2026.03.24

Would We Recognize Him?

So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Luke 24:29:b-31a

Two people, possibly a couple, who literally knew Jesus, fail to recognize him when he walks up to them and engages them in conversation about the goings-on in Jerusalem that past weekend. On Friday, Jesus was hanging on a cross in public; by sundown, his lifeless body was hastily placed in a tomb. Now it’s Sunday, and there was a fantastical story circulated by women they knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead. How do they not recognize their Teacher? Wasn’t his voice familiar? Was his face covered? Were they being dense because of their confusion and grief? Or was it a divine clouding of their minds?

I have to admit that sometimes I wonder if I, a pastor called by him 2000 years later, would recognize Jesus if he approached me and engaged in a conversation. How about you? Even if he told us outright that he was Jesus, would we accept that at face value, or would we be skeptical and think this guy was a charlatan or psychologically disturbed?

Then I catch myself and remember that what is happening in this story is a divine thing, and we are hopelessly human, clouded by our own hubris and our culture. But more importantly, our faith is not something we create, but a revelation and an invitation from the Divine One, our Creator.

My friends, I don’t care if you are a seasoned and faithfully consistent Christian, someone who has professed faith in Jesus Christ but allowed worldly values to sideline your participation, or one who walked away because of the unfortunate human failings of some religious people that somehow hurt you. Maybe you are somebody who has never given the Lord the opportunity to speak to your heart. With love, I invite you all to take advantage of the Holy Season that that is before us.

Come and proclaim “Hosanna” this Sunday (March 29th) as Christians around the world lay our cloaks and palms on the road before him. On Thursday (April 2nd), be in awe as he breaks bread and pours the cup, stay awake in the garden as he prays, and stay strong when he is arrested, trying not to deny knowing him. Let your heart break as we see him hanging and suffering on the cross, and feel the grief as his body is taken down and laid in the tomb. And then, on Sunday (April 5th), feel wonder, joy, and hope when his resurrected self appears and speaks to us,