That Day

 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30—31

This day is permanently established. It will not be rescheduled or postponed due to Covid.  

Our confidence is based on the resurrection, which shows that Jesus is the one to whom judgment has been appointed. 

Christians should think about the resurrection and judgment as motivation to holiness and godliness, our devotion to Christ. (2 Peter 3:10-12) Jesus himself told us to be alert and faithful. (Matthew 24:42-51) 

Christians should also look forward to this time with joy and peace, “for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us”. (1Thessalonians 5:1-8) We can embrace Article 37 of the Belgic Confession, which says:

“The consideration of this judgment, is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked, but most desirable to the righteous and elect: because then their full deliverance shall be perfected and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne.” 

THE EPILOGUE - JOHN 21

 JOHN 21 - THE EPILOGUE

An epilogue is a section at the end of a book that wraps up the story to explain what happened or to tell what happened to the characters after the story ends.

Jesus Appeared in Galilee

21:1-14

“After this” means after the events of Chapter 21, including Jesus’ appearance to the disciples with Thomas. It does not tell us how much time has gone by since the end of chapter 21. 

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (sons of Zebedee), and two others, retreated to Galilee, by the Sea of Tiberias, which is also known as the Sea of Galilee.The 7 disciples mentioned may all have been from that area, so it would be natural to go there. Plus Jesus had told them, through Mary Magdalene, that he would see them in Galilee.

Peter decided to go fishing. (3) Some commentators criticize him for that and accuse him of abandoning the mission. But, was he really wrong to go fishing?  You could accuse him of a return to former profession? But, he may have been killing time, waiting for Jesus to appear? 

Or, was it an economic necessity? He may have needed the income to support his family. And, maybe he was simply obeying Jesus by going to Galilee. It is unfair to judge his motives when the Scripture does not tell us what they were. 

John did not record it, but Jesus did instruct the disciples to go to Galilee and wait for him. This is recorded in Matthew 28:7 & 10 and Mark 14:28.

So, most likely, they went there to obey Jesus, then they went fishing either to keep busy or to make some money while they waited for him. 

The disciples did not catch anything during the night even though it was considered the best time to fish. But also seems symbolic given John’s frequent use of the contrast between darkness and light.  In darkness they attempt a task in their own power and fail; in the light they succeed in the power of Jesus! 

Jesus appeared on the shore at daybreak, when light first began to appear. (4) The disciples did not recognize him.

The disciples had not caught any fish throughout the night. Jesus called out to them & told them to cast on the other side of the boat. In his omniscience, Jesus knew there were many fish on the other side (or even sent the fish to that side). They did and caught a lot of fish.

John recognized Jesus and told Peter “it is the Lord!”. He may have made the connection to the event of Luke 5:1-11, when Jesus called the first disciples by giving them fish to catch. Or, maybe because it was a miracle, he recognized Jesus as the cause.

Peter (impetuously) jumped in the water and swam to shore (7). This shows us that, despite his earlier denials, Peter loved Jesus and wanted badly to see him. The others followed in the boat, dragging the net (8) 

Jesus had made some breakfast, having built a fire and started cooking fish and bread. (9) Jesus served breakfast to the disciples who had worked all night, still being the humble servant & knowing what they needed (13) He told them bring more fish, so Peter hauled the net full of fish to shore by himself (strong man!) because he was 

eager to please. 

John gives a specific count of the fish (153) to show it was an enormous and miraculous catch. He also recorded that the net was not broken despite the large catch (another miracle). Jesus was demonstrating to the disciples, via the miracles, that it was he appearing to them. And so, they recognized that it was Jesus. (12)

The disciples must have still be hesitant and maybe even fearful. Jesus had to tell them to “come and have breakfast” (12) and “None of them dared to ask him…”, indicating some fearfulness on their part.

This was the third post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples (14) The number “3” is symbolic of something complete and good. For example, saying something 3 times (calling Samuel, going to Gethsemane to pray, instructing Peter to feed his sheep), or repeating the same word 3 times (holy, holy, holy) (woe is…). Through this, John shows us that Jesus completely and sufficiently revealed himself to the disciples to prove he was resurrected and alive. 

Jesus & Peter

21:15-17

Jesus questioned Peter 3 times about his love for Jesus. The first time, Jesus asked him if he loved Jesus “more than these?”, meaning more than these other men\disciples love Jesus. Peter always acted like he did before his denials. 

Peter appealed to Jesus’ deity\omniscience, saying “you know that I love you”.  Since Jesus knows all things, he knows Peter loves him. (17) Jesus accepted Peter’s declaration.  He commissioned Peter: feed my lambs. 

Jesus had Peter declare his love 3 times just as he denied Jesus 3 times.

It would be a complete declaration of love just as it was a complete denial of Jesus (3 times). 

Jesus answered each declaration of love with “feed\tend my sheep”. Peter was to show his love for Jesus by teaching and taking care of believers (the sheep). Jesus was the true shepherd on earth, and passed that duty down to Peter and the other apostles. 

No authority is given here - simply a commission to serve the flock.

Peter later passed the responsibility down to elders, writing:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the suffering of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising overseeing, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in our charge, buy being examples to the flock”. (1 Peter 5:1-3)

The Prophecy

21:8-19

Jesus told Peter how he would die. To “stretch out your hands” refers to crucifixion. Peter faithfully served for about 3 decades with this prophecy hanging over his head.

Jesus & John

21:20-25

Jesus & Peter took off walking down the beach. (20) John followed. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one reclining at table close to Jesus when he revealed who would betray him. 

Peter, having been told of his own death, wanted to know John’s fate.

But Jesus told him it was none of his business. Peter’s job was to follow Jesus.

That is true for all of us. We do not need to waste question Jesus about his plan and will for others so that we can compare it to his plan for us. Rather, we are to concentrate on following him. 

John did not write down everything Jesus did. (25) He did not think all of those things could be contained in all the books written - his testimony to Jesus’ greatness. That seems to be true - look how many books have been written about Jesus since then! 

The New Heaven and New Earth

 "The whole terrifying conflict has been about the divine Husband's jealous love for his bride, a love so jealous that he will fight all comers in order to have her all to self, a love so sacrificial he lays down is life to protect from every threat and enemy."

Dennis Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, Commentary on Revelation 21:1-4. 

THE SECOND ADVENT - HOW TO WAIT FOR IT

Back in the 1840s, a Baptist fellow was studying his Bible and decided he could calculate the date Jesus would return. He worked from the prophecies of Daniel, what he thought was the date of the order of the Persian king for the Jews to return to Jerusalem and build the temple, and treated days as years. He believed Jesus would return in March of 1844.

He attracted some followers. Some quit their jobs, Abandoned their farms, and gathered on a mountain to wait for Jesus. As you know, Jesus did not return then and many were disappointed.

Then, in 1988, an engineer wrote a booklet with 88 reasons why Jesus would return in 1988. Again, some believed, quit jobs and abandoned their responsibilities. Even in our church, many people were concerned and the pastor had to preach a sermon about it. And, of course, Jesus did not return in 1988.

Sadly, these two men, and many others ignored Jesus’ teaching about how we should wait for his return. He specifically told us know one but the Father knows the time and it is not for us to know. And, he told us how we should act as we wait. In Matthew 24:44, Jesus said “Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. 

So, let’s look at two parables Jesus told to deal with this matter of his Second Advent (or Coming). 

The first is a parable that contrasts a faithful and wise servant with a wicked servant. This is in Matthew 24:45-53. 

Jesus proposed a situation where a master went away and charged a servant with taking care of the household in his absence. This servant took his responsibility seriously. He worked at it faithfully until the master returned. Because of that, the master blessed him. He was promoted to a greater position because of his faithfulness and diligence. 

In contrast, Jesus supposed a wicked servant. When the master was delayed, he decided he would not be held accountable for his conduct. So, he partied and mistreated his fellow servants. The master returned unexpectedly and punished him for his conduct. 

Notice that the master’s return took longer than expected, but his expectations for his servants’ faithfulness was the same as if he had returned quickly. 

Jesus has given his followers jobs to do in his absence. We are to make disciples of all nations, teaching them and baptizing them. (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to grow in holiness. (Philippians 2:12) We are to increase our knowledge of the Lord though the study of his word. (John 8:31) And we are to keep doing these things until he returns. If we do, he rewards us and blesses us. 

If we do not continue in faithfulness, we show ourselves to be those who are hypocrites - those who say they are followers of Christ but are not -  and will suffer God’s wrath. 

The second parable parable concerns our need to be prepared for Christ’s return, as demonstrated by 10 virgins, or young unmarried girls. This is recorded in Matthew 25:1-13. 

In this parable there are ten virgins with lamps who are to carry lamps or torches and meet the bridegroom. These are probably torches made from a stick that had cloths tied around one end. Oil was poured on the cloths and lit so that it burned with a flame that provided light. The “flasks” (ESV) or “jars” (NIV) contained oil so that it could be added anytime the torch began to burn out. The girls will join bridegroom in a procession to the get the bride at her house and go to the wedding feast. 

As with the master in the first parable, the groom is delayed. He was late enough that the girls all fell asleep. Notice there is no criticism of their sleeping. It is a natural thing we do at night. 

However, when the groom was sighted, at midnight, and they were told to go meet him, they awoke and prepared to join him. Some of the girls had not brought enough oil to keep their torches burning. They are called the foolish ones. To be unprepared in this circumstance would be considered inexcusable in that culture.

The wise ones had brought enough oil to soak the torches again and re-light them. They did not assume the Bridegroom would come soon and had prepared in case he was late. 

However, the wise virgins did not have enough to give the foolish ones oil and still keep their lamps burning. They told the foolish girls to go buy more oil. So, the foolish girls went to buy oil and missed the coming of the bridegroom. 

The wise virgins joined the groom and went into the feast. The door to the feasting place was closed. 

When the foolish virgins returned, they were shocked to see the door closed and called for the bridegroom, now called “Lord” (or Sir), to open the door for them. The Lord answered beginning with “truly”, telling us his following words are very important. 

Those words were “I do not know you”. They were not going to be allowed into the wedding feast. They would be left out in the darkness.

The Bridegroom in this parable represents the Lord Jesus. The time of his appearance is unknown, and later than expected, yet sudden and unexpected when it occurs.

The five wise virgins are those who believe in Jesus and stayed prepared for his return. The foolish virgins are those who have not committed themselves to Christ and who are not allowed into his kingdom when he returns. Jesus will say he does not know them. They are unprepared in the sense that they have not received Christ as their savior and lord when they could. 

In effect, the door to eternal life and Jesus’ kingdom is closed. That is why the parable begins with the words “then the kingdom of heaven will be like…”. 

Jesus summarized his teaching in verse 13. He said to watch for him since we do not know the time of his return. The return of Jesus is certain. Immediately after Jesus ascended to heaven, angels told the disciples that Jesus will return. (Acts 1:11) 

But, the time of Jesus’ return is not known. It could be today at lunch. Or, it could be hundreds of years from now. We must remember that delay does not mean cancellation. He will come at a time we do not expect. When he does, the time for preparation is over. 

It is the same way with death. There is no second chance for the lost to be saved. Hebrews 9:27 says “… it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”. 

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus and have been saved are charged with the responsibility of remaining faithful and working until Jesus returns. Those who do will be blessed and rewarded by him. 

The end of the year is a great time to evaluate ourselves. We can reflect on our faithfulness over the past year. If we have not been faithful in working for the Kingdom, we can repent and re-engage in our responsibilities in the new year. 

Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus must realize that they are in jeopardy of facing the wrath of God at any time. We are all sinners who have rebelled against God. God sent his Son to pay for that sin and rebellion by dying on the cross. 

If we believe in Him, we receive the benefit of his payment for our sin and have eternal life rather than eternal punishment. If we do not receive him as our savior and lord, we will bear the punishment we deserve for all eternity. If this is your condition, I beg you to receive Christ today and receive eternal life in him. 

THE RESURRECTION - JOHN 20

                                                                      The Resurrection

John 20

Mary Magdalene - First Witness

20:1-2

Mary arrived before dawn on Sunday, the first day of the week. All four gospel accounts specify the “first day of the week”. Saturday, the Sabbath, was considered the last day of the week by the Jews.

Mary came to finish the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial. But, she found the stone moved away from the opening to the tomb. She did not understand the concept of the resurrection, so she believed someone had stolen Jesus’ body.

Shocked at the absence of Jesus’ body, Mary ran to tell Peter and John (the other disciple). She considered them to be the leaders of the disciples.

Peter & John At The Tomb

20:3-10

Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. John, being younger, ran ahead and got there first. He stopped and looked into the tomb and saw the burial cloths lying on the stone shelf in the tomb. He did not go in. That may have been in deference to Peter.

But Peter arrived and went straight into the tomb. John followed. They saw the burial cloths lying there. The face cloth was folded and lying separate from the cloths used to cover the body.

Why does John tell us what the burial cloths looked like? He wanted us to see and know that the body was not stolen. It it had been, it would have been taken with the burial cloths intact. These details were important to show how the disciples came to belief in the resurrection and to lead us to believe also.

This account by John does not say that the cloths were still intact and fitted to what had been the body. There is no implication here that Jesus passed through the cloths without unwrapping them. He could have, but it does not say so. Also, there is no mention of a shroud, a one piece cloth covering the body.

The detail of John’s observation shows us he really examined the empty tomb. It is not to show the method of resurrection or to validate a “relic”. In addition, the presence of two male witnesses to the scene makes their account believable in the Jewish tradition. 

John believed! (8) He believed that Jesus was raised from the dead for the first time. He believed because of the physical evidence he saw, not because he understood Scripture. In other words, John believed the facts but did not yet understand the theological meaning or the application of the prophecies.

Romans 1:1-4 gives us the theological meaning:

“…Christ Jesus…was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead”.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 also says”

“For, since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep”. 

Jesus’ resurrection gives us both comfort and hope!

At this point in the story, Peter has not yet believed in the resurrection. He went home “marveling at what had happened”. (Luke 24:12)

Mary & The Angels

20:11-13

Peter and John went home, but Mary remained at the tomb. She wept in sorrow, not understanding what was happening. She decided to look into the tomb and see what Peter and John had seen. But she saw much more!

She saw two angels. This was further evidence that the empty tomb was not the work of men, but the work of God. The angels were positioned at the head and feet of the burial clothes. 

One of the angels asked Mary “woman, why are you weeping”. It was a mild rebuke to Mary for not understanding or believing. Mary, still not understanding, responded with her concern for the missing body of Jesus. 

Jesus then appeared to Mary, but she did not recognize him. (14) But, when he called her by name, she did. (16) Maybe she recognized his voice or the way he said her name. “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4)

Mary responded in Aramaic, the common spoken language of the area, addressing Jesus as “Rabboni”. This was a term of respect meaning “teacher”. She may also have fallen at his feet and held them. (17) The disciples did this when Jesus first appeared to them after his resurrection. (Matthew 28:9)

But, Jesus told Mary not to cling to him because he had not yet ascended to the Father. Rather, he wanted her to go and tell the disciples that he was ascending to his Father. (17) Jesus gave her a mission. 

What did Jesus mean by “I am ascending”? He was in the process of ascending and that would be the next big event. He would appear to the disciples several times before ascending, but would “come and go” and not be with them all the time. He would then finally ascend to the Father as recorded in Acts 1:9-10.

Jesus called the Father “my Father and your Father, my God and your God”. By this he shows that the disciples now share in his sonship. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. (John 1:12; see also Galatians 4:47)

Mary did as Jesus instructed. She went to the disciples and announced that she had seen the Lord. She also related what Jesus had said to her. Now the disciples know there is an actual witness to Jesus’ resurrection!   

Rock of Ages

 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Let the water and the blood

from that riven side which flowed

Be for me the double cure.

Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

Augustus Toplady

1763

THE BURIAL OF JESUS - JOHN 19:31-42

 

Making Sure

19:31-37

Since Jesus died on the day of preparation for the Sabbath of Passover week, the Jewish leaders did not want to leave the bodies of Jesus and the the two insurrectionists on the cross after sundown. The Sabbath would start at sundown.

The Jews believed they would be ceremonially unclean if the bodies remained on the crosses. They were applying Deuteronomy 21:23 to the situation. 

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 states:

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.”

This is not about hanging as a method of execution. The Jews did not hang, they stoned. It is about a criminal or enemy who has been killed and is displayed by hanging on a tree to show he is cursed and humiliated.

An example of this occurs in 1 Samuel 31. When the Philistines defeated Israel, they wounded King Saul. Saul fell on his sword and killed himself to prevent being killed by the Philistines. The Philistines found his body and fastened it to the wall of the city of Beth-shan. That night, the men of Jabesh Gilead came and removed the body and burned it. 

Since the hanged man is judged to be cursed by God, he could not be left on the tree overnight without defiling the land. Jesus was cursed in that he became a curse for us, bearing the penalty of our sin. Galatians 3:13 says “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written ‘cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’.”  

So, to prevent defilement, the Jews asked Pilate to break the legs of the three men who were crucified. The legs were broken to prevent the men from pushing up with their feet to help them breathe. Thus, they would die quickly. Once dead, they could be removed from the crosses and buried to prevent defilement. 

Pilate granted the request and soldiers went to do it. They broke the legs of the two insurrectionists. But, Jesus had already died, so they did not break his legs. This fulfilled the prophecy that “not one of his bones will be broken”. (36) This prophecy may come from Psalm 34:20. It may also come from the requirement that the Passover lamb may not have any bones broken. (Exodus 12:46) There have been Passover themes in several places in John’s gospel. Paul also referred to Jesus as our Passover lamb which had been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7) 

Although they did not break Jesus’ legs, one of the soldiers wanted to make sure Jesus was dead and pierced his side with a spear. (34) This fulfilled Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him…” 

When he did, blood and water came out. John makes a point of this, saying he who saw it (presumably John himself) bore witness, his witness is true, and he knows it is true. (35) 

Why was John so emphatic? There are two likely reasons. First, he wanted to prove that Jesus died; he did not swoon to be revived later. That idea is still put forth on occasion. 

Another idea is that Jesus did not have a physical body. Docetism was a heresy that promoted a false view of Jesus’ humanity. “Docetism” comes from the Greek word “dokein”, which means “to seem”. Docetism taught that Jesus did not really have a human body. He only seemed, or appeared, to be human. He was a ghost or an illusion, appearing to be human but not having a real body.

By extension, Jesus could not have risen bodily from the dead. Paul refuted this idea and added that, if there was no actual death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are not saved and are still in our sins, making our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17). Additionally, this belief contradicts the scriptural accounts which show Thomas touching Jesus for proof he is alive and Jesus eating breakfast with the disciples.

John continued to contend for the real humanity of Jesus in his epistles. He wrote: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:1–2). 

He also wrote: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist”. (2 John 7)

The Apostle’s Creed sets out this truth:

“I believe in…Jesus Christ…who was conceived from the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried…”. 

The Nicean Creed does the same:

“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ…For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

There also could be no ascension, because there was no body to ascend. This idea is a direct contradiction to Acts 1, which shows us a bodily ascension witnessed by the disciples. 

This is a good example of why we do not adopt philosophies created by men that are not based on the Bible. 

The Burial

19:38-42

Not only did Jesus actually die, he was actually buried. Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body and Pilate let him take it. Joseph was a wealthy man and a member of the Sanhedrin according to the gospels of Matthew and Mark. He may have been known to Pilate because of this.

John tells us that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but had kept it secret for fear of the Jews (38) But, he has come forward to care for the body of Jesus even if it endangers him. Along with Joseph, Nicodemus came with a large amount of spices to prepare the body. (39) He was the one who came to Jesus at night in John 3. 

These two men bound Jesus’ body in linen cloths with the spices and laid him in a new tomb in the garden. It may have been a tomb Joseph had prepared for himself, but now gave to Jesus. But, whoever owned it, it was close to Golgotha and, therefore, made it possible to bury Jesus before the Sabbath began. 

Note the fact that the tomb had not been used before. It was the custom of the Jews to bury more than one person in a tomb and to put the bones in a box once the flesh had decayed away. There is a sense of holiness here. Just as sacred objects from the Tabernacle and Temple could not be used for any other purpose, this tomb becomes a sacred space, used only for the Lord.

There is also a more practical purpose. If there is no body in the tomb except for Jesus, he is the only one who could have been resurrected from it. 

Are these facts important? Paul thought so. He wrote:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)