John 21:1-14

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” I’m caught up a bit in the geography of Jesus’ Resurrection days. He was buried and rose from the grave in Jerusalem, where the disciples and hundreds of thousands of others had gathered to celebrate the Passover. He appeared to them in Jerusalem that first day when they were gathered as a group behind locked doors (John 20:19), then another eight days later when Thomas was with them (John 20:26), again behind locked doors. So my first question has to do with how many days the disciples spent in Jerusalem. The Passover celebration must have ended a few days after the Resurrection, but the disciples are still in Jerusalem on that 8^th day.

Then in today’s reading we find Peter, James, John, and others fishing on the Sea of Galilee, presumably having cast off from Capernaum, Peter’s home town. So how long had they stayed in Jerusalem? And why did they head to Galilee? Recall that Jesus had told the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee and that He would meet them there (Matthew 28:10). But when and for how long did they stay in Jerusalem? Was there a prompt that moved them back to Galilee, other than Peter’s proclamation, “I am going fishing”? (v. 3) When and why does he make that decision?

Later, to continue to confound the geography of it all, Jesus’ ascended from Bethany / the Mount of Olives forty days after His Resurrection (Luke 24:50, Acts 1:12), just outside Jerusalem. So here I imagine that the disciples had returned to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, alternately referred to as the Feast of First Fruits. But the time frame between the 8^th day after the Resurrection and the 50^th day are not clear. Where was Jesus and where were the disciples during this time?

All this is not a major point, but one of the main things that I have learned this year is the geography and the chronology of it all. So here I have one last confusion on them both. Just thought I’d report that…! Slava Bohu!

Mark 16:14-18

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen. (v. 14b) “…hardness of heart”, stubbornness. So often so many of us quote the following verse: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24) So we can probably relate to the unbelief. As to the “hardness of heart”, where would we have been if we were 1^st-century disciples and had women reporting images and visions and encounters with Jesus? Would we have been stubborn? Or would we accept our unbelief and go see for ourselves, as did Peter and John? But we are not 1^st-century creatures, we are 21^st-century humans. And while unbelief may be less an issue for most of us, most of the time, what about this “hardness of heart”, stubbornness? Do we have stubbornness about anything that needs to be set aside? Stubbornness that is blocking our full and complete relationship with Jesus…? Or is there stubbornness in us to which we are blind or unwilling to admit? I think I’ll ponder this stubbornness thing in my life throughout the day. Maybe even check with Carol about it…? Ouch!

Slava Bohu!

Matthew 28:16-20

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Jesus’ Great Commission… Something in today’s reading struck me differently: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (v. 18b) There are a number of occasions in the Gospels where Satan is referred to as the “ruler of this world” – John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; Luke 4:6. With Jesus’ death and resurrection, Satan’s rule is now over and done with. All authority has been given to Jesus. The apostle Paul tells us later that Jesus’ authority over sin and death has now been passed on to us: But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Cor. 15:57). It’s done! All we have to do is live it! GLORY!

Slava Bohu!

John 20:19-31

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” It’s Christmas night. I’ve been thinking all day about what I wanted to post tonight, but with family and food and phone interruptions I haven’t had the chance to sit down and say it. But finally, 9:20 pm, I find the time!

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. (v. 26) I’m sure I’ve seen it before, but EIGHT DAYS LATER…!! We’re talking from Resurrection Sunday to Monday a week later. All that time the disciples have known what they saw (as I posted yesterday), but Thomas was not with them. It could have been the case that Thomas was off on a business trip and only first returned eight days later. But I imagine more likely that he has been with them most of this time. And during this time the other disciples are sharing with Thomas as to what they saw and he is not believing them. No matter what all the other ten say, Thomas is firm: “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.” (v. 25) So I’m imagining the conversations that the others are having with Thomas. And still he is not believing!

So I’m thinking of my brother Richard (Dickie). Carol and I have shared with him on so many occasions sometimes lightly, sometimes forcefully – and he still resists – no matter what we say. He holds on to his mantra: “Unless you can prove to me that there is a God, there is no point in me believing anything spiritual about Jesus”. So what can we do? Pray and wait, wait and pray. And keep sharing. Just as Jesus made a special appearance to Thomas, His Holy Spirit can make a special appearance to Dickie. We pray. And you just need to pray too, for yours…!

Slava Bohu!

Luke 24:36-49

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” The disciples were unbelieving when they heard the women’s story, then again when the two men first reported their meeting with Jesus (from Mark’s Gospel). Now Jesus appears in the flesh and the disciples …were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. (v. 37) So Jesus had to convince them otherwise. As with so many other items in Scripture, His convincing was in three parts. First, He appeared in the flesh and spoke to them, even commenting to them that …a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. (v. 39b) Second, He explained about Himself from Scripture, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead… (v. 46a). Finally, He asked for something to eat.

So, for us…? If you’ve been sharing the Gospel over and again with your family and friends and they still do not believe, don’t quit. It took Jesus appearing in person to convince His disciples that He was alive – and then even with multiplied evidence. Just pray again that He will appear to the ones with whom you’ve been sharing, in the person of His Holy Spirit. Don’t be unbelieving, but believe – wait and pray, pray and wait.

Slava Bohu!

Luke 24:28-35

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” The Road to Emmaus… One of my favorite Scripture lines: …He was known to them in the breaking of the bread. (v. 35) We are a Eucharistic church – not only weekly on Sundays, but even midweek on Wednesdays. The Eucharist is part and parcel of who we are, and it’s been that way for me from my earliest days in the Catholic Church. Years ago in my early born-again years I was part of a non-denominational, Spirit-filled church. The Eucharist was part of our Sunday service, but not in our formal liturgical sense. Our pastor or one of the church leaders (me even, once) would give a short reflection and we would serve the bread and wine. The one time that I recall being asked to do the reflection I used this Road to Emmaus incident and closed with that thought that I quoted above, how Jesus is known to us in our breaking of the bread. So, nice memories associated with this story.

For some reason, unfathomable to me as I read this story, I’ve always had this picture of Jesus and these two disciples around a campfire – Jesus sharing with them from the Old Testament Scriptures, then the meal and the breaking of the bread. However, counter to my flawed memory, Luke is specific as to their actions. Jesus and the two disciples drew near to Emmaus, it was toward evening, Jesus went in to a residence with them, and they were at table together with Him when He blessed and broke the bread, then He “vanished from their sight”. How I got that all turned around, I’ll never know.

Now, finally however, we begin to see faith and hope from the “eleven and those who were with them”. The two Emmaus disciples are happily recounting their story of meeting Jesus, then the “eleven” counter with their own story of Jesus appearing to Peter. Sounds like the first “Glory Sightings Sunday” in history! GLORY!!!

Slava Bohu!

Luke 24:13-27

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” The Road to Emmaus (part 1 of 2), one of my favorite Bible stories… I’ve commented on this story so many times that it’s hard to find something new. However, one item in particular did strike me. Verse 17b says the two men …stood still, looking sad when Jesus approached them and asked them what they were talking about. Then after relating Jesus’ life and death they said …besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see. So I find it intriguing that the two men would stand there “looking sad”. I see “hope” in all that they report. A vision by the women and confirmation of the gravesite by the men – to me, that’s hopeful, especially knowing that He had said He would rise again. But this segment of the story ends on a high note: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (v. 27) What a listening session that must have been…! GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

Mark 16:12-13

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Really, Fred, only two verses today…? Well, that was the Chronological Bible breakdown. And admittedly, two verses would have been sufficient if, in fact, they had had a bit more substance. However, these two verses are only a totally shortened version of Luke’s “Road to Emmaus” event. So, less significant… Maybe.

HOWEVER (and with Scripture there’s always a “however”), it’s still a case of Scripture “proving” Scripture. Luke has a very long account of this event, which we will read in the next three days. But different aspects of Mark’s short note about this Jesus encounter proves the Luke account – that there were two of them (an exact number), that they were walking in the country (on a road to another town), and that He appeared in another form… (v. 12). This last item is particularly intriguing in that Mark’s account (…in another form…) also “proves” John’s account from yesterday of Mary Magdalene not recognizing Jesus and supposing Him to be the gardener.

Finally, in these two verses we have another statement of the rest of the disciples not believing the two men’s account of Jesus appearing to them (again “proving” his own and Luke’s accounts of the disciples not believing the women’s reports). It’s one thing for the disciples not to believe the women (they were women, after all!), but now the disciples are failing to believe the men’s account. And failing to believe Jesus’ own predictions of His Resurrection…! Impossible to believe? It must have been! Let’s give “Doubting Thomas” some space!

So, only two verses. What can we learn from only two verses…??!!

Slava Bohu!

John 20:14-18

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father… (v. 17a) To me, this is a strange remark from Jesus, in so many ways. First, Mary does not recognize Jesus when she first sees Him. Later on the two disciples on the road to Emmaus also do not recognize Jesus. What is it about His appearance that is different? It’s not that He is in a glorified state, because Mary suspects Him to be the gardener and the two Emmaus disciples see Him as just another person. But something is different.

Second, Jesus does not want Mary to “cling” to Him, but later He encourages Thomas to “…put your hand into My side…” (John 20:27). Is there something different about “clinging”? Or is it a time frame issue?

Third, Jesus says that He has “not yet ascended”. I wonder what the time frame is for Jesus “not yet”. Is He referring to His Ascension forty days after His Resurrection? (Acts 1:3,9) Or is there an Ascension for Jesus to be with His Father immediately after His Resurrection? But that in itself is strange, in that Jesus told the thief on the cross that “This day you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Finally, later on in the same verse first quoted above (17b) Jesus instructs Mary to: …go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father…’. Here John is writing in the present progressive tense, “I am ascending…”, implying that He is ascending immediately after seeing Mary.

So what does “not yet ascended” mean?? I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer to that one!

Slava Bohu!

Mark 16:9-11

Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.

“Notice what you notice.” Yes, I can understand that a physical, bodily resurrection could be hard to believe. But Jesus had predicted this to His disciples on a number of occasions, and now Mary reports that she has seen the risen Lord. In addition we read a few days ago that Mary and the other women had also reported that Jesus had been raised. (Luke 24:10-11) Yet today we read that the disciples did not believe her report. So give the disciples some space. Yes, it would be unbelievable!

What struck me today was in verse 10: She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. So it is now Sunday, the third day, and Jesus’ disciples are mourning and weeping. That’s all Mark reports, but I wonder what else was on their minds. Did they have a Plan B? What should they do now? Go back to their fishing lives in Galilee…? Peter is the one in charge and he has denied Jesus – he is probably mourning and weeping more than all the others!

As with all Gospel readings, maybe there is a lesson for us? On this side of the Resurrection we celebrate joyfully on Easter morning (as I’m sure the disciples did, eventually), but I think we need to go back to the first century occasionally and make Holy Saturday a special day of reflection. It was a full day of mourning for the disciples, but while we have no need to mourn the day, maybe it’s a good time to look back at where we are and forward to where we are headed. Just like we make resolutions on New Year’s Day, maybe Holy Saturday could be a time for a course correction. But yes, any day is a good day for that. Frankly, every day is a good day for more personal reflection! But still, maybe there’s something special about Holy Saturday…?

Slava Bohu!