Provision / John 21:1-25

Can you feel the chill in the morning dampness as the night fishing ends? The men are cold—one is soaking wet—as they come off the sea, welcomed by the crackle and warmth of the campfire and the smoky aroma of fresh bread and roasting fish. (By the way, where did those fish come from? Jesus had them all ready for the crew.) Welcomed by their Friend who was ready to provide what His followers needed—not just “pie in the sky” but food for their stomachs. As if He knows what it’s like to live in our skin. (Tender Lord!)

Don’t you love that someone counted the fish? Not “an amazing number,” or “over a hundred,” but 153. And they were large and the nets didn’t tear, as might be expected with such a large catch. Jesus provided specifically and miraculously, above and beyond what they could have expected-or caught for themselves. (Tender, Abundant Lord!)

Seven men enjoyed the meal with Jesus. Doing the math, 153 plus the fish Jesus already had cooking, divided by seven, equals a couple dozen large fish for each disciple. More than enough for breakfast, with enough to take home to the family and more to sell. These men, with the needs of the day covered, would have more time for ministry. (Tender, Abundant, and Practical Lord!)

And then Jesus gets personal with Peter, providing clarity and focus. Jesus does the same for us. Inviting us to breakfast, He provides all we need and more (far beyond what we can do for ourselves!), freeing us to do what He asks us to do—the specific work He designed us for—and advising us to leave the rest (“What is that to you?”) to Him. (Tender, Abundant, Practical, and Freeing Lord!)

And I, well-fed and free, hear Him saying this morning, “As for you, follow me…”

Can you hear Him too?

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your tender, abundant, practical and freeing provision! Help me to follow You today. Show me where… show me what… show me how…

Sight and Sound

John 20:1-31

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where they body of Jesus had been lying. Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

Do you remember many other places in Scripture where angels in white robes appear to people without inspiring fear? I don't. Zechariah, Mary the mother of Jesus, the shepherds – they were all afraid when the angels visited them. But here, in the empty tomb, suddenly two angels appear in the place where Jesus’ body had been. They ask a question, and Mary responds. No fear. No surprise.

Mary is single-minded, focused. She needs to find her Lord. He befriended her when no one else did. She loved him, too. He gave her hope, and she trusted him. She was devastated by his execution, and the fact that his body was missing seemed especially unfair.

I am struck by this experience of Mary’s in a couple ways. First, her overwhelming grief is clear evidence of how real her friendship with Jesus was. They knew each other. She was more than a person in the crowd; they were friends. She missed him. Jesus reaches out to us with his mercy and grace, inviting us into a deepening relationship with him, just as he broke through the barrier of Mary’s sins. He invites us to be his friends. He offers us hope and new life. Our relationship with Jesus, our relationship with God, can be as real as Mary’s was.

Second, as Mary responds to the angels’ question, she turns and sees someone else whom she’s convinced is the gardener. But this gardener is Jesus. He repeats the angels’ question and asks why she’s crying. “Sir, if you’ve taken his body, please tell me where you put it, so I can go and get him.” She didn’t recognize Jesus. In the midst of her grief and desperation, she was looking for Jesus body, and couldn’t recognize him alive. Are you feeling desperate? Has it been difficult to see God in the midst of life’s struggles? Rest assured Jesus is with us, anxious to reveal himself to us.

Still, despite the fact that Mary was looking at Jesus, she didn’t see him. She didn’t recognize him until he called her by name. Not so many chapters ago, Jesus told us that his sheep hear his voice and recognize him. Our circumstances might blind us to our Savior or hinder us from discerning God’s call or plan for us. But he is our risen Lord, our Great Shepherd, and he knows our name. Is he calling out to you today?

It Is Finished

John 19:17-42

As I have joined the rest of you in reading through the four Gospels, I
have sometimes felt, "Ho hum, I've read this before." However, I've
become convinced that God chose specific people to give us His Word,
each with his or her particular knowledge and unique personality.
People who would be open to what the Holy Spirit of God wanted them to
convey.

For example, it is only by reading all four Gospels that we discover
what has come to be known as the Seven Last Words of Christ from the
cross. As I receive what I am offered by four different viewpoints, I
can feel more fully what Jesus endured.

All four Gospel writers show us how the life and death of Jesus are
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. It's John who shows us the
connection to Psalm 35 - "[The Lord] protects all his bones, not one of
them will be broken." And from the prophet Zechariah (12:10 NIV) -
"They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn
for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as
one grieves for a firstborn son."

I have become firmly convinced that Jesus, always obedient to the
Father, was in control of events from first to last, events
orchestrated from before the foundation of the world.

John gives us details that the other writers omit. We see the soldiers
dividing up Jesus' clothes (mentioned by Matthew and Mark). Here we
learn that the soldiers gambled for the seamless undergarment -
described in Psalm 22:18.

It's John who shows Jesus entrusting his mother to "the disciple whom
he loved," no doubt John himself.

All four gospels tell us about Joseph of Arimathea asking Pilate for
Jesus' body and preparing it for burial in his own tomb. Each writer
gives different details. Only John tells us that Joseph was accompanied
by Nicodemus. Remember him? See John 3:1ff and 7:50.

Now, watch with me along the Via Dolorosa - the winding road of
suffering. Jesus has been flogged so ruthlessly that he has no strength
left to carry the crossbeam to the Place of the Skull. See him stumble
and fall. We read before how Simon from Syrene was conscripted to carry
the cross for Jesus. But here in John's gospel, the emphasis is placed
on Jesus "carrying his own cross" (John 19:17).

Two pictures come to my mind. The first is this - the prefigurement of
Jesus found in the Genesis 22 account of God's testing of Abraham. This
takes place, some scholars believe, on the mountain that later became
known as Mount Zion, or Jerusalem. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his
son, Isaac. As father and son make the final climb alone, Isaac carries
the wood for the burnt offering on his back. Likewise, I see Jesus, the
only Son of the Father, carrying on his back the means of the one
perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sins.

The other picture in my mind comes from the movie, "The Passion of the
Christ." Jesus' body is torn to shreds. Crushed with pain, he crumbles
to the ground. The soldiers grab Simon from the crowd. But look at
Jesus! It's as though he can't stand to see someone else carry the
cross for him. Indeed, Jesus "embraces" the cross. He takes it from
Simon and continues his struggle to Golgotha.

Jesus calls me to embrace the cross. His cross of salvation. My cross
of suffering.

Ponder with me the words of this song (I wish I knew who wrote it) -

Embrace the cross where Jesus suffered,
Though it will cost all you claim as yours.
Your sacrifice will seem small beside the treasure.
Eternity can't measure what Jesus holds in store.

Embrace the love the cross requires;
Cling to the one whose heart knew every pain.
Receive from Jesus fountains of compassion --
Only He can fashion your heart to move as His.

Oh wondrous cross, our desires rest in you.
Lord Jesus, make us bolder
To face with courage the shame and disgrace
You bore upon Your shoulder.

Embrace the life that comes from dying.
Come, trace the steps the Savior walked for you.
An empty tomb concludes Golgotha's sorrow --
Endure, then, till tomorrow
Your cross of suffering.
Embrace the cross; embrace the cross of Jesus.

Deetje Wildes

The Love of Christ

 

As we are reading these chapters, let’s attempt to relive in our minds and visualize the events which are being described.  As you think about it, can you see that small upper room with the disciples gathered with Jesus?  Can you hear Jesus as He speaks to the disciples, explaining to them what it all means?  Can you feel the Bread as you take it?  And can you taste of the Cup as the first Holy Communion is served by Jesus himself?  Do you see Judas hurry off into the darkness of night?  Do you feel something of what the disciples felt as they saw Jesus walk off into the darkness of the Garden…alone…to pray to His Father?  Can you hear and see the guards coming to take Jesus away?  Can you feel your heart beating faster and your breathe coming more quickly as Jesus is taken away?  Can you stand now in the courtyard and hear people shout out, “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”  Do you feel weak as you watch Him carry His heavy cross up the hill?  Do you not hear His voice from the cross as he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!”  Does not a new depth of love find its way into your mind and heart, as you marvel at His wonderful love…for you and for me!  Amen.

 

Donald E. Pardun

 

Missing A Beat

Oops. We missed a few days.

It's a busy time of year. Whether it's going away for a long weekend, cleaning up the yard, winding down the school year, graduation parties, or you name it, it can be hard to stay on top of things and challenging to keep up with our Daily Life readings in the New Testament. Clearly, we've volunteered to write about what we read, and we've had problems keeping up with that, too.

We apologize for missing a few days this week, and a few others throughout the year. We'll continue to do our best to bring you our reflections on the daily readings in a timely manner. If you've missed a few days in your reading - or even a few months - today is a great day to start again.

In our readings now, we're wrapping up the book of John, with some rich descriptions of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, his resurrection from the dead, and some precious moments with his disciples before his return to heaven. Very soon, we'll be moving out the Gospels into Acts to rediscover the works of God and his people in the early days of the Christian Church.

So please accept our apologies for our missed days, and let's continue to encourage one another to press on in our Daily Life readings, as we seek to experience the New Testament together.

The Daily Life Blog Contributors