Unexpected Surprises

Just before tea-time there came a tremendous ring on the front-door bell, and then he remembered! He rushed and put on the kettle, and put out another cup and saucer, and an extra cake or two, and ran to the door.

"I am so sorry to keep you waiting!" he was going to say, when he saw that it was not Gandalf at all. It was a dwarf with a blue beard tucked into a golden belt, and very bright eyes under his dark green hood. As soon as the door was opened, he pushed inside, just as if he had been expected.

He hung his hooded cloak on the nearest peg, and "Dwalin at your service!" he said with a low bow.

"Bilbo Baggins at yours!" said the hobbit, too surprised to ask any questions for the moment. When the silence that followed had become uncomfortable, he added: "I am just about to take tea; pray come and have some with me." A little stiff perhaps, but he meant it kindly. And what would you do, if an uninvited dwarf came and hung his things up in your hall without a word of explanation? --- The Hobbit

 When I read this part from The Hobbit I immediately think of the disciples when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst three days after He was crucified. Dwalin's appearance at Bilbo's front door was an unexpected surprise, though of course in his own way Gandalf had told Bilbo he would be going on an ADVENTURE. For Bilbo to be so surprised by Dwalin's sudden appearance might not have been out of the ordinary for Bilbo, but the sudden appearance of a dwarf at Bilbo's front door a day after Bilbo had spoken with Gandalf about adventure, well, that certainly was not out of the ordinary for an adventure with Gandalf.

We find that despite all of the stories of adventure that Bilbo had heard regarding Gandalf, that Bilbo certainly did not know Gandalf the way he truly was. So I think was true of the disciples with Jesus. We find that despite all of the stories regarding the coming Messiah that the disciples had read about in the Old Testament, that they certainly did not know Jesus the way he truly was. The eleven disciples had spent three years with Jesus, and during those three years Jesus continued to surprise them.

I sometimes like to think that when Jesus appeared in the room with the disciples, three days after he was crucified and buried inside of a tomb, that some of those disciples reacted very much like Bilbo. In other words, they saw Jesus, the Lord says, "Peace be with you," and some of the disciples being too surprised to ask any questions responded back with, "Uh, peace be with you!" Then were struck dumb with the appearance of Jesus, trying to rationalize His sudden appearance, and then after a few minutes of awkward silence offered Him to sit and eat with them. Probably a little stiff, though I'm sure they meant it kindly, but were still a little skeptical if this really was Jesus in the flesh. But Jesus, knowing their hearts and minds, showed them His hands and His side, and then they were glad to know this was Him.

John 20:19-20 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." Now when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

So began the disciples' adventure with Jesus filled with miracles, love, loss, gain, epic dialogue, suffering, overcoming, encouragement, fear, death, romance, risk, uncertainty, faith, mercy, life, and so much more.