A piece of fish and hope for the world

Scripture:

Luke 24:36   While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”^{a  37} They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.^{a  41} While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate in their presence.

Observation:

The disciples were comparing notes of their experiences with Christ when suddenly he showed up. They literally thought they were seeing a ghost, and had a hard time believing that he was real. The physical resurrection of Christ, not just a spirit resurrection was the completion of God’s plan for humanity. Jesus’ physical body was resurrected, and as a result he invited the disciples to see the physical scars of the crucifixion and to touch him. He was not a ghost but was made up of flesh and bone. 

It was never imagined that spirits could eat. The final piece of revealing the completion of the Father’s plan was to eat a piece of fish. That bite of fish represented the hope for all of humankind, that the salvation brought through the work of Jesus Christ was now complete . As a result, we can be saved in our spirit and in the flesh. 

Application:

In a world that encourages us to live by the desires of the flesh, just a simple bite of fish brings us hope that Jesus has overcome the world. It’s easy to buy into the temptation of gnosticism. To bring you up to date…this, from Wikipedia”

Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: γνωστικός, romanized: gnōstikós, Koine Greek: [ɣnostiˈkos], 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects.^[1] These various groups emphasised personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) above the orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions. Viewing material existence as flawed or evil, Gnostic cosmogony generally presents a distinction between a supreme, hidden God and a malevolent lesser divinity (sometimes associated with the Yahweh of the Old Testament)^[2] who is responsible for creating the material universe.^[3] Gnostics considered the principal element of salvation to be direct knowledge of the supreme divinity in the form of mystical or esoteric insight. Many Gnostic texts deal not in concepts of sin and repentance, but with illusion and enlightenment.^[3]

Jesus’ work of salvation is entire and complete, meaning that he can help us live beyond our physical frailties. Whatever the temptations we face in the flesh, Jesus can give us strength to overcome. That’s the promise and the hope that we find in this moment. Yet, sometimes we find ourselves in the statement, “while in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering.” It’s then that Jesus takes a bite of fish — dispelling their unbelief. 

The entire life of Christ is ours to embrace. Freedom from sin and the fleshly temptations can be found in the life of Christ. If we don’t believe that, we fail to see the totality of the work that he accomplished. At the same time, it was the work of Christ that brought about their faith. We don’t just have faith through the strength of our own will, but through the presence of Christ in our lives. If there is a struggle of faith — then we are to reach out to the one who reveals to us his nail-scarred hands. A bite of a piece of fish, brings hope to our hopeless world.

Prayer:

Lord, there are days when I need to be reminded of your wounds and the bite of fish. Thank you. Amen.