Luke 24:36-48
Close Encounters: Too good to be true
In the movie “It could happen to you” A New York cop named Charley is having coffee in a little diner. He finishes up and starts to pay and discovers he only has enough for the coffee and nothing for a tip. So he offers the waitress a choice he will return the next day with double the tip or, he will split the winnings, if any, of the lottery ticket that he just bought.
Well, Yvonne wasn’t really wanting to hear none of that junk, her day had been bad enough already and she wasn’t real thrilled of losing tips no matter how small they might be. Her life is terrible, she hates her job as a waitress, her runaway husband has run up her MasterCard balance so high that just that very day she had been in court to declare bankruptcy and she wondered, could things get any worse? She smiles helplessly at her bad luck and tells Charlie not to worry about that pocket change pocket change, and she takes Charlie up on his offer of half the lottery ticket's potential winnings.
Well, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! The ticket beats the odds, and wins $4 million. Charley comes to the diner the next morning to give Yvonne the good news. Her tip for serving a cup of coffee is not a little bit of change, but two million dollars.
Can you imagine Yvonne's reaction to this good news? At first, utter disbelief covers Yvonne's face. She wonders is this some sort of prank or cruel joke, nothing like this could ever happen to me.
Charley insists that he is not joking, and a tiny flicker of hope registers deep inside Yvonne. Does she dare to believe this incredibly good news is true? "Yes? Yes?" she asks as her eyes widen and her face begins to light up. "CAN IT REALLY BE TRUE?"
Then disbelief returns, just yesterday she had accepted her fate of bankruptcy. "No! No!' she says, coming back to reality. Her emotions are a mix of belief and disbelief. But facts are facts and Charley's gift was a reality, half of the winnings were hers.
Yvonne's glimmer of belief grew stronger as Charley's excitement gradually increased and thawed her skepticism. Charley's smile was saying, "It could happen. His enthusiasm was saying, it has happened and it has happened TO YOU."
"Yes?" Yvonne asked again. "Yes!" Charley exclaimed.
"YES!" Doubts cast away, her question now turns into cheerful exclamation. "YES!!!" As she comes to terms with the largeness of Charley's gift, she suddenly finds herself dancing and swirling through the tables of customers, contemplating her new life, a life forever changed by Charley's free gift. The little New York diner is the scene of unexpected, overwhelming, hard-to-believe joy.
Now I want you to imagine another place and time, a place where a ragtag group of people huddled together behind locked doors not knowing what would happen next.
This place is where we find the disciples and others who had been following Jesus. They were all telling about where and how they had encountered their friend from Nazareth. They were talking about going to the tomb and finding it empty, they were talking about when He came into the room and talked with them. Cleopus and his wife Mary were telling the story about their journey to Emmaus and the stranger that had walked with them all the way to town, but when He sat down at the table with them and broke some bread their eyes were opened and they saw their friend Jesus sitting there with them. All of them were talking about the close encounters that they had experienced. Maybe they thought that they were seeing a ghost, or maybe there minds were just playing tricks on them, but whatever the case Jesus was about to erase their doubts and fears.
The scripture tells us that Jesus stands up in their mist and says Peace be to you. Then He asked them, why are you so troubled? Why do you have these doubts in your heart? I’m here touch me and see that I am alive. I’m not a ghost I’m real and I’m here just like you, a ghost isn’t made of flesh and blood and then it says he showed them His hands and feet.
The scripture goes on to say that even in their joy they were disbelieving and unsure. They were amazed and awestruck but still had trouble believing. Then Jesus still trying to prove that He was the real deal said give me something to eat and he ate some fish, Jesus was trying to cure their unbelief and prove to them that this was happening.
Then Jesus says look , “I told you so” I told you that it would be just like the scripture said , I was gonna suffer, I was gonna die, and then on the third day I was gonna rise up from the grave, on the third day I was gonna defeat death, and that I was gonna see you again. I told you it wasn’t gonna be good bye that it was gonna be I’ll see you soon.
I told you that repentance and forgiveness of sin was gonna be proclaimed in my name for all generations and it was gonna start right here in Jerusalem. I told you, and now you’re going to be witnesses to these things.
Sometimes I think those disciples were a little dense, why didn’t they believe they were right there. They walked side by side with Jesus, they had put their hand in the hand with the man who stilled the waters, they had put their hand in the hand of the man that calmed the sea, and they had put their hand in the hand with the Man from galilee. What was wrong with them, why didn’t they believe?
Because they were just like us, it was too good to be true, it was impossible. You know the saying if it seems too good to be true it probably is. They forgot one thing “with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Here’s the deal, we worry about our jobs, we worry about the economy, and we worry about every little thing and can’t seem to focus on the truth that Jesus brings. We worry and act like Jesus isn’t in our midst, we act like Jesus isn’t real. We live in worry and fear and act like Jesus isn’t anywhere to be found and the truth is he is right in the middle of our lives each and every day, we act like Jesus is dead when He is alive and standing hand in hand with us.
Church we better wake up and smell the coffee and put our hand in the hand of the man and act like we have received the victory. We need to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sin from the rooftops. Jesus didn’t say goodbye church, Jesus said I’ll be back. We have got to quit worrying and fretting so much and rest in the savior , He said “my peace I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, and don’t let it be afraid.
The trouble is we are a lot like Yvonne and the disciples, what Jesus offers us is just so amazing it’s too good to be true. We are scared and overwhelmed in our lives and think that we are so unworthy and just don’t deserve what Jesus has given us. But you see, that’s the whole point of the cross, it is too good to be true by our standards. The sad truth is we don’t deserve it, but that’s what grace is all about, God loves us enough to give us what we don’t deserve.
As Christians we should bear witnesses to the fact that Jesus is alive and when we give him our burdens and troubles: He breaks every chain that binds us, He frees us from the bondage of sin and death, and somehow He gives us peace.
Is it too good to be true? Of course it is but, when we have a close encounter with Jesus our mind is opened and the truth sets us free.
