I love this time of the liturgical year. The readings are filled with the many surprise “visits” Jesus made after His resurrection. Though I can’t quite picture Our Lord as a practical joker, it is clear from the Gospel accounts He enjoys the element of surprise.

You recall the scene from John’s Gospel when Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb to minister to the dead body of Jesus? She finds the stone rolled away and discovers Jesus’ body is missing. She weeps by the tomb, peeks into it, and sees two angels in dazzling robes. They ask her why she is crying and she tells them she doesn’t know what has become of Jesus’ body. Then she notices someone standing nearby whom she thinks is the gardener and she begs him to tell her where Jesus might be. When the “gardener” calls her by name, she recognizes that it is Jesus, not a laborer whom she is addressing. I’ll bet she was surprised!

And how about when Jesus walked into the locked room where the apostles were gathered? He got there sans a door. That must have been something! And startling, too. Perhaps that’s why He twice said to the apostles, “Peace be with you.” 

Jesus must have really liked that moment, locked doors and all, because He did the same thing a week later. This time He “popped” in on Thomas who was absent the first time around. Thomas didn’t believe the apostles when they told him they had seen the Lord. But he quickly changed his tune! There was Jesus, standing before him and inviting him to place his fingers into the wounds in His hands and in His side. “Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!” Jesus told him. And Thomas did — in a hurry.

Then there are the men on the way to Emmaus. They’ve traveled the road with Jesus, discussed recent events with Him, even told Him about His own crucifixion and resurrection, and then invited Him to eat dinner with them. But, it was only when Our Lord broke the bread and distributed it to them that they recognized Him. Later, after Jesus vanished from their sight, they put it all together — “Did our hearts not burn within us as He talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Amazed and stunned were the Emmaus’ men, methinks.

And then there is one of my favorite surprise scenes. The fish fry on the beach. Don’t you love it? Here is Our Lord: so loving, so giving, so practical.

Perhaps he was returning to his trade or maybe it was simply the need for some peaceful recreation after a long hard week or so, but Peter announced to a group of gathered disciples that he was going night fishing. The guys decided to join him and they all piled into the boat. They were at it all night and caught nothing — yet again.

Just after daybreak, however, Jesus was standing on the shore. He called out to the men and asked them how the fishing went. Though none of them recognized it was the Lord, they shouted back to Him they didn’t catch a single fish. Now, Scripture doesn’t tell us this, but I’m thinking Jesus was smiling while all of this was going on. Maybe even chuckling or laughing out loud. After all, He knew the fish weren’t biting and He also knew what He was going to do about it. I’m thinking He couldn’t wait for the surprise.

Jesus told the disciples to cast their nets to the starboard side to make a big catch. They did, and what a catch it was! One hundred fifty-three fish in all. It was then that one of the disciples, most probably John, realized who their shoreline mentor was because he shouted out to Peter with great enthusiasm, “It is the Lord!” Peter, who happened to be naked at the time, got so overwhelmed that he threw his clothes back on and jumped into the water, apparently swimming his way to shore! Everyone else brought in the boat and the fish.

Once they got to shore, the band of disciples saw that a fish fry was in progress. Jesus was cooking them breakfast. A charcoal fire was ablaze and a fish was already sizzling. Our Lord encouraged the guys to add some of their catch to the fixins’ and told them to come and eat. And then He served them.  

These stories ignite my imagination. But they also share a great truth. Jesus is always coming among us, making surprise visits. Sometimes we recognize Him readily and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes His entrance is grand and startling, and sometimes it is quiet and serene. Sometimes His visitation is wrapped in an extraordinary moment and sometimes it is hidden in the mundane. But every visit — every visit — is life-changing and transformative, just as it was for the apostles and the disciples. Every visit leaves us in awe and wonder. And every visit provides us with an opportunity for deeper intimacy with the One who feeds us, serves us, journeys with us, loves us, and draws us. During this Easter season, we may well find ourselves experiencing some surprise visitations by Our Lord. It is my hope and my prayer that you won’t miss one of them. Let Jesus delight you!