It’s a familiar story that we hear every year at this time. On the evening of the first Easter, the fearful disciples were gathered in a room with all the doors locked, and suddenly Jesus stood among them. He said, “I’m back — and boy, did they pick the wrong man to crucify this time! Now I’ll show them what happens when you mess with the Son of God. Strap on your swords, boys! This is a holy war! Slaughter the infidels!”

            No, wait. That’s not it. How did that go? Oh, yes. Jesus said, “A fine bunch of disciples you guys are! Ran out on me at the first sign of trouble. Peter, you denied that you even knew me! You’re no good to me. I’m through with all of you.”

            No, that’s not it either. Actually, what Jesus said was “Peace be with you.”            But those first two responses might not surprise you if you were hearing the story for the first time. They’re kind of what we’d expect. The gods of the old myths or today’s superheroes get knocked down but they come back and finish off the bad guys. It’s pretty much the standard way to tell god stories or superhero stories because it’s what we want to hear.

The unexpected thing

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