God Speaks
Jesus Is Raised From the Dead and Interacts with His Disciples at Various Times and Places
Verse of the Day: Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said,”Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Luke 24
Reflection: Luke 23 ends with the recounting of the sad news of the death and burial of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews and the Christ (the Messiah). Luke 24 conveys the glorious news of His resurrection. Other passages of Scripture give more or different details of the resurrection, but Luke gives us these: It was early dawn on the first day of the week. They (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James [the half-brother of Jesus, an early leader of the church in Jerusalem and writer of the book of James in the Bible], and other women) brought burial spices. The stone had been rolled away from the tomb. They did not find the body of Jesus. They were perplexed. Two men in dazzling clothes appeared to them which terrified them. The women were told, “He has risen.” These men repeated to them what Jesus had said would happen (See 24:6-7). The women reported to the eleven. Peter ran to the tomb, examined it, but didn’t find Jesus at that time. In late afternoon, the resurrected Jesus joined two other men walking on the road to Emmaus and explained the Scriptures to them. Later that evening back in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to His disciples and explained the Scriptures to them. Luke’s account of Jesus’s ascension is quite short with few details. See the other Gospels and the book of Acts for more information.
Prayer: Dear Almighty God, thank You for accepting Jesus’s sacrificial suffering and death as payment for my sinfulness. His glorious resurrection was proof of that acceptance and the preview of mine in the future. In the meantime, Lord, please help me to live a resurrected life here and now by leaning on the Holy Spirit to pull me out of the muck and mire of the sin around and within me, empowered by Him to live a life that daily displays His wonderous fruit. Holy Spirit, You directed Luke to report three times in this one chapter when people were reminded of the scriptural prophecies that the Son of Man would suffer at the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise again on the third day: by the angels to the women at the tomb (24:6-7), by Jesus to the men on the road to Emmaus (24:25-27), and by Jesus when He appeared to His disciples (24:44-47). It must be an important point that You don’t want us to miss. Please open my mind to understand the Scriptures just as You did for those men and the disciples. Help me to carry out the assignment You gave Your disciples at Your ascension, for the glory of God. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will write a thank you note to the Lord for all the ways His death and resurrection have benefitted me.
- I will repent and claim the forgiveness of sins Jesus has made available to me.
- I will proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins to people near and far. (Be specific.)
- I will search through Luke and other scriptures and write down other times when the crucifixion and resurrection in three days are prophesied. Then I will reflect on how God always keeps His promises.
John 20
Reflection: Oh, how intense sorrow turned to great joy that first day of the week! Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24 recount the same events from different perspectives. It is recommended that one read all four accounts together to get a fuller picture of all that occurred that wondrous Resurrection day and the days following. All who will believe and obey Jesus and the Father will receive joy unspeakable and be filled with glory. The following are unique to the account in John 20: 1) Luke comments that Peter examined the grave clothes in the tomb, but only John tells us that he was there as well. 2) Although the other gospel writers mention Mary Magdalene being at the tomb, only John shares her personal meeting with Jesus. 3) Jesus’s interaction with “doubting” Thomas is found only in this gospel. 4) In verses 30 and 31, John gives us his purpose in writing this account of the gospel. All these details, combined with the other accounts in the Gospels, give us a fuller picture of what happened that eternity-changing day.
Prayer: Dear Awesome God, thank You for this most awesomely joyous day that makes every other joyful day possible. Your beloved followers went from feelings of intense sorrow to great, inexpressible joy. Jesus’s disciples had finally grasped that He truly was the Messiah and King that You had promised the Jewish people for centuries. But three days previously, Jesus, their beloved, miracle-working Rabbi had been cruelly mistreated, tortured, and put to death. Grieving, Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb to care for His lifeless body and discovered that the stone blocking the entrance had been removed. Confused and worried as to what that meant, she ran to report it to the disciples. May I come running to You whenever I am disturbed by the circumstances around me. Jesus, You appeared privately to Mary Magdalene. Please grant me similar interactions with You however You see fit. You also appeared to the disciples in groups. May that be true in this day and age as well. It is good to know that we are not just imagining things in our own minds; it can be confirmed by others who experienced the same event. There are times, Lord Jesus, when I need You to confront and resolve my doubts just like You confronted Thomas. May the purpose of this book be the purpose of my life–that many people “will believe that [Jesus] is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in Him [they] will have [abundant and eternal] life.”* For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
*John 20:31 TLB
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will read the other accounts of Jesus’s resurrection and thank Him for all He has given and made possible for me: new life and the power to trust and obey Him now and throughout eternity.
- I will watch the Jesus film, The Passion of the Christ, or a similar movie to get a clearer picture of the resurrection of Jesus and all that it means.
- I will talk with and encourage another believer to do the same.
- I will tell this great news to someone who has not yet put their faith totally in Jesus and urge them to do so.
John 21
Reflection: It may seem to some that this chapter is an afterthought and may have been added later; however, this author feels that this more personal interaction between the risen Jesus and these seven disciples illustrates His intimate caring for His followers. After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to the disciples at least three times. According to John, this is the third time. The resurrected Jesus met seven of the disciples who had gone fishing. He directed them to a large catch after they had spent an unproductive night.; he then served them breakfast. Afterward, Jesus reinstated Peter and called him to be a shepherd of the flock of God’s sheep and lambs. His answer regarding John, the beloved disciple, illustrates that Jesus has an intimate relationship with each of His beloved ones which are no one else’s business. The three sections of this chapter picture three aspects of the Christian life: fishing=evangelism; shepherding=discipleship and teaching; intimacy with Christ=personal devotion, prayer, growing in faith, and fellowship which includes corporate worship and prayer. This author feels that all believers should be involved in each of these three aspects in some way.
Prayer: Dear caring Father God, You are the Great Fisherman, the Good Shepherd, and the Ultimate Friend. Thank You, Jesus, for the many ways You have met this disciple in my everyday life and work, the ways that You provide, protect, and guide me. Help not to be shy about sharing these instances with others and thus glorifying You. Jesus, You reinstated Peter after his denials and called him to be a shepherd of Your flock. You don’t play favorites. You will do the same for me (or anyone else) if I will repent and express godly sorrow. I’m excited about how You will use me in the future. Jesus, I know from Your word that You have chosen me as Your beloved disciple. I commit myself to living that out with the help of the Holy Spirit. For the glory of Christ Jesus. Amen
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the Lord to show me how He wants to use me as a “fisher of men,” then do whatever He says.
- I will ask the Lord to show me how He wants me to care for His sheep and lambs, then do whatever He says.
- I will build (or continue to) into my daily schedule regular times for intimacy with God. (See also the spiritual disciplines.).
- I will keep (begin or continue) a journal of what God has done or is doing in my life and/or in my fellowship group.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________