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He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49)

The disciples already had the word of God as given them in the books of the Old Testament, but they needed Jesus to come both as the revealer and the revelation of what that word meant before they would be ready to be his witnesses.

Jesus comes in the flesh, as we heard yesterday.  The revelation of the risen Lord there in person, able to eat and be touched, which of course, is the revelation of what all of us long for when we speak of a hope for “heaven,” or for “resurrection,” or even just more generally for “life.”  We long for a life and body like his resurrection body.

But Jesus also needed to open their minds and speak to them in order to reveal himself to them.  Not only is Jesus alive, but this living Jesus is what the scriptures had been talking about all along, he tells them. 

The revelation of the living Jesus, present right there in the room with them was in some ways easier to grasp and convey than this second thing.  “Jesus is risen” is the Gospel in a nutshell.  It was a reality viscerally present and perceived to the first disciples, without which the Christian faith would not have existed.    

But this second thing—this revelation of the scriptures thing—was a revelation firstly of a suffering, dying Messiah, and secondly of a Gospel message that included all nations.  Suffering and dying to self remains a challenge to the church even still today.  So does inclusion of diversity.

It was no easier on day one.  Peter’s first reaction before Jesus’ death had been to rebuke him.  “Never Lord, this shall never happen to you!”  And now as Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection: he tells them that they’re still not ready to live it out.  They still have to wait for the Spirit before they will have the power to proclaim a suffering savior and a diverse, inclusive church for and of all nations where there is no longer Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female.

For us who now live in the Spirit’s power, Jesus’ words ring out and confront us with their revealing power just the same: are we willing to take up our cross, die to ourselves daily, and follow this suffering saviour?  Are we willing to forgive and preach forgiveness in his name to all people and invite them into our church?  If we are: Jesus’ gift of grace in the Holy Spirit will more than accomplish it within us.