Empty net

It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you."

John 21:1b-2 (NIV)

The setting is by the Sea of Tiberias, which is probably the official Roman name for the Sea of Galilee, the area's popular name. The event involves the third, visible appearance of the Risen Christ to His disciples.

We're not told how or why the disciples came to be back in their home region of Galilee after the events of the Passover week in Jerusalem. For three years, these men walked with the "headliner." In recent days, however, they hid behind locked doors in fear of the Jewish leaders. They didn't seem to have a clear purpose in mind in spite of Jesus' commissioning in John 20:21-23.

Some scholars suggest based on Peter's comment that he bailed on his calling to "fish for men" and had gone back to his old career of fishing for fish. Considering recent events, Peter's attitude may have been partly the result of discouragement over his threefold denial of Jesus during the trials. Perhaps the fishing trip was out of economic necessity. Whatever the reason, it's interesting to note that when the seven men picked up their old profession, they caught nothing after fishing all night.

Life doesn't always turn out the way we think it should. Quite frankly, sometimes the trouble with life is that it is so daily. Things don't go the way we expect. We become buried by feelings of disappointment. Discouragement threatens to drag us away from God's call for our life. Some of God's best people struggled with the same thing.

Reading through the Gospels, it becomes quite clear that more than anything, Jesus cares about people. He came to our planet because people needed what only He could bring to us. And, as you probably know. He went to the extremes of self-sacrifice to prove how committed He was to meeting our needs.

Jesus showed up on the beach of the Sea of Galilee and called Peter back to His side.Whether you're struggling through a season of disappointment, a time of uncertainty, or the memory of personal failure is still fresh in your mind, my friend, listen. He's calling you back to Him.

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

The silent hours

Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
John 19:42 (NIV)

Taking palm branches, the great crowd went out to meet Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Five days later following a string of betrayal, arrest, denials, trials, beatings and crucifixion, Jesus' dead, battered and bloody body was taken down from the cross. Without pomp or ceremony, His body was laid in a cold, silent tomb.

I remember like it was yesterday walking away from my daddy's gravesite following his funeral service. The immediate silence weighed heavily on my mother, brothers, sisters and me. In our individual memories, we grappled with the earthly finality marked by our father's death. With God's Word, however, we have the benefit of knowing that when Jesus died on the cross, it didn't end there. I've often thought about some of those who were close to Jesus during the days leading up to His death. What did they experience during the "silent hours" that His body lay in the grave?

There was the little-known man named Malchus, the servant of the high priest. A participant in the arrest of the itinerant preacher, Malchus lost his right ear at the hand of Peter and was miraculously healed by the hand of the alleged criminal he came to arrest. Shocked by the attack, surprised by the healing, did Malchus struggle with the idea that a company of soldiers was ordered, under the cover of night, to arrest a man who would defend and heal an enemy?

What about the centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? According to Bible scholar William Barclay, "The centurions were the finest men in the Roman army." A seasoned veteran who had watched men die, this army officer no doubt had supervised many crucifixions. Yet, this event was different. He witnessed Jesus' response to the injustice that He endured at the hands of His own countrymen, as well as His response to the torture that the centurion and his men inflicted upon Him. He saw the dignity with which Jesus responded to the lynch mob, the mercy He showed toward the people and, finally, creation's response to the Creator's sin-bearing act.

A man of means and a member of the council that had condemned Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea was too afraid to publicly identify with Christ when the Savior was alive. But then he does the unthinkable; he identifies with Him in His death. Joseph goes to Pilate, claims the "criminal's" body, and performs a task both horrible and lovely. Just the physical struggle of removing the Savior's beaten and bloody body would have been a gruesome task. Did Joseph carry the sorrow of regret about what, humanly speaking, might have been had he declared his allegiance to the Savior sooner? Too late for regret, it wasn't too late to care. As he prepared the body of Jesus for burial, Joseph's secret fears gave way to a very public demonstration of love and devotion.

Then there were the women who stood in faithful devotion by the cross of Jesus. Considered no better than possessions and undervalued by their ancient world, Jesus treated these women of Galilee with uncommon honor and dignity, with kindness and care. What emotional roller coaster of feelings did they experience as they waited out of the silent hours in order to return to the tomb to complete the burial process?

We observe on Maundy Thursday in the Lord's Supper Jesus' command to remember. On Good Friday, we recall with heartache Jesus' suffering as He took our sins and died on the cross. We joyfully celebrate on Easter Sunday His victory over sin, death and the devil. Dear friend, during the silent in-between hours as His body lay in the tomb, it is my desire that my heart, and yours, be stirred to devotion as we consider the marvelous healing, overwhelming mercy and grace-filled care that is ours through our Savior's suffering, death and resurrection.

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following

Because I said so

According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 (NIV)

I placed my groceries on the checkout conveyor belt and couldn't help but smile as I overheard the energetic dialogue between a young teenage girl and her mother who stood in line behind me. Determined, the girl pushed, "But, Mom! Why can't I go to Ashley's party?" "Because I said so," her mother replied.

How many times I wondered had I insisted upon my children's obedience based on the integrity of "because I said so." That's at the heart of what Paul says to the New Testament believers of Thessalonica when he wrote "according to the Lord's own word, we tell you..."

First century Thessalonica was a free city, as well as the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia (northern Greece). A bustling seaport metropolis with a population numbering about 200,000, it was an important communication and trade center located at the junction of the great Egnatian Way and the road leading north to the Danube.

Along with Silas and Timothy, Paul found the Thessalonian church about AD 50 on his second missionary trip. According to the account in Acts 17:1-9, the men left Thessalonica abruptly after a rather brief stay. The Jews, along with others, stirred up trouble because Paul was winning converts from those interested in Judaism. The newly-formed church sent the missionaries away for safety's sake.

Later Paul learned from Timothy that the young church was undergoing a problem. Thessalonian believers were experiencing anxiety over their believing loved ones who had died. They feared they were gone forever and would miss out on the second coming of Christ. With words of comfort and to soften their fears, Paul responded to the believers with a threefold message that contrasted sorrow and hope.

First he removed the new believers' ignorance of the issue by providing the right information. "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." (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Through this biblical insight, Paul then accomplished his second objective. He gave the believers hope. Most significantly, the hope he shared was not empty optimism but anchored in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (v.14). Thirdly, Paul didn't deny that the people experienced grief. But that wasn't the point here. Paul's message is that hope in Christ gives comfort and removes grief.

As to the authority of his message, notice what the Apostle writes in verse 15, "According to the Lord's own word." The promise and explanation of Paul's message weren't figments of his imagination or wishful thinking. They were based on the fact that Jesus said so.

The hope that we have in Christ is the key to dealing with our sorrows in life. It's a hope that the unbelieving world doesn't have. You can believe it, my friend, because Jesus said so.

Blessings, dear friend.
Faithfully Following