Jesus, Himself

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have...And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto the, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb." (Luke 24: 39, 41-42)

The disciples could see the risen Lord standing before them. They could even see and feel the wounds on His hands and feet. Yet they still were not able to bring themselves to believe that it was He. Verse forty-one says they "believed not for joy." In other words, it was just too good to be true.

It was that moment, however, that Jesus suddenly did something so human they were forced to admit that the Man in their presence was truly the Man they had known and loved for the past three years. Granted, the Body before them was a different kind of flesh that was able to go through doors, but it was still "flesh and bones." The clincher for them was when He began to eat fish and honeycomb with them. When He ate with them, they knew He was one of them! It is obvious from the text that Jesus was anxious for them to understand He was not a spirit; and there was a very good reason for that.

In the days to come, after He had gone back to Heaven, "the promise of the Father" would show up in the form of a spirit, the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8); and it would be important for these men to know that the Spirit of God would not be the last manifestation of God on this earth. This is also why, when Jesus ascended back to Heaven, two men standing by in white apparel (angels) assured them, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). This same Jesus—not the Holy Spirit that will come later, but the same Jesus who ate fish and honeycomb with you, is the Jesus that will come back again to this earth one day. As the young people say, "Man, that's heavy!"

Besides this wonderful confirmation of the blessed hope of the visible, physical return of Jesus Christ, there is another precious truth in these verses for us today. Jesus is bound and determined to make Himself real to us. He'll do whatever it takes for you and I to know that it is truly He, Himself—even if He has to eat fish and honeycomb to do it!

Jesus Himself

Faint with the heat and the length of the road,

I was oppressed with a wearisome load;

One came so tenderly saying to me:

"Give me thy load, 'tis too heavy for thee."

Jesus, Himself...Jesus Himself

I was so poor, not a penny had I,

Clothing or food for the journey to buy;

One came and whispered, "Leave that to my care;

Wealth of a kingdom with thee will I share."

Jesus, Himself...Jesus Himself

I was so lonely for lack of a friend,

One came and offered me love without end;

Love that is mighty to strengthen and save,

Love that can triumph o'er death and the grave.

Jesus, Himself...Jesus, Himself

What tho the valleys be many and deep,

What if the pathway be stony or steep;

Mountains or moorland, or valley of death,

"I will be with thee," my Comforter saith.

Jesus, Himself...Jesus, Himself

E. E. Trusted