most important. John's gospel focused more on the doubt of Thomas, this one focuses on the physical evidence that Luke believes makes the case for this event to have actually taken place. I'v shared before that my New Testament professor shared how he did not believe this event took place physically; his exact remark was that "the objective eye of a camera would not have captured the image of a risen Jesus." Okay. Let's move on. Luke, like John, shares how the physically alive and present Jesus makes Himself seen inside a locked room. In other words, he walked right in through the lock door in physical form without needing to open the doors. Luke also shares how the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost. Yes, people back then knew about ghosts and even some believed they existed. In fact, Jesus' response was to counter that they thought he was a ghost. "Look at my hands and my feet. it is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." John's remarks from Jesus were directed to the disciples then later to Thomas for his not having been present when this event took place.
Luke further has Jesus saying he is hungry; something ghost do not ever demonstrate. "Do you have anything here to eat?" The disciples give Him some fish and he eats. Then Jesus proceeds to further prove the fulfillment of scripture and His mission; "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." He then opens the minds of the disciples so they could understand the Scriptures. All was in obedience to what God had wanted to happen so that there would be repentance of sins preached in His name to all nations, starting there in Jerusalem, and the Twelve were disciples of these things.
This passage resonates deeply with our faith journey. Like the disciples, we may encounter moments of doubt, confusion, or fear. We may question the reality of God's promises or struggle to grasp the depth of His love. Yet, Jesus meets us in our uncertainty. He invites us to experience His presence, to witness His faithfulness, and to embrace the reality of His resurrection power in our lives.
As we reflect on this encounter, let us remember that Jesus meets us where we are. He understands our doubts and patiently offers reassurance. Just as He commissioned the disciples to be His witnesses, He calls us to testify to His transformative power in our lives. Our call to action is to share the good news of Christ's resurrection boldly, to live as reflections of His love and grace in the world.
PRAYER: Loving God, we thank You for the assurance of Your presence in our lives. Help us overcome doubt and fear, knowing that You are with us always. Empower us to be bold witnesses of Your resurrection and love. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Face your doubts with the understanding that doubting sometimes comes as part of our faith journey. Don't let doubt defeat your faith, but let it strengthen you on your walk!
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
