“Fire Water” Anybody?

Ever been in hot water? We all have. What a divine gift is fire, when used correctly and safely. What a friendly and companionable thing is a campfire. Like cloud formations humans see different things in a fire. To glaze into a raging fire is like a gaze into a crystal ball. What do you see in a fire, intense heat, third degree burns, danger, death or an eternity of fire?

What if your house was on fire and you called the fire department, and they drove up to your property with alarms ringing and red lights flashing ready for action. But the only fire hydrant they could use looked like the picture above. What if the fire chief looks at the hydrant and calmly informs you that the water in the hydrant was hotter than the fire rapidly consuming your house? Help is there—but they can’t help! Whadda do? Make smores?

When you find yourself in a desperate situation needing help, do you really expect the cure to be worse than the disease? Ten of the Apostles found themselves in just such a situation once upon a time. The “Church” hadn’t got its feet wet yet. The “Christian” was the newest endangered species. The “Bible” was still being written. And worst of all, this person who called himself the Messiah had been crucified and dead for three days. Chaos and fear were the headlines of the day. Ten of the Apostles were holed up in room fearing the same angry mob that had crucified Jesus just days earlier.

Newly resurrected, Jesus went looking for his disciples. Jesus found them barricaded in a room. “Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” John 20:19-20

How exactly did Jesus get past the locked door they were hiding behind? Scripture says, Jesus simply materialized in the presence of his friends. Like the stone that was rolled to seal his tomb, a locked door posed no obstacle to Jesus. Teleportation? An enthralling idea for a television series maybe, but no wrinkle for Jesus. A little molecular disassembly here, some reassembly there and the time/space continuum is thrown on its ear again. The idea is mesmerizing, but it’s also two thousand years late. God thought of it first. When all hope seems lost—it might behoove us to remember Jesus’ words. “Peace be with you.” Not ‘on’ you, not ‘around’ you, not ‘near’ you. With! WITH!