Hindsight

            When you think about it, most of what we learn comes from hindsight. Imagine you are told something important is about to occur. But you are busy with other concerns and do not give it much thought. Then the event happens and it is a big deal. In hindsight, you recognize the true significance of the event and why you should pay closer attention to similar messages next time.

            In this passage from Luke, two Angels remind the women who came to the tomb about what Jesus said about his Death and Resurrection while he was still alive. By doing so, they help the women to understand the meaning of Easter through hindsight.

            Within all of the Gospels, Christ made predictions regarding his Death and Resurrection to his disciples. In John’s Gospel, when Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem, his words about the building’s destruction foretold his own demise. According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus predicted his Passion and Death three times. On each occasion, the response of his disciples was inappropriate: Peter rebuked Jesus for the Prophecy but was reproached himself for his human thinking; James and John wanted the seats at the right and left hand of Christ when they entered the Kingdom but were told they were not rewards for martyrdom; and the Apostles responded to the third prediction with fear and never inquired about its meaning. Among all the Resurrection stories recorded in the Gospels, it was only the one in Luke which referred to these predictions. After he revealed Jesus rose from the dead, the angel connected the present situation with the past. This followed a pattern found in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. On several occasions, authors recalled God’s faithfulness in the past when the people faced new challenges. It took time before the apparently disconnected series of events in life settled into a recognizable pattern. Many of Christ’s Teachings were unprecedented during his Ministry, like his predictions about his Death and Resurrection. In the aftermath of his Death, confusion among Disciples such as the Women at the  Tomb was understandable. Yet, by the use of hindsight they connected the events of the life of Jesus and suddenly it all made sense.

            The rapid pace of change within our Society has prompted many people to underestimate the value of the past. They are too busy having new experiences to reflect upon old ones. A while ago, I watched a young woman take a photograph with the camera on her cellphone of a famous landmark in a beautiful setting. After she looked at it for a minute and shared it with her friends, she deleted it. I took a picture of the same place and a print of it is on the wall of my sitting room and every time I look at it I recall that trip. In hindsight, I have come to appreciate even more the beauty of the place. Part of the problem with hindsight is that it requires time and concentration, which are rare commodities in our world which favors the instant and superficial. It also helps to be open to surprising messages from unexpected sources. The Women at the Tomb, prompted by the Angel, had to stop and remember what Jesus had earlier said. Only then did they understand the meaning of the Resurrection so they could share it with the Apostles. Later, hindsight was the way Jesus helped the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus and his Apostles learn the significance of his Rising from the Dead to enable them to preach the Gospel.

            Hindsight also allows us to better grasp the meaning of Easter. The Resurrection reminds us how the material and spiritual dimensions of our lives are inseparable. Jesus could have come to earth and discarded his physical body immediately after death. As Luke indicates repeatedly, Christ went out of his way to prove his Resurrected Body had a material dimension: he was not a ghost or disembodied spirit. It was different from the one he had prior to his death but could be experienced in our present world. This implies our physical existence is not a temporary state to be endured until we get to heaven but has a permanent value. Through hindsight we can learn the material existence we experience now is a glimpse of what we will encounter following our own Resurrection.

             Hope is at the center of the Easter Message. Christ’s Resurrection demonstrates death is not extinction but the door to Eternal Life. This Resurrected State includes a physical dimension which Jesus revealed to his followers through the use of hindsight in Luke’s Gospel. Through the use of hindsight we can also learn how the Easter Message connects to our lives.

April 16, 2022