“Surprise!”
A Sermon by Wayne McLaughlin
April 18 , 2021
Third Sunday of Easter
Montevallo Presbyterian Church
Acts 3.12-19 CEB
12 Seeing this, Peter addressed the people: “You Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us as if we made him walk by our own power or piety? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of our ancestors—has glorified his servant Jesus. This is the one you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence, even though he had already decided to release him. 14 You rejected the holy and righteous one, and asked that a murderer be released to you instead. 15 You killed the author of life, the very one whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 His name itself has made this man strong. That is, because of faith in Jesus’ name, God has strengthened this man whom you see and know. The faith that comes through Jesus gave him complete health right before your eyes.
17 “Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19 Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.
1 John 3.1-7 MSG
3 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.
2-3 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.
4-6 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backward.
7-8 So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways.
Luke 24.36-48 CEB
36 While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 37 They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost.
38 He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.” 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 Taking it, he ate it in front of them.
44 Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
SERMON TEXT:
1.
Let me give you a quick retelling of the Easter Story…
Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death. They hung him on a cross for all to see. Judas had already killed himself. The other Eleven disciples ran away and hid because they didn’t want to be caught and put to death as one of his associates.
They all knew, of course, that Jesus would rise from the dead because he had told them at least three times that he would go to Jerusalem, be rejected, would suffer and die, and then, three days later, rise from the dead.
So they waited with baited breath for him to show up. They didn’t know if he would simply knock at the door and say, “I’m here; I’ve risen from the dead.” Or whether he would float down from the sky like an angel and appear in bright clothing outside the house for all to see. But they were ready to see him again.
And sure enough, on the third day they heard a knock at the door. They all looked up with anticipation. Peter got up and went to the door. He was excited. He opened the door and there he was—the risen Lord. Peter hugged him, saying, “We were waiting for you.” As Jesus walked in they all got up and embraced him. And with wine glasses held high, they toasted his arrival. There were tears of joy. Just as they expected, after three days he had returned.
2.
What’s wrong with that version of the appearance of the resurrected Jesus? Did it happen that way? No. If you have paid attention to any of the post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus (of which there are at least seven), you will see the problem with the way I’ve just told the story.
Let’s look at the actual story in Luke’s Gospel.
Verse 36: Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus doesn’t knock at the door. He doesn’t walk into the house. He simply appears. He materializes. He has not returned as the “old” Jesus. He is now a different kind of person. It’s still Jesus, but Jesus with a different mode of being. He just appears out of nowhere.
Verse 37: He said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost.
Startled and terrified. Jesus surprised them! No, they weren’t expecting him to return. They thought his death was the end. They thought that their hope had turned into hopelessness. They were startled! Surprised! And terrified!
Encountering the Risen Lord was a terrifying event.
But, you say, hadn’t Jesus told them that he would be rejected, he would have to suffer and die, and then he would rise again on the third day? Yes, exactly. At least three times he told them about his coming death and resurrection. So why were they surprised?
3.
There are two possible answers to your question. First, the disciples were not very good students. They didn’t listen to their teacher very well. Remember when Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God—and Jesus complimented him on his profession of faith? It was right after that that Jesus told his students that he would have to go to Jerusalem and be rejected, suffer, die, and then rise again. And at that very moment Peter took him aside and scolded him, saying, No, Master, you can’t die, you’re the Messiah! The Messiah doesn’t die!
Why didn’t Peter mention his resurrection? Because all he heard was “die”; the other part about resurrection didn’t even register with Peter. It’s like when a person goes to the doctor and she tells him that he has cancer. She goes on to say that it’s curable, but he doesn’t hear that part. After the word “cancer” his hearing shuts down. Perhaps that is what happened to Peter and the other disciples. The resurrection part got lost in the dying part.
There is another probable reason Jesus’ statement about his rising from the dead did not prepare them for his appearance. Most Jews believed that there would be a resurrection from the dead at the end of time--the General Resurrection. His disciples believed that too. But a resurrection before the end of time was unheard of. So they weren’t prepared for his immediate appearance after dying.
They were shocked. Surprised. And his showing up scared them to death!
In Luke's account, they weren’t happy to see him. They didn’t run to hug him. They couldn’t move. They were struck with terror!
Verse 38: Jesus said: Why are you frightened. It’s me. Look, I’m not a ghost. Come here and touch my hands and feet.
4.
The next verse (41) is interesting:
While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
Listen to their mixed emotions and thoughts: While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering…
If we’re honest, I think that sentence could describe some of us and our attitude toward the resurrection of Christ: Joyful… disbelieving… wondering. There is a bumper sticker that says:
The Bible says it—I believe—and that settles it.
Of course there are a lot of people in our time coming out of the closet as atheists. Their bumper sticker might say:
The Bible says it—I don’t believe—and that settles it.
I have the feeling that there are a lot of people in the Church who read about the Resurrection, and if honest, would have their bumper sticker say:
The Bible says it—I’m joyful, yet still have some disbelief, and I keep wondering about it—and I’m not exactly settled about it.
Some of us Church folk are stuck at verse 41; we haven’t moved beyond the terrifying surprise. We believe, but don’t believe one hundred percent; or we don’t know exactly what to believe. Yet, we feel the joy and the hope of the Biblical witness to the Resurrection. Maybe some of us as we say the Creed and get to the part about “on the third day he rose from the dead,” sort of mumble the words. We aren’t silent, but we are still wondering with joyful disbelief.
5.
In Matthew’s Gospel Christ’s appearance is described like this:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When the saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.
Even in Matthew’s account there is room for doubt. They saw him. But some doubted. They were taken aback. They couldn’t believe it. His resurrection was incredible—without credibility, even as they stood right in his presence.
According to the Gospels, he resurrection of Jesus was a shock. A divine surprise. Some were not ready to face it.
6.
I’ve been reading Barack Obama’s memoir titled A Promised Land. On page 385 he writes:
Every job has its share of surprises. A key piece of equipment breaks down. A traffic accident forces a change in delivery routes. A client calls to say you’ve won the contract—but they need the order filled three months earlier than planned… The presidency was no different. Except that the surprises came daily, often in waves. [1]
Life is full of surprises. We never know what will happen tomorrow. Some surprises are not pleasant ones. We get a diagnosis we weren’t expecting. A friend or relative betrays us. The wrong person is elected. But many surprises are good. Our theology has to leave room for surprises.
7.
The Jewish scholar, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who was the Chief Rabbi of London, spoke these words in an interview with Krista Tipper:
The Bible says to us the whole time: Don’t think that God is as simple as you are. He’s in places you would never expect him to be. When Moses at the burning bush says to God, “Who are you?” God says to him three words: “Hayah asher hayah.” Those words are mistranslated in English as “I am that which I am.” But in Hebrew, it means “I will be who or how or where I will be,” meaning, Don’t think you can predict me. I am a God who is going to surprise you. [2]
In today’s reading from Acts, Peter has healed a man who couldn’t walk.
Peter grabbed his hand and helped him up, and he began to walk and jump and shout “Hallelujah!” As our reading begins, Peter says to all the people looking on: “You Israelites, why are you amazed at this?” Another translation says, “Why are you surprised at this?”
Just when we think we have God all figured out—just when every element of our theological system falls into place—Surprise! God cannot be logically explained. The Biblical Story cannot be put in the cage of scientific categories. Christ cannot be cooped up in a tomb in Jerusalem. There is more of the power of life in our existence than we can imagine.
It is easy to become anesthetized to the wonder of life. Every morning should be a surprise. Every person we meet should be a surprise. Every flower we smell should be a surprise. Every piece of music we hear should be a surprise. We shouldn’t take anything for granted.
To believe in the resurrection of Christ is to be terrified. It is to be filled with wonder. It is to wrestle with doubt. It is to listen for the call of the incredible-but-credible living Christ. It is to join Christ in serving the poor, the powerless, the forgotten. To believe in the Risen Lord is to wake up every day not knowing how the Holy Spirit will surprise that day.
The latest book by Pope Francis (Let Us Dream) ends with this sentence: “Ours is a God of Surprises, who is always ahead of us.” [3]
Listen—don’t be surprised if God surprises you this week. Because She is full of surprises. Yes She is. Yes She is.
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NOTES
1. New York: Crown, 2020.
2. Krista Tipper, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and the Art of Living (New York: Penguin Books, 2016), 189.
3. Pope Francis [in conversation with Austen Ivereigh], Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020), 93.
