Have you anything to eat?
Thessaloniki 1978
NB. Sermon recorded at the Arts Centre Fatfield Durham 12 April 1998
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36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
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.
44 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.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 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.”
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Personal
Setting the Scene
The drama we have just seen left us looking at the cross where Jesus Christ was crucified from the first story in the bible when people first said to God “We don’t need you” God has been working out our salvation. In reply to us saying “We don’t need you” God doesn’t say “Oh yes you do” - God says “I love you”.
In a nutshell, the reading we’ve just heard was God saying “I love you”. The reading takes us to Jerusalem, to the eleven disciples and some friends in shock, bereaved, mourning the death of Jesus; their close friend and teacher.
As we remind ourselves of the state they were in, today, as we enter this story we will experience the amazement and power of the resurrection. In Luke 24 we join the eleven disciples as they stood talking to the two chaps who are saying Jesus had walked with them yesterday on the road to Emmaus. The disciples can’t believe their ears - these lads are saying they have seen the Lord - alive!
Then, the impossible happens. There in Jerusalem as they talked Jesus stands with them and says, “Peace be with you”. This is not a great priestly statement, “Peace be with you.” This was an everyday greeting ‘shalom’ a phrase that would have been used all the time. It is a blessing or a greeting, then to define it loses something.
When I get a phone call from my friend John he says “hello boy” another friend Brian says “What about you” and when I hear their greeting I know exactly who it is. Jesus is coming back to his friends, saying, “Shalom” - Hey, it’s me, Jesus, it’s really me, I’ve risen from the dead, the cross is history. Look at the scars on my hands and feet. Jesus Christ is transforming their sorrow and bereavement into joy deep deep joy of this new resurrection life.
And the disciple’s reaction is typical, gobsmacked, amazed, dumbstruck and then there’s a lovely touch of the ordinary. As they stand wide-eyed, jaws dropped, Jesus says “Have you got anything to eat?” It’s like saying “Put the kettle on.”
When I go back to Ireland with the family, mum and dad are usually stood in the hall, and we go in. There is a welcome procedure: mum kisses me and Jenn and then the girls. It’s like a little ceremony and it’s a bit strange until dad says “Put the kettle on” and that breaks the formality and brings in the ordinary. When Jesus says “Have you anything to eat” to these men it brings a bit of normality to the whole scene. I can imagine Peter going to the fridge and saying “Do you like fish” and Jesus replies, “Ay fish will do rightly”. Maybe we’ve seen too many Hollywood movies of it all where someone like Charlton Heston says “Have ye anything to eat”.
But let us remember the last time Jesus ate with these fellas was last Thursday when he said “you are my friends.”
This is Jesus, God in the flesh, back with his friends saying ‘the friendship goes on.’
If we do not see the ordinary out of this extraordinary resurrection story we will fall into the trap of just standing on ceremony with our mouths wide open, rather than entering into that loving embrace, and that everyday walk with the Lord.
That’s how I read those first few hours of the resurrection through the eyes of the eleven disciples.
Jesus says ‘you are my friends,’ inviting us to know him more and more even to be ordinary and every day with him.
Minds Opened
Then as he sat there eating fish supper, the Bible says in Luke 24v45
‘He opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures’
Jesus explained to the disciples how all scriptures, in fact, looked forwards to the cross and resurrection.
From the fall in the garden of Eden, to the Law, the prophecies and the Psalms, they tell the story of God working out our salvation.
Luke 24:46 says:
“This is what is written, the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.”
I don’t know about you but when I hear ‘repent’ - I get bad vibes “on your knees and repent” or “look at you you need forgiveness” or “on your knees boy and grovel for it.”
But let us remember Jesus is talking to his eleven closest friends. He is eating fish and chips with them. Surely he is not saying “you snivelling little runts repent, you need forgiveness” – it doesn’t fit, does it?
No, what is happening is this Jesus is saying “I’ll tell you what it’s all about, look I have died and come back from the dead to show you there are no limits to God’s love for you, God is a forgiving God.”
Forgiveness brings us back to God, forgiveness takes away anything which separates us from God, forgiveness is the power of new life.
I am sure we can all remember when you were little having done something terrible, it troubled you all day until you just had to blurt it out “I did this” and “I’m sorry”, and we thought we would be punished for it. But mum or dad or auntie said “I know you did it, but it’s all right, I still love.”
Can you remember that relief? The release and freedom of forgiveness.
God is a forgiving God. Jesus is saying that’s the message that will change the world.
You may have come in here this morning with a load of personal stuff, and no one knows but you. It is screwing you up and I’m talking about Christians and non-Christians here. You may have decided “I’ll never be a really good Christian.”
Jesus says to you “Shalom,” I suffered and died to take that from you - you can be released - forgiven - set free.
The other side to the coin is this: if you’ve said today “I need forgiveness”- repentance has already started.
Repentance is a change which takes place within us.
We start off saying “I’m all right on my own, I don’t need God” and then we change and say, “I need you God, I need you so much” - that’s repentance.
Jesus opened the minds of these eleven ordinary fellas to the scriptures. He says, this is the message that will change the world. Repentance begins as we say “God I need you.”
God is a God who forgives, forgiveness set’s you free. Jesus was prepared to be crucified on the cross to work it out for us.
Go and Wait
The last thing Jesus tells the disciples in this story in Luke is 24:48 he tells them “you are witnesses to all this” Go and tell it.
But before you do in verse 49 he tells them to wait. It’s strange to be told to Go and then wait. He said ‘wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon you.’
That is where the power of the message is. Not your words, your efforts, your strengths.
The Holy Spirit is to be their strength. It’s a bit like the beginning of a big sailing regatta and the yachts are all ready for off but they have to wait for the wind to pick up. The Holy Spirit is often described as a ‘wind.’ It is the power that will carry this message to the world and by the world I mean our friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours and work colleagues.
Just like there were eleven or so ordinary people to take the resurrection and forgiveness message to their world so there are 150 ordinary people at this ArtsCentre this morning and you are witnesses to this fact: Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. Go and tell but first wait and pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ask me how the Holy Spirit will empower you or how you will be used, the Holy Spirit does what he wants, he just needs you to be available and to be his witnesses.
That’s how it was on the first Easter Sunday, Jesus spoke to his eleven friends (disciples). He did something very ordinary with his friends “got anything to eat?”
He explained how scripture foretold that he would be crucified, and rise from the dead that first Easter Sunday morning about two thousand years ago. He calls us to take this message to our friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours and work colleagues that God is a forgiving God and he died and rose from the dead to show how great his love is for us.
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He bled and died, to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove, my saviour lives
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know, he holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives
© Bill Gaither
