trying to find His way
“‘Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”(John 20:29) At one time I saw this verse as proof that Jesus was God.It is hard to know what exactly Thomas meant when he said this.But I can’t imagine Thomas was making a theological statement about God.Maybe eventually he did conclude that Jesus was ‘God with us’.But…
“If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23) Jesus is alive, and yet He will not continue His work in the same way.From now on Jesus will continue His work through His followers (Acts 1:1-8).They (we) are equipped by the Spirit to continue God’s kingdom mission.At the heart of this mission is representing…
“I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) If you ask me Who Jesus is, at best I can say that somehow He is ‘God with us!’.But Jesus didn’t go around saying, ‘hey look everyone, I am God!’Jesus as God with us was fully human, and lived…
“The image of God is universally shared in equal portions by all men. There is no graded scale of essential worth. Every human being has etched in his personality the indelible stamp of the Creator. Every man must be respected because God loves him. The worth of an individual does not lie in the measure…
“They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” (John 20:9) On many occasions Jesus told His disciples about His death and resurrection.The disciples feared the death of Jesus, but they could not comprehend the resurrection.Death was something everyone would eventually face, and hopefully not too soon.But rising from death…
“So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved…(John 20:2) There is something humourous about how Peter and John relate.It is commonly understood that John was “the one Jesus loved”.We see a competitive rivalry between them, trying to be first.Peter no doubt felt shame because of his strong denial of…
“Jesus Christ alone is my final authority, whose will is discerned through the interdependent witness of the Body of Christ, the testimony of the Scriptures and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.” Brad Jersak
“Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.” (John 19:38) Joseph was a secret Jesus-follower until this moment.By going to Pilate to ask for Jesus’s body, he is going public.The same Jewish leaders he feared would hear about this.Something had changed within him, and he pushed past his fear.Nicodemus was…
“The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” (John 19:35) Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)In other words, tell everyone what you have seen and heard.In…
“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30) (PLEASE NOTE: tetelestai (‘it is finished’) does not mean ‘paid in full’)During His time of ministry, Jesus knew how His work would finish.On several occasions He let His disciples know what was coming.Jesus was determined to finish His…