e-vo for week of April 18

Dearest e-votees-

This week’s appointed gospel text features a post-resurrection appearance by Jesus to the eleven disciples, their companions and the two who were on the road to Emmaus—Cleopas and the other who was not named. He offers them peace, shows his wounds, breaks fish with them, opens their minds and calls them to be witnesses of all of these things.

This meal is one of the three types of meals of fish that Jesus had with his disciples. All of them are instructive and reveal to us the nature of this Jesus who lived and breathed, who died while yielding his last breath and then lived and breathed again.

Peace,
Karl

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Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.

44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 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, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.

Luke 24:36b-48, NRSV
There are three types of fish meals in the gospels where Jesus is present:

• Meal of Provision: Miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes—Feeding of the 5,000 + (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14) and Feeding of the 4,000 + (Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10

• Meal of Revelation: Jesus shows proof that he is indeed risen from the grave (Luke 24:36b-48)

• Meal of Restoration: Jesus welcomes Peter back into the fold (John 21:1-14)


Meal of Provision:

Jesus demonstrates the compassion heart of God. At both meals (5,000 + and 4,000 +) there are large crowds with not enough to eat. Rather than send them away Jesus takes a meager portion of fish and bread and multiplies it so that there are baskets full in the aftermath (12 and 7 respectively—both rather holy numbers). The feeding of the 5,000 + is the only miracle that Jesus performed that was recorded in all 4 gospels. There is something good and deep and important about God blessing and breaking bread and providing sustenance. The resonance with Holy Communion is abundantly clear as well. God loves the multitudes. God has compassion on them. God can and will meet their needs. There is sufficient resources when offered in faith. We, too, are part of the multitudes. God has compassion on us. God can and will meet our needs. There are sufficient resources when we approach God in faith. Thanks be to God.


Meal of Revelation::

Jesus appears to the gathered disciples. Jesus reveals himself by offering peace and by showing them the wounds from the cross. They know full well that Jesus was thoroughly dead on Good Friday. They may well be thinking that a ghost is standing before them. To help prove otherwise Jesus eats in their presence since folks knew full well that ghosts don’t eat food (see Mark 5:43 and Luke 8:55 for other examples of recently dead people have something to eat). Once he has satisfied the disciples that he has indeed been raised from the dead he shows them how this was foretold in scripture. He then sends the disciples out to bear witness. God has come into the world to be revealed to us as well. He has died and been risen. He reveals himself in the eating (certainly to us in Holy Communion). There is a call to study scriptures and to bear witness. Surely this call is on our lives. Thanks be to God.


Meal of Restoration:

Peter stood huddling around a charcoal fire (ahn-thra-kee-us--Greek root of our word “anthracite”) while denying Jesus in John 18:18. Three times he denied Jesus even though he swore he would follow him even to death. That word for charcoal fire appears only one other place in all of the New Testament. In John 21, after the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus is cooking fish over the ahn-thra-kee-us. Jesus offers fish and bread (familiar menu) to them. He then asks Peter three times if Peter loves Jesus (two different words in the Greek, loses something in translation). Paralleling the three denials Peter affirms three times that he indeed loves Jesus. Having been restored to the fold Jesus tells Peter some about how he will die and bring honor to God. God has come into the world. We have surely denied God with words and/or actions. God comes and restores us. There is now a call to lay down our lives (literally or figuratively) for the sake of the gospel. Thanks be to God.


God, we thank you for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We thank you that he meets us in meals of provision, revelation and restoration. Help us eat of these meals and invite all that we can to take their place at the table as well. You are faithful and good. Thanks be to you.