Thursday, May 15, 2014
Luke 24:41-43 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.
A PIECE OF BROILED FISH
Remember that time when Jesus walked on the water? The disciples were stuck in a night-time storm out on the Sea of Galilee, when all of a sudden they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. They were terrified and thought He was a ghost.
The same thing happened in the upper room on the first Easter Sunday. Jesus appeared to the disciples as they huddled, scared and confused in a locked room. The Scripture tells us that the disciples' fears took hold of them again, just like on the sea of Galilee. They thought Jesus was a ghost.
So Jesus offered a simple solution. Give me something to eat. Ghosts don't eat. I will. Then you’ll know I'm not a ghost.
Jesus is so patient.
This little piece of broiled fish can help us remember how substantial the resurrection appearances of Jesus were. The resurrection of Christ was not like some Bigfoot sighting. The disciples didn't just glimpse Jesus in a crowd, or in the dark corner of a room, or across the lake. They sat with him. They ate with him. He ate with them. They talked. He let them touch the wounds the Roman soldiers had made when they crucified Him. Jesus appeared and conversed with His followers for a span of forty days before He ascended back to heaven.
They knew it was the Lord. And it was this fact that enabled these formerly timid disciples (locked room, remember) to become the force that brought the message of sins forgiven through Christ's cross to the world.
Next time you have some fish and chips, remember that little snack Jesus had in the upper room. He's no ghost, He's your risen Savior, and the proof that all is now well between you and your Creator.
