The Story, Chapter 27 - The Resurrection

The Story, Chapter 27 - The Resurrection

On occasion I’ll stop by a fast-food restaurant and find myself silently complaining about everything from the quality of the food to the service. The person who took my order seemed preoccupied with flirting with the kid behind me. I struggle to find a table that doesn’t have the marks of a three year old’s eating habits. I open my sandwich, take a bite and am repulsed by the mustard that I specifically refused at the counter. I immediately try to wash it down to find my soda has too little fizz making it taste more like medicine than a soft drink. To add to all this mayhem I hear the annoying sound of a kid’s meal toy ringing in my ear like a siren!

I’m exaggerating a bit, but sometimes I just get annoyed at the low standards I frequently encounter. But then I think and realize that that’s what you get for the $3.99 special! You see, I can’t expect fine dining at a restaurant that has a playground. It’s unrealistic to think that I will get a gourmet meal cooked by a 17 year old just trying to make enough money to pay for movie. I should realize that if you’re looking for culinary genius you simply can’t find it where your food is wrapped in plastic.

The feeling of dissatisfaction is really not the blame of the restaurant. It’s my fault for expecting more from an establishment that simply cannot nor promises to deliver what I really want.

This is so true for many people, not just in their restaurant choices, but for their life choices as well. Too many people find their lives unsatisfying, devoid of real joy and peace. So many people find themselves complaining incessantly that life just hasn’t delivered. But the problem may be that we are looking for something in places that cannot deliver.

In the resurrection story a phrase that has always stood out to me was when the angel at the tomb ask the women who have come to care for the body of Jesus this question: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

I have often found myself left with a feeling of emptiness and spiritual hunger only to realize that I have been trying to find meaning and satisfaction in life in places that cannot deliver. I have been seeking life out of dead things and as tempting and luring as they may appear they simply cannot deliver. They will always leave us lacking.

It’s unrealistic for us to believe that the things of this dying world can really satisfy us. It’s our fault that we consistently dine at the cheap and quick spiritual restaurants of the world. We, like the women on that first Easter, need to answer the same question posed to them. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that he really can deliver. The resurrection reminds us that real satisfaction is found at his table, not at the table of the world’s imposters. Jesus invites each one of us to feast on his life giving banquet promising that all who participate in it always leave satisfied!