Don't miss the miracle!
“Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. –John 20:13b-14 (NIV)
Something curious shows up following the resurrection of the Christ: In at least three post-resurrection appearances, Jesus was initially unrecognized by some of His most faithful followers. Scripture is unclear as to the reason. In Mary’s cemetery encounter, and in the apostles’ beach scene, it’s possible that distance and early morning lighting could have played a part. That was clearly not the case on the road to Emmaus. That seven-mile hike with the two disciples created an interaction that was much longer and more involved.
All three meetings included pre-recognition verbal exchanges in addition to the visual contact. This common experience, shared by different people and recorded in three separate occasions, represent the kind of Scriptural repetition that is often indicative of something worth noting. Was there something different about Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance and voice that rendered him unrecognizable? Were the followers supernaturally prevented from recognizing their friend and Master in those early encounters?
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. –John 21:4 (NIV)
Certainly, there was something unusual about Jesus’ post-resurrection body. It was demonstrably physical, but later appearances indicate an ability to materialize in spaces without having arrived there through conventional means. Even so, He was seemingly instantly recognizable in recorded appearances beyond these three. This is speculative on my part, but I can imagine these early-encounter followers being temporarily blinded to Jesus’ identity due to, at least in part, a combination of shock, grief, fear, lack of sleep, and unmet expectations.
What if they literally couldn’t believe their eyes? The roller coaster of the previous week had culminated in the demise of their leader and the apparent death of their dream. They clearly didn’t expect Jesus to rise from the dead, though He explicitly predicted the certainty of that outcome on multiple occasions. Exhausted, broken-hearted, fearing for their lives, they had to have been in a fog.
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. –Luke 24:15-16 (NIV)
It’s been said that we see what we’re looking for. You may recall a 1999 experiment that explored this idea. It featured a video inviting viewers to count the number of times a basketball was exchanged among three people moving in a confined space. The “got’cha” was something else in the video that most people completely missed on first viewing due to their focus on the movement of the ball.
Sometimes, I wonder if I may be missing the miracle standing in front of me because it isn’t what I was looking for. Other times I sense I’ve allowed myself to become so distracted by my own disillusionment, fear, or fatigue that I’ve forgotten how awesomely miraculous the miracle was.
Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? –Exodus 15:11 (ESV)
Heads up, eyes open. Let us (re-)discover the miracle today….