Download I think we have all had the experience of not recognizing someone

I think we have all had the experience of not recognizing someone we
know. Maybe we’ve even had the experience of failing to recognize
someone we know really well. I had that experience a few years ago
when I ran into a really good high school friend. Of course he
recognized me right away which made the whole thing even more
embarrassing. He called out my name, “Nate Toso!” And I looked at
him thinking to myself, I don't know this person who is calling my
name. The thing is, I hadn’t seen him in a few years and he had put on
some weight and he just didn't look like I remembered him. Plus, I just
didn’t expect to see him at the Cub grocery store in Rosemount. I knew
he lived in the Twin Cities, but I just didn’t expect to run into him At my
local grocery store and so the whole encounter threw me and I didn’t
recognize a really good friend from high school.
I had a similar experience as a pastor. I once walked right by a
parishioner in the store. The following Sunday, that person let me know
that she had seen me and waved to me, but I walked right past her
Without recognizing her or acknowledging her. I felt bad, but that kind
of thing sometimes happens. You run into someone you know, and
because they are in a different place than you are used to seeing them,
you just don’t recognize them. The funny thing is, once you do
recognize the person, it often seems you can’t believe that you didn’t
recognize them in the first place.
It seems that often times in the Bible, when people see Jesus after the
resurrection, they don’t recognize him at first. When Mary Magdalene
first sees Jesus after he is resurrected, she doesn’t recognize him right
away. At first, Mary thinks Jesus was the gardener, but once Jesus
speaks Mary’s name, she realizes it is him. And once she realizes it is
Jesus, she doesn’t have any doubts about who she has seen. She goes out
and finds the disciples and tells them, “I have seen the Lord.” The same
thing happens when the disciples are out fishing on the lake in Galilee
and Jesus calls out to them from the shore. At first, the disciples don’t
recognize that it is Jesus, even though, at this point, they know that Jesus
has been raised from the grave. But once one of the disciples recognizes
Jesus, the rest of the disciples recognize him immediately. This is the
same thing that happens with this pair of disciples from our story today
who are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. At first, Jesus is a stranger
to them. He just happens to be someone they journey on the road with
and they talk to Jesus and walk with him without recognizing him. It’s
not until Jesus shares a meal with them and breaks bread and gives
thanks to God that the strangers recognize him. But I think that it is
really interesting that there are so many stories about Jesus appearing
after the resurrection where people don’t recognize him.
Part of that is probably because they don’t expect to see Jesus. Even
though Jesus has told his disciples over and over that he would be raised
from the dead, the disciples just don’t expect to see the risen Jesus. And
amid all their grief in losing their beloved Rabbi and friend, maybe their
senses aren’t all that keen. Add to that the fact that Jesus is probably the
last person they would expect to see and maybe it isn’t all that surprising
that they don’t recognize him. I also wonder if there is maybe something
a bit different after he has been raised from the dead. The Gospels are
clear that Jesus isn’t like a ghost, he is fully human after the resurrection,
but maybe there is just something different about his appearance and
maybe we would expect that from someone who has been raised from
the dead.
The disciples had a pretty amazing experience when the got to see the
resurrected Jesus. And I’m sure those appearances would strengthen
their faith as they started spreading the Gospel to the world and laid the
foundation for the Christian church. But we haven’t been privileged in
that same way. Of course, we haven’t gotten to see the risen Jesus. But
Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." And the thing is,
that's us. We’re those blessed ones who have not seen and yet believe.
And Jesus has promised to be present for us, in the here and now
through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We may sometimes wrestle with how
to recognize that Jesus is here among us, even though he promised that
he would be. And there are some ways that Jesus promised we could be
sure that he is among us. There are some assurances that Jesus gave us
that he was present among us.
One is that whenever his people gather together, he promises to be
among them. Jesus made a promise, in the Gospel of Matthew, that
'Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am among
them' (Matt 18:20). Whenever we come together in the name of Jesus,
whether that be in church, or Bible study or prayer group, or as a family,
or in any way that we gather in the name of Jesus--he assures us that he
is there.
Another way that we can be sure that Jesus is present among us is in the
same way that the disciples in Emmaus recognized Jesus-- in their own
words--'he was known to us in the breaking of bread.' When Jesus was
on earth before the resurrection, he was often found having meals with
people. And back in Jesus’ day, meals weren’t just about eating, they
were a way that you shared your life with other people. And when Jesus
shared his last meal with his disciples he said that in the bread we would
have his body that was broken for us and in the wine we would have his
blood poured out to show his great love for us. And so, when we break
bread and share wine during communion, Jesus has promised that he
would be present with us and for us. And for many people, Holy
Communion, where we come together to share a meal in which Christ is
particularly present, this act is the best part of worship and a highlight of
their week.
And there is another place where Jesus said he would always be found
and that is among people who are in need. There is a parable in Matthew
chapter 25 that demonstrates this beautifully. It is the parable of the
sheep and the goats. In that parable, Jesus says to those on his right
hand, those who will enter the kingdom of heaven: 'I was hungry and
you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, I was naked and
you gave me clothing, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me... as you did it to these, you did it to me.' In
other words, Jesus promises to be with us when there are people in our
midst who are in need.
Of course, this was such a big part of Jesus’ ministry. During his
ministry it was often among people like that that Jesus was to be found the people in need, the people too often ignored by others and excluded
from the lives of many people. People on the margins. And so Jesus
reminded his disciples and us that that is one of the most basic places
where he is to be found in this world. Of course, in the parable of the
sheep and the goats, none of the people actually recognized Jesus in the
hungry, in the strangers, or in the poor. Those who did not help the
people in need and those who did help are both surprised by Jesus'
words That just as he did it unto those in need he did it unto Jesus
himself. But one of the main reasons that Jesus told this parable is so
that we would be able to recognize him in the needy, so that we should
always be looking to help those in need. Knowing that in these folks we
will always find Jesus, that it is with these people that Jesus has
identified himself over and over and over again.
So as we come for healing this morning and as we pray for healing for
others in our congregation, community, and world, let us remember that
Jesus is found in places that we may not always recognize him. But
when we are in need and when others in our world are in need, Jesus is
there, every time, without fail. Coming to us. Healing us. And pouring
out his love for us. And thanks be to God for that.