Liberation, Inclusion, and Justice: A Faith Response to Persons With Disabilities

The late Prof. Nancy Eiesland wrote a thought-provoking reflection on Luke 24:36-39, the passage which describes Jesus' revelation of himself to the frightened disciples after he rose from the dead. They could not recognize him until he showed them his scars. Eiesland writes, "Reading this passage, I realized that here was a part of my hidden history as a Christian. The foundation of Christian theology is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet seldom is the resurrected Christ recognized as a deity whose hands, feet, and side bear marks of profound physical impairment. In presenting his impaired body to his startled friends, the resurrected Jesus is revealed as the disabled God."