My husband lost his work phone this morning. Like my son, my husband has two phones to keep track of, one for work and a personal phone. Generally, I am pretty, busy trying to get myself ready for work and out the door, but I stopped to help him look for it. I started to walk him through the last time I had seen his phone.
“I remember putting it in the glove compartment of my car when we were at the museum on Friday.” I told him. “But I took it out on our drive back home.”
That was enough to jog his memory. “I used it yesterday at work.” He said. “It’s probably still there.”
Well, that was easy enough and it kept us from rummaging through the house to find it.
As he walked out the door, I had the thought, you can’t find something where it can’t be found.
It would have been fruitless to have continued to look for his phone in the house, when it was not there.
Immediately my thoughts went to the resurrection story of Jesus in Luke chapter 24.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them. Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen! Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee? The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered his words. Luke 24: 1-8
Just as Jesus was not to be found in the tomb, that phone this morning was not to be found in our home. It’s fruitless to look for something when it isn’t there.
As the story in Luke continues the women rush to the disciples and tell them the Lord has risen and while unbelief continues for some, eventually they all get to see Jesus face to face and walk with him and talk with him another 40 days until He ascends into heaven.
Contrary to what some may believe Jesus did not have a direct ascent to heaven. He needed to make clear the great commission for his disciples. They would need to hear his message again. The same message he had been preaching before his crucifixion because they had not fully understood until Jesus had risen.
I work with graduate students. Graduate students are pretty, bright given they must obtain a high GRE score to get into graduate school. Yet every semester I find myself having to repeat directions for the therapy process not once or twice, but often up to five or six times before the information solidifies.
That’s the way it was with the disciples too.
They needed repetition. They needed to hear the message from Jesus over, and over again, until it became their message too.
A message for all the world.
The message that began at creation when God said:
“Man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:2
While this seemed like a punishment it was not. God simply did not want man to live forever in his sinful state.
God’s plan was better. He would send a redeemer for sinful man who would remain as king on the throne forever always interceding for us so that we too can one day join him in heaven and live forever free from sin.
Do not look for something where it cannot be found, but instead look to the promises of God, rely on the truth of His word and find your fulfillment in the promise of his covenant. A promise made through Abraham to bless all people.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:9-11
Perspectives: From Lynn 