3-1-24 - Seeing Is Believing

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

Hey, disciples, can you take a hint? How many times did Jesus have to say what was going to happen? He mentioned that “rising after three days” thing coming down the mountain after the transfiguration; he mentioned it when he talked about what was to happen to the Son of Man – arrest, trial, execution… and after three days rising again. And he says it here, speaking of raising the temple in three days.

But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

We can’t blame them for being unable to comprehend these words of Jesus’. They must have sounded like some strange figure of speech – and Jesus said a lot of strange things. How should they have known he meant this one literally, this one really impossible thing?

After Jesus is risen, he shows up to his followers huddled in that upper room. Thomas missed the first visit and would not believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead until he saw him in person. When Jesus comes a second time and Thomas gets the confirmation he seeks, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have come to believe.”

In truth, none of Jesus’ followers really believed until they saw the unbelievable right in front of them. So we can cut ourselves some slack when we need help believing without the benefit of seeing Jesus in human form with our physical sight. We have to work harder – or trust harder – and remember all the ways we do see resurrection at work.

• Cancer patients who have experienced healing and are now cancer-free are resurrection at work.
• Addicts who have come solidly into recovery after years of self-destruction and self-loathing are resurrection at work.
• Communities that have moved from blight to habitable housing and secure neighborhoods are resurrection at work.
• Countries that have managed to choose peace and end years of bloodshed are resurrection at work. 

These examples lean to the obvious, and maybe all these transformations could take place without God's involvement. I say ‘maybe’ because such “back from the brink” transformations require one or more people to give sacrificially, to humble themselves, to resist hostility and refuse the temptation to “win.” Such transformations require vulnerability, submission to a person or process, a truly self-giving love – and I suspect that can only come from God, whether or not God gets named.

What are some examples of resurrection life that you can name, in your life, in your community, in the world? Name them, claim those stories, remember them, tell them when you’re with someone who says, “There can’t be a God – look at all the evil and death and destruction.” That’s when we can say, “And look at all the life where it didn’t seem like life was possible. Here's a story...”

We don’t have to wait for the afterlife to see that our faith is valid. God shows us “risen from the dead” all the time. We just need to open our eyes and see Life.

© Kate Heichler, 2024. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.