What's Next?

WHAT'S NEXT? Luke 24:35-49 April 18, 2021 In 1980 when I began my journey of seriously studying the Bible, I was living in Arizona. I was discipled 4 nights a week by a man named Scott who was very enthusiastic about being a Bible teacher. And, his big deal was don't just know the story. Know why that story is there, and know why it is told the way it's told. And, one night we were looking at this text. He says - all four Gospels have the resurrection appearance in the upper room. But, Luke is the only one who tells it like this. What is Luke trying to communicate to us? And, I struggled with - well Luke is showing us Jesus' body can pass through solid walls, so it's like a vapor. But, the Apostles can touch him so it's also a solid normal body. He eats and drinks, so we know his body functions just like our bodies do. So, I think Luke wants us to know after this life we will have bodies that we recognize, but with special qualities. He is putting us at ease about what lies ahead for each of us. And, Scott says - no, you've completely missed it. Luke wants us to know we can eat chocolate cake in Heaven! Probably not where Luke was going. In fact, I'm pretty sure Luke is setting up the transition to his second book, the book of Acts. It's what's next. Last week we talked about the two travelers on the road to Emmaus. It is the day of the Resurrection. They are deeply saddened by Jesus' death. And, they disagree whether or not resurrection is a possibility. They do not agree on life after death. Jesus joins them on the road, and shows them (in great detail) that the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Messiah was prophesied in the Bible - the Hebrew Bible - the Old Testament. When they reach Emmaus they sit down to eat with Jesus, and he reenacts the Last Supper. At that point, they recognize Jesus, and he disappears. Cleopas and his wife race back to Jerusalem, back to the upper room, and tell the Apostles, Jesus is alive. We have seen him! He explained the Bible to us. The resurrection is real. We believe! They are excited, they are fired up. And, in the middle of telling their story, Jesus himself appears there in the upper room. The door is locked tight, because these guys are still afraid of being arrested as followers of dead Jesus.1 The Greek words Luke uses make it clear this is a miracle. Jesus doesn't knock on the door, and give a password, and they let him in - like going into a 1920's speak easy. He miraculously moves through the brick and mortar, and is standing in the middle of them. We now have multiple examples of Jesus appearing, then vanishing to appear somewhere else. Not entirely sure how he does this. But, Jesus has promised us bodies just like his when we get to Heaven. You and I can look forward to being wherever we want to be - right now. Jesus speaks to the Apostles. He says shalom. It is the traditional Jewish greeting.2 It means 'peace be with you'. But, more than that, it is an actual prayer. It is meant to be a prayer from you, to God, on behalf of someone else. A prayer for peace, tranquility, and contentment in their life. And, at this particular moment, that is exactly what the Apostles need. Peace, tranquility, and contentment. Because, these guys are frightened. They are terrified. A ghost has just appeared in their locked room. Doesn't matter that Jesus told them over and over, I will be back in 3 days. There is no doubt in their minds this is a ghost. Why? Because they had been told that since they were babies. After you die, you become a ghost. Which brings up the point - what do you think happens after we die? What's next? Jesus and the Apostle Paul both say - we live, and then we die. Some time in the future Jesus will return. When he comes back, we will rise up out of the ground, get new bodies, and go to Heaven. But, what happens between now and then? The Old Testament has two stories of men who never die. There is a man named Enoch who was very righteous. Here is everything we know about Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24), "When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him." That's it! He just disappears because God takes him. If he's such a good friend of God, I don't think God would wipe him out. So, there must be somewhere we go after this. And, Enoch didn't have to die to go there. So, we assume, Enoch has his regular body, wherever he is.3 We also know the story of the prophet Elijah. After years of faithful ministry, God sends a fiery chariot to pick him up and take him directly to Heaven. So, like Enoch, Elijah is somewhere with his regular body. But, there's also the story of the prophet Samuel. After he dies, king Saul still needs his advice. Saul goes to a witch, and she summons the ghost of Samuel. Who tells Saul - you are in so much trouble. Why are you messing with me? I'm dead! From these three stories the Israelites had come to embrace the concept of Sheol. When you read the Old Testament sometimes you will see the word Sheol, sometimes it will just read 'the grave'. It is a dark, shadowy, depressing place where everyone who dies goes for the rest of forever. If you are very righteous like Enoch, or Elijah, you can take your body to Sheol. For everyone else, you are a disembodied spirit - effectively a ghost. So, while they believed in life after death, it was a horrible existence as a ghost trapped in the darkness. So, not surprising the Apostles are convinced resurrected Jesus is a ghost. Before he died, Jesus promised us Heaven is a wonderful place. It is full of light, and love. Heaven is somewhere you want to be. What Jesus doesn't share with us, is what happens between the time you die, and when he returns to take you to Heaven. When Jesus is on the cross, between the two thieves, he promises one they will be together in Heaven tonight. But, he also says we don't get bodies until he returns. So, what is next? Some Bible scholars are convinced at the moment of death you completely cease to exist.4 You are not. Just like before you were born, you are not. On the day of Christ's return, both your body and your soul are reconstructed from nothingness. For you, it will be just like you're about to die, you blink, and Jesus is welcoming you to Heaven. Problem is - I can find verses that say whether you are saved or not, your soul is eternal and never dies. Some Bible scholars are convinced from the moment you die, your soul goes straight to Heaven and you live in disembodied bliss. On the day of the return, God makes a new body for you, your soul reenters this new body, and you return to Heaven. Seems like a lot of wasted steps there. I will tell you what I think. And, you are more than free to disagree with me. How is it possible that God's prophets are so amazingly, perfectly accurate about the future? It's because God is present at every point in time, at the same time. Just like God can be everywhere; God can be everywhen. Right now, God is in this room with us. At this same time, God is present at the Crucifixion. At this same time, God is present with David as he faces Goliath. Right now, God is with Noah, building the Ark. God knows what is happening at every moment because God is present in every moment. I believe the instant you die, God takes you from that moment, to the moment of the Second Coming. Your soul doesn't float around without you. And, you never spend a single moment without a body. You go directly from now - with this body - to the Second Coming - with your resurrected body. That's what I think. A lot of people with very big brains disagree with me. The Apostles are convinced they are seeing a ghost. Which is why Jesus invites them to touch him. Grab ahold of my flesh. Touch the scars on my hands and feet. Put your hand against the spear wound in my side. Feel me. I am alive. I am as alive as you are. Not a ghost. And, they do. They all touch him. They all put their hands on his body. And still, they don't believe. So, Jesus offers them one more test - give me something to eat. Luke is the only one who tells us this. Everyone knows ghosts don't eat. They can't. So, if you can eat real food, you must be alive. The text is clear, they give him boiled fish. When I was 18 years old and going through survival training with the Air Force, we were in groups of 5. They gave us a rabbit, and said this is all you have to get you through the next 7 days. If you want more than this you will need to catch something. We debated cooking it over a fire, and just eating it right now. Hoping we would catch something else later. We thought about smoking it, and making a rabbit jerky. Then you could eat a little every day. And, one guy says, let's skin it, and boil it. We'll make rabbit soup. And, every day, we will re-boil it, and make more soup. We can get through the whole week. Sounded good to a bunch of kids. I put boiled rabbit in my mouth, and realized this was a bad, bad mistake. I'm not sure what Jesus thought when they handed him boiled fish. But, I'll bet it was something like - thank God there's chocolate cake in Heaven. Jesus says to the Apostles, you shouldn't believe in my resurrection because you can touch me, or because I can eat fish. You should believe in my resurrection because it is everywhere in the Bible. Jesus says I fulfill the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. That means the entire Bible.5 And, that is true. If you look at the Old Testament as a collection of miracle stories, it's entertaining. But, if you look for Jesus; and if you look for his ministry; and if you look for his suffering and crucifixion; and especially if you look for his resurrection, and his promise of eternal life to us - it's all there.6 Before God spoke and there was light; before he created the world; before he breathed life into Adam - Jesus was there. And, the plan was to make atonement for our sins, and grant us access back into God's perfect presence. Then, Jesus gives the Apostles a job. Here's what's next. You need to start a new church.7 I came to this world so everyone might have forgiveness of their sins. I came so everyone might have life eternal in Heaven. But, for that to happen, people need to know about me. You must tell them. You must tell them what you have seen. And, you must show them the Bible. To do that, I need a new church. That is your job. Now, I'm not going to make you do this alone. I am going to Heaven. But, I will send you the Holy Spirit to guide you through this new adventure. Just as I am real, the Holy Spirit is real. So, get it together. You know what to do. Do it. Next week, we're going to talk about Luke, the man. Who is this guy? The week after that we will see how the end of Luke's Gospel, and the beginning of the book of Acts (the story of starting a new church) are the same. And, we will each have to ask ourselves - what's next for me? The commandment to go into the world and witness for the living God, the resurrected Christ, is for everyone. Including you and me. So, in living out your faith - what's next? 1 R. C. Sproul, general editor. New Geneva Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1654. 2 NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 1800. 3 Paul H. Jones, "The Theological Necessity of the Bodily Resurrection: from Second Temple Judaism to the Ante-Nicene Orthodox Formulations," Encounter, 78 no. 1 (2018), 27-73. 4 Larry J. Waters, "The Believers Intermediate State After Death," Bibliotheca Sacra, 169 no. 675 (July-September 2012), 283-303. 5 Darrell L. Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 1932-1935. 6 NIV, 1800. 7 Joel B. Green, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 1903. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2