Third Sunday of Easter Yr A 2026
Easter • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 8 viewsSeeing is not necessarily believing. The apostles did not believe the eyewitness testimony of the women or the biblical explanations of Jesus until “their eyes were opened.” Yet they proclaimed the resurrection and cited scripture with good effect after Pentecost. They key is the Spirit and therefore prayer. He directs our prayers and opens they eyes of those who hear us. So do not blame people but pray, for the Spirit will do the job when and how he thinks right.
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Transcript
Title
Title
Explaining the Resurrection
Outline
Outline
Seeing is not necessarily believing, for you may know you are seeing wrongly or your expectations may shape what you see.
I am not surprised when people doubt the resurrection of Jesus
I am not surprised when people doubt the resurrection of Jesus
After all, his disciples doubted it when it happened and they saw the physical evidence. And when the women bore eyewitness testimony first to angelic announcements of the resurrection and second to the resurrected Jesus, they were not believed. So we have Cleopas and his companion hearing Jesus explain how the scriptures were fulfilled in his death and resurrection and still not getting it until they see that gesture of breaking the bread that they had seen at the last supper. Simon Peter also saw the resurrected Jesus and that persuaded his colleagues. It set them up for their own encounter with the resurrected Jesus.
But what had not persuaded them at first was all they had to proclaim
But what had not persuaded them at first was all they had to proclaim
Peter tells the story of Jesus to the crowd gawking at the Pentecost event and first quotes Ps 16 as evidence for the necessity of the resurrection and then goes on to cite the testimony of the 11 (and the 120 too, perhaps). Had he not been filled with the Spirit I bet he would have felt funny, for such things had not convinced him until he had his encounter.
But he did have the Spirit and he would repeat this message after the healing of the lame man, then before the Sanhedrin, and then before Cornelius and on and one. Some would believe, because the Spirit was with them, and some would not and Peter and the others would bear the marks of a resultant beating on their backs until they died.
So remember that seeing is not necessarily believing - it takes the Spirit
So remember that seeing is not necessarily believing - it takes the Spirit
They key to evangelization, then, is prayer, and the one who inspires and responds to prayer is the Spirit. He both directs our prayer and opens the eyes of those who hear us. They see the Spirit’s life in us and they through the Spirit may understand and come to faith themselves.
But I do not blame them if they do not respond, I just pray more. After all, if it took multiple eyewitness experiences and arguments from scripture to convince Jesus’ apostles I realize that I am not going to bring anyone to faith but I trust in the Spirit to do it when and how he thinks right.
