resurrection appearance

Gospel for June 4, 2023 Trinity Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 28:16-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the final resurrection appearance of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. As with John’s Gospel, Jesus meets the eleven remaining disciples in Galilee — in this case at a mountain.

Some might point out that in Luke’s Gospel Jesus meets the disciples for the last time at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Some scholars argue that each Gospel must be read as a self-contained work, with its own theme and perspective. However, I don’t find it difficult to harmonize the four accounts of the Gospels — a forty-day period of resurrection appearances leaves ample opportunities for travel (Acts 1:3) — to Emmaus, as well as to Galilee and back to Jerusalem again.

Matthew’s Gospel does not describe the departure of Jesus, although these are the last words Jesus speaks.

There are parallels between the valedictory words of Jesus in Matthew and in the other Gospels — and there are differences.

Interestingly, the mixture of faith and doubt persists, as it does in some of the other Gospels:

When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

When Jesus appears in the Upper Room in Luke’s Gospel, he says to the disciples:

Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have (Luke 24:38-39).

It seems that even at this point seeing wasn’t believing! Even at this moment faith was a subjective response to an objective reality.

Jesus’ final words to the disciples in Matthew’s Gospel are known as the Great Commission:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

There are several layers to this Great Commission.

First, Jesus establishes his authority in heaven and on earth. There is a paradox here — Jesus had only recently been crucified. His death by the will of the priests and at the hands of Roman soldiers was their assertion of his weakness and powerlessness. However, his resurrection from the dead bears witness to his power and authority even over the ultimate enemy — death. His authority includes every possible realm — heaven and earth. As Paul writes:

[God] raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:20-23).

Second, Jesus gives the disciples their charge — to make disciples of all nations. As in Acts, Jesus is making clear their missionary imperative:

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Third, Jesus gives them direction on how they are to make disciples — baptizing and teaching all that he has commanded. This includes the initiation into faith through baptism, as well as nurture and growth as disciples within the community of faith.

Fourth, Jesus provides the classic Trinitarian baptismal formula:

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Although he doesn’t offer a doctrinal definition of the Trinity, it is clear that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are representative of One God in Three Persons. This is suggested by his statement that they are to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The name in this context implies Godhead, as when they are taught to pray:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy (Matthew 6:9).

And also when Jesus teaches them:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them (Matthew 18:20).

Fifth, Jesus assures them of his continued presence, and his ultimate return at the end of the age when he will bring the kingdom:

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

It might be said that he continues to be with them through the presence of the Holy Spirit, but he is making the same claims made throughout the New Testament — that God will not leave his church, and that Christ will return.

APPLY:

This Great Commission is a synopsis of what the church needs even today for the purpose of making disciples.

We have no authority of our own. Our power and authority all derive from the authority of Jesus. Therefore we are able to witness boldly in the name of the risen Christ, who rules over heaven and earth.
We are to go to all nations. Ours is a global mandate, that includes all nations, races, ethnic groups, tribes and languages around the world.
We are to initiate disciples into the church through baptism in the name of The Trinity.
We are to teach all that Jesus has commanded. This applies not only to what Jesus has said in the Gospel of Matthew, but the entire Bible. We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew:
Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

This applies to our reading of the Old Testament. And Jesus also tells us that:

the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you (John 14:26).

This includes the apostolic teaching that comes to be known as the New Testament.

We are reminded that we are not alone as we live our lives and bear witness to Christ, for he is with us always.

And we have the promise of his eventual return, and the consummation of all things in the kingdom of God. History is going somewhere!

RESPOND:

Those who work with corporations and non-profit organizations have been made aware of the importance of mission statements. Article after article in the field of strategic planning and management tout the importance of crafting just the right mission statement.

They agree that a good mission statement provides identity, purpose, focus, and even a sense of structure for an effective organization.

One credit card company says that they:

have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.

A tea company boasts that it:

seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our products, with sustainability and great taste for all.

I personally love the mission statement of the early Methodists, although they wouldn’t have called it a mission statement:

God’s design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists [was]….to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.
[Minutes of Several Conversations Between The Rev. Mr. Wesley and Others; From the Year 1744, to the Year 1789.]

However, for authority, purpose and promise, nothing can beat the Great Commission itself as the mission statement for Christians and the church:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Our Lord, you have come to us with your grace so that we may share that grace with others. You have called us to be disciples so that we may disciple others. Thank you for your promise to be with us in this mission, until you return. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"The Great Commission" by Chris Hsia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for May 21, 2023 ASCENSION

The chancel of the medieval church of St Botolph’s in Cambridge was rebuilt by Bodley in 1872. This stained glass window of the Ascension of the Lord, dates to 1886 and is in the east window above the Altar. [photo and description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 1:1-11
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

This week’s lectionary readings focus on the Day of Ascension, which always falls on the Thursday forty days following Easter Sunday. (The lectionary calendar gives the option for using the Ascension of the Lord selections in place of the Scripture selections for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.)

OBSERVE:

The Gospel of Luke and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles occupy a unique relationship in the New Testament canon. Both books are written by Luke, who is called the beloved physician by Paul (Colossians 4:14); and they are really intended to be read as companion pieces.

I recommend that the reader begin with the Gospel reading from Luke 24:44-53, also included in this week’s SOAR Lectionary Bible Study. [CLICK HERE for the SOAR study on Luke 24:44-53]

Luke’s Gospel is the account of the birth, baptism, temptation, ministry, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Luke makes it quite clear that he intends to apply the same scrupulous research in the book of Acts to the work of the apostles after Jesus is taken away from them:

The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

We note that Theophilus in Greek means friend of God, or beloved by God. Whether this is an actual individual, or is perhaps meant to describe the reader (in much the way 19th century writers might write to their “dear readers”), what is significant is that Luke is continuing his record of Jesus and his disciples. In fact, it might be argued that as The Gospel of Luke is the story of Jesus, Acts is the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Acts, Luke asserts that Jesus:

showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.

Today’s Lectionary reading describes the final appearance of Jesus in the flesh at the end of forty days. Although there is overlap between Luke’s Gospel and his Book of Acts, it is clear that this account is more detailed.

Jesus led his disciples to the mountain called Olivet, also known as The Mount of Olives. We remember that this olive grove on a hillside is just a little more than half a mile from the Temple, and is also where Jesus prayed the night he was arrested. There seems to be a slight discrepancy with Luke’s Gospel, in which he says Jesus led his disciples to Bethany (Luke 24:50). Bethany was actually about a mile from the Temple. What this probably means is that they were on the Mount of Olives, on the way toward Bethany.

What really matters is the content of his message. He instructs them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, which is the same language that he uses in Luke’s Gospel. However, he then becomes more explicit, and connects events from the beginning of Luke’s Gospel with events soon to take place in Acts:

For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

We have come full circle from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and John’s promise of the coming Messiah. John the Baptist says:

I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:16-17).

However, the disciples are fixated on their own notions of the Kingdom of God. They ask:

Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?

Can it be that even after at least three years with Jesus, and after his cruel death and his glorious resurrection, they are still so slow to understand? Jesus answers that they aren’t to be concerned about the end times. They have a job to do:

He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Jesus doesn’t deny the reality of the end of the age. He is simply telling them that it is not their business. It is the Father’s business, and it will happen when he is ready. This is essentially the same teaching we find in Jesus’ doctrine on the parousia (the coming of Jesus at the end of the age) in Matthew’s Gospel:

But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36).

Jesus instead is mapping out his directions for his disciples in the meantime. When they have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, they will carry the Gospel throughout the world. Implicit in his words is a description of the geographical spread of the Gospel — beginning where they are in Jerusalem, then to the Jewish world of Judea, then even to the non-Jewish world of Samaria, and to all the Gentiles throughout the world.

What happens next can only be described as a theophany — a manifestation of God. Jesus rises up from their sight and disappears into a cloud. We remember that we have seen something similar in the account of the Transfiguration, except that the cloud — a symbol in Scripture of the presence or shekinah of God — descends upon Jesus. Jesus had taken three of his disciples to the top of a mountain earlier in his earthly ministry, and he had been transfigured before them in dazzling light; Moses and Elijah had appeared to him and spoke to him of his impending departure in Jerusalem — meaning his death, resurrection and even his ascension. And then:

a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” (Luke 9:34-35).

In our current passage, the disciples stand transfixed, gazing up at the sky — and then they are spoken to rather curtly:

behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.

Again, we see the completion of a circle. There are two men in white here — no doubt angels — just as there were two men in dazzling white at the empty tomb who asked the women why they were seeking the living among the dead, and assuring them that Jesus had been raised.

In this case, the angels assure the disciples of the promised age to come — that Jesus will return just as they saw him go.

Clearly, this is not an ending but a beginning. Jesus is no longer present physically with his disciples, but he has given them the promise of the Holy Spirit, who will be poured out on Pentecost, just ten days later; and they are assured of Jesus’ ultimate return at the end of the age. And they are given their job description:

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

APPLY:

There are many layers of application in this passage that will always be relevant to the church:

We are to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit so that we can be empowered by him. As Paul says:
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).
Our business is not to waste our energy with speculations about the end-times. Jesus and his apostles bear ample testimony to the promise that he will come again — but when and how that will happen is God’s business, not ours.
What we are to do is be witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning in our local context (represented by Jerusalem); and to those who share our culture and worldview (represented by Judea); to those who don’t share our culture and worldview (represented by Samaria); and we are to spread the Gospel to the entire world!

If we spend our days in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet, we won’t have much time to waste on idle speculations about the end of time. But we will be ready when Jesus does return!

RESPOND:

I spent about four years living in Wilmore, Kentucky, the home of Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary. My family and I worshiped at the Wilmore United Methodist Church. In the chancel of the church, high above the platform, there is a stained-glass window that I never failed to notice.

There are three words in the window:

Come. Tarry. Go.

This is a fitting message not only to those who come to worship, but also to those who are attending a Christian college and/or seminary:

Come — and worship and learn.
Tarry — wait, until you are empowered with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Go — and when you are filled, Go and be witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This actually seems to be a pretty fitting mission statement for every Christian and every church!

Lord, we come to you that we might receive forgiveness and grace; we tarry so that we may be filled with the power of your Holy Spirit; and when we receive that power, send us out to go in your name, and share all that we have learned and experienced. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Christ ascending into heaven" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for May 1, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 21:1-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

In John’s Gospel this is the third resurrection appearance of Jesus.

Again, we have a few differences between John and the three “Synoptic Gospels.” In Mark and Luke, the appearances of Jesus occur in Emmaus and in Jerusalem. And it is from the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem that Jesus ascends into heaven, according to the Gospel of Luke. Matthew describes Jesus meeting with his disciples in Galilee at a designated mountain, where he issues his Great Commission.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ initial appearance to Mary is at the garden tomb near Jerusalem, and in the room in Jerusalem where the disciples are gathered. But in today’s passage, seven of the disciples have made their way to the Sea of Galilee, some 70 miles away. If the average walking speed of a man is approximately 3 miles an hour, this would take about 23 hours — at least a three days journey!

How do we explain this little excursion, when Luke tells us that Jesus ends his post-resurrection appearances with the ascension forty days after he has been raised?

I know that many modern scholars tell us to avoid harmonizing the Gospels, so that each Gospel can maintain its own unique integrity as an account of the life of Jesus. I agree that each Gospel must be read and studied on its own terms — however, looking at the four Gospels as a whole can help provide hints as to the flow of the life of Jesus. And I believe that for the sake of Biblical theology we need to use all the resources at our disposal.

Concerning the events John describes — a trip of three days to Galilee, a visit there of even a week or more, and a three-day return trip is very conceivable when we consider Luke’s time frame between the resurrection and ascension of Jesus in the book of Acts:

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

Forty days is ample time for the kind of excursion to Galilee that both Matthew and John’s Gospels describe.

We note that not all twelve of the disciples seem to have made the trip. Or at least, only six of the disciples decided to go along with Simon Peter when he said,

“I am going fishing.”

Another interesting note — those who accompanied Peter in the boat were likely experienced fishermen. Simon Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) of course were fishermen. According to tradition, Thomas was a carpenter. But others are of the opinion that Thomas and Nathaniel were both fishermen as well. We are not told the identity of the two other disciples. Was one of them Andrew the brother of Simon Peter? If so, he also was a fisherman.

In all likelihood, these seven were returning, at least temporarily, to an occupation that they knew well. So this adds a little irony to John’s observation:

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

I have a theory that might explain why they fished at night, not only here but also in Luke 5:5. I once observed when visiting in Sicily that fishermen came out at night, and shone bright lights down into the water so they could see where the fish were. It may explain how the disciples fished — using torchlight to draw the fish to the surface so they could net them and draw them up out of the water.

Except this time it is the Light of the World who will draw the fish out! Jesus, unrecognizable perhaps because of the 100-yard distance from the shore, calls out to the disciples. He knows that they have caught nothing, and tells them:

“Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

Again, this passage reminds us of the account in the Gospel of Luke that occurred at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus encounters Simon Peter one morning after a long night’s futile fishing. Simon is on one of two boats just offshore, and Jesus tells him then to put out into deep water for a catch. Simon seems almost sarcastic:

“Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).

Of course, we know what happens. Their nets pulled in such a haul of fish that the two boats were almost swamped!

Surely, when the disciple whom Jesus loved saw the parallels between these two events, his faith led him to conclude it could be no one else:

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

Simon Peter remains true to type. He is as impulsive as ever, prone to grand gestures. In the earlier account of the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter was convicted of his own shortcomings:

…he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).

Just as when he saw Jesus walking on water in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:28-33) and impulsively jumped out of the boat, so he does in this instance:

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.

We see a little flash of John’s sense of humor here, I think:

But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

The scene is one that seems so ordinary, and yet is so extraordinary. Jesus has made a charcoal fire, and he is grilling fish and bread. He encourages them to bring some of the fish they have caught and add them to the mess. The risen Christ is cooking their breakfast!

Some commentators have sought a deeper meaning to the specificity of John:

Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

It may be that there is no deeper, allegorical meaning to this number; it may have simply been John’s habit as a fisherman to account for the catch for business purposes!

One thing was perfectly clear to all seven of them:

Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

Finally in this passage we have one of the most poignant conversations in all of Scripture. After they have eaten the bread and the fish, Jesus directs the famous question to Simon Peter:

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon Peter answers quickly:

“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

What makes this exchange so poignant is that Jesus asks this question three times. Three times Simon Peter says you know that I love you. And each time Jesus says feed my lambs or feed my sheep.

Simon Peter has a profoundly emotional reaction to this dialogue:

Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

We cannot help but think of the events in Jerusalem when Jesus was arrested. Simon Peter had been accosted three times by bystanders and witnesses and accused of following Jesus, and had denied three times that he even knew the man.

The parallels are too close to be coincidental. Is Jesus allowing Simon Peter to confess his love three times as a kind of therapeutic reversal of his shameful betrayal? I suspect so. He is giving Simon Peter the opportunity to renew his commitment and profess his love.

Jesus then makes a prophecy to Simon Peter about what his commitment will mean:

“Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.)

According to tradition, Simon Peter was crucified in Rome as a part of the Emperor Nero’s crackdown on this new Jewish sect called Christianity.

The bottom line for Simon Peter, and for all of the disciples, is this:

After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

APPLY:

It seems significant that Jesus doesn’t appear to the disciples in this instance in a glorious manifestation. He is doing something very ordinary — he is cooking breakfast.

Almost casually, he tells the disciples where they can catch the most fish. It is then that they recognize him.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that we won’t necessarily discover the risen Christ in a blaze of light, or a supernatural vision. We may well discover that he is with us at the breakfast table if we have the kind of faith that the beloved disciple possesses.

And we can hear the same question that Jesus asked Simon Peter if we listen very carefully — Do you love me? If so, feed my sheep.

The true test of our faith in and our love for Jesus isn’t only our feelings or our impulsive acts of worship, but how we serve those whom Jesus loves. Do we give our time and money to feed the hungry? Do we share the Gospel and teach those who are hungry for the truth of the Gospel? Do we serve others according to our gifts and our calling?

RESPOND:

One of my favorite old movies is My Fair Lady. It is the story of Eliza Doolittle, a poor girl who sells flowers in London in Edwardian England whose Cockney accent sets her apart as “lower class” in that highly stratified society. Professor Henry Higgins accepts a challenge from a colleague to teach Eliza “proper” English, and in the process transforms her into a “lady” who dresses and speaks the part at a Ball.

A young man named Freddy falls for her, and in a very memorable scene professes his love for her. But she is fed up with words:

Don’t talk of stars, burning above
If you’re in love, show me!
Tell me no dreams, filled with desire
If you’re on fire, show me!

If we love Jesus, this is an important challenge. For me, it is convicting. I must daily remind myself that my love for Jesus is expressed not only in acts of piety, like prayer, Bible study, fasting, worship, and the like. I’m pretty good at those. But then, so were the Pharisees.

If I love Jesus, my love must be expressed in acts of mercy.

Lord, how challenging it is to follow you! It isn’t enough to simply jump out of the boat, or have strong feelings of worship. Give me the power and the opportunity to express my love for you by feeding your sheep. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Scena biblica" by Gabriel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 7, 2020 Trinity Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 28:16-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the final resurrection appearance of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. As with John’s Gospel, Jesus meets the eleven remaining disciples in Galilee — in this case at a mountain.

Some might point out that in Luke’s Gospel Jesus meets the disciples for the last time at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Some scholars argue that each Gospel must be read as a self-contained work, with its own theme and perspective. However, I don’t find it difficult to harmonize the four accounts of the Gospels — a forty day period of resurrection appearances leaves ample opportunities for travel (Acts 1:3) — to Emmaus, as well as to Galilee and back to Jerusalem again.

Matthew’s Gospel does not describe the departure of Jesus, although these are the last words Jesus speaks.

There are parallels between the valedictory words of Jesus in Matthew and in the other Gospels — and there are differences.

Interestingly, the mixture of faith and doubt persists, as it does in some of the other Gospels:

When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

When Jesus appears in the Upper Room in Luke’s Gospel, he says to the disciples:

Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have (Luke 24:38-39).

It seems that even at this point seeing wasn’t believing! Even at this moment faith was a subjective response to an objective reality.

Jesus’ final words to the disciples in Matthew’s Gospel are known as the Great Commission:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

There are several layers to this Great Commission.

[God] raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:20-23).

Second, Jesus gives the disciples their charge — to make disciples of all nations. As in Acts, Jesus is making clear their missionary imperative:

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Fourth, Jesus provides the classic Trinitarian baptismal formula:

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy (Matthew 6:9).

And also when Jesus teaches them:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them (Matthew 18:20).

Fifth, Jesus assures them of his continued presence, and his ultimate return at the end of the age when he will bring the kingdom:

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

APPLY:

This Great Commission is a synopsis of what the church needs even today for the purpose of making disciples.

We have no authority of our own. Our power and authority all derive from the authority of Jesus. Therefore we are able to witness boldly in the name of the risen Christ, who rules over heaven and earth.
We are to go to all nations. Ours is a global mandate, that includes all nations, races, ethnic groups, tribes and languages around the world.
We are to initiate disciples into the church through baptism in the name of The Trinity.
We are to teach all that Jesus has commanded. This applies not only to what Jesus has said in the Gospel of Matthew, but the entire Bible. We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew:
Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

This applies to our reading of the Old Testament. And Jesus also tells us that:

the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you (John 14:26).

This includes the apostolic teaching that comes to be known as the New Testament.

We are reminded that we are not alone as we live our lives and bear witness to Christ, for he is with us always.

And we have the promise of his eventual return, and the consummation of all things in the kingdom of God. History is going somewhere!

RESPOND:

They agree that a good mission statement provides identity, purpose, focus, and even a sense of structure for an effective organization.

One credit card company says that they:

have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.

A tea company boasts that it:

seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our products, with sustainability and great taste for all.

I personally love the mission statement of the early Methodists, although they wouldn’t have called it a mission statement:

God’s design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists [was]….to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.
[Minutes of Several Conversations Between The Rev. Mr. Wesley and Others; From the Year 1744, to the Year 1789.]

However, for authority, purpose and promise, nothing can beat the Great Commission itself as the mission statement for Christians and the church:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

PHOTOS:
"The Great Commission" by Chris Hsia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for May 24, 2020 ASCENSION

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 1:1-11
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

This week’s lectionary readings focus on the Day of Ascension, which always falls on the Thursday forty days following Easter Sunday. (The lectionary calendar gives the option for using the Ascension of the Lord selections in place of the Scripture selections for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.)

OBSERVE:

I recommend that the reader begin with the Gospel reading from Luke 24:44-53, also included in this week’s SOAR Lectionary Bible Study. [CLICK HERE for the SOAR study on Luke 24:44-53]

The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

In the Book of Acts, Luke asserts that Jesus:

showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.

For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

We have come full circle from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and John’s promise of the coming Messiah. John the Baptist says:

I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:16-17).

However, the disciples are fixated on their own notions of the Kingdom of God. They ask:

Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?

He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36).

a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” (Luke 9:34-35).

In our current passage, the disciples stand transfixed, gazing up at the sky — and then they are spoken to rather curtly:

behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.

In this case, the angels assure the disciples of the promised age to come — that Jesus will return just as they saw him go.

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

APPLY:

There are many layers of application in this passage that will always be relevant to the church:

We are to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit so that we can be empowered by him. As Paul says:
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).
Our business is not to waste our energy with speculations about the end-times. Jesus and his apostles bear ample testimony to the promise that he will come again — but when and how that will happen is God’s business, not ours.
What we are to do is be witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning in our local context (represented by Jerusalem); and to those who share our culture and worldview (represented by Judea); to those who don’t share our culture and worldview (represented by Samaria); and we are to spread the Gospel to the entire world!

RESPOND:

There are three words in the window:

Come. Tarry. Go.

This is a fitting message not only to those who come to worship, but also to those who were attending a Christian college and/or seminary:

Come — and worship and learn.
Tarry — wait, until you are empowered with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Go — and when you are filled, Go and be witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This actually seems to be a pretty fitting mission statement for every Christian and every church!

PHOTOS:
"Christ ascending into heaven" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for May 5, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 21:1-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

In John’s Gospel this is the third resurrection appearance of Jesus.

How do we explain this little excursion, when Luke tells us that Jesus ends his post-resurrection appearances with the ascension forty days after he has been raised?

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

Forty days is ample time for the kind of excursion to Galilee that both Matthew and John’s Gospels describe.

We note that not all twelve of the disciples seem to have made the trip. Or at least, only six of the disciples decided to go along with Simon Peter when he said,

“I am going fishing.”

In all likelihood, these seven were returning, at least temporarily, to an occupation that they knew well. So this adds a little irony to John’s observation:

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

“Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

“Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).

Of course, we know what happens. Their nets pulled in such a haul of fish that the two boats were almost swamped!

Surely, when the disciple whom Jesus loved saw the parallels between these two events, his faith led him to conclude it could be no one else:

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

Simon Peter remains true to type. He is as impulsive as ever, prone to grand gestures. In the earlier account of the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter was convicted of his own shortcomings:

…he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).

Just as when he saw Jesus walking on water in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:28-33) and impulsively jumped out of the boat, so he does in this instance:

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.

We see a little flash of John’s sense of humor here, I think:

But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

Some commentators have sought a deeper meaning to the specificity of John:

Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

It may be that there is no deeper, allegorical meaning to this number; it may have simply been John’s habit as a fisherman to account for the catch for business purposes!

One thing was perfectly clear to all seven of them:

Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

Finally in this passage we have one of the most poignant conversations in all of Scripture. After they have eaten the bread and the fish, Jesus directs the famous question to Simon Peter:

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon Peter answers quickly:

“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Simon Peter has a profoundly emotional reaction to this dialogue:

Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus then makes a prophecy to Simon Peter about what his commitment will mean:

“Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.)

According to tradition, Simon Peter was crucified in Rome as a part of the Emperor Nero’s crackdown on this new Jewish sect called Christianity.

The bottom line for Simon Peter, and for all of the disciples, is this:

After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

APPLY:

It seems significant that Jesus doesn’t appear to the disciples in this instance in a glorious manifestation. He is doing something very ordinary — he is cooking breakfast.

Almost casually, he tells the disciples where they can catch the most fish. It is then that they recognize him.

And we can hear the same question that Jesus asked Simon Peter if we listen very carefully — Do you love me? If so, feed my sheep.

RESPOND:

A young man named Freddy falls for her, and in a very memorable scene professes his love for her. But she is fed up with words:

Don’t talk of stars, burning above
If you’re in love, show me!
Tell me no dreams, filled with desire
If you’re on fire, show me!

If I love Jesus, my love must be expressed in acts of mercy.

PHOTOS:
"Scena biblica" by Gabriel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 11, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 28:16-20

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the final resurrection appearance of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. As with John’s Gospel, Jesus meets the eleven remaining disciples in Galilee — in this case at a mountain.

Some might point out that in Luke’s Gospel Jesus meets the disciples for the last time at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Some scholars argue that each Gospel must be read as a self-contained work, with its own theme and perspective. However, I don’t find it difficult to harmonize the four accounts of the Gospels — a forty day period of resurrection appearances leaves ample opportunities for travel (Acts 1:3) — to Emmaus, as well as to Galilee and back to Jerusalem again.

Matthew’s Gospel does not describe the departure of Jesus, although these are the last words Jesus speaks.

There are parallels between the valedictory words of Jesus in Matthew and in the other Gospels — and there are differences.

Interestingly, the mixture of faith and doubt persists, as it does in some of the other Gospels:

When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

When Jesus appears in the Upper Room in Luke’s Gospel, he says to the disciples:

Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have (Luke 24:38-39).

It seems that even at this point seeing wasn’t believing! Even at this moment faith was a subjective response to an objective reality.

Jesus’ final words to the disciples in Matthew’s Gospel are known to as the Great Commission:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

There are several layers to this Great Commission.

[God] raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:20-23).

Second, Jesus gives the disciples their charge — to make disciples of all nations. As in Acts, Jesus is making clear their missionary imperative:

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Fourth, Jesus provides the classic Trinitarian baptismal formula:

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy (Matthew 6:9).

And also when Jesus teaches them:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them (Matthew 18:20).

Fifth, Jesus assures them of his continued presence, and his ultimate return at the end of the age when he will bring the kingdom:

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

APPLY:

This Great Commission is a synopsis of what the church needs even today for the purpose of making disciples.

We have no authority of our own. Our power and authority all derive from the authority of Jesus. Therefore we are able to witness boldly in the name of the risen Christ, who rules over heaven and earth.
We are to go to all nations. Ours is a global mandate, that includes all nations, races, ethnic groups, tribes and languages around the world.
We are to initiate disciples into the church through baptism in the name of The Trinity.
We are to teach all that Jesus has commanded. This applies not only to what Jesus has said in the Gospel of Matthew, but the entire Bible. We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew:
Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

This applies to our reading of the Old Testament. And Jesus also tells us that:

the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you (John 14:26).

This includes the apostolic teaching that comes to be known as the New Testament.

We are reminded that we are not alone as we live our lives and bear witness to Christ, for he is with us always.

And we have the promise of his eventual return, and the consummation of all things in the kingdom of God. History is going somewhere!

RESPOND:

They agree that a good mission statement provides identity, purpose, focus, and even a sense of structure for an effective organization.

One credit card company says that they:

have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.

A tea company boasts that it:

seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our products, with sustainability and great taste for all.

I personally love the mission statement of the early Methodists, although they wouldn’t have called it a mission statement:

God’s design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists [was]….to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.
[Minutes of Several Conversations Between The Rev. Mr. Wesley and Others; From the Year 1744, to the Year 1789.]

However, for authority, purpose and promise, nothing can beat the Great Commission itself as the mission statement for Christians and the church:

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

PHOTOS:
"The Great Commission" by Chris Hsia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for May 28, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Acts 1:1-11

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

This week’s lectionary readings focus on the Day of Ascension, which always falls on the Thursday forty days following Easter Sunday.

OBSERVE:

I recommend that the reader begin with the Gospel reading from Luke 24:44-53, also included in this week’s SOAR Lectionary Bible Study. [CLICK HERE for the SOAR study on Luke 24:44-53]

The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

In the Book of Acts, Luke asserts that Jesus:

showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.

For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

We have come full circle from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and John’s promise of the coming Messiah. John the Baptist says:

I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:16-17).

However, the disciples are fixated on their own notions of the Kingdom of God. They ask:

Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?

He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36).

a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” (Luke 9:34-35).

In our current passage, the disciples stand transfixed, gazing up at the sky — and then they are spoken to rather curtly:

behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.

In this case, the angels assure the disciples of the promised age to come — that Jesus will return just as they saw him go.

You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

APPLY:

There are many layers of application in this passage that will always be relevant to the church:

We are to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit so that we can be empowered by him. As Paul says:
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).
Our business is not to waste our energy with speculations about the end-times. Jesus and his apostles bear ample testimony to the promise that he will come again — but when and how that will happen is God’s business, not ours.
What we are to do is be witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning in our local context (represented by Jerusalem); and to those who share our culture and worldview (represented by Judea); to those who don’t share our culture and worldview (represented by Samaria); and we are to spread the Gospel to the entire world!

RESPOND:

I spent about four years living in Wilmore, Kentucky, the home of Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary. My family and I worshiped at the Wilmore United Methodist Church. In the chancel of the church, high above the platform, there was a stained glass window that I never failed to notice.

There were three words in the window:

Come. Tarry. Go.

This was a fitting message not only to those who came to worship, but also to those who were attending a Christian college and/or seminary:

Come — and worship and learn.
Tarry — wait, until you are empowered with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Go — and when you are filled, Go and be witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This actually seems to be a pretty fitting mission statement for every Christian and every church!

Lord, we come to you that we might receive forgiveness and grace; we tarry so that we may be filled with the power of your Holy Spirit; and when we receive that power, send us out to go in your name, and share all that we have learned and experienced. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Christ ascending into heaven" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for April 10, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

John 21:1-19

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

In John’s Gospel this is the third resurrection appearance of Jesus.

How do we explain this little excursion, when Luke tells us that Jesus ends his post-resurrection appearances with the ascension forty days after he has been raised?

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

Forty days is ample time for the kind of excursion to Galilee that both Matthew and John’s Gospels describe.

We note that not all twelve of the disciples seem to have made the trip. Or at least, only six of the disciples decided to go along with Simon Peter when he said,

“I am going fishing.”

In all likelihood, these seven were returning, at least temporarily, to an occupation that they knew well. So this adds a little irony to John’s observation:

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

“Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

“Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).

Of course, we know what happens. Their nets pulled in such a haul of fish that the two boats were almost swamped!

Surely, when the disciple whom Jesus loved saw the parallels between these two events, his faith led him to conclude it could be no one else:

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

Simon Peter remains true to type. He is as impulsive as ever, prone to grand gestures. In the earlier account of the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter was convicted of his own shortcomings:

…he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).

Just as when he saw Jesus walking on water in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:28-33) and impulsively jumped out of the boat, so he does in this instance:

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.

We see a little flash of John’s sense of humor here, I think:

But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

Some commentators have sought a deeper meaning to the specificity of John:

Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

It may be that there is no deeper, allegorical meaning to this number; it may have simply been John’s habit as a fisherman to account for the catch for business purposes!

One thing was perfectly clear to all seven of them:

Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

Finally in this passage we have one of the most poignant conversations in all of Scripture. After they have eaten the bread and the fish, Jesus directs the famous question to Simon Peter:

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon Peter answers quickly:

“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Simon Peter has a profoundly emotional reaction to this dialogue:

Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus then makes a prophecy to Simon Peter about what his commitment will mean:

“Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.)

According to tradition, Simon Peter was crucified in Rome as a part of the Emperor Nero’s crackdown on this new Jewish sect called Christianity.

The bottom line for Simon Peter, and for all of the disciples, is this:

After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

APPLY:

It seems significant that Jesus doesn’t appear to the disciples in this instance in a glorious manifestation. He is doing something very ordinary — he is cooking breakfast.

Almost casually, he tells the disciples where they can catch the most fish. It is then that they recognize him.

And we can hear the same question that Jesus asked Simon Peter if we listen very carefully: “Do you love me? If so, feed my sheep.”

RESPOND:

A young man named Freddy falls for her, and in a very memorable scene professes his love for her. But she is fed up with words:

Don’t talk of stars, burning above
If you’re in love, show me!
Tell me no dreams, filled with desire
If you’re on fire, show me!

If I love Jesus, my love must be expressed in acts of mercy.

PHOTOS:
"Scena biblica" by Gabriel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.