John Bible Study - Lesson 51

John Bible Study - Lesson 51

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 20:11-29 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ Now 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 He asked her, “Woman, 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”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, 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’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus^[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

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.”

John 20:11-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. ¹² She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

¹⁴ She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. ¹⁵ “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

¹⁶ “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

¹⁷ “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ That Sunday evening^[a] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁰ As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! ²¹ Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” ²² Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),^[b] was not with the others when Jesus came. ²⁵ They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

²⁶ Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

²⁸ “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·        Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Jesus was buried and began to weep.

·        Mary, looking into the tomb, saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. The angels asked Mary why she was crying and who she was looking for.

·        Mary’s answer shows that she thought someone had stolen Jesus’ body.

·        Jesus then appeared to Mary and asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for.

·        Mary not knowing it was Jesus asked Him if He had taken the body.

·        Jesus then called Mary by name. Mary then recognized that the man was Jesus.

·        She cried out, “Rabboni!” (Teacher) and then held on to Jesus. Jesus tells Mary not to hold on to Him for He hadn’t yet ascended to the Father.

·        Jesus tells Mary to go and tell the disciples what she had seen and heard.

·        Mary then goes and tells the disciples Jesus had risen from the grave.

·        On that Sunday night Jesus appeared to His disciples who were secretly meeting due to their fear of the Jewish leaders.

·        Jesus commissions His disciples to go out and share the good news and equips them by breathing into them the Holy Spirit.

·        Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples not with them at the time of Jesus’ appearance, said he would not believe that Jesus had risen unless he saw the nail wounds from the crucifixion on Jesus’ hand, and the place where the roman spear had penetrated Jesus’ side.

               A week later Jesus was with the disciples including Thomas. Jesus  

               commands Thomas to put his finger into the wounds.

               Jesus exhorts Thomas to not be faithless any longer but to believe.

·        Thomas did as Jesus said and believed.

·        Jesus tells Thomas he is blessed for believing and then states: “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

In the last lesson I pointed out that there were different descriptions of what happened based on the eyewitness accounts.

By any reasonable evaluation, the resurrection accounts from the four Gospels are superbly consistent eyewitness testimonies. The central truths - that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and that the resurrected Jesus appeared to many people - are clearly taught in each of the four Gospels. The apparent inconsistencies are in "side issues." How many angels did they see in the tomb, one or two? (Perhaps one person only saw one angel, while the other person saw two angels.) To how many women did Jesus appear, and to whom did He appear first? (While each Gospel has a slightly different sequence to the appearances, none of them claims to be giving the precise chronological order.) So, while the resurrection accounts may seem to be inconsistent, it cannot be proven that the accounts are contradictory.

Here are the other Gospel descriptions of this event:

Matthew 28:1-15 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

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 Guards’ Report

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Matthew’s description of the event:

·        Two women both named Mary went to the tomb

·        There was a violent earthquake

·        An angel rolled back the stone and sat on it

·        The guards witnessed the event and were frightened by what they witnessed.

·        The angel tells the women to not be afraid and that Jesus had risen.

·        The angel shows the women that Jesus’ body was gone and tells them to go and tell the disciples.

·        As the women were running to tell the disciples Jesus met them and told them not to be afraid,

·        The women clasp Jesus feet and worship Him.

·        Jesus tells the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee and that Jesus will see them there.

·        The guards report Jesus’ body missing. The soldiers were bribed to say the disciples came during the night and stole the body.

Mark 16:1-11 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Has Risen

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^[a]

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[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

⁹ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. ¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. ¹³ These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. ⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰ Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Mark’s description of the event:

·        After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body.

·        When they arrived at the tomb they noticed the stone had been rolled away.

·        When they entered the tomb they were alarmed when they noticed a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side.

·        The man tells the women not to be alarmed and that Jesus had risen. He also told them to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus was going to Galilee and that they would be able to meet Him there.

·        The frightened women left the tomb and said nothing to anyone.

·        The later manuscripts include Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene. Mary tells the disciples that Jesus had risen but no one believed her.

·        Jesus appears to two others who told the disciples what they had seen but they still did not believe.

·        Jesus appears to the disciples and rebukes them for not believing the eyewitness accounts about His resurrection.

Luke 24:1-12 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Has Risen

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Luke 24:13-35 describes two of Jesus’s disciples encounter with Him on the road to Emmaus. The two disciples tell the Eleven what they had seen, heard and believed. 

It was after the two tell the Eleven about what happened, Jesus appeared to the Eleven disciples.

Luke 24:36-42 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

³⁶ While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

³⁷ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

⁴⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹ And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Luke’s description of the event:

·        The Women took spices they had prepared to the tomb where Jesus was buried.

·        They found the stone rolled away and when they entered the tomb Jesus’ body was not there.

·        Two men appeared and told the women Jesus had risen.

·        The two men reminded the women about what Jesus said about His death and resurrection. The women understood that Jesus had risen.

·        The women went to the disciples and told them what they saw but the disciples did not believe them.

·        Peter ran to the tomb to see for himself.

·        Two of Jesus’s disciples have an encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

·        The two disciples go and tell the other Eleven disciples about the encounter.

·        Jesus appears to the disciples, shows them His wounds, and calms their doubts and fears. Jesus asks for and eats some broiled fish and says: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

·        Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

So we have 4 different Gospel writers offering descriptions of the resurrection and events that unfolded after.

Here is a possible harmony of the narratives of the resurrection of Christ and His post-resurrection appearances, in chronological order:

Still on the same day, Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32)

That evening, the two disciples report the event to the Eleven in Jerusalem

(Luke 24:32-35)

Jesus appears to ten disciples—Thomas is missing

(Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)

Jesus appears to all eleven disciples—Thomas included

 (John 20:26-31)

Jesus appears to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25)

Jesus appears to about 500 disciples in Galilee (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Jesus appears to His half-brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7)

Jesus commissions His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus teaches His disciples the Scriptures and promises to send the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5)

Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-12)

(The above details from Gotquestions.org)

Based on eyewitness accounts what we can be sure of:(from BSF)

·         The disciples had no hope of Jesus’ physical resurrection (Luke 24:13-24)

·         The Roman soldiers sealed and guarded the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66)

·         The tomb was empty; the angel rolled away the stone and announced the resurrection

(Luke 24:1-10)

·         Jesus had risen from the grave. Had Jesus not risen bodily, the Roman and Jewish soldiers would have found evidence. Instead the chief priests bribed the guards to say they fell asleep on duty. (Matthew 28:12-15)

·         The grave clothes remained in place in the empty tomb where Jesus’ body had lain.

      (John 20:6-8)

·         Jesus appeared to at least 3 women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. (Mark 16:1)

·         At least 2 women physically clasped Jesus feet and worshipped Him. (Matthew 28:1-9)

·         Jesus appeared to 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)

·         Jesus had the physical wounds from the crucifixion. Jesus showed His disciples His wounds (Luke 24:37-34; John 20:27)

·         Thomas had doubts about Jesus’ resurrection but after seeing the evidence of His wounds was convinced He was the Lord. (John 20:24-29)

·         Jesus walked, talked and ate with groups of individuals and believers at many times and places (Luke 24:13-34; John 20:19; John 20:24-26; 1 Corinthians 15:5-7)

·         Jesus appeared to 500 people at one time. (when Paul published this fact, most of the 500 were still alive to confirm the truth, (1 Corinthians 15:6)

·         Jesus appeared to the Eleven including Thomas.

·         Many witnessed Jesus rise bodily in to the clouds of Heaven.(Luke 24:50-52;Acts 1:9-11)

·         Jesus opened up the minds of the disciples so they would understand how He fulfilled the scriptures foretold about the Messiah. Jesus commissioned His disciples and equipped them to share the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22;Luke 24:44-49)

·         The changed lives of believers are the enduring evidence of the resurrection.

      ( 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:9)

What we learn about faith and trust in God and His plan for His people:

Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus until she heard His voice.

Followers of Jesus listen to His for wisdom, direction and eternal perspective:

John 10:27-28 New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Jesus calls out to us as well to follow Him:

Matthew 4:19

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

John 8:12

[ Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony ] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Thomas had to actually see the wounds before He would believe.

We are to live by faith and not by sight. We can see from God’s Word, God’s revelation of Himself and His plan for His people.  We may not always know however, what God is doing, but He promises that if we trust Him He will make our paths straight. God also has a good plan & purpose for those who love Him:

2 Corinthians 5:7 New International Version (NIV)

For we live by faith, not by sight

Hebrews 11:1 New International Version (NIV)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Philippians 1:6 New International Version (NIV)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:28New International Version (NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Jesus had to open up the minds of His disciples.

All Believers receive the Holy Spirit who transforms a person’s mind, heart and actions for God’s kingdom purpose:

John 14:26 New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Influence of the Holy Spirit in a believers life:

(From Charles F. Stanley, In Touch Ministries)

·        He convicts us of sin (John 16:8).

·        He permanently indwells us (John 14:16-17).

·        He seals us (Eph. 1:13).

·        He teaches us (John 14:26).

·        He guides us into all truth (John 16:13).

·        He reminds us (John 14:26).

·        He bears fruit through us (Gal. 5:22-23).

·        He comforts us (John 16:7).

·        He equips us with spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-7).

·        He fills us (Eph. 5:18).

·        He empowers us (Acts 1:8).

Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on His disciples before He sent them out to preach the gospel.   

We need God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill God’s purpose in us and through us:

John 14:15-17 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Ephesians 2:10 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Matthew 28:18-20 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Jesus accomplished the work of redeeming His people through His death and resurrection.  Followers of Jesus are sent to give the gospel call to repent, believe and receive forgiveness based on what Jesus did on the cross.

The scriptures connect Jesus to the Messiah the prophets foretold about.

Check out the link below to see 44 Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus Christ

https://www.thoughtco.com/prophecies-of-jesus-fulfilled-700159

Jesus fulfilled His own prophecy about His death and resurrection. Jesus gave up His Spirit to fulfill God’s plan of salvation:

Mark 8:31 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Predicts His Death

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

John 19:28-30 New King James Version (NKJV)

It Is Finished

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” ²⁹ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

In conclusion:

What an amazing story about how the disciples turned from sorrow to joy when they encountered the resurrected Jesus. We too can be joyful and encounter Jesus if we take the steps to embrace His truth, guidance from the Holy Spirit and surrender our will in favor of His. When we spend time meditating on God’s Word and in prayer we will connect and encounter God on a much deeper level. We need to embrace and appropriate the blessings God offers His people. With God’s help we can impact this broken world with truth, hope and Christ-like love. What better way to demonstrate abundant life in Jesus than to live out the transformed new self, new attitude and new perspective we have been given.  Remember these things:

Ephesians 4:22-24New International Version (NIV)

²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

James 1:22-25New International Version (NIV)

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

1 Peter 3:15New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        If you are not a believer, ask God to remove the barriers that keep you from becoming a follower of Jesus.

·        Live by faith not by sight.

·        Be confident in God’s promises.

·        Pray unceasingly.

·        Rejoice in what Jesus has done.

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other 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 Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        How would you define you relationship with Jesus?

·        Can you rejoice even though you’re experiencing difficult circumstances?

·        What help have you received from the Holy Spirit?

·        What is preventing you from discerning God’s will for your life?

·        Have you encountered the resurrected Christ?

·        How has your life changed since becoming a believer?

·        What hinders your belief and trust in God?

·        How is Jesus calling you to follow Him?

Have a great week…………….Dave