John | Be Still...

He Is Risen: “I Have Seen The Lord!”

He is risen with the fish symbol overlaying blurred out picture of 3 empty crosses

How wonderful, how glorious! Mary Magdalene didn’t know that’s how her morning was going to play out! Can you imagine Mary’s surprise when she saw the stone was moved away from the opening.

When the unexpected happens, we often freeze. But Mary immediately ran to find help. I can almost picture what happened when she found Peter and the other disciple. She was out of breath, trying to get each word out amidst her confusion and fear. She blurted out, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

John 21:15-25 – Feed My Sheep

Read John 21:15-25

Jesus asked Peter a similar question three times. It’s almost as if he wanted to hear Peter’s affirmation three times to cancel out the three denials made the night Jesus was arrested. What would your response be if Jesus asked you, “Do you love me?” It’s important that we tell Jesus exactly how much we love him.

Jesus gives Peter several commands then. One being to feed his sheep. Jesus’ sheep would be all followers to come. Jesus wanted to make sure Peter was up for the job of serving them. He would be if he loved Jesus enough. When we love someone, it’s much easier to do what they ask of us.

John 21:1-14 – Be Filled

Read John 21:1-14

That was something. Imagine breakfast prepared for you by Jesus himself. The disciple Jesus loved had recognized it was the Lord even while they were out in the boat. Yet when they were all face to face, the text says, “None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” Why would it say that?

It’s one of those details I suppose that can keep us from seeing into the depth of the passage. Our vision is often clouded when we focus on things that don’t matter. Suffice it to say, the risen Jesus had a different appearance than before. Jesus’ love for them and for humanity did not change.

John 20:24-31 – Let Me See

Read John 20:24-31

Eight days have passed since the disciples saw Jesus behind locked doors. We learn today that Thomas was not there when Jesus appeared to them before. Thomas wasn’t going to believe his friends without seeing for himself.

How many times have we encountered people who need proof? Maybe it’s us. Maybe we have a hard time truly grasping all we read in the Bible. Maybe we are holding out for some confirmation that what we read is true.

John 20:19-23 – Jesus Visits

Read John 20:19-23

Have you ever been afraid because of your faith? You may have said, “No,” at first. That’s wonderful because there are many Christians around the world who live in fear for their lives. Yet, their belief is so strong that they would lose their life for Jesus. Let me ask it this way– when was the last time you shared your faith with someone?

That’s a wake-up call for some of us. We live a sheltered life, surrounded by other believers, and the idea of sharing our faith may be a bit frightening. We may not fear for our life, but there is some fear or hesitation that keeps us in our comfort zone. I’m preaching to myself here, but you may also relate.