A Meditation for this Easter Lord’s Day:
The old saying goes, “Seeing is believing.” And in many cases that is certainly true. However, in the Christian life seeing holds a far greater purpose than simply believing. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” a
The Triune God gathers His church this and every Lord’s Day around the Word and the Table that we might see our risen Lord. We see Him in the songs we sing; we see Him in the love and grace we extend to one another; we see Him as we gather as one people where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus” b; we see Him in all the Scriptures as they are read and preached; and we see Him in the bread and wine.
For us today, seeing is not just believing. Seeing is becoming! John the Beloved writes in 1 John 3:1-3:
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”
The more clearly and affectionately we are able to see Jesus today and in the week ahead, the more we will be conformed into His likeness. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus encountered the risen Lord; their eyes were opened as they broke bread with Him, and their hearts burned within them as they listened to His Word. c
Therefore, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” d
On this Easter Sunday, taste and see that the Lord is good. And in the process we also will be transformed, sent out to flavor the world around us with His life and truth. AMEN!
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