DE Ponderings by Kevin Kessler

In John chapter 20 is the story of “doubting” Thomas. The other disciples have seen Jesus, they describe their experience, but Thomas needs to see the nail scars and touch Jesus’ side before he will buy their story.

In Luke chapter 24 is the story Cleopas and the traveling companion making their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They meet Jesus on the road but do not recognize him immediately.

In both of these stories, it is the resurrected Jesus who is in question. Because of all that occurred prior to the resurrection, I’m not surprised that Thomas doubted or that Jesus was not recognized by the two travelers. Who of us would immediately know a resurrected presence?

For that matter, as post-resurrection people, how do we know the resurrected Christ today? This question emerged as I reflected on the texts from John and Luke. We don’t have the luxury of having been present with Jesus in the flesh as did Thomas and likely the Emmaus road travelers. So how do we know Jesus post-resurrection?

Thankfully we have the Gospel accounts that provide us with stories about the pre-resurrection Jesus. From these accounts we gain some knowledge. However, I think there is a tendency at times to use the Gospel stories to paint a serene, peaceful, calming-presence Jesus who will care for our needs and soothe us in our difficulties. Such a picture can become our post-resurrection Jesus.

I, though, prefer to understand a more astute Jesus. Authors C. S. Lewis and Philip Yancey have helped to take me down this path.

In The Chronicles of Narnia, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Aslan the lion is depicted as a Christ figure. Toward the end of this book Aslan, after attending a wonderful party, wanders off to another land. As he is leaving, the Kings and Queens remember what Mr. Beaver had said about the lion. “He’ll be coming and going. One day you’ll see him and another you won’t. He doesn’t like being tied down—and of course he has other countries to attend to. It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”

Yancey in The Jesus I Never Knew says something similar about Jesus to Lewis’ rendition of Aslan. Yancey writes: “Icons of the Orthodox Church, stained-glass windows in European cathedrals, and Sunday school art in low-church America all depict on flat planes a placid, ‘tame’ Jesus, yet the Jesus I met in the Gospels was less in some settings. Few people felt comfortable around him; those who did were the type no one else felt comfortable around. He was notoriously difficult to predict, pin down, or even understand.”

This is the post-resurrection Jesus I want and continue to learn more about, and come to know more intimately. It’s actually a little dangerous meeting up with such an un-tame Jesus. But it is very exciting, as well, to know that Jesus isn’t contained and is greater than any understanding of him I have. Thus, I have so much more to learn and know about him. It keeps me searching. It keeps me motivated. I’m thrilled to learn more and more of what I don’t know about the post-resurrection Jesus. How about you?