“You Are Witnesses Of These Things” (Easter 3)

The Disciples are witnesses to an extraordinary event. They physically touch the Risen Jesus and see Him eat food. They are witnesses to the “resurrection of the body” - as we say in the Apostles Creed. You do not choose to be a witness. You are a witness because you were there and saw or experienced something. In our baptism we promised to obey Jesus which includes being a witness. Witnesses who share what they have seen or experienced are essential to evangelism. 

 

1. You are my witnesses of these things (Luke 24.48)

These things include the self-sacrificial love and supernatural healing ministry of Jesus that we have seen. The disciples have just seen the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. This is what we all promise to do in our Baptism. 

·     We witness by what we say and do in our daily lives

·     People need to notice that we have the happiness - love, joy and peace; that they are searching for

 

2. Jesus ‘opened their eyes’ so they could be good witnesses

We are all born spiritually blind. It was not until Jesus “breathed on them” that the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and their eyes were opened so they could understand. 

·     People who have heard teachings or read about Holy Spirit in the Bible – do not really understand

·     All need to go through some form of supernatural re-awakening, eye-opening or transforming experience

·     Read the Bible, pray the Bible, become the Bible

·     My story of spiritual baptism (in Going Spiritual) 

In the Epistle John warns us to not be “led astray” (1 John 23.7)

John knew the Church would be vulnerable to human weakness, Satanic temptation and false prophets. 

·     It gradually became politicalized, intellectualized and liberalized and lost its supernatural spiritual roots 

·     Most modern clergy have not witnessed dramatic healing and deliverance ministry 

 

3. In our Readings Peter gives the mother of all witness talks

There is nothing politically correct or culturally sensitive in his witnessing. He loves Jesus and he loves Gods people.

·     He gathers a crowd around a miraculous healing. 

·     He proclaims the blunt truth – what he had witnessed in the life, healings, death and Resurrection of Jesus

·     Peter reminds them of their guilt and invites them to repent, come to Jesus and be forgiven

·     Peter invites people to make a decision. 

·     He challenges them to become witnesses – to what they experienced in their own lives

·     Many of us have had an experience of Holy Spirit as the presence of Jesus

·     We do not decide to be a witness. We already are. 

·     Question is - are we going to be a faithful witness- or are we going to deny Jesus?

 

Let us decide to be like Peter, and really love people self-sacrificially by witnessing to our experience of the Risen Jesus.