John 20 (NLT)
The Resurrection
20 Early on Sunday morning,[a] while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 That Sunday evening[b] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
19 That Sunday evening[b] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
I have always loved this story because I can relate to it.
In so many places, The Bible describes situations that perfectly mirror our lives today. Take the disciples for example; ordinary men from humble beginnings who desired more. They risked everything to follow the one they believed in. This Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah, he was different than anyone else they had ever met. He sent demons out of people who were possessed, he loved the unlovable and even gave sight to the blind. Think how difficult it must have been to see their master, teacher, messiah hanging on a cross? someone they had talked with and walked with; Their saving grace; Their hope- defeated by evil and hanging on a cross; or so they thought. It took faith to be Jesus' disciple and it took an enormous amount of faith to believe Mary's claims that she had seen the risen Jesus Christ. Faith. recurring theme over and over. We miss it in todays day and age. Sin and its effects on our world have made us hopeless cynics who don't see faith as an essential ingredient to life. We have faith, but in all the wrong things. Lets read the scripture.
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[c] was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Other people are telling Thomas, "We've seen him, He is alive!!" Look at Thomas's response, "Unless I see the nail wounds in his hands." Unless I see, unless I touch.
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[c] was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Other people are telling Thomas, "We've seen him, He is alive!!" Look at Thomas's response, "Unless I see the nail wounds in his hands." Unless I see, unless I touch.
Is there faith there? I don't see it.
That's how a lot of us live our lives. Only if I see God, only if I can touch God will I believe. We don't realize that he has been touching us all along. The light of Jesus, new life, freedom from sin and darkness(you know darkness- the pain, rejection, hopelessness that creeps in), it has been accessible to us all along through The Bible- God's word. To go from walking in darkness, (insecurity, doubt, feelings of low self worth, hopelessness) to walking in light (freedom knowing you are God's child and are made right with him, not through your good deeds, but simply because you believe in Jesus's death and resurrection as a gift) is ready and available to anyone who has FAITH.
I like how the passage ends. Throughout the bible it is hammered home, have faith, have faith, you must have faith. It's impossible to please God without faith, faith, faith, and more faith. Never does it say, God will show himself to you in a physical form and then you will know him. Nor does it say you will ask God to poof in front of you and then he will. There is something to the concept of believing in what you can not see that gives you the blessing of Jesus. It's like he knew that there would come a time when people would not see him. They would still need to believe. Why would he have said that in verse 29 if he didn't know that a time would come when we would need faith.
The time is now and what we need is faith. Faith that there is a God and faith that the bible is his word, is truth, and is the only way to a real peace and happiness that won't let us down. There are numerous reasons to believe and have faith. Don't be a cynic or a "Doubting Thomas" and miss out on what a faith in Jesus has to offer you. It's worth it to explore.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have something to add? Cool!