40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
Jesus was continually amazing His disciples. In our verses for today we see our Savior presenting convincing proofs - over and over again - to His guys, desirous of waking them up to the Truth and subsequently having them abundantly satisfied concerning it. Scripture tells us they still did not believe because of their joy and their amazement. Ever been there? Ever seen the work of Jesus’ hand in our lives and in our amazement been so overwhelmed we missed who it was from and the implications of it all? We can be ever so quick to beseech the Lord in prayer and when the answer comes we oftentimes write it off as something accomplished by man or luck or whatever. How quickly we forget where the credit is due. I am reminded of the ten lepers Jesus healed – only one of which came back to bestow his gratitude – and he a foreigner. We find in Luke:
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 5 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
Before we came to Jesus we were not too dissimilar to these ten lepers – ousted from their communities, forced to live on the outskirts of the town, constantly crying out “Unclean!”, “Unclean!” In like fashion, we were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, unclean, without hope and without God in the world. Yet, Paul goes on to say in Ephesians:
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace. Eph 2:13-14 (NIV)
Joy and grateful hearts are to be the hallmark of every believer’s life – even in the midst of our amazement. Prior to the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those who belong to our Lord, Jesus gave seventy-two of His disciples a foretaste of what was to come. We find their amazement also at His power dwelling within them. Luke tells us:
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. Luke 10:1-4 (NIV)
16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:16-20 (NIV)
The believer’s reason for rejoicing lies in the fact that our names are written in heaven. The disciples had not quite gotten that in our verses today! Oftentimes, we don’t quite have it either! They were in process just as we are in process. In fact, their initial slowness to believe very much helps to collaborate the truth of Jesus’ resurrection:
“Instead of stealing the body and saying ‘He has risen’ when he has not, as the chief priests suggested the disciples would, they are prepared to say again and again ‘He has not risen’ when he has. When, afterwards, they did believe it and risked everything for it, it was only after the most comprehensive demonstration possible of the matter.” Matthew Henry
Remember, their lack of belief was not one of contempt but rather but one of joy and amazement – it was not only too good to be true, but too great to be true!
“Heritors of joy forever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sun rising. Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side of the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward. Truly is it said of us, ‘Happy are thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?’” C. H. Spurgeon