Easter Certainty: What Else Do You Need?
Devotions this week based on the Easter Message: “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”.
I have to see it for myself.
In an age where you can place Bernie Sanders sitting on a chair with his arms folded at any event in the world and show the picture to “prove” it, or place the EverGreen cargo ship blocking waterways around the world with a clip of a photo and a paste on another, it’s perhaps easy to understand why we are a bit skeptical about pictures proving a point. When it seems unbelievable, we maybe believe, it is unbelievable.
We all have an air of skepticism and doubt, because I am guessing we all have been duped before. Whether it was a convincing April Fools joke or a well-doctored picture, we have been deceived.
We don’t like to be deceived. We desire and seek the truth.
And sometimes our only truth is that what we can see, touch, and experience ourselves.
So, I can’t blame Thomas.
The news of the resurrection was too important to be duped, tricked or persuaded to believe a lie. I would guess he wanted to believe the reports of the women and the 10 other disciples…but he wanted to see Jesus, touch him and experience the risen Jesus for himself.
I’m glad he did.
More than that, I’m glad Jesus allowed him to.
Best of all, Jesus obliged him. Here’s how it went down:
John 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus wanted everyone of his closest followers to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was alive. But more than that, he wanted Thomas to be convinced he was alive…for Thomas’ sake. He wanted to replace the doubts with certainty.
But he also did it for my sake. He wants me to “see and believe” for my sake…my salvation’s sake. But he knew I would have a doubt or two like Thomas did. By Jesus allowing Thomas to touch his hands and put his hand in his side, he allows me to do it vicariously too. It’s like I’m there having the same doubts as Thomas, and also receiving the same certainty from Jesus.
What else do I need? Nothing. I have the experiences of all the women, all the disciples, all the followers of Jesus that morning. I have the record of four witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. I have what I need to believe Jesus is my Savior and by believing have eternal life in his name. The Apostle John communicates this truth immediately after he wrote about Thomas:
John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The message and facts of Easter are certain. Jesus is alive…and because he lives, we also will live!
Apply: What doubts or questions do you wish you could ask Jesus? Is there a Bible account that asks or records a similar question and answer? I bet there is…if I can help, let me know! (pastor@crossandcrowntx.com)
Prayer: Jesus thank you for removing any doubt that you rose from the dead. Lead me to believe with certainty the facts and impact of your resurrection to the blessing of spending eternity with you. AMEN.
Easter Certainty: Jesus Gives Purpose
Devotions this week based on the Easter Message: “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”.
No one gets excited to be an ambassador of lies.
If you have ever been asked to lie for someone, it’s uncomfortable. Sure you may have been duped at some point and spread a lie you didn’t realize was a lie. But it’s a rare and odd thing that someone would knowingly and willingly take what they know to be false and send others to spread the news.
When Jesus appeared to his disciples the evening of that first Easter, he didn’t have to “tell them the story” of what had happened and what he wanted them to tell others. They knew the facts. And he gives them the message…both rooted in the reality of his resurrection.
Here’s what happened in John 20:19-23
John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus showed the disciples his hands and side. The disciples knew what they were looking at and who they were looking at…the LORD! They didn’t ask if he was alive. They didn’t ask what happened. They didn’t ask what the story was. They knew. They knew it was Jesus because the SAW him nailed to the cross and pierced in his side. They knew he was dead and now without a doubt they KNEW he was alive.
The movement of Jesus would never have gained momentum if it was based on a fabricated story of a Roman crucifixion and miraculous resurrection. Jesus didn’t have to tell the disciples the story, they experienced it. So all he had to do was send them to be the messengers.
The interesting thing is that the message wasn’t to tell the world Jesus rose from the dead, but to forgive sins. What gave them authority to forgive sins was the fact Jesus was the Son of God, proven by his resurrection from the dead.
OK, maybe I’m using a bit of circular logic, but here’s why the purpose Jesus gives the disciples adds certainty to what happened. Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim forgiveness because the work that was needed to be done to be certain of forgiveness was completed in the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus wasn’t alive, there would be no forgiveness and no purpose. The disciples would have dissipated and the history of Jesus would be a fading blip on the Jewish scene.
But forgiveness continues to be preached to the ends of the earth. Why? Because it’s a) needed and b) based on the historical fact of Jesus resurrection from the dead.
Being a sales person for a product that didn’t work or didn’t exist would soon fade. But if given a product that was real and really worked, sales take care of themselves. All you have to do is share what it is and you’re experience with it.
That’s all Jesus is inviting us to do. Share who he is and your experience with him.
Apply: Does sharing your faith become easier knowing Jesus sent you and his message is based on the facts of his resurrection?
Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for being who you said you were and doing what you said you would do. As the Father sent you, send us with the truth of your resurrection and the power of your forgiveness. AMEN.
Easter Certainty: Jesus Explains History
Devotions this week based on the Easter Message: “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”.
We live in a snapshot in time.
An 80 year life represents about 1% of the world’s history. So 99% of it we haven’t ever experienced, just read about. And of that 1%, it probably represents an experience with less than 1% of what the world as a whole went through in that time frame.
So when we are confused by current events, it’s not surprising. Why? Because current events are connected to past events. Without context of past events, we may not fully understand or enjoy the importance and impact of current events.
Did I lose you? I hope not.
Let me put I this way. One of the best history teachers I had was able to connect the dots from the past to the present. He made sense of the present because he made the past understandable.
He was a devout Christian and now is in heaven. But maybe he learned his methodology of teaching history by mimicking the history teaching of Jesus.
To bring clarity and certainty to the present, Jesus explains the past.
The afternoon of Jesus’ resurrection, two followers of Jesus were walking from Jerusalem to a little town of Emmaus about 7 miles from Jerusalem. Along the way they were discussing the events of the past weekend. When a supposed stranger came up to them pretending ignorance of current events. Here’s what happened (Luke 24:13-34).
Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
I would have loved to be a fly buzzing above this conversation. Jesus took them all the way back to the books of Moses…which covers the history of the world and God’s people since the beginning of time. What did he do? “…he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Talk about a history lesson. I wish it were recorded in detail. But impact on Jesus’ students was clear.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
An amazing history teacher just connected the dots from creation to the cross…and it all made sense.
Jesus is not just a current event in 30 AD. Jesus is the culmination and center of events throughout history!
Apply: Been a while since you studied Old Testament History? Here’s a book you might enjoy that may mirror a bit of Jesus’ history lesson to the two Emmaus disciples. “Sinai to Calvary” by John Jeske. https://online.nph.net/connecting-sinai-to-calvary.html
Prayer: Dear Jesus thank you for being part of every moment in history. Give me understanding of how the Scripture testifies about you. Open my eyes to see my place in your salvation story. Amen.
Easter Certainty…Jesus Solidifies the Evidence
Devotions this week based on the Easter Message: “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”.
The body was gone. The tomb was empty.
The angels had said, “He’s not here. He’s alive.”
But what if no one ever saw Jesus alive?
Would you still believe it? Would the testimony of the angels and a group of women convince you that Jesus rose from the dead? Or would you have a bit of skepticism…or a lot of skepticism?
I would be skeptical if there were only reports of Jesus’ being alive and no sightings of Jesus being alive. (Just another Bigfoot legend?)
Circumstantial evidence is good, but it’s hard to build a convincing argument JUST on circumstantial evidence.
The thing that takes circumstantial evidence and makes it solid evidence is eye witness accounts. In this case what validates the empty tomb and the message of the angels is the sighting of Jesus.
Jesus knew this. He knew the reality of his resurrection would be lost if he didn’t take time to show himself alive to not just one person, but to many people. Here’s him showing himself alive to the women who got up early and went to the tomb at sunrise.
Matthew 28:8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The initial report was the tomb was empty. This intrigued Peter and John to run to the tomb to validate the empty tomb. But what solidified the evidence of the day was people seeing Jesus alive.
There could be no confusion. His body wasn’t stolen. His body wasn’t misplaced. His body was very much alive. The focus shifted from seeing the empty tomb (circumstantial evidence) to seeing the living Jesus (solid evidence).
Our faith is not based on an empty tomb. Our faith is based on a living Jesus. The message that Jesus gave the women to share with his brothers, his disciples was not “The tomb is empty” but “Go to Galilee; there they will SEE ME.”
Jesus wanted to solidify in the hearts and minds of his disciples too that he was alive.
He did this for our sake too. He wanted us to put our hope, not in an empty grave…but in the living Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Apply: Consider the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What evidence is convincing to you of Jesus’ resurrection? What questions do you have? Let’s dialogue: pastor@crossandcrowntx.com. In the message I also mentioned Lee Strobel’s “Case for Christ” to delve further into the evidence for the resurrection. Have questions? Take time to read it!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for taking time to show yourself alive not just to Mary, but to many of your followers. Each eye witness account builds my trust and confidence of the reality of your resurrection. Amen.
Easter Certainty…Jesus Says My Name!
Devotions this week based on the Easter Message: “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”.
Uncertainty leads to anxiety.
We all can relate. As individuals, families, and communities we’ve been under a lot of stress these past months. Covid and its affects. Racial Tensions. Political tensions. Teaching from home. Quarantining…and more. All of these events have had opportunity to create uncertainty in our hearts and minds and as a result…a level of anxiety.
We are not the first.
Uncertainty has always been a catalyst for anxiety. The day Jesus rose from the dead was a day filled with uncertainty and as a result anxiety for the followers of Jesus. But Jesus didn’t want that anxiety to continue…so he steps into these individuals world to bring certainty amidst their anxiety. This week we’ll look at some of those appearances.
First Mary.
Mary was crying. Distraught as she didn’t know where the body of Jesus was. She was only concerned about paying her last respects and now the body was gone. The one she followed. Her teacher, her master was dead and now the body stolen. Anxious? Fearful? Yes, but Jesus doesn’t leave her in her anxiety. Read what happens (John 20:10-16)
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
All it took was Jesus saying her name and all the uncertainties, anxieties and worries of the moment went away. She didn’t find the body of Jesus, Jesus found her and by saying her name affirmed his love, his care, and assured her he WAS very much ALIVE.
This account is a great reminder of how Jesus loves to come into our anxieties and fears when we think we are alone, blaming someone else for the circumstance, or just simply unsure of what the future holds and Jesus speaks your name, “Mike.” (Insert your name here!)
Sometimes that’s all it takes. Hearing Jesus whisper your name reminds us and reassures us he is with us, loves us, and is right there for us in the middle of our anxieties and stress.
Apply: What are the situations that you are going through and trying to control and deal with? Before you run frantically forward, pause and hear Jesus say your name and remind you that he is there to love you, encourage you and carry you through the challenges and stresses of life.
Prayer: Jesus thank you for coming alive on Easter assuring all of us that our relationship with you is secure by your love and grace. Whisper in our hearts our name in the midst of our anxiety to replace it with certainty. Amen.