INTRODUCTION: A man was blissfully driving along the highway, when he saw the Easter Bunny hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the Bunny, but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of his car and was hit. The basket of eggs went flying all over the place. Candy, too. The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road, and got out to see what had become of the Bunny carrying the basket. Much to his dismay, the colorful Bunny was dead. The driver felt guilty and began to cry. A woman driving down the same highway saw the man crying on the side of the road and pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong. "I feel terrible," he explained, "I accidentally hit the Easter Bunny and killed it. There may not be an Easter because me. What should I do? "The woman told the man not to worry. She knew exactly what to do. She went to her car trunk, and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, dead Bunny, and sprayed the entire contents of the can onto the little furry animal. Miraculously, the Easter Bunny came to back life, jumped up, picked up the spilled eggs and candy, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped on down the road. 50 yards away the Easter Bunny stopped, turned around, waved and hopped on down the road another 50 yards, turned, waved hopped another 50 yards and waved again!!!! The man was astonished. He couldn't figure out what could possibly be in that woman's spray can!! He said to the woman, "What in heaven's name is in your spray can?" The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said: "Hair spray; restores life to dead hair; adds permanent wave." Our culture is filled with confusion. We send mixed signals which cloud the truth:
Santa Claus and Christmas, Easter Bunny, Easter eggs and the Resurrection of Christ.
Jesus disciples also had some confusion about Jesus that was rooted in THEIR culture. Particularly, they didn’t understand what he was talking about when he predicted his betrayal and death.
Luke 9:43-45 “Jesus said to his disciples ‘Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.’ But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” Rough translation? They didn’t have a clue. Whenever Jesus spoke of his forth-coming death, burial and resurrection the eyes of the disciples would glaze over with that “deer in the headlights” stare. They would nod on the outside but on the inside they’re thinking “What in the world is he talking about?” Like when your car mechanic is telling you that what is wrong with you car is that the flux capacitor needs an extra 1.21 gigawatts or something like that and you nod your head but have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about…but you don’t want HIM to know that…but of course he already DOES know that.
Jesus wasn’t fooled either. He knew that the disciples didn’t have clue. So, in Luke 24, the resurrection chapter of that gospel, we read of three more explanations of the death, burial and resurrection – each to a separate group of witnesses. In fact, these explanations are the common thread linking the three encounters in this chapter. Only this time, there’s a difference because this time, instead of missing it, the disciples get it. This time, instead of doubt, confusion or skepticism, there is faith. They understand and they believe.
The first encounter is early Sunday morning. Some of the women followers of Jesus went to his tomb with spices to complete the embalming of his body. When they arrived they found the stone rolled away from the entrance and the tomb empty. Suddenly, two angels dressed in brilliant white appeared to them and announced that Jesus had risen from the dead (Luke 24:6b-8). Then the women remembered his words and believed.
The second encounter takes place later that same day. Two disciples of Jesus were walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. Jesus came up and walked along with them but they didn’t recognize him. The two disciples were discussing the crucifixion and the empty tomb, wondering what to make of it. Then Jesus revealed his identity to these two disciples and they believed (Luke 24:25-27).
The third explanation occurred later that same day to a large group of disciples. They were assembled together talking about the resurrection appearances when Jesus materialized in front of them (Star Trek style). They were startled and frightened and thought he might be a ghost until he ate some broiled fish to demonstrate he did have a body of flesh. Then came these words: Luke 24:44-46 “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.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” And this time, they got it.
What made the difference for these people? Why could they understand on Sunday what had baffled them on Saturday? The answer is both obvious and simple – the resurrection. The resurrection was the key that Jesus used to unlock the door and “open their minds.”
One reason the disciples were confused whenever Jesus spoke of these things was that they were close-minded. They conceived of the Messiah as a conquering king like David of the Old Testament who would overthrow the Romans and establish an everlasting physical kingdom in Israel for the Jews. A suffering, dying Messiah didn’t square with their theology. And as far as resurrection, well, death was always final in their experience. Their pre-conceived notions about the nature of the Messiah and the nature of life and death precluded the possibility of a resurrected Messiah establishing a spiritual kingdom. But all of that changed when they saw him with their eyes and touched him with their hands. Because of the resurrection, their minds were open to a new interpretation of reality.
What does it mean to be “open-minded”? Doesn’t it include a willingness to consider things from a different perspective; to broaden our thinking to include other points of view?
ILLUSTRATION: Have you seen that 3-D, Magic-eye art. It will show a picture with a pretty design of some sort on the surface. If you just look at it in two dimensions then that surface design is all you will see. But there is another image hidden within the picture, a three-dimensional image, which can only be seen by looking at the picture in a different way, from another point of view, another perspective. Some people look at it and say “I don’t see anything” and toss it aside – they don’t even try. In fact, some people think it’s a joke, there’s nothing there and those who claim to see it are just pretending. Others give it an honest try but they’re so used to looking at pictures in two dimensions they grow frustrated and give up. They believe something is there but they can’t see it, it’s just not for them. And then there are those who open their minds to the new possibility, adjust their vision, and see the deeper reality.
I believe that the resurrection of Jesus can open our minds to an improved understanding of reality in three ways – past, present and future.
