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Posted: March 31st, 2008 at 2:41am By: Kevin Considine
"We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."
These are the words of the two disciples traveling to Emmaus. They meet the Risen Christ along the way but do not recognize him. They voice their despair to him on account of the violent and unjust end of the Jesus movement. As far as they know, the movement has been snuffed out. And so has their hope in God's redemption of their people.
As the story goes, Jesus continues on with them and agrees to stay with them for the night. At dinner, he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. As he does this, they finally recognize him and he vanishes from their presence. They immediately return to Jerusalem (in the middle of the night on a dangerous road) to tell the apostles.
Their hasty return to Jerusalem in the middle of the night shows that their hope has been rekindled. They have seen the Risen Christ. They have been reminded that Israel has not been abandoned by God. Despite all evidence to the contrary, God is still at work. Evil and suffering have not had the last word. God's resurrection of Jesus the Christ has cemented hope and salvation within human history.
Because this was not a bodily resuscitation like Lazarus. Unlike him, Jesus will not die again. Instead, this was a final bodily re-creation. Jesus' resurrected person is a glimpse of the final salvation of the end of time.
What else can such a strange happening be? His presence makes little sense. Looking again at Luke's gospel, Jesus has risen from the dead like a spirit, yet he still eats real food. He has a physical body, but seems to pass through walls. He is like the disciples, yet beyond them. God has revealed God's promise to them once and for all in his Son. And this promise is the hope of the resurrection.
This story from Luke 24 reminds us that Christianity, at its most basic level, is a religion of hope. It is not a religion of social justice, although that is integral to its practice. It is not a religion of moral perfection, although living ethically is essential. And it is not a religion of fear and despair for offending God's honor.
No, it is a religion of hope. It is a faith lived in the wake of the Resurrection. It is an audacious claim that "He is risen!" in the face of doubt. It is based upon a real in-breaking of God's love, hope and salvation for humankind into a world that has little care for God's grace. It is an irrefutable sign of God's loving concern for humankind that can never be turned back.
This hope isn't a wistful longing. It isn't a wishy-washy optimism. This hope is a promise for the beginning of salvation here and now. Even though it will only be completed at the end of time. It is shown in Jesus' earthly ministry of healings. The lepers are healed, the demoniacs liberated, the lame walk and the blind are given sight. The hope revealed in Jesus Christ is much more than any of these miracles. But it is tied up with them nonetheless.
In today's context many are in desperate need of such hope. They cry out for the beginning of God's salvation here and now. For the mentally ill, Christian hope promises that their minds, emotions and spirits will be fully restored. For the physically handicapped, Christian hope promises that their disability will not always determine their existence. For the abused and the violated, such a resurrection hope promises that they will heal and that there will be justice for their perpetrators. For the oppressed, the poor and the marginalized, this hope promises liberation, provision and belonging. For the innocent victims of history who have died, this hope promises new life and final justice.
For all of us, a resurrection hope is God's promise that evil, suffering and death will not ultimately prevail. It breaks our slavery to a despairing existence that leads to death.
It reminds us that despair is often a privilege of the comfortable and the powerful. Just like atheism. In a world of ridiculous suffering, without the promise of God's final justice there is an excess of human misery and death that can never be reconciled. If we have no resurrection hope, then these innocent victims of history have no hope for redemption. They, who outnumber the comfortable (like me), become mere collateral damage in our march of progress. Without Christ they remain enslaved by death and despair.
"We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel." Now, in the wake of the resurrection, we do hope for the redemption of our world. We have hope that God's final salvation has already entered history and is working. We are reminded that God is always with us and calling us near. We realize that hope is powerful. For it leads to lives of love and faith, justice and reconciliation.
This is the heart of Christianity. This is our comfort and our challenge. This is our resurrection hope.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Kevin Considine.
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"We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."
These are the words of the two disciples traveling to Emmaus. They meet the Risen Christ along the way but do not recognize him. They voice their despair to him on account of the violent and unjust end of the Jesus movement. As far as they know, the movement has been snuffed out. And so has their hope in God's redemption of their people.
As the story goes, Jesus continues on with them and agrees to stay with them for the night. At dinner, he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. As he does this, they finally recognize him and he vanishes from their presence. They immediately return to Jerusalem (in the middle of the night on a dangerous road) to tell the apostles.
Their hasty return to Jerusalem in the middle of the night shows that their hope has been rekindled. They have seen the Risen Christ. They have been reminded that Israel has not been abandoned by God. Despite all evidence to the contrary, God is still at work. Evil and suffering have not had the last word. God's resurrection of Jesus the Christ has cemented hope and salvation within human history.
Because this was not a bodily resuscitation like Lazarus. Unlike him, Jesus will not die again. Instead, this was a final bodily re-creation. Jesus' resurrected person is a glimpse of the final salvation of the end of time.
What else can such a strange happening be? His presence makes little sense. Looking again at Luke's gospel, Jesus has risen from the dead like a spirit, yet he still eats real food. He has a physical body, but seems to pass through walls. He is like the disciples, yet beyond them. God has revealed God's promise to them once and for all in his Son. And this promise is the hope of the resurrection.
This story from Luke 24 reminds us that Christianity, at its most basic level, is a religion of hope. It is not a religion of social justice, although that is integral to its practice. It is not a religion of moral perfection, although living ethically is essential. And it is not a religion of fear and despair for offending God's honor.
No, it is a religion of hope. It is a faith lived in the wake of the Resurrection. It is an audacious claim that "He is risen!" in the face of doubt. It is based upon a real in-breaking of God's love, hope and salvation for humankind into a world that has little care for God's grace. It is an irrefutable sign of God's loving concern for humankind that can never be turned back.
This hope isn't a wistful longing. It isn't a wishy-washy optimism. This hope is a promise for the beginning of salvation here and now. Even though it will only be completed at the end of time. It is shown in Jesus' earthly ministry of healings. The lepers are healed, the demoniacs liberated, the lame walk and the blind are given sight. The hope revealed in Jesus Christ is much more than any of these miracles. But it is tied up with them nonetheless.
In today's context many are in desperate need of such hope. They cry out for the beginning of God's salvation here and now. For the mentally ill, Christian hope promises that their minds, emotions and spirits will be fully restored. For the physically handicapped, Christian hope promises that their disability will not always determine their existence. For the abused and the violated, such a resurrection hope promises that they will heal and that there will be justice for their perpetrators. For the oppressed, the poor and the marginalized, this hope promises liberation, provision and belonging. For the innocent victims of history who have died, this hope promises new life and final justice.
For all of us, a resurrection hope is God's promise that evil, suffering and death will not ultimately prevail. It breaks our slavery to a despairing existence that leads to death.
It reminds us that despair is often a privilege of the comfortable and the powerful. Just like atheism. In a world of ridiculous suffering, without the promise of God's final justice there is an excess of human misery and death that can never be reconciled. If we have no resurrection hope, then these innocent victims of history have no hope for redemption. They, who outnumber the comfortable (like me), become mere collateral damage in our march of progress. Without Christ they remain enslaved by death and despair.
"We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel." Now, in the wake of the resurrection, we do hope for the redemption of our world. We have hope that God's final salvation has already entered history and is working. We are reminded that God is always with us and calling us near. We realize that hope is powerful. For it leads to lives of love and faith, justice and reconciliation.
This is the heart of Christianity. This is our comfort and our challenge. This is our resurrection hope.
— — —
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Kevin Considine.
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