Posts about the resurrection of Jesus (not necessarily an Easter series)

That You May Believe

Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” John 11:14-15

The disciples had seen Jesus raise people from the dead.
More than once.
They knew He could do it.

So what did they still need to believe?

That the delay was not a problem.
That the danger from the Jewish leaders was not a problem.
That death itself was not a problem.

That Jesus wasn’t just a miracle-worker.
He wasn’t just a teacher.
He wasn’t just a prophet.

He is the resurrection.

They could believe, entrust, commit their lives, their futures, their very souls to Him.

Do we need to believe?
Do we need to commit, entrust our schedules, our jobs, our health, our families, our finances, our futures to Him?
Are there times when He hasn’t immediately intervened and fixed everything … so that we may believe?

Jesus explained it in verse 4, but no one was ready to listen yet. He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

The death led to belief which led to the glory of God.

He Reaffirmed

By Paula Wiseman

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” John 21:15

He had to know this conversation was coming.
Yes, even in the middle of the joy and miracle of the resurrection, there was some unfinished business.
The shameful denials and abandonment the night of the trial …
Jesus had yet to bring those up.

Until now.

Forty-two days later. Six full weeks. Why did Jesus wait so long?
Was He giving Peter time to think about what he’d done? Not necessary.
Was He waiting to see how the other guys treated Peter? Maybe.
Was He giving Peter the chance to bring it up first? Perhaps.

But what if He wanted Peter to understand something …
Jesus had forty days to evaluate, to consider and reconsider.
Peter knew this wasn’t a hasty pronouncement made out of nostalgia or out of the emotion of the moment.
“Peter, I still have a job for you. Will you do it?”

After the failure, the denials, the abandonment …
Jesus reaffirmed His call.

Because of the Resurrection, Peter’s failures weren’t the last word.
Because of the Resurrection, our sins and failures aren’t the last word.

(I apologize for the Monday post being late. No technical glitches this time. Just allergies, lots of antihistamine and an eighteen-hour nap. Yay, spring. Thanks for understanding.)

He Confessed

By Paula Wiseman

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28

Thomas’s reputation suffers because of our hindsight.
And we forget the other disciples didn’t believe the women when they said they had seen the risen Christ.

Thomas is courageous enough to say out loud what we believe.
It’s too good to be true.
The words of Christ, the promises … I want to believe them, I do.
But I know what I’ve seen.
I know what the last few days have been like.
And I can’t reconcile what I’ve experienced with what He said.

I’ve been in that same place.

There’s a difference between doubt and skepticism.
Doubt wants to believe.
Skepticism refuses to.

Jesus, in His compassion, meets Thomas at the point of his doubt.
Jesus, in His compassion, meets me at the point of my doubts.
Every single time.

The response is always the same. “My Lord and my God!”

She Turned

By Paula Wiseman

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). John 20:16

She turned.

From fear to boldness.
From confusion to understanding.
From an abstract idea about resurrection to concrete evidence of its reality.
From inconsolable grief to unparalleled joy.
From past to future.

The risen Christ has called to us as well.

Have we responded?
Have we turned?

Have I responded?
Have I turned?

Easter Monday

By Paula Wiseman

It’s Monday, but we often live like it’s Saturday.

Oh, some live like it’s the weekend, no doubt. That’s not what I mean.

Jesus was crucified on Friday.

Saturday was fear-filled, anxiety-ridden, and steeped in uncertainty.

But it’s not Saturday.

Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, so we’ll never have to live through a Saturday like that again. Ever.

We live in a post-Resurrection day. A Monday.

We have hope. We have victory. We have proof God keeps His promises.

Monday. Not Saturday.

He is risen. He is risen, indeed.

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Acts 2:32

Still Risen

By Paula Wiseman

Jesus is still risen.

All the joy and hope from Easter is still here today. And every day

It doesn’t get packed away with the Easter baskets until next year.

We don’t have to go back to business as usual.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.