Third Sunday of Easter
(Acts 2:14, 22–33; 1 Peter 1:17–21; Luke 24:13–35)
Each year on
this Third Sunday of Easter, we hear the account of an appearance of the risen
Jesus. Today we are told of his encounter with two disciples on the road to
Emmaus. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the nature of the resurrection,
both of Jesus and of our own at the end of time. The resurrection is one of the
central truths of the Christian faith. However, it is not as easy to understand
as is often assumed.
To arrive at
a proper understanding, we must clarify some misconceptions about the
resurrection. Many people today regard the resurrection as a myth meant to say
that Jesus lives on in the hearts of his disciples. Myths are stories without a
historical foundation and whose purpose is to express a human truth. The “Tower
of Babel,” for example, is a myth that attempts to explain the many languages of
the world. This is not the case with the account of Jesus’ resurrection. Its
historical foundations are well established: Jesus was crucified by order of
Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, when Caiaphas was the high priest. His
resurrection took place on the third day after this event.
According to
another mistaken idea, the risen Jesus was a ghost which some people saw
briefly. This misconception makes Jesus similar to the prophet Samuel, whom
Saul summoned from the dead to gain information about his enemies. But his disciples
experienced the risen Jesus as a living person with whom they could share a
meal.
A third false
idea of the resurrection makes Jesus like Lazarus, whom Jesus resuscitated. But
this concept also clashes with what the gospels tell us. Lazarus came back to
life with a body like our own. The body
of the risen Jesus, on the other hand, has been transformed. Jesus can pass through closed doors and
appear and disappear suddenly.
There are
several common features in these appearances that help us understand their
nature. First, the risen Jesus is seen but not readily identified. The
disciples on the road to Emmaus do not recognize him at first. When he appears
to Paul on the road to Damascus, he is perceived as a bright light. As we said,
his body has been transformed and is no longer subject to previous limitations.
Another
characteristic of the risen Christ is that he communicates with those to whom
he appears. His message can be challenging, as when he reproaches his disciples
for not believing the women, according to the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel.
But more often, he greets them with the word “peace.” This word in Hebrew is shalom
and means much more than “hello” or “good morning”. Shalom expresses the fullness of
well-being. Then Jesus sends his apostles out to proclaim the Good News
everywhere.
Finally, Jesus
shares meals with those to whom he appears. In today’s Gospel, the disciples
recognize him in the breaking of the bread, a gesture that recalls the
Eucharist. He is continuing his previous practice of table fellowship as a way
of expressing the intimacy of his love.
From all
this, we can say that the resurrection represents a new level or mode of human
existence. It is a qualitative leap,
similar to, in a sense, the one that occurred when primates evolved into human
beings. The Risen One has a transformed body, and his love is no longer limited
as it once was. During his earthly life, Jesus was could not reach everyone.
Now, in his risen state, he not only reaches all but is able to embrace every
man, woman, and child within himself. In this way, a new communion with God and
with one another is established.
Our love is
limited in more fundamental ways than that of Jesus. We cannot love without
some degree of self-interest. This is not wrong until we seek our own
satisfaction to the detriment of the other’s welfare. However, in the
resurrection, our bodies will be transformed in such a way that the love for
which they were created to show will no longer be merely one of sensual desire,
or even only of friendship. Rather, our love for others will manifest the
complete selflessness that characterizes Jesus’ love for his disciples. We will
be able to love all people in a way unlike anything we have ever known. We will be able to love others like God loves us.
