Friday in the Octave of Easter
Acts 4:1-12  +  John 21:1-14
April 21, 2017

“He revealed Himself in this way.”

Why would the disciples “dare” to ask Jesus “Who are you?” if they realized who He was?  The wording of this verse suggests some unresolved ambiguity.  While the miracle of catching 153 fish convinced them who He was, there was still some reason for them to ask His identity.  His miracle convinced them, but His appearance did not.

So the Risen Jesus, in His glorified Body, was the same person, yet somehow different.  He had the same two natures—human and divine—yet He was somehow different.  The Resurrection narratives demonstrate some of the ways that Jesus was different after His Resurrection:  most famously—as we will hear this Sunday—the Risen Lord had a physical body that could pass through solid matter.

The point here is that in His Risen Body, Jesus appears different to His disciples, different enough to cause some confusion in their minds:  at least enough for them to be tempted to “dare” ask Him “Who are you?”

Do you expect the Lord to appear in certain ways, and not others?  Do you allow your expectations to have power over your faith?