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Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened. (Lk. 24:12)
One spring, a full solar eclipse was forecast to come into view over a wide cross section of the United States, and my area was directly within those parameters. I have a bit of a fascination with astronomy, so I had been awaiting the event with eager anticipation.
I bought a ten-pack of solar eclipse glasses and had them ready to go for a month, so that all my children could watch the scene. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself!
It was a workday for my husband, so he stayed inside on his computer and told me to call him when the eclipse was starting. Call him when it was starting?! It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that would last less than three minutes; if he didn’t come outside with us ahead of time, he might miss the whole thing.
But as soon as the eclipse showed signs of commencing, I yelled to the kids, “GET DAD! GET DAD! HURRY, HURRY! HE’S GOING TO MISS IT!”
My son ran into the house frantically, my husband followed him back out, put on his solar eclipse glasses…and a cloud rather anticlimactically covered the view. My husband responded calmly, “Okay, just call me back out when there’s something to see.”
“DON’T GO!” I shrieked. “YOU’RE GOING TO MISS IT!”
A friend who was watching the event with me said rather wryly, “I don’t think anyone in the entire neighborhood is going to miss it with you screaming like that.”
The skies then began to darken as the full eclipse was underway. It was one of the most breathtaking events I had ever witnessed! I was utterly amazed by the glory of God.
Caught up in the emotion of it all, I instructed everyone, “LISTEN FOR THE ANIMALS! THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO GET REALLY QUIET DURING THE ECLIPSE!” My friend looked at me thoroughly exasperated and asked how I expected them to be able to listen for anything with all my shouting.
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. (Lk. 24:36-37)
When the Son of God rose from the dead and appeared to the Apostles in all His glory, like me with the eclipse, the Apostles were amazed. Their amazement, however, manifested itself in their being “startled and terrified.” What they were witnessing was far more astonishing than a solar eclipse!
The thing about amazement is that it has a way of clouding our ability to think clearly and calmly take things in. But the amazement that comes to us as a result of God’s providential action in our lives is intended to instill in us neither feelings of excitement nor feelings of fear. It is intended to churn up in our hearts a sense of awe and wonder. It is meant to stir our hearts to rejoice in the Lord.
Contrary to popular opinion, the excitement that can come from amazement is not synonymous with joy. Excitement is the thrill of a rollercoaster ride; eventually one must come down from that high. Joy, on the other hand, is the peace of a summer sunset that fills one’s heart with warmth in the presence of God. Joy allows a soul to truly soak it all in, and to understand.
Similarly, the fear that can come with amazement is not synonymous with fear of the Lord. Whereas human fear can paralyze us in shock or else stimulate our adrenaline-fueled “flight” instinct, fear of the Lord inspires in us a humble awe and wonder in the glory of God. Fear of the Lord goes hand in hand with Christian joy.
Rejoice always…for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thes. 5:16-18)
Had the apostles not been so excited at the manifestation of the miraculous, and instead simply remained in awe, basking in the love of the Lord, they would not have been so terrified at seeing what they had convinced themselves was a “ghost.” It is the reason that Jesus’ very first words of greeting to His Apostles are: “Peace be with you.” It is from this invitation of peace that Jesus brings clarity to what they were witnessing, by showing them His wounds, allowing them to touch His flesh, asking them for something to eat, and then eating the food in front of them—all to prove that He was not a ghost.
Why the need for this “extra” evidence? Scripture tells us that the Apostles had been “incredulous”—which, by definition, means that they were “unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true” (merriam-webster.com). In other words, the Apostles could not believe their eyes! They saw, but they did not yet understand.
Jesus would explain it to them later, but first, He instructs them to believe. Their faith must precede their understanding (St. Augustine). And once they believe that the One they see before them is the Messiah they know and love, although they still do not understand how this can be, they now know for certain that it is true.
It is from this disposition of peace and joy which has replaced their fear and excitement, that they are finally able to receive the understanding that Jesus offers them:
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Lk. 24:45)
Like the Apostles, we too know the experience of enduring circumstances that we don’t understand—whether our lack of understanding is due to our fear or to our excitement. But we can learn a lesson from the Apostles and seek the peace of Christ first, before we attempt to make sense of things ourselves.
Instead of getting either overly excited or overly anxious over our (often distorted) interpretation of events, let us first retreat for a few moments to the silence of our hearts, alone with the Lord in prayer and in His Word. It is here that Jesus will “appear” to us too, restoring peace to our hearts and bringing clarity to our minds. From here, we will now be in a disposition to view our circumstances in the context of eternity. It is here that things will all make sense.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
