The Whole Truth
Stories
Scenes of Glory
Subplots of God's Long Story
Object:
Emphasis or special occasion: Resurrection Sunday
Chapter 20
The Whole Truth
Luke 24:36-48
Luke was no slouch as a writer. He composed long, convoluted Greek sentences that took half a page to complete. Then, dipping the stylus again into the ink, he suddenly made words on papyrus sound like a 300-year-old, stiff translation of Hebrew into Greek. He subtly repeated themes and patterns of God's grace to help readers hear the Hebrew Old Testament echo in Jesus' life and teaching. The man was a master at clarity: Never a word out of place nor could anyone misunderstand his intent. If one read only Luke's final draft, he'd seem in full command of his subject.
His subject, however, was Jesus, and Jesus had been raised from the dead. No editing job as Luke rewrote Mark's gospel would undo or enhance the earthshaking fact of Jesus' resurrection. Within a few decades the faith had grown out of Judea, and the new religion of Jesus was spreading through the eastern Mediterranean world, even showing up in the city of Rome. This faith was founded upon the truth of Jesus' resurrection.
Luke sat at his writing table. A good writer, yes. A careful historian, of course. A believer in the risen Jesus, always. But in his reporting of Jesus' resurrection appearances, he'd gotten jittery. Luke had his sources. He'd heard the stories passed on from eyewitnesses. Jesus' resurrection was the tip of God's new world invading human existence. As an architect doubts his abilities when asked to design the most imposing structure in the world, so Luke the writer fumbled for words to describe Jesus' three resurrection appearances.
Luke gasped, slammed his hands on the writing table, and stopped his writing halfway through recording Jesus' resurrection appearances. He let his manuscript sit for weeks. Years of work just lay upon a shelf. Daily he walked by the scroll and then quickly left the room. A few fingers' widths of space remained blank on the bottom of the papyrus for the writing of what seemed incredible.
Paul the apostle, decades before, had stumbled around also, trying to describe the resurrection. Paul attempted to do so by talking about different kinds of bodies and the way seeds change after sprouting. Paul struggled to compare what Luke now must portray in order to finish his gospel.
Jesus had been alive and free of the tomb, talking to his students, even eating with them. Luke was sure of this. He interviewed many of the first Christians. They told him about Jesus' simply showing up in their midst. However, if they thought Jesus was a ghost, how could Luke, merely by writing, convince people otherwise? If Jesus' disciples assumed the resurrection was too good to be true, could Luke reduce it to papyrus and seem anything but untrue?
Talk about writer's block! He prayed and checked his notes and written sources again. He discussed the problem with his fellow Christians, and he waited, almost like Jesus told his students to wait in Jerusalem for the power from on high.
Early one Sunday morning it came to him. During a worship gathering, a preacher had talked about Jesus' resurrection. Luke watched Jesus' resurrection appearances in his mind as he heard them. Like in a waking dream he took part in the disciples' experience of Jesus alive again. By an answer to prayer or profound insight, whatever anyone wanted to name it, he realized he needed to tell the story fully. In obedience to God he should record the entire event. Not just that Jesus came out of nowhere while the disciples talked, not just that he commanded them to touch him and reassured them that ghosts weren't made of flesh and blood, not just that he showed them his hands and feet, not just that he ate their broiled fish. In order for readers to truly accept Jesus' final appearance to his disciples, Luke needed to record all the truth. Jesus' resurrection wasn't just about Jesus, but also about the people he appeared to. Luke must tell as much about what Jesus' friends experienced as what Jesus said and did. He dashed into the room where his document about Jesus waited on the shelf.
Luke pulled out the notes about Jesus after his resurrection. He began to copy the events, but he halted in his copying to include what he had been told about Jesus' students. "They were startled and terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost." He continued reporting Jesus' appearance, but he added that doubts arose in their hearts. He told of how Jesus dealt matter-of-factly with their amazement. Luke then inserted, "in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering." There it was -- the whole truth. He continued the last sentences to describe Jesus' ascension. He pushed the scroll to the side, put his face in his hands, and wept. The whole truth about Jesus' resurrection was now written, and it was almost -- but not quite -- too good to be true.
Discussion Questions
1. What immediate responses do you have to the story?
2. Do you identify with a character in the story? If yes, how and why do you identify with the person? If no, why don't you identify with anyone in the story?
3. Would you like to have a conversation with a character in the story? What would you say, ask, or suggest to the person? Why?
4. How does the story bring the biblical text into a clearer focus for you?
5. How would you improve or modify the story? Why?
6. How do you picture Jesus' resurrection appearances? Does picturing them help your faith?
7. How do you imagine Jesus' students felt when he appeared to them after his resurrection?
8. If you were to write about Jesus' resurrection appearances, what else would you want to know so you could include it?
9. What further depths of meaning, symbols, connections with, or applications of the biblical faith do you find in the story?
10. Since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is alive among us through his Holy Spirit, what of this story would you like Christ to activate in your life?
Chapter 20
The Whole Truth
Luke 24:36-48
Luke was no slouch as a writer. He composed long, convoluted Greek sentences that took half a page to complete. Then, dipping the stylus again into the ink, he suddenly made words on papyrus sound like a 300-year-old, stiff translation of Hebrew into Greek. He subtly repeated themes and patterns of God's grace to help readers hear the Hebrew Old Testament echo in Jesus' life and teaching. The man was a master at clarity: Never a word out of place nor could anyone misunderstand his intent. If one read only Luke's final draft, he'd seem in full command of his subject.
His subject, however, was Jesus, and Jesus had been raised from the dead. No editing job as Luke rewrote Mark's gospel would undo or enhance the earthshaking fact of Jesus' resurrection. Within a few decades the faith had grown out of Judea, and the new religion of Jesus was spreading through the eastern Mediterranean world, even showing up in the city of Rome. This faith was founded upon the truth of Jesus' resurrection.
Luke sat at his writing table. A good writer, yes. A careful historian, of course. A believer in the risen Jesus, always. But in his reporting of Jesus' resurrection appearances, he'd gotten jittery. Luke had his sources. He'd heard the stories passed on from eyewitnesses. Jesus' resurrection was the tip of God's new world invading human existence. As an architect doubts his abilities when asked to design the most imposing structure in the world, so Luke the writer fumbled for words to describe Jesus' three resurrection appearances.
Luke gasped, slammed his hands on the writing table, and stopped his writing halfway through recording Jesus' resurrection appearances. He let his manuscript sit for weeks. Years of work just lay upon a shelf. Daily he walked by the scroll and then quickly left the room. A few fingers' widths of space remained blank on the bottom of the papyrus for the writing of what seemed incredible.
Paul the apostle, decades before, had stumbled around also, trying to describe the resurrection. Paul attempted to do so by talking about different kinds of bodies and the way seeds change after sprouting. Paul struggled to compare what Luke now must portray in order to finish his gospel.
Jesus had been alive and free of the tomb, talking to his students, even eating with them. Luke was sure of this. He interviewed many of the first Christians. They told him about Jesus' simply showing up in their midst. However, if they thought Jesus was a ghost, how could Luke, merely by writing, convince people otherwise? If Jesus' disciples assumed the resurrection was too good to be true, could Luke reduce it to papyrus and seem anything but untrue?
Talk about writer's block! He prayed and checked his notes and written sources again. He discussed the problem with his fellow Christians, and he waited, almost like Jesus told his students to wait in Jerusalem for the power from on high.
Early one Sunday morning it came to him. During a worship gathering, a preacher had talked about Jesus' resurrection. Luke watched Jesus' resurrection appearances in his mind as he heard them. Like in a waking dream he took part in the disciples' experience of Jesus alive again. By an answer to prayer or profound insight, whatever anyone wanted to name it, he realized he needed to tell the story fully. In obedience to God he should record the entire event. Not just that Jesus came out of nowhere while the disciples talked, not just that he commanded them to touch him and reassured them that ghosts weren't made of flesh and blood, not just that he showed them his hands and feet, not just that he ate their broiled fish. In order for readers to truly accept Jesus' final appearance to his disciples, Luke needed to record all the truth. Jesus' resurrection wasn't just about Jesus, but also about the people he appeared to. Luke must tell as much about what Jesus' friends experienced as what Jesus said and did. He dashed into the room where his document about Jesus waited on the shelf.
Luke pulled out the notes about Jesus after his resurrection. He began to copy the events, but he halted in his copying to include what he had been told about Jesus' students. "They were startled and terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost." He continued reporting Jesus' appearance, but he added that doubts arose in their hearts. He told of how Jesus dealt matter-of-factly with their amazement. Luke then inserted, "in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering." There it was -- the whole truth. He continued the last sentences to describe Jesus' ascension. He pushed the scroll to the side, put his face in his hands, and wept. The whole truth about Jesus' resurrection was now written, and it was almost -- but not quite -- too good to be true.
Discussion Questions
1. What immediate responses do you have to the story?
2. Do you identify with a character in the story? If yes, how and why do you identify with the person? If no, why don't you identify with anyone in the story?
3. Would you like to have a conversation with a character in the story? What would you say, ask, or suggest to the person? Why?
4. How does the story bring the biblical text into a clearer focus for you?
5. How would you improve or modify the story? Why?
6. How do you picture Jesus' resurrection appearances? Does picturing them help your faith?
7. How do you imagine Jesus' students felt when he appeared to them after his resurrection?
8. If you were to write about Jesus' resurrection appearances, what else would you want to know so you could include it?
9. What further depths of meaning, symbols, connections with, or applications of the biblical faith do you find in the story?
10. Since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is alive among us through his Holy Spirit, what of this story would you like Christ to activate in your life?
