He Opened Up Their Minds

He Opened Up Their Minds

Third Sunday of Easter

Lk 24: 35 – 48

The Gospel reading today recounts to us one of the appearances of Jesus to his disciples after he rose from the dead. The disciples were gathered together when suddenly, out of nowhere, Jesus stood in their midst and said: “ Peace be with you.” Startled and terrified, they thought that Jesus was a ghost and could not believe what they were seeing.

            Jesus assured them that it was really him and not a ghost. He then showed them his hands and feet and invited them to touch and see him saying: “ Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”  As he showed them his hands and feet, they were joyful but were still in disbelief and kept wondering how all these could be real.

            Knowing that his disciples still couldn’t believe what they were seeing, Jesus asked them if they had something to eat. They gave him a piece of broiled fish. Jesus took it and ate in their presence.      

This gospel reading is not only about Jesus trying to convince his disciples that he has risen from the dead. It tries above all to convince us to believe the incredible fact that Jesus really rose from the dead. The disciples were still in disbelief even as they saw the bodily presence of the risen Lord. Jesus, however, doesn’t give up on their disbelief. He makes the humble gesture of painstakingly trying to make them understand by eating in their presence, convincing them that he was truly alive.  

Then Jesus tells them: “Everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” He then started to talk to them about Scriptures, slowly opening up their minds to understand that what was written in Scriptures was written about him; that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

Our reading today tells us that even our own senses can refuse to believe what seems pretty obvious. The disciples still couldn’t believe what they were seeing even if the risen Lord was right in front of them. So if the disciples who have seen him couldn’t believe their eyes, how much more for us who haven’t seen him? It may not be unreasonable to assume that if the resurrected Jesus were to appear to us today, it might be our own senses that might prevent us from believing that he has truly risen. We simply might not believe our own eyes just like the disciples who remained in disbelief when they saw Jesus.

So if our senses could at times fail us and prevent us from believing, what then can lead us to believe in the resurrection? Jesus points us to one sure way: Scriptures. As Jesus started to talk to them about Scriptures, he slowly opened up their minds that they might understand. Scriptures opens up the mind and allows us to understand and believe God’s plans. Had the disciples been receptive and open to what was written in Scriptures, they would have known and understood that the “Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day”. They would not have been surprised that Jesus rose from the dead.

The word of God written in Scriptures becomes a sure path for us to understand God’s ways. The word of God shaped the life of Jesus. Jesus suffered, died and rose back to life because it was written in Scriptures. If Scriptures has shaped the life of Jesus, it will also shape ours. There, in Scriptures, we find God’s loving and wonderful plan for us. The prophet Jeremiah once said : “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” ( Jeremiah 29:11).

Jesus opened the minds of his disciples through Scriptures. It will also open our minds and help us believe. In reading Scriptures, we will come to know and understand that our life, just like Jesus’ life, has been lovingly planned by God himself. God himself will see through our life's wonderful fulfillment. Then we will no longer doubt the resurrection because just like Jesus, we too will rise to new life someday, as it is written in Scriptures. Amen.