He’s Alive
Par Peter
Amsterdam
It had been
about three years since they had answered the call to follow Jesus. Each had
his own story. Nathanael was told he was "an Israelite indeed, in whom is
no deceit." Peter and his brother Andrew heard the words, “Follow Me, and
I will make you become fishers of men,” while casting their nets into the sea.
Matthew was sitting at his tax collector’s booth. The years that followed had
been the most exciting and intense years of their lives. Jesus was the most
incredible person they had ever known, and they loved Him deeply.
The things
they witnessed were incredible—many miraculous healings, deliverances from
demonic forces,4 the feeding of thousands with only a few loaves of bread and a
few fish.5 There was also the day when a funeral procession was coming down the
street, and the Master was so moved by the dead man’s grieving mother that He
stopped the procession, touched the coffin, and the young man sat up alive.6
And that wasn’t the only time that Jesus brought the dead back to life. There
was the girl who was dead when He entered the room and alive when He left it,7
and also Lazarus, who had been dead for four days when Jesus called him from
his tomb.8
There were
times when He told such insightful stories—stories that held deep meaning and
revealed great truths to those whose minds and hearts were open enough to
understand them.9 Sometimes He taught the multitudes who gathered round to hear
what He had to say, and at one point those people were on the verge of taking Him
by force to make Him king.10 At other times, He took His closest followers away
to a quiet place where they could rest and He could give them personal
teaching.11
These were
heady days indeed.
Of course,
not every day was full of such wonder and excitement. Sometimes there was
opposition. His religious enemies disagreed with what He taught and continually
challenged Him, but His answers were filled with wisdom, power, and most of all
love.12 Everything about Him was rooted in love and compassion.
As time
went on, the opposition grew stronger and His enemies more determined to stop
Him. But then, right in the middle of all that, there was the day when crowds
from Jerusalem, joined by thousands of Passover pilgrims, met Him outside the
city walls, waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”13
His religious opponents were afraid to touch Him because of His popularity, and
feared that if the civil authorities had to step in, that would cost them their
positions of prominence.14
Those days
had been extraordinary—full of wonder, hope, excitement, learning, and love.
His followers probably expected that things would continue that way for many
more years.
Then
suddenly, everything changed. Jesus was arrested, and less than 24 hours later
He was executed as a criminal. Their dreams were dashed to pieces. The One they
loved so deeply was gone. The life they had lived for the past three years was
over. It seemed the future He had spoken of wouldn't work out. He was dead.
Sad,
confused, and afraid, they hid behind locked doors. How abruptly it had all
come to an end—the work they had participated in, the love they had come to
know so well. Everything changed almost instantly. The future was bleak.
On the
third day after His execution, early in the morning, some women who had
followed Him visited His tomb, but His body wasn’t there. When they told the
other disciples, nobody took them seriously except Peter and John, who ran to
the tomb and confirmed the women’s story. He wasn’t there! They didn’t understand
what had happened, but His body was gone.15
Suddenly
Jesus appeared in the midst of the room where they were hiding, behind locked
doors. The Man they had loved and followed, who had been brutally tortured and
killed, was standing before them.16
He was
alive!
He had
risen from the dead and was back with them. His presence changed everything.
Though He had been executed as a criminal, the fact that He was standing there
alive validated everything He had told them about Himself: that He was “the
resurrection and the life,”17 that He would be killed but would be raised to
life again three days later.18 The truth of those words was now evident,
because He was there, alive. His presence totally changed the context of the
preceding days, and they knew their faith hadn’t been misguided. God’s plan
hadn’t been defeated after all.
Forty days
later, Jesus ascended into heaven. He was no longer with them physically, but
the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell within them—a constant presence guiding them
in truth and love and in the sharing of all He had taught them and all they had
witnessed during their time together.19
The
wonderful days of living and working together with Him had come to an end, and
the days of branching out and reaching out to others had begun. His being alive
empowered them to move beyond what they had been used to, to let go of how
things had been and to dedicate their lives to spreading His love and salvation
to others. While it took time and adjustment, they did what He had instructed;
they went to different cities and countries, meeting new people, making new
friends, leading others to Him. They built communities of faith, they taught
others what He had taught them, they engaged in the mission He had given them,
day by day, heart by heart, year after year. They faced difficulties, trials,
and tribulations, but they carried on even at the cost of their lives. In so
doing, they profoundly affected the world of their day and every age since.
Although
things had changed, and Jesus was no longer present bodily, He was still able
to do miracles; to bring the dead back to life; to give incredible answers to
those in need; to show love, compassion, and mercy; to bring the good news of
salvation. Only now, instead of Him doing it in person, He did it through them.
He continued to dwell in them and work through them, and He’s been and
continues to be just as alive in those who have loved and followed Him ever
since.
There was a
short time when His disciples despaired, after Jesus had been crucified and was
no longer with them, but that crisis was short-lived. The confusion, fear, and
uncertainty passed once they realized that He was alive, and that His love,
truth, compassion, words, and power were still there with them, even though
their physical circumstances were different.
No matter
what circumstances we are in, no matter what changes have occurred, no matter
how difficult things may be, He’s also alive in us. Wherever we are, His power
and Spirit are with us. In whatever circumstance, in whatever situation,
whether we are in our hometown or some far-flung country, He is with us and
will work through us as much as we allow Him to. Let’s show others that He is
alive by letting them see His Spirit in us, by letting them hear His words
through our words, and by letting them experience Him through our loving
actions, compassion, and empathy. Let’s show them He is alive, even in today’s
mixed-up, messed-up world, by helping them connect with Him.
Peter
Amsterdam and his wife,
Maria
Fontaine, are directors
of the
Family International, a
Christian
community of faith
1. John
1:47
2. Mark
1:17
3. See
Matthew 9:9.
4. See
Matthew 4:23–24.
5. See
Matthew 14:14–21; 15:32–38.
6. See Luke
7:11–16.
7. See Mark
5:35–42.
8. See John
11:38–44.
9. See
Matthew 13:10–13.
10. See
John 6:15.
11. See
John 6:3.
12. See
Luke 20:20.
13. See
Matthew 21:6–9.
14. See
John 11:47–48.
15. See
Luke 23:55–56; 24:1–11; John 20:3–9.
16. See
John 20:19–20.
17. John
11:25
18. See
Mark 8:31; John 2:19–21.
19. See
Acts 2:1–4; Matthew 28:19.