The list of God’s power on display down the ages is endless, but the resurrection of Jesus is his most amazing and important display of power – yet.
In his ministry, Jesus generally kept a low profile and carefully avoided saying he was the Messiah. But now, he was happy to show God had raised him from the dead.
I believe this was so he could demonstrate God’s supreme and ultimate power in his resurrected body. Also, to validate and give direction to the early growth of the Christian movement.
It provided eyewitness testimonies as evidence of the truth of the resurrection. This would be recorded for those who followed, including us today, to help us understand and explain it to others.
The Cyclical Nature of God
About 20 years ago or so, I remember pleading with God to make himself known to me. I think I was going through a bit of a crisis at the time.
Suddenly, I sensed being told, ‘My ways are cyclical’, and a picture came into my mind of the inside workings of an old-fashioned mechanical wristwatch. And it was not just one watch. It was a multitude of watches, each with individual sets of cogs and wheels, all doing their job perfectly of telling the time.
This is what God’s world must be like, I thought.
I don’t know if the experience was divine guidance or something I had learnt long ago kicking in, but I have never forgotten it, and it still rings as true as ever to me today.
Because when you stop and think about it, all things God creates are cyclical. And these cycles all rely on other components within the circle to function properly and precisely.
For example, the ecosystems within our world, oceans, forests, insects, and so on, all rely on the individual elements within the cycle to multiply.
Then we have family, community, church, and national and international circles, which require compromise and friendship to flourish.
The human body is a collection of flesh, blood and bones working together cyclically to keep our bodies functioning properly for our allotted time on Earth.
These three examples in themself are astonishingly complex examples of God’s power and might.
But, in Jesus’ resurrection, God demonstrated the ultimate long-term cycle. To be born, live and die. Then go to the spirit world and rest for a while before being resurrected into an immortal body.
The circle of Christianity continues in our hope of likewise being resurrected from the dead and living in heaven on earth.
The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35
‘Oh, how foolish you are and slow of heart’, Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Because they were slow to recognise the pattern of events that had unfolded before them.
Failed to recognise that Jesus had fulfilled the Old Testament cycle of prophecy about the coming of the Messiah.
Did not understand it was the Messiah who stood before them in his resurrected body.
There were other important patterns established in the report of these two disciples.
They finally recognised Jesus in The Holy Communion. Thereafter, as we do today, the disciples came together regularly to repeat the breaking of bread in remembrance of him.
When they dashed back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what had happened, Jesus appeared to them again, with the immortal words repeated among Christians down the ages ‘Peace be with you’.
What Does this mean for us Today?
Although we don’t generally have much influence over the circles of other people’s lives, we can improve the cycles of our own lives by letting go of any wrong ways of thinking and forming better ways.
Because in our individual lives, we sometimes frantically try to make things be as we (often blindly) believe they should be. I know I do—mea culpa.
But when we crucify our will to do things our way and replace it with Jesus’s way;
When we let go and hand control over to Him, we allow space for His will to be resurrected in our hearts.
As we travel from the white Lilies of Easter to the red Peonies of Pentecost, let us not be slow to recognise Jesus in our lives.
As we observe the cyclical nature of God in our daily lives, let our senses reveal to us how he is walking alongside us?
Why not then say, let your will be done, Jesus, not mine in this circle?
You might be surprised to discover that as you let go and allow Jesus to lead beautiful and gentle peace begins to emerge within the circles of our lives,
And as we do this, God’s Kingdom grows a little larger, and heaven draws a little closer.
Peace be with you.
