Third Sunday of Easter (B)

April 15, 2018

Readings:

First Reading; Acts of the Apostles 3:13-15, 17-19

Psalm: 4

Second Reading: 1 John 2: 1-5a

Gospel reading according to Luke (24: 35-48)

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Homily:

When the two disciples, one of them named Cleopas, went back home to Emmaus sad and disappointed, walking with them was Jesus, but they did not recognize him or were blinded because of the light of the sun on its setting.  They were discussing about Jesus along the way, and of what had happened the week after, about his passion, his death on the cross, and the proclamation of his resurrection by some women, while Jesus was listening to their conversation.  (See Wednesday within the Octave of Easter gospel reading, Luke 24: 13-35, April 4, 2018).   Jesus joined in their discussions and explained to them about the Messiah’s life and fate from the beginning of the Books of Moses and the other prophets to psalms.  When evening came, Jesus pretended that he will continue going on his way but they invited him to stay with them for it was already dark.  “And it happened that while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them.  With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he was vanished from their sight . . . So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them . . .” (Luke 24: 30-33).

With enthusiasm and gladness, the two reported what had happened with them along the way up until the breaking of the bread at Emmaus to the eleven and other disciples.  “The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24: 35).  Maybe they saw the nail marked on the hands of Jesus when he broke the bread, that’s why they recognized him, or maybe they recalled how Jesus was breaking the bread for five thousand men, excluding women and children, for only five loaves of bread and two fish; (cf. Matthew 14: 13-21; Mark 6: 33-44; Luke 9: 12-17; and John 6: 1-13), or in another case when Jesus multiplied seven loaves of bread and some fish for four thousand men apart from children and women, and gathered the fragments for seven baskets full of bread (cf. Matthew 15:32-38; Mark 8: 1-9).  Maybe, they were present on these miracles of the multiplication of the bread that is why they recognized Jesus from the breaking of the bread with the ceremonial rite.  That’s how they related to the unbelieving disciples.  They were emotionally telling their encounter with Jesus with action to dramatize the event of meeting Jesus face to face.  This was very important moment in their lives, to give witness to the Apostles and disciples.  They became apostles to the Apostles, meaning the one being sent to the others being sent.

In that place where the Apostles and the other disciples, with the two disciples from Emmaus were lodging and hiding, and “While they were speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’.” (Luke 24: 36).  Jesus, once more appeared to his disciples with the same greetings of assurance, comfort, forgiveness, and understanding and above all love, “Peace be with you.”   Jesus guarantees them that he does not count what they did during his passion, suffering, and death, that they abandoned him and left him alone in the Calvary, that they lost their faith, hope with disappointment.  Now, that he has risen from the dead, that he has finished his mission entrusted to him by his Father, he wanted also that his disciples become courageous enough to spread the good news of the Reign-Kingdom of God, where there is peace, love, joy and fullness of life, and the forgiveness of sins. 

“But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost” (Luke 24: 37).  In just a few days or week, the disciples were disconnected to Jesus, for they were frightened and surprised, and terrified, as if they were seeing a ghost instead of the person of Jesus.  They even forgot the face and voice of their Master and Teacher, although, it was true that he changed in appearance after his resurrection, he had a new form like what had happened in the Mountain of Tabor where he transfigured.  The three disciples with him in the mountain were dazzled by the brilliance of his face and the shining of his clothes.  The disciples were not yet convinced that Jesus was raised from the dead, that, it is impossible for a dead man to come back to life on its own capacity.  To make his disciples removed their doubt and the fear of the ghost, “Then he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled?  And why do questions arise in your heart?  Look at my hands and my feet [and side], that it is myself.  Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have’. And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet” (Luke 24: 38-40). To prove that he is really and truly alive, he showed all the wounds and nail marks in his hands and feet and maybe his side cut with the soldier’s lance.  That he has flesh and bones as compare to the ghost (spirit, kaluluwa or multo).   “While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed . . .” (Luke 24: 41); the disciples still disbelieving, skeptical, unbelieving, doubtful, dubious, unconvinced and suspicious although they were joyful yet were astonished, shocked, and surprised of what they were seeing and witnessing.  So Jesus, to demonstrate his existence,   “. . . he asked them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’  They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them” (Luke 24: 41-43).  If he is a ghost, any material things he will hold will drop freely; he cannot grasp anything for he is a soul, a spirit without flesh, skin and bones to hold what he is about to grip and to clutch.  Even the food he is eating, it can be seen falling down in his belly.  But Jesus, with flesh, skin, bones, with physical body as well as spiritual soul, is alive.  He can hold material things without dropping, can grasp and clutch and hold them like all of us living.

To make it clear to the disciples, Jesus explained to them as he told the other two disciples from Emmaus all about himself.  He also brought to mind what he had said before he was put to death and he was still with them.  “He said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24: 44).  Everything written in the scriptures were clarified by Jesus.  This time, Jesus became theologian explaining to his disciples what was written in the scripture (the Old Testament or the Hebrew bible), from the Books of Genesis, Exodus to Deuteronomy, known as Torah, to the Books of the Prophets.  Little by little, the disciples understood the scriptures.  “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24: 45-47).  The Christ must suffer and die, according to the scripture but will rise from the dead on the third day.  When he comes back, in his name, repentance for the sake of the Kingdom of God must be preached for the forgiveness of sins and broken relation through reconciliation between men and women, and God is restored; this will be preached throughout the whole world beginning from Jerusalem in Jesus’ name.  “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24: 48).   And he encouraged his disciples to be preachers of this repentance for the forgiveness of sins, since they were the first ones who received forgiveness from the resurrected Jesus, the Christ.