Sharpening Our Vision

Many of the psalms refer to “Sheol,” a place where, it was believed, people go after death to exist in a state of suspended animation—no thought, no feeling, no presence of God. However, in Psalm 139, we see a dramatic shift in the concept of Sheol, for “…if I sink to the nether world, you are present there (Ps 139:8).” Now God is understood to be present even in Sheol! If that is the case, what is the difference between Sheol and heaven? It seems to comes down to our ability to see, to perceive, God’s presence. We will experience a place very differently if we believe God does not exist there, even when God is in fact there.

The scriptures give us several examples of people who failed to recognize Jesus after his resurrection, including Mary of Magdala, who thought he was a gardener, and Cleopas and his companion, who did not see Jesus in the stranger who joined them on the road to Emmaus. Thomas declared he would not believe Jesus had returned until he put his finger into the nailmarks. Through these appearances, Jesus gave us a guide for how to recognize him—through his voice when he calls our name, through the breaking of the bread, and through his wounds. It’s tricky, though; did I recognize Jesus in the voice of my convalescing grandmother when she called me to help her with the bedpan, or in my most recent meal in the dining room, or in the incision that caused my father so much pain after his lung surgery?

God appears to us unexpectedly, so even with the guidebook provided by Jesus, we need to work on sharpening our vision. Perhaps we should just assume, as Psalm 139 proclaims, that there is nowhere God is not present. How would that change the way we experience life and respond to what each day brings?