By Apostle Aje Pelser
We can learn so much about Jesus’ from the days after His resurrection.
A scripture caught my attention and I had to investigate further:
“And He said to them: ‘Why are you in such a state of agitation, and why are reasonings arising in your heart? See my hands and feet that it is I myself. Handle me with a view to investigation and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see me having. And while they were disbelieving for joy and were wondering, He said to them, ‘Do you have anything here that is eatable?” Luke 24:36 onwards Wuest’s Greek Translation of the New Testament.
After he ate the broiled fish, he continued: “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that it was a necessity in the nature of the case for all things which stand written in the Law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms concerning me to be fulfilled. Then He opened their mind so that they might understand the scriptures.”
He also then reminded them that the Christ was to suffer and to be raised form the dead according to the scriptures, and that repentance form sin should be preached in all the nations starting at Jerusalem.
He appointed the disciples to be His witnesses and told them to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then he took them out to Bethany and blessed them and then withdrew from them.
They returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, eulogizing and praising God.
No normal person would go back into the temple after the Priests had colluded with the romans to kill their Messiah. Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance to the disciples gave them this boldness – they had been with Jesus otherwise this entire movement was doomed to cynicism and regret. If Jesus did not rise form the dead, how would Peter who betrayed him out of fear of retribution go straight back to the temple and openly proclaim Jesus as Lord? This turn around in character is a resurrection in itself.
Resurrection life is within and you can’t fake it.
But for you to have resurrection life there are a few investigations you have to make for yourself so that your faith can be strengthened and your joy can be full.
Investigations that release resurrection life:
1. Investigate the Breaking of Bread. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus broke bread with Jesus He was really made known to them. They went to tell the disciples in Jerusalem and while they were speaking, Jesus stepped in their midst and stood there. Later he eats fish to prove He is real.
2. Investigate your state of agitation and deal with reasonings in your heart. When we are honest with the Holy Spirit, we progress quicker in our walk of faith. Deal with every doubt – believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts! But there is a deeper investigation that secures eternal resurrection life within.
3. Investigate the handling the Word of God and getting to know Jesus through His Body of believers will ensure you never doubt His resurrection again. When you realize that the words you read in the Bible are becoming flesh around you in a church of fallible human beings, it sparks a reality of resurrection that you can’t conjure up with religious rituals and mysticism. The reality of the love of God manifested in a many membered body is the fruit that shows people Jesus is alive in us. John the apostle of love writes:
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
1 John 1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
4. Investigate Jesus and His Words. His disciples knew Jesus had been resurrected because he spoke the same way to them as before. He said things only He could know about the fulfilment of prophecy and he opened their mind to understand the scriptures.
5. Investigate whether or not there has been a death to release resurrection. Resurrection comes after death. Jesus fulfilled the record of prophetic scripture that the Christ was to suffer and be raised out form among those who are dead on the third day, and there is to be preached in His Name repentance with reference to the putting away of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
6. Investigate if the Holy Spirit is there to sustain resurrection life. To prove His resurrection He sent the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit to help them become witnesses to His resurrection. That is the boldness that exude from the disciples spending time in His presence.
7. Investigate if there is a blessing that lingers long after you have been with people. Then Jesus blessed them and withdrew from them – leaving them to live out the resurrection life and pass it onto others. That is the key in leadership for me – to equip others to find Christ within and then disappear so that they can continue. There comes a time when you step back and leave it to the disciples, but His Spirit in you is now deposited in them and they will remember your words, how you handled situations and how you broke bread and ate fish together! The end of our efforts in Christ is to see Christ formed in people and for His resurrection life to be multiplied form generation to generation. When we are ready, He will return for his Church, His Bride, and we will recognize him as he stands in our midst again, and I will ask Him to have some broiled fish with us!