Our gospel passage takes place on the first Easter. The day began with news from the women that Jesus’ tomb was empty and that he had been raised from the dead. Then two disciples were walking down the road to Emmaus lamenting what had happened over the past few days when they were met with a stranger who opened up the meaning of the events that had occurred and told them they were the fulfillment of scripture. And they recognized him as the risen Lord when they sat down to share a meal. In their excitement they ran back to Jerusalem and told the other disciples what had happened to them.

While there, they also heard about how Jesus had appeared to Simon. The disciples were still wondering about and talking about these events when to their amazement and disbelief Jesus appeared among them.

Even with all the testimony they had heard from the women and the other disciples, they still could not believe their ears as they heard Jesus speak a word of peace among them. Even after he had shown his hands and feet the scripture reads, "While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering." It was too good to be true. Joy was tempered with disbelief.

I am reminded of many scenes from movies in which you think a character has died and then at first a finger twitches and then you see their chest rise as they take in a breath or maybe a slight cough. The other characters react with both joy and disbelief and usually a line about "I thought I’d lost you."

In the movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," Aslan, the majestic lion and Christ figure, suffers a horrible death at the hands of the White Witch. Then, just when Lucy and Susan think that all is lost, he rises from the dead. In joy and disbelief, the two girls wrap their arms around the resurrected Aslan. They can see Aslan and touch his mane. They can feel his pulse but you can see on their faces that they still can’t believe it. They can’t believe that the one they saw killed is standing before them alive.

The disciples also have joy tempered with disbelief about Jesus’ resurrection. It was too good to be true. They had trouble wrapping their minds around the fact that the person they saw die three days ago is standing before them and not as an apparition or ghost but in the flesh.

Sensing their disbelief Jesus shares a piece of fish with them in a similar way that he had broken bread with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and shared bread and fish with the 5,000. Once Jesus eats with the disciples, they know he is real and not some apparition. Once the disciples have faced up to the fact that the man they had been following around for the past 3 years, who died just 3 days ago, is standing before them, it was once again time to get down to business.

You can almost picture the scene. The disciples are gathered around Jesus learning from him as they did throughout his ministry. He reminds them of what he had taught them before: that all that was written in Scripture about him must be fulfilled. Jesus describes about how the Messiah was to suffer, die, and then rise from the dead. They have been witnesses to these fulfillments of scripture.

Then, Jesus goes on to tell about what must happen next. Now that Jesus has been raised from the dead, proclaiming this message of repentance and forgiveness becomes the focus of the disciples’ ministry.

Repentance and the forgiveness of sins has been a theme throughout Jesus’ ministry. His ministry began with him being baptized by John in the river Jordan. John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we see how Jesus’ disciples continue to carry out this call for repentance and forgiveness. In the passage from Acts we read earlier, Peter calls to his audience to repent and turn to God for the forgiveness of sins.

The word repent is a verb with a twofold meaning. It means to turn away from one way of life and to turn toward another way. Jesus is calling for people to turn away from one way of life in order to receive forgiveness and begin another way of life in which the gospel message is central.

It is a great step of faith to move off the path we know in order to open ourselves to follow the path God has provided for us. This is especially difficult when God's path for us is not very clear. But this is of course why repentance is an act of faith. It is turning away from putting your faith in worldly things and turning toward putting your faith in God.

After Jesus’ proclamation that repentance and the forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed throughout the world, he tells his disciples, "You are witnesses of these things."

Witness ...What does it mean to be a witness? When we hear this word on the news it usually means someone has seen a terrible event. "There were two witnesses in the shooting of John Doe." Or "If anyone witnessed anything that may help the police in the solving of this case, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers." Indeed, even the Greek word Jesus uses is taken from legal language meaning one who testifies in a court of law. Witness and testimony are from the same word in Greek. A witness is one who testifies. To be a witness is to testify to what one has seen or experienced.

There are two types of witnesses that Luke follows in the book of Acts. The first is the eyewitness. This is someone who can testify to what he or she has seen Jesus do or say because they have first-hand experience. The eyewitness can also tell about the significance of the events he or she has seen. The disciples are examples of this first type of witness.

The second type of witness is what Alan Culpepper calls the "confessing witness." This type of witness is one who, like the disciples, understands the significance of Jesus’ ministry and can testify to it but was not there to see or experience the actual events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. An example of this type of witness would be Paul or any Christian who has lived since the time of Christ.

A witness has three duties. First, to testify to the historical facts of Jesus’ time on earth. Second, to proclaim the significance of those events. Third, to follow Jesus’ call to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins to all people. All of this is part of living the life God has placed before us. To be a witness is to walk in the life of faith.

To witness is a verb; it is an action word. In order to be a witness one must participate in some sort of action, especially the action of witnessing to Christ and what his ministry is all about. Probably one of the most famous quotes of St. Francis of Assisi goes something like "Proclaim the gospel always, if necessary use words." St. Francis always helped those who were in need and lived a life in which he sought to do God’s will in every aspect of it. He proclaimed the gospel through the living of his life.

It is not always necessary to use words in the witnessing of the gospel. In many ways our actions speak much more fully about our faith than the words that come out of our mouth. Children are much more apt to copy what we do than what we say.

In the opening of this passage, Jesus' first words to his disciples are "Peace be with you." Jesus then shows the disciples his hands and feet. He eats with them to show them that he is not a ghost but is there in the flesh. He meets them where they are in their joy filled with disbelief and wonder. Only after Jesus has assured the disciples and given them what they need, does he begin to open their minds to the scripture and tell them their part as witnesses.

To be a witness is not to stand on a street corner and preach words of repentance. To be a witness is to stand with and walk with others where they are in the trials of their everyday lives. To be a witness is to follow Peter’s example who, in our Acts reading, healed the crippled beggar before he began to preach.

We are confessing witnesses of Christ’s work in the world. We have not seen with our own eyes the crucified one who was raised from the dead. We have not sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him as he opened the scripture to our understanding. But we have felt and know that Christ is risen. We are witnesses of these things. Let us witness to these things.