April 7, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 28 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Last Forty Days
Read Sections 6.5 through 6.8 (pages 186-190)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
So often people need to see something to believe it. Faith is believing what is unseen. Thomas needed to put his finger in the holes on Jesus’ hands to believe He was truly alive again. What joy and peace these encounters must have brought them and we have the truth of His word telling us these things for us to believe, to trust, and to know we have a Savior that came to earth and died for our sins but a Savior so amazing that death could not hold Him and He rose that we might be with Him forever!
“You believe because you see me. Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me!”
How we view and celebrate Easter is the epitome of how we define ourselves. It is the true event that magnifies exactly who we are to ourselves and to others.
If we don’t have the faith of Jesus’ death and resurrection in our hearts, we are but an empty shell…(and may as well keep looking for those colorful eggs and fuzzy bunnies).
I am not saying to exclude these long time childrens traditions….what I AM saying is that this free gift of salvation given to us by the excruciating death of our savior, MUST outweigh and take precedent over all other ‘traditions’ of this most important holiday.
Happy Easter to all❤️❤️❤️
Love the truth of the 2 disciples on the road to emmaus. Were not our hearts burning within us as he opened the scriptures to us. Same for us today. Appearing to Thomas. Thomas needed to see with his eyes. Greater is he who has not seen and believes.
Jesus appears to two followers on the road to Emmaus. He explains to them everything about Him in the scriptures starting with the books of Moses and also how the prophets had said about Him. The bible is after all His-story. He broke bread with these two followers and then disappeared, then He appeared to many of the followers on a Sunday after the doors were already locked. Still doubting they thought He was a ghost and not alive. He comforted them and showed Him his body. He told them to touch Him. He also ate in front of them. A week latter [ Sunday ] He appeared and showed himself to Thomas. Thomas finally believes but then Jesus says [ You believe because you see me . Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me first.] Jesus will have these scars for eternally. Latter seven followers were gathered at Lake Galilee when Peter said he was going fishing and they went with him. We know the names of 5 of them but not the other two that were there. We have Simon Peter, Thomas [ called Didymus means twin.], Nathanael [ also called Bartholomew] from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee [ James and John], and two others. It is interesting that John who is writing this account that he doesn`t mention his or his brother`s name but only by the sons of Zebedee. Now the 6 other of the disciples not mentioned by name are Andrew [ Peter`s brother], Matthew [ also known as Levi the tax collector], Simon the Zealot, Jude [ also known as Lebbeus or Thaddeus], Phillip , and last but not least James the Less or Little James.] I think that as mentioned earlier the other two followers were Andrew [ Peter`s brother] and Phillip. It makes sense that they were the other two that went fishing. Andrew we know was a fisherman along with his brother and Phillip and Nathanael were good friends. We also know that Phillip was from the town of Bethsaida which was also the town of Andrew and Peter. [ John 1 ; 44]. Anyways this is of little importance but I have always been interested in the 12 disciples . Who they were ,their jobs their character ,and where they went and how they died. Even when I was a preteen. Well before I became a Christian at the age of 20. I guess these are some of the things [ historical facts] that latter lead me to Christ. Just part of it. When someone finally lead me to Christ ; God had through many ways prepared my heart for Him.
The resurrection of Jesus is truly amazing, but what is neat is the private and personal way He engages with believers to show that He is raised. It is even significant that He reveals Himself to these two going to Emmaus because they are not even part of the twelve but were associated with them. It is also interesting to read that they were kept from recognizing Jesus and then their eyes were opened. I couldn’t help but think of the smirks on Jesus face as He knew who He was, but they didn’t. It is clear God wanted them to have an extended exposure to Jesus and then have the reality of the truth of Him come gradually. But how powerful it must have been for Jesus to defend the truth of Himself through the Scriptures (too bad that wasn’t recorded), but what touches them most is the more expression of Jesus breaking bread. So their hearts knew, but their eyes could not understand. That is the nature of faith, isn’t it?
And isn’t it neat that locked doors aren’t a problem for the risen Jesus as He defies space? Yet He comes to His apostles and He comes again because Thomas was missing. Once again He is concerned that a small group of people are convinced. I would imagine that the way they caught the fish brought back fond memories of another catch…which is probably why John recognized that it was Jesus. And I love that Peter can’t wait and jumps out of the boat to go to Jesus. I imagine He is anxious to fix the faltering in faith that he had when he denied Jesus…..
I have also always thought that it would have been great to have what Jesus said to them on the road to Emmaus written down!
Day 28
6.5-6.8
Day 28
6.5-6.8
On lent 2023 day 28
When the 2 met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they said that their “hearts burned within them.” Steve and I have both mentioned different times in our walk with Christ when we were struck in this way by the scriptures. Not just a daily understanding, but a truly life-changing understanding that would change the way we thought and lived. There are also some times in worship when I am struck by a truth (“It is well” the hymn hits me every time!) that causes my heart to burn and my eyes to tear. This is the Holy Spirit.
I also wanted to ask about this scripture:
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Did Jesus breathe the HS on them at this point? before Pentacost?
Also, what is your interpretation of Jesus saying if they forgive/retain sins, they are forgiven or retained?
The first question is easier to answer than the second….the second required further study…so sorry for the late reply. The Holy Spirt given here, like I recall He was given before by Jesus, is a filling of the Spirit to empower the disciples until the Baptism of the Spirit that would come at Pentecost. This filling was not permanent in the same way it wasn’t permanent in the Old Testament. The Baptism of the Spirit will be the deposit guaranteeing their inheritance until their ultimate redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14)…a permanent sealing for all believers.
The second statement is more challenging. First, it is to the apostles and never reiterated in other parts of Scripture. Second, it is certainly connected to their sending and on some level connects their ministry with Jesus’…it will be the same message and you will have the same authority and power. Third, it is most fitting to think of it in terms of the message they have….to those who believe their message, they will be forgiven…to those who don’t, they won’t be forgiven. Fourth, we know it is only God who can forgive sins, and the verbs are in the passive, so it is about what God is enabling here, not what they are doing. And fifth, it can’t mean that their declaration of forgiveness or not forgiveness trumps the gospel…like someone forgiven by God could be unforgiven by them….but we can be most content that they knew what it meant or didn’t (or had Jesus explain more) even if we cannot be too sure…
Thanks for the thorough answer, Pastor!
You are welcome, Amy!