Breakfast?

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21:1-14, NRSV)

Two things about this reading always make me go what?

When Simon Peter heard it was Jesus he put on clothes for he was naked and jumped in the water.

Now when most of us go swimming we tend to take off clothing not put it back on. So I was always amazed by this.

And Jesus asked them for breakfast. Jesus wanted to eat. He was dead and now He wants something to eat. Usually, dead people don’t eat much.

But here Jesus is proving to the disciples He is alive and well and the tomb had no effect on Him.

And they all knew it was Jesus and He ate with them.

I wonder how we would react to meeting Jesus and having Him ask us for food?

Pure and Spiritual

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3, NRSV)

Seek after God and only what God has to give you.

Everything else is fast-food junk compared to the succulent food God gives.

So rid yourself of all the junk and feast on God!

endures

23You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25but the word of the Lord endures forever.” That word is the good news that was announced to you. (1 Peter 1:23-25, NRSV)

Nothing stands forever except…

No nothing stands forever, the flower fades, the grass withers, the snow will melt eventually, nothing stands forever.

Well the Word of God will never pass away. It is always true.

The hope and promises we have in God’s word will never pass away and they will stand forever.

Hope in it!

what a walk!

13Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24:13-35, NRSV)

We read this passage and we wonder how the two disciples wouldn’t know who Jesus is? But here is a question I honestly never thought of before, who is the other disciple?

We know there are two disciples and one of them is named Cleopas, and the other one is who? And here is the question that was asked in a devotion I was watching today, was the other disciple male or female?

I thought as the pastor speaking said, “We all assume the other disciple is male because that is how it works in our biblical mindset…” Right, I never thought about the other disciple being female. But why not.

Well, then that means that women can be disciples, which of course they can. so what is the problem with the other disciple being female?

That pastor then went on to talk about the events at the foot of the cross in John. John 19:25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Standing at the cross were Mary, and her sister the wife of Clopas. Now Clopas is not Cleopas but are they the same person? Because the two disciples were going to Emmaus and they got to a house and acted like they were going to stop because it was their home and the urged Jesus to come in with them. And if they were the sister and brother-in-law of Mary Jesus’ mother then that is why they would have been there and why they would have gone home afterward.

We get hung up on details sometimes and maybe not see the whole picture.

We can be and are all disciples and we need to learn from Jesus, that everyone is welcome. And Jesus died and rose for each one of us.

So let’s take that message to the world!

Who do you invite?

12He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14, NRSV)

Right now I think most of us would just open our door and let the world come in to be around us! We are all going stir crazy here, but who would you invite to a party?

Do we invite people who can invite us back? Do we do things for people who can do things for us in return or do we graciously give to everyone because God has graciously given to us?

Blessed are you who give to others as God has given to you.

Hope

13Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16, NRSV)

What do you hope for?

What do you hope in?

Do you see the difference?

I hope we will soon be out of the shelter in place. I hope we will be able to gather together with friends and families, to return to a way of life that is not us staying in our own places and away from other people. I am an introvert and love my time alone, but I have had enough of that and need interaction. I hope this will all be over soon.

But I can not use that as the basis for my life. My hope that I trust in and cling to is Jesus. I hope in Jesus. I know that Jesus will always be with me and His grace will cover me. That is my hope. That is the basis of my life and it is because of that grace, I hope we will be together again.

What do you hope in?

seeing isn’t believing

8Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look! (1 Peter 1:8b-12, NRSV)

This is what I was talking about in the last devotional. Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing. We have seen Jesus because we believe in the promises and the stories we have heard.

The truth of the promises overtake us and we believe with no discernable proof of the whole thing. But it goes back to that line from the Santa Claus 2, where Santa’s son Charlie is explaining to his high school principal that his father is Santa and that it is hard for adults to believe in Santa and the North Pole because we can not see it, but little children just believe, and therefore it is real to them.

Is Jesus real to you?

Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing!

a sign

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!  (Matthew 12:38-42, NRSV)

Why do we need to see something to believe it?

We need to observe things with our eyes in order for it to be believable. And that is crazy. I have a friend in Washington state who is a pastor, a coffee roaster and a magician. I have seen him do things I can not explain on Instagram and Facebook. I have seen it and I believe that it happened but I also don’t believe it. When I was a kid I watched David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear. Did it actually disappear? No, it didn’t but it appeared to. One of my all-time favorite movie quotes is from The Santa Claus 2, “Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.”

We don’t need a sign, God is good to the promises God has made.

So hold to the promises.

most to be pitied

19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.  (1 Corinthians 15:19-28, NRSV)

How many of us remember B.A. Baracus, “I pity da fool.” This is an interesting passage for me because this says that “if for this life only we have hoped in Christ,” which to me means if we only hope in Christ for life now. And that is really the opposite of what I think most people hope in Christ for. Most people think that hope in Christ will get us eternal life with God. Which it will, but hope in Christ also give us abundant life now.

You see death came through Adam and our life comes through Jesus for life eternal and abundant now. It isn’t an either-or but a both-and.

Do not be one to be pitied, trust in eternal life and abundant life here and now. That is what Christ did for all of us.

Raised from the dead

12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (1 Corinthians 15:12-20, NRSV)

We have to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. If we do not believe this then our faith is in nothing.

But if we believe that Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, why can we not believe that Jesus himself could walk out of the tomb?

You could say that we can’t prove it because we did not see it. There are a lot of things we can’t see but most of us still believe in. For instance, can you see the wind? You can see the effects of the wind, but we can’t see the wind. And even though I can’t see the wind I still believe it exists. And I know, you can see the effects of the wind, well I can see the effects of Jesus’ resurrection too. Life abundant all around me, and that is the life that walked out of the tomb.

Don’t be unbelieving of the resurrection of Christ. It is the foundation of our faith and the true hope of life!