The Master Teacher- The Beatitudes

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. Luke 6:40

Many people in the world, who do not accept Jesus as their master, will accept Him as a great teacher, and for that reason Christians tend to almost shy away from the idea of examining His teachings, yet that is what we as disciples should be doing. With today’s fast access to knowledge we think we know everything, when actually what we have lost is the ability to learn, to listen, and to apply those lessons to our lives. How can Jesus be Lord of our lives if He is not teacher of our way as well? The teacher is judged by his students. A good teacher produces students who can perform the standards of the curriculum, especially one who set the standards at the beginning. As Christians we need to reflect those standards set by our great teacher.

 Jesus was indeed not just a great teacher, but the greatest teacher who ever lived. He taught masterfully by using his words and his example. As our focus on Jesus continues, having ended the encounters with Jesus, we will be examining Jesus as a teacher beginning with His famous Sermon on the Mountain found in Matthew 5. This week we will be looking at the Beatitudes. This set of verses begins Jesus’ message of the identifying characteristics of the students of Christ.

 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

In the tradition of the times it was the rabbi who sat and the students who stood. Jesus had come to a point on a mountain top, where around him was a field where he could be heard and seen by the crowd following him. When he sat it was calling the class to order. We can picture the murmuring ending, the silence taking hold, and the students preparing for the lesson to begin. They stood on the slope of the mountain, and Jesus began to teach them.

 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

As we start with the beatitudes we should see that there is the first part- the characteristic, followed by the second part -the reward, or you could say the seed and the fruit it will bear.  He begins by calling His followers blessed. We are blessed to be following Christ, no matter what the circumstance, because we have the promise of eternity-restored fellowship with our Creator. We will return to the original relationship with God, a relationship free of the encumbrance of sin.

Let us go through the characteristics and the rewards and then we will look back at the hallmarks as a completed picture to see the lesson in its entirety.

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt.5:3

In the first beatitude the characteristic is the poor in spirit and the fruit that it bears is the kingdom of God. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means to be lowly of spirit, not haughty or proud in spirit. But what does this actually look like? You can probably find this person at your church. He or she is probably the person who cleans the toilets, or fills the food pantry, or prepares the Sunday School rooms without fanfare. They’re the silent workers who do the dirty jobs because they need to be done, and act as if it’s the most important job in the world, because it is! Where would we be without them. The King notices every single thing they do. They earn the crowns of great worth because they are so precious in His sight. They do those things without so much as a thank you from any of us, who hardly notice, but would indeed notice if they were not done. They don’t seek to be in the limelight, or to be in the pulpit. They just want to be a member in the body because they just want to love everyone and do the Jesus stuff. These are great in the Kingdom. They are the owners of heaven because they have invested whole heartedly.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4

Those who mourn are conventionally thought of as those who are suffering through a loss of a loved one, and while this can be interpreted this way, since perhaps there were those who had just suffered a loss within the crowd, there is still a different and even deeper meaning for the disciple of Christ. When Jesus saw the rejection of so many to His message of salvation, it broke His heart. We all know that sharing Jesus with others is a risk we take. We can suffer rejection because of it, and when we do it causes us to mourn. There is no greater mourning to suffer than to be left with the spiritual loss of a loved one who has rejected Christ. You can only hope that perhaps in the final moments the person recognized their sin and, like the thief upon the cross, was able to cry out in repentance. Yet, for Christians, there is comfort in the assurance of being where we were designated to be. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4 To be comforted by being in the presence of God himself will make all the pain and rejection of this life pass away.

 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Matt.5:5

When we hear this verse we tend to think weak instead of meek, but the word meek means gentle, submitted to the will of one in authority willingly, docile in spirit. It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of flexibility. Someone who is submitted in spirit and willing to take on whatever they are asked to do is extremely useful and has much more value than someone who is looking out for their own interest. It makes sense that as the disciple submits more and more the one in authority would entrust the one in service with more and more, until eventually there would be no reason not to give over the inheritance completely into his care. We see this happen in scripture with Joseph and Daniel. “ He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10 What a blessing it would it be to stand before the Lord and be told by Him, “I trusted you, and you maintained that trust. Well done.”

 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  For they shall be filled. Matt. 5:6

To be really hungry for something is to be beyond desiring it, it’s to be beyond longing for it, it’s to be beyond craving it. It’s not a selection. To be hungry is to be in pain, in agony, so that it necessitates action to alleviate the pain. Thirst is even more excruciating than hunger, because hunger pangs come and go, but thirst is unquenchable. It builds on itself.  To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to be so compelled for all those around us to adopt the mind of Christ that we would not cease to stop telling them of the love and compassion God has for them. If we can have that passion for the things of God we will be filled with His Spirit, with His purpose for our lives. Every morning we will awake with the words, “Whatever you have for me today, Lord, I am yours.”  
”Blessed are the merciful,  For they shall obtain mercy.” Matt. 5:7

There is often confusion on the gifts of grace and mercy. One thing should be made very clear, they are both gifts. Grace is getting favor you do not deserve, but mercy is when you do not get what you do deserve, that is, not getting a punishment or punitive measure that should be given. Mercy is nothing less than total forgiveness. It is the ability to look the other way without someone having to apologize to you. In order to have this characteristic the disciple has to be completely void of pride and selfishness. Admitting we don’t possess this quality is not hard, but to pursue it is a noble quest. Jesus said, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37  But what about those times when someone does sin against you, when they do those things to you for which even other Christians say you were wronged? What does the Bible say then? “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Luke 17: 3-4 It has been said that forgiveness is as much for the forgiver as for the forgiven, and that is certainly true. Releasing offenses is freedom and in doing so you obtain such mercy in return. For as you forgive, so you are forgiven. If you’re not holding the offense there are no offenses to be held. Then our arms are open for what things God puts into them.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” Matt. 5:8

Purity in any substance means without the presence of any other substance. In this case it means holy in heart. One set apart for God, who has chosen to forsake the world, in order to pursue Christ. We cannot compromise in endeavoring to make the Kingdom our priority. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.” Luke12:31

It is difficult to be completely sold out for God in a world in which we are pressed upon by so many obstacles and hindrances to our faith and our time with the Lord. Sometimes the ‘noise’ of this fast pace world gets to be so much that we can’t even think a thought without another thought jumping in the way. Meditation is practically impossible, yet, we are told in scripture to meditate on the attributes of God. How can we do that with all the noise around us? We have to shut it out. We have to force ourselves into the quietness of spirit and only then can we work on pulling out the dross of the worldliness within us so that we can find the purity of heart and search out God.
 “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” Matt.5:9

Peace is not maintained by pillow fights. Peacemakers in our society are usually required to carry weapons. As I was writing this blog (which takes days sometimes) I was driving through my son’s neighborhood. Let me rephrase that, I was not driving while writing, I was driving while mind writing, not physically writing. I came to a point just a block from where my son lives and the police had several blocks cordoned off, there were officers in full tactical gear, with automatic weapons, behind cruisers, diverting traffic. Oh! My mother’s heart began to race, until I turned on my son’s street and all was peaceful. I went up to my son’s door, which was unlocked, and walked right in. He was on the phone, a business call, completely unaware of the terrifying situation going on just a block away where chaos reigned. Obviously the peacekeepers were doing their job well containing the problem within the area. This is the vision of peacemakers I think the Bible has in mind. It is a warrior who has secured the area and made the peace out of what was or could have been a battle. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph.6:12

The idea of being called sons of God is also worth consideration since the angels, who are also known as the hosts of God, are known to battle in the heavenly realms, are also known as the sons of God scripturally. (Ex. Genesis 6 & Job 1&2) These soldiers of the Lord battle for us in the spiritual realm and are strengthened by our prayers and dedication to the Word of God. Remaining steadfast and vigilant in our duties of prayer and meditation times is a way to keep the peace of God, as well as bringing peace to those around us, because that which we fill ourselves with is what pours out of us.
 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:10

Have you ever done the right thing and suffered for it? It has happened before. Maybe you told the truth when in a situation it would have been easier to lie. You might have felt like, “blessed are the liars because everyone likes them.”  I know there have been times when a little twist or omission would have made things go so much smoother, but I was called upon to tell the truth. I’ve had to tell people if you don’t want the truth to go out then don’t let me know the situation at all. Keep me out of it completely; so they did. Ignorance can be bliss. I’ve suffered isolation and rejection because of it. I’ve had the reputation of having a big mouth because I’ve spoken the truth. The truth can hurt, but we’re not called upon to stop the hurt, only to bind up the wounds of the broken hearted. A broken heart is not necessarily a bad thing. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 In order to get that heart of stone out of our chests, the Lord is going to have to crush it. Only then can He replace it with the soft malleable muscle that will pump life giving blood into the outer reaches of our body. Doing the right thing is costly in today’s world. You can lose everything because of it, but standing up for what is right is still the right thing to do, no matter what the cost, this is what the kingdom of God is all about. Isn’t that what Jesus showed us when He took on the cross? He did it to reach all people and establish His Kingdom.

 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matt. 5:11-12  

            We arrive at the litmus test of discipleship for a follower of Christ. To what extreme are you willing to take in what you are learning. I was a teacher for years, and I can tell you that no matter how well I taught the lesson the outcome of the lesson was determined not by my ability, but by the student’s level of application. If a student really took it in and used what I taught they had mastery of the subject, but if they only sat and did the basic requirements the students had only a rudimentary grasp of the curriculum and while they might pass my class, chances were, they would quickly lose most of what I had taught them. The material was not going to stand up to the test of time. What if the time line were eternity, and the test is where you spend it?

            Jesus didn’t say here in these verses ‘if they revile and persecute you for my name sake”; He said “when they revile and persecute you”. It’s not optional; it’s a guarantee. People are going to reject you because of your faith. Why are Christians so angry and upset when this happens? It was told it would happen. Yes, we should support one another, and give each other encouragement. We have always been under attack, and we will continue to be under attack until our righteous King comes to ransom His bride.

            Often when I feel persecuted I think on the Lord, and how on that day, when He returns, He will come not as the Lamb that was slain, but as the Lion to slay. I desire to have what David knew of the Lord, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.” Ps. 27:4 Understanding that we are in good company in being persecuted for our faith, we are also in for the same reward as those who have faithfully served the Lord.

            After examining all of the beatitudes we can see that what shows through all of them is a spirit of humility. It is about being in the image of God. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:5  We, the disciples of Jesus, should be striving to be like our Teacher.

Be Open- Saul and Ananias, The Road to Damascus- Encounters with the Risen Christ

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. Psalm 146:8

People can have a shared experience and view it very differently. God does that for a reason. God allows us to experience things in our own way because He loves each of us uniquely; not necessarily in a measured way, like more or less, just in a favored way. It’s a way favored especially for each one of us. Each of us can say that we are uniquely favored by God because we are specially created for whatever purpose He has for us.

Two men can see things very differently depending on their perspective, and then find themselves seeing things much differently when Jesus enters the arena. The encounter these men have with the risen Christ can be found in Acts 9. I have chosen to continue the study to show that while Jesus has ascended into heaven He still has kept His promise to us: “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matt. 28:20b

We know that the church, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, had two events happen. It began to grow, and it suffered great persecution. You cannot have one without the other. The martyrdom of Stephen had already happened, and a young man, Saul, had participated in it by holding the coats and inciting the angry mob who performed the deadly act. Perhaps not getting enough credit for his role in it, because he didn’t throw a stone, he became zealous for the blood of the Christians.

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

We are introduced to this great persecutor of the church bent on the destruction of every man, woman, and child who swears allegiance to this sect that threatens his way of life. He is bloodthirsty, villainous, and ready to harm anyone who gets in his way. His agenda is clear. He wants to rise to the top of leadership within his career path. Killing a few menacing sects along the path is a sure-fire way to make a name for himself. With permission granted, he starts out to where he knows there is Christian church growth happening, Damascus.

 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Acts 9”3-5

Saul is stopped in his literal tracks just a stone throw-away from his destination. Light from heaven envelops him. What a dream come true for a believer in the One True God. He was probably expecting some nod from God for what he was doing, yet he gets a supreme reprimand instead. He is knocked to the ground. He has to get clarification. “Who are you?” he asked. Surely this can’t be an all-powerful being, yet he calls this voice from within the light “Lord”. Saul is aware he is having a divine revelation. Every fiber of his being is feeling it. The Lord answers who he is and that Saul is persecuting Him, for when Saul persecutes the Church he is persecuting Him. Then Jesus says it is hard for him to kick against the goads. Kicking against the goads means kicking against the briars or the thorns, or any type of sticker bushes. It can’t be done without causing them to stick into him. Saul was about to be stuck into, and to be one who would be injured for the very cause he was trying to tear down.

Sometimes we find ourselves kicking against the goads. We want to avoid being a part of something we find ourselves eventually spearheading. Maybe you had a good idea, just one, to make something a little bit better and before you knew it you were league president, or Bible study leader, or Sunday school coordinator for your church, and you don’t even know how it happened. How did all that get stuck to you? Did you kick at a goad? Maybe you needed to put on some boots and just walk right though the mess without getting dirty. That attitude is not always what Jesus would have us do. Jesus occasionally wants us to do a little goad kicking once in a while and see what sticks, even when it’s painful. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” Luke 16:10 NEV

 If you notice Jesus didn’t ask Saul if he was kicking against the goads. He told him it was hard to kick against the goads. He was telling him, it is hard. It is in the progressive tense, as in on going. It was a way of saying, “I can see this is changing you, and it will continue to change you, but it is going to be hard and painful. Just as you have been the persecutor, you are about to become the persecuted.” God had His hand on Saul. Life would never be the same.

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.  Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Acts 9:6-9

            The transformation of Saul’s heart is actually completed here, and he knows it, but many won’t believe it for some time. It’s actually quite easy to see. The submission is apparent. His response is simple, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” He makes no excuses. He doesn’t say, “okay, but first I’ve got this thing I’ve got to do, or I’ve got to go back to Jerusalem and explain to the leaders that…” No, he leaves it all, right there at that moment. He simply asks, “What is it you have for me to do?” The orders he had in his pocket mean nothing to him. His previous plans of rising in the ranks are gone. Saul said it himself in his letter to the Philippians.  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Phil.3:7 The man so bent on killing and destroying the followers of Christ, has just laid aside all in order to follow Him in a matter of seconds, all because a little light was shed on the matter.

Saul was struck blind by the brightness he experienced by the light, but the others were not. Saul was changed, he was different. Saul obeyed. He had to be led into the city, where he began to fast. Why? Because he had not been told to eat or drink, so he waited to see what God would have him do next. God told him to wait, so he would wait because God was going to use this in another man’s life. In the mean-time there was prayer, and continued visions for this blind man.

 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” Acts 9:10

Jesus again appears in a vision to Ananias, and just as with Saul the response to Christ is immediate. One thing I would like to point out here is that Ananias is called a disciple, which would probably mean he had followed Jesus at one time, possibly even been one of the seventy. He was familiar with Jesus. To see Jesus in a vision could have seemed like daydream to him, like a memory. Yet the vision was also very real, real enough that when Jesus spoke to him Ananias audibly spoke to Him. Wouldn’t it be nice if we would be so in tuned with Christ that in the middle of our busy day if Jesus called to us we would just say, “Here I am.”

I believe that much of the time if Jesus’ name were to show up as a caller on people’s phones they would push the message, or worse the reject call button on their phones. Some might even go so far as to block the caller. People just don’t want to put down their agendas to answer God’s call or do God’s business. Ananias answered the call, but what he was asked to do wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 

 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:11-16

Jesus gives Ananias his marching orders. Supposing that Ananias was one of the seventy, the concept of going and healing someone was not a new idea for him. He had been there before. The Lord had ordained him to heal, and he could do it, not a problem. If you notice, Ananias made no objection to the healing part of the order. Ananias had every confidence in the Lord’s ability to use him to accomplish that part of the job. It wasn’t the what was going to be done, it was the who it was to be done for that was at issue for him. Shouldn’t it have been the other way around? Shouldn’t healing a blind person be the departure from reality? Yet Ananias’ doubts in the area of the man, not the miraculous. Ananias fears the man, and what the man can do to him. He still has lapses of faith when it comes to trusting where God is leading. The fear of man brings a snare, Bur whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Prov. 29:25 Sometimes I wonder how often God rolls His eyes and sighs at us. This must have been one of those times because Jesus goes on and explains His plans.

            Ananias is let in on God’s agenda, not Saul’s plan left on the side of the road, never to happen in Damascus. He is told that God has just created an apostle, one to be sent out on an amazingly costly journey. If only Ananias is willing. He tells Ananias that Saul has been told that a man named Ananias is coming to heal him. I wonder if Jesus had said, “And if it isn’t you I’m going to send your second cousin, Ananias, instead,” if that would have motivated him. Jesus didn’t have to go that far. Ananias obeyed because God revealed the plan to him, letting him in on the inside track.

            Sometimes, most of the time, I’m like the kid that wants to know all the secrets. I want to know all God’s plans for me and everyone else in my life. I know there are reasons he doesn’t tell me. Some say He is teaching me patience, but I believe more importantly the Lord is teaching me to trust Him completely. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD will all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."  I believe that trusting in the Lord is essential to life. It’s also one of the hardest things to learn to do. When I get it all figured out I’m going to write a book about it; until then I’m a work in progress, as we all are. I do know that I don’t want to direct my own path because I’ve got a really bad sense of direction. I think Ananias was a lot like me, and that’s why God sent him to Straight street. There was no way he could get lost on Straight street. Now curvy, twisty street was another story.

 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Acts 9:17-18

Somehow I don’t see Ananias going in with a glad heart full of happiness. I think he just went in do business, hopeful it would be a hit and run sort of thing. He went in, found a blind man, tells him why he’s there, and lays his hands on the man’s eyes, simply says, “receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” It was the second part that was the doing in of Saul. Once the Holy Spirit filled him up, Ananias had a brother in the Spirit. It was evidenced by the outpouring that followed. Saul was asking to be baptized! He wanted to seal the deal, right there and then.

            Baptism is a covenant deal for Christians. When you are baptized you are publicly proclaiming that you belong to God, that you have died with Christ and are also a partaker in His resurrection. We see this in scripture: ”buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead, " Col. 2:12. If you are a believer and have not been baptized I would encourage to pray about making that covenant step. Reach out to your pastor and seek it as Paul did. You will be blessed.

            Saul also ended his fast and went on with what the Lord had called him to do. He studied and learned from the disciples, including Ananias, and then as God called him, having knowledge of the scriptures, he began his ministry.

 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Acts 9:19-22

If God could use the things Saul had in his former life to be used for the Kingdom, couldn’t He use the gifts and talents you have for His Kingdom. I’ve heard many testimonies of people who claim to be changed, but all they do is talk about the life they used to have before coming to Jesus, and not about the life they now have in Him, as if they’re lamenting their old life. This is not truly a testimony of the power of God. I’ve also seen people who had unique gifts and talents that God administers in ways we would never have imagined for His Kingdom. God used both of these men in ways they would never have imagined. It was through Ananias that Saul received not just his physical sight, but his ability to see God in a whole new light, and it was because of Saul that Ananias learned to trust in God and not see with his physical eyes, but with his spirit. God can use us tremendously in each other’s life. Jesus put these two men together for a purpose, to teach each other great lessons of love that could not otherwise be learned. And that is what the church is all about.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews10:24-25

Be Chosen- Peter- Encounters with the Risen Christ.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you ever wondered about your impact on people’s lives? Just how missed would you be if you were to suddenly get up and leave a room? Would anyone even notice you were gone? Do you take notice of the changes around you, or do you just let them pass and try to move on. It’s sad sometimes when we stop to ponder that thought. Coping with how to get on with life after something has happened is the subject of this week’s study. Do we live in denial, or do we take notice and let change take place in us? Maybe God is asking us to change into what He has created us to be. He can work through anyone, even a fisherman who was once Simon, but became famously known as Peter.

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:  Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.  John 21:1-3

Peter had just come from this amazing adventure. He spent three years following Jesus, saw the most amazing miracles, had literal God experiences, felt the intensity of his best friend killed, and denying he even knew Him, and then seeing that friend come back from the dead. Peter had experienced what all of history has been leading up to…and what does he do? He goes fishing! Yet, it’s such a human reaction. He was on his own without an instruction booklet, and what else was he going to do. He still had family to feed, and Jesus wasn’t there to provide for him anymore. He needed to go back to work. He made his announcement. This wasn’t an excursion. It was his intention. He was going back to his old life, just like we all do once the emotion has gone out of the experience.  

Peter had a crew of six. He could make it happen, pick up where he left off three years before when he and Andrew were “Jonah and Sons” of Capernaum’s fisheries. His first night out wasn’t working out like he hoped, but such was the life of a fisherman. Sometimes the net is cast and nothing happens, sometimes the net is cast and pickings are slim, sometimes the net is cast and the net is full but the catch must be thrown back, and sometimes it’s all keepers. The job of the fisherman is to throw the net. It’s the sea that delivers the haul. God owns the sea. This was the lesson Peter still had to learn, even after all he had witnessed.

What about that crew? Why is it we are, as my friend says, lemmings just following each other about playfully into the holes of ruin? Why is it all it takes is one idiot to stand up in a crowd and six others will agree to follow blindly? Why does misery love company? Why do we give misery company? The answer is simple. We’re fallen. We live in a fallen world. We reason with fallen minds. We need help! Just know Jesus did promise us help. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—“ John 14:6 Sometimes God needs to step in to help us from helping each other right off the cliff.

But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered Him, “No.”  And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. John 21:4-14

If you know about fishing then you know that once the water warms the fish tend to go deep, and the fishing is over. The morning came, the fishing was over, and there had been no catch. Peter’s attempt at returning to what he could do to provide for himself had been fruitless. It seems whenever we try to do things on our own we have to learn this lesson as well, yet we keep trying. The world tells us we can do it. All we have to do is dream it and we can achieve it. Everyone wins! And if we don’t then it’s because “they” got in your way. My question is who is this universal “they” that is in the way. I usually fail at things and don’t see a line of people standing in front of me. It’s just me and the circumstances at the time. The enemy feeds on these insecurities to divide and conquer. I bet there was a little bit of dividing and conquering going on in that little boat. Peter questioned himself. He felt lost and like a fish out of water. He couldn’t even feed himself anymore. And now there were others depending on him.

Then a voice calls out from the shore asking if they’d caught anything. If they had they’d be selling their catch, or at least eating. He receives instruction. What’s crazy is how they followed it. A man, from the shore, tells them where to fish, and they do it. He was no less that a football field away and tells them to drop the net on right side of the boat. It’s not like he could see fish from that distance. But they obey. Why? They didn’t know it was Jesus. It must have been the authority in his voice, the fact he called them children. We are missing that in our society today, the willingness to obey has been undermined by a mistaken idea that we have the right to question everything. In our continual questioning, we’ve lost the learning process all together, because we’ve forgotten how to accept knowledge and move to the next level. We keep digging deeper and all the while the hole we’re in keeps coming down on us. God needs to reach in and pull us out.

When they realize it is Jesus, Peter loses himself and jumps into the water and swims to the shore, but then has to go back to pull the fish in. He forgot the fish! In his joy he forgot for one split glorious second, he was all about Jesus. We have to wonder if he thought Jesus was back for good. He was there, providing for them again. Breakfast was served! His need was met. He could rest and know that for the time being all was good again.

 Jesus was there, in the flesh, taking care of Peter’s flesh. This shows us what type of man Peter was, impulsive. We see this through the scriptures, that Peter was very driven by what was happening at the moment. He wasn’t a long term thinker. There he sat, eating his breakfast, content, for the moment. But moments end, and Jesus knew Peter would be in the same position he’d been in just hours before when he was questioning himself, at some time in the future, unless something changed.

Impulsive people usually do impulsively fall apart very quickly. Peter was still in denial when it came to his ability to stand. He was still sinking into the sea. He still hadn’t answered the question Jesus had asked so long ago.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!’  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Matt. 14:30-32 It was this doubt that still caused Peter to hold something back from Jesus. And it was time for Jesus to call him into account on it.

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” John 21:15

Jesus had met his physical need, his immediate need, but there was still an issue to be resolved within Peter’s spirit. The first part of the issue was for Peter to define his priorities. Was Jesus his priority? Jesus asks him if he loves Him more than these. What was the these he was talking about? These guys, these fish, these things, this life was all Peter knew. Did he love these more than Jesus? Peter says that he does love Jesus, so Jesus tells him “feed my lambs”.

        “Feed my lambs” has all kinds of theological implications, especially coming from the Great Shepherd. Considering that Jesus just fed his little lambs I think Peter got the gist of the action. To feed means to meet the immediate need of someone, the sustaining necessities of the very young and most vulnerable, thus the use of the words lambs. It was a way of saying, “be a man and do what men do, protect those who can’t protect themselves. Step outside yourself and look for those you who need you.” Jesus began by having Peter look around at those around him. Peter did have a concern for others, but was it because he was worried about what others thought of him?

        Many times, as Christians, we fool ourselves into thinking we are concerned with others, when really our concern is for our own perception of what others think of us, or how we can get others to comply with what we feel they should be doing so they can fit into the Kingdom of God. If they would just do what we think a ‘good’ Christian would do than they’ll measure up and all would be well with the world. In truth it’s not our standard they need to measure up too. It’s ourselves that needs to measure up to a standard. But we fail to do so, so God had to do it for us. All we are called to do is love Him, and feed His lambs. Give what we can, what He has given us to give. Employ our gifts.

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:16

        The immediate needs have been met, and Peter’s attention has been drawn. Jesus asks a second time, and Peter responds a little more vehemently. This probably echoed through Peter as he became a little defensive. It was reminiscent to Peter that he was being questioned about his relationship to Jesus. In his ears rang the haunting words he’d spoken, Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” John 18:25  How often Peter had struggled with the guilt of that night, of running off and not defending the One he had confessed and received praise for just months before. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matt.16:15-17 It appears there were moments when Peter’s faith shined, but it had been sorely tried and found shaking on shifting sand. This second question was troublesome to Peter.

Jesus knew Peter’s heart. He knew the problem. It wasn’t a lack of love, it was a lack of identity. Just how did he fit in God’s economy? He was just a fisherman. Yet Jesus told him to tend his sheep. This was more than just a little thing. To tend was more than feeding. To tend is an investment. To tend is to go long, head for the end zone. The word sheep implies bringing the lambs into maturity. It was time for Peter to think ahead and grow up. This was no longer about having his needs met, but to lay aside everything, give it all up, and see to the needs of others before himself. He was moving him from laborer to partner in the business. Jesus was asking if Peter was sure he loved Jesus enough to buy in. A shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 Peter had to be willing to give his life for the sheep. Peter didn’t see himself as a shepherd. He saw himself as the sheep, a follower. He wasn’t supposed to do the work. He was the work. Now, Jesus was telling him he had risen in the ranks to take on the work. I imagine the fear that appeared on Peter’s face was very real as he was beginning to understand the magnitude of why Jesus was asking him the question.

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. John 21:17

Peter grieves because just as three times he denied Jesus, he is three times asked to confess his love for Jesus. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Matt.10:32-33 This third confession left Peter knocked off his shaking platform, he was once more pulled from the sea and lifted back into the arms of safety. This time a commandment was given. “Feed My sheep.”

Jesus called Peter into covenant with him. The command given of feed the sheep was the idea of a continual looking after of the flock of sheep. Peter was no longer to go back to his old life. He was now married to the ministry. We know he didn’t go back to the fishing business. He may have fished from time to time, but he also worked as a tanner, and did what he had to do to feed his family and others through some difficult times. He became the shepherd Jesus called him to be, just as Jesus prophesied.

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”  Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” John 21:18-22

Can’t you just see Jesus cupping Peter’s face with that last line of the encounter and staring like a father just inches, nose to nose with Peter, then giving him a gentle little slap followed by a rustling of his hair and a hug? Jesus had said it twice before and He said it once more for good measure, three times in all. “Follow me!” Jesus’ only desire for Peter, and for us, is that we follow Him into His Kingdom, where our relationship with God can be restored. God did not create us for destruction, but to have life in unity with Him. Following means whole heartedly, without a second thought, stepping out in the vast unknown. It’s ultimate trust, ultimate faith, ultimate love. When Peter said, “Yes, Lord, I love you!” not once, but three times, he was sealing the deal. It would and did cost him his life. His covenant with God was made. The encounter with the Resurrected made a new man out of him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. 2 Cor.5:17

Believe! -Thomas the Doubter. Encounters with the Risen Christ!

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13 

Is seeing really believing? Can’t our eyes be fooled by sleight of hand, or even if we’re just tired? Can’t we just miss something? How many times have we been looking for something and looked right at it only to pass it over? Yet we have a tendency to really believe what we see assuming our eyes are incapable of being fooled. Maybe that is because it is the way God meant it to be. Our eyes are receivers of information and without them we are not receiving information we depend on. God gave us five receptors we were meant to take in information for our physical survival. Our senses are keenly designed by our maker to give us dominion over the world around us. This masterful strategy works to bring us both pleasure and pain within our surroundings. If God designed us to be that way then why are we so easily deceived by sight? We are actually not. We are deceived by our interpretation of what we see or don’t see. This was the issue for the subject of our study in today’s encounter with the Risen Christ, Thomas the Doubter.

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:24-25

We know the story. Jesus had come to his disciples after the two from Emmaus told them they’d seen Him alive, risen from the dead, but Thomas had not been there when Jesus appeared to them. He arrived sometime later to find everyone talking and excitedly relating the great news, that Jesus was indeed alive! But rather than believe his friends, rather than embrace this amazing testimony of so many witnesses, he holds himself aloof and dismisses it as mass hysteria. Wow, what a cynic!

There may be reasons for this, aside from him actually saying he couldn’t believe it because he didn’t see it with his own eyes. Thomas seemed to be all too ready to die with Jesus just weeks before when Jesus headed back toward Jerusalem at great risk to raise Lazarus from the dead. “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” John 11:16

Why then is he not excited to see that death is no longer on the table? Could it be that Jesus being alive doesn’t suit Thomas’ agenda? Did Thomas need a martyr for his cause? Or was it just that to hope for something so grand was too much for him to comprehend no matter what so many people were saying? Was it fear of being let down, or fear of having to change his plans? Whatever it was, his own doubt triumphed over his desire to believe. The one who had once been so willing to go the distance with Jesus was refusing to go one inch in the direction of believing in Jesus’ power over death because of the risk of the pain it might cause him.

Pain is a great motivator. We will avoid it at all cost. We would rather live in denial than admit to ourselves that someone has a certain fault, especially if they are near and dear to us. We tend to make heroes out of the dead when we eulogize them, but when they were alive we spoke so badly about them because it was true. The person did lie, cheat, steal, and take advantage of other people. Yet when he died we paint a rosy portrait of the deceased in order to make the family feel better. What would make the family feel better is if there was a Savior who took all those sins away, and that could have only come about if the sinner had repented and stopped all the lying, cheating, and taking advantage of others before he died. Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” Do we know what that means? It means there are a lot of Thomas types out there who just don’t want to believe, so we have to let them see a Risen Savior before it’s too late. They have to see it in us. Just maybe we need to do a little more, lovely or loving talking before they get on the other side of the grave.  

Pride is another reason people refuse to believe. I don’t know that Thomas was prideful, but I know that refusing to believe the testimony of so many witnesses is prideful. It takes a lot of pride to discredit someone’s testimony. It says to someone that they are not worthy of your respect for whatever reasons you hold against them. Pride was Satan’s sin against God. To decide of your own volition that something is not worthy of your obedience to God’s sovereignty is rebellion. It is saying that you know better than God. We do it a lot. It fights in us constantly. It is called sin. We war against this fallen nature constantly, just as Thomas did. Just as all of us do daily, but there is a cure for this anarchy within us. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

Just perhaps there was a third reason Thomas was holding out. Perhaps he didn’t believe because he couldn’t believe the Lord would appear without him being present from the start. After all, Thomas was one of the twelve, the inner circle, the chosen few who had been with Jesus, named by Him as His selected. In this case it would have been more of a “but the Lord wouldn’t have done that without me because He never did anything I wasn’t a part of.” Thomas would have a narrow view of God’s plan for him. God had a bigger plan. God can play on our weakness for His purposes both in our lives and in the lives of others.

My brother-in-law, a great man, and a good pastor, once said something that has stuck with me for years. He said, “Are you willing to be wrong for the sake of the Kingdom? That is, are you willing to be wrong if it meant someone else would enter the Kingdom of God?” What a humbling question! Paul was one who was so willing. He said, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,  that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh.” Romans 9:1-3 Yet our desire to be right supersedes our desire to be at peace and bring them into the light of Heaven, as if it was up to us to decide who gets to live there. How arrogant we are! How important is being right? I think I’d rather be wrong and be righteous in His eyes, then be right in my own eyes. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. Prov.21:2 Just where was Thomas’ heart when God placed it in the balance?

 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:26-28

Thomas’ moment of decision finally arrives. Is he going to deny his own senses? Jesus is there! Every part of his physical reality has just turned on its axis and what he has convinced himself was impossible, has become possible. Imagine that you were the one who told everyone you refused to believe them, basically calling them liars, and there is the proof right in front of you, literally in the flesh. There can be no denying it is Jesus either. Jesus takes Thomas and touches his hand to the very wounds of the crucifixion. Thomas is dumbfounded. Yet the Savior’s words to him are so loving, and so forgiving. He says to him to not be unbelieving, but believing.

Thomas needed a healing. He needed his faith to be healed. He had suffered a great loss when Jesus was taken from him; for he had given up everything to become Jesus’ follower in belief that Jesus was the Messiah, and that there would be great works to follow. He had been a part of a great ministry, seen amazing miracles, and was a true believer Jesus could take down the kingdoms of the earth. Yet Jesus had been crucified, worse yet by Gentiles, at the insistence of the Jewish leaders, which would have confused any one trusting they had found a Messiah to lead Israel into world domination. Thomas’ faith was shaken to its core. He didn’t want to be wrong, but he would rather have been wrong and accept it, then be wrong again and suffer again such a great loss. Jesus healed Thomas by telling him it was necessary for Him to believe his own eyes, his own ears, his own sense of touch. He could believe what was real to him, because Jesus is real!

Thomas responds from the depths of his spirit, “My Lord…” which demonstrates his dependence, submission, and reverence for Jesus, but he adds, “and my God.” The addition of this statement is all encompassing, for it is the foremost address in scripture giving deity to Jesus as God, and Jesus does not rebuke Him, but accepts his worship. The deity of Jesus is revealed through Thomas’ statement of faith! Here we have the great mystery of faith debated over the ages proven. God did indeed become a man and live among us. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

God had a great plan for Thomas’ weakness. His weak faith bore a testament of the truth which would stand as a foundational tenant from which the Church could fasten itself against the enemy. Thomas had been wrong in doubting, but his doubting would bring many to faith!

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Some may say this is a rebuke of Thomas, and so it could be, but it could also be a statement of fact. Is it Thomas’ fault that he lived when he could see and believe? Wouldn’t you just love to see Jesus and believe? We live at a time Thomas would love to live in, when we can pray and be filled with the Holy Spirit just by asking for it. Remember, when Jesus was with His disciples the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them. He didn’t come until after Jesus had left them on the day of Pentecost. Thomas was reliant upon being in the presence of Jesus, so being with Him was paramount to believing.

Another interesting thing to take note of here is that Jesus didn’t say blessed are those who are yet to hear and will believe. I bring this up because I’ve heard people talk about it as if Jesus is talking about us, as if He was referring to the church today, again, that could be the truth, and I do think that is pertinent today, as all God’s word is, but also think he was more than likely referring to those who were at the time quickly believing the reports of His resurrection and gladly receiving it into their hearts because they understood the message of the sacrifice He had made. They were choosing to believe, because of the reports of others, and choosing to accept because of the conviction with which the story was being told to them. They were not cynical, but gladly receiving it into their hearts, because of what they knew of Jesus before the crucifixion. They chose to believe. It was their blessing, a blessing Thomas missed out on for that eight days. He missed out on eight days of joy that he could never get back. He had eight days he’d always regret, and that’s a lot of regret to live with for the rest of his life considering how much more Jesus did.

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31

So ends the recorded encounter Thomas had with Jesus after the resurrection. We know there had to be more to the story because they were close. Jesus loved Thomas. I guess we’ll have to ask them when we get to heaven if we get the opportunity. Maybe Thomas will have questions for us about our story and the amazing things the Holy Spirit did working through us, and the miraculous works of God we experienced. We are living in amazing times.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23