Do you know what is strange? How subtle the resurrection stories are in the Gospels. Mary Magdalene not recognizing Jesus in the garden, his strange warning to her that it is not yet the time she is hoping for where she can to cling to him, the male disciples not believing the women, the randomness of how Jesus appears to them when all the doors were locked, how Thomas said he would never believe unless he could touch the scars of Jesus (John 20:11-18; Luke 24:11; John 20:19-29). How time just seems to go on as usual until Jesus interrupts some of the disciples after they’d been fishing all night. They don’t recognize him and then he makes them breakfast (John 21:1-19).
This line really hit me: "In their mourning, gathering, leaving, fishing, going about their day…in their disillusionment Jesus shows up." Thank you so much for these words.
So much counter-intuitive hope in those stories, thank you for this. John’s resurrection episodes have been especially meaningful for me lately, this gives me more to ponder. It’s not very related, but I’m working on a study that focuses in part on John 21:7 when Peter jumps into the sea, in case you’re interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/onceaweek/p/when-empire-comes-to-church-part-899?r=16589c&utm_medium=ios
Working through much of this now in Esther Meeks' book, which contrasts the Western default impersonal propositional understanding of knowledge as impersonal, passive acquiring of information. This can mask our seeing what is real, distort reality and our humanness of how we perceive, understand, see (which in turns leaves of untransformed, disconnected from ourselves and the world around us), leaves us bored, distracted, more skeptical and cynical, and able trust less with the world around us. Contrast this with "The Real," which views knowledge and the act of knowing as more of a interpersonal relationship between knower and known, which more resonates with our humanness and reality. In our act of knowing and being known, it was meant to be therapeutic, healing. Meeks termed this act of knowing "inviting the real." Knowing healingly is what humans were made for and made to do. Our default mode of knowing as impersonal tends to talk and know "about Jesus" rather than talking and knowing with Jesus (really highlighted by your Emmaus road example!). Thanks Aimee!
Brilliant, sister. Quietly brilliant.
This line really hit me: "In their mourning, gathering, leaving, fishing, going about their day…in their disillusionment Jesus shows up." Thank you so much for these words.
So much counter-intuitive hope in those stories, thank you for this. John’s resurrection episodes have been especially meaningful for me lately, this gives me more to ponder. It’s not very related, but I’m working on a study that focuses in part on John 21:7 when Peter jumps into the sea, in case you’re interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/onceaweek/p/when-empire-comes-to-church-part-899?r=16589c&utm_medium=ios
Working through much of this now in Esther Meeks' book, which contrasts the Western default impersonal propositional understanding of knowledge as impersonal, passive acquiring of information. This can mask our seeing what is real, distort reality and our humanness of how we perceive, understand, see (which in turns leaves of untransformed, disconnected from ourselves and the world around us), leaves us bored, distracted, more skeptical and cynical, and able trust less with the world around us. Contrast this with "The Real," which views knowledge and the act of knowing as more of a interpersonal relationship between knower and known, which more resonates with our humanness and reality. In our act of knowing and being known, it was meant to be therapeutic, healing. Meeks termed this act of knowing "inviting the real." Knowing healingly is what humans were made for and made to do. Our default mode of knowing as impersonal tends to talk and know "about Jesus" rather than talking and knowing with Jesus (really highlighted by your Emmaus road example!). Thanks Aimee!
“His face hiding in our faces.” Lovely.
Thank you for this beautiful post. May Jesus interrupt my business-as-usual life!
What a great compilation of our scriptural doofiness before a risen God, May it help our eyes this season.
I LOVE this! I'm sharing it. Thank you.
“Clumsy yet beautiful encounters.” Couldn’t have described post resurrection life better. 🥹
Whispering “wow.”