Progression at the Tomb

   This is my second post about John 20 but this one is focusing specifically on John 20:1-10. 

   Now, on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and say that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out the tomb, and we do not know where they have lain him." So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but He did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen clothes lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. The the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet the did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. 

                                            John 20:1-10

   John (aka 'the one whom Jesus loved') was the very first believer! The six verbs in blue in the passage above track the progression of his belief and, I feel, the progression of most believers. I'm also going to add another verb, to listen/hear, to the beginning because clearly he listened to/heard Mary.

   

hear -> run -> stoop -> see -> go in to -> understand -> believe

Hear: To believe, we must first hear the word of God, whether directly from Him, from the Bible, or from someone else.

Run: Once we have had ears to hear we "run." We are filled with eagerness and awe and a longing to see for ourselves what's going on.

Stoop: We must "stoop" or humble ourselves to truly see what's going on and who Jesus is.

See: Once we have humbled ourselves we see the truth.

Go in to: We must take a step of faith and immerse ourselves in the mystery of what we see.

Understand: There are three Greek words for see: blepo, theoreo, and orao. Blepo is used in verse 5 and means to see/look at/ notice(physically). Theoreo is used in verse 6 and means to scrutinize/examine/analyze (intellectual). Orao is used in verse 8 and it means to see with understanding (spiritual). That is how John saw the tomb and the lack of thing in it, with understanding. Once we have immersed ourselves in the truth, we understand what it means.

Believe: Yay! Welcome to the family of God!

Side note: If you noticed that verse nine says quite plainly that he didn't understand the scripture and think that is a little contradictory to the understanding step I put before believe, props to you! Hopefully you always double check in scripture. But the thing about his particular example is that you can know who Jesus is and understand the reality of his love, sacrifice, and salvation without understanding the intellectual and scriptural side. In fact most new believers are probably not all that familiar with the Bible! :) This is awesome because it means that one does not have to be a learned scholar to follow our Lord, He will make Himself known to those who can't own a Bible just as clearly as He reveals Himself to those who can. But, since we have the privilege to own Bible's, we should treat it's words like the treasure it is!

To help those around the world gain access to God's written treasure, visit VOM (Voice of the Martyrs). 

Nadab and Abihu

   I recently received an amazing Bible from my parents. It's chronological and has the best study notes I've ever read! I'm currently reading through the OT and the explanations of different events and laws are making God's word come alive to me in a whole new way! Because of this, many of my posts will be expansions on what I've read in my Bible so whenever you see "Expansion on the Chronological Life Application Study Bible" at the bottom of a post, please know that much of the post is not original! On that note (no pun intended!:)), lets dive into the confusing story of Nadab and Abihu. 

        Please read Leviticus 10:1-7 before continuing!

   Stories like this are always extremely confusing to me because it seems so crazy that God would destroy someone for making what seems to be a little mistake. These stories are also very powerful weapons used by those who fight against the reality of God and Christ because many Christians don't know how to respond or haven't even heard the stories. (Being able to stand up for God is another incentive to know and treasure His word.) Although I may never understand the reason behind this particular action in it's entirety, the explanation given in my study notes made a lot of sense. It is paraphrased below.


   Even though they had just listened to the explanation of God's personal instructions (Leviticus 1-7), watched them preformed (Leviticus 8-9:21), and visually seen the presence of God (Leviticus 9:22-24), they used the wrong kind of fire when the sacrificed their offering to the Lord. The fire on the Alter used for sacrifice was holy because God's greatness and goodness and holiness demanded that everything the Israelites worshiped Him with was holy (This changed after Jesus came. Now, through His grace, we can worship God however we feel lead by the Holy Spirit which is the way God originally intended anyway! Thanks JC!) Nadab and Abihu were being careless in their service and worship of God. The instructions for how to relate to God are part of His law so preforming the sacrifices was an act of obedience and doing them correctly showed respect. Nadab and Abihu had been placed in a position of leadership so they had a special responsibility to obey God because the people would follow their lead. However, instead of taking care to obey God and not lead His people astray, one of their first acts as priests (they were still in the ordination process and this could be their first since no others are mentioned) showed disrespect and disobedience to God's law. You know the story Jesus told about the master and the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Nadab and Abihu are like the first man. As priests, the were respected, taken care of, and got to spend their time serving God in the beautiful tabernacle tent. But, they were careless with what they'd been given and received their due reward.** 
   So, what can we learn from the story of Nadab and Abihu? We can learn what it means to be a leader for Jesus. When God puts us in a position to lead, it is extremely serious because God's people are what He loves most in the world and when we lead, He has trusted us with what is most precious to Him. If God has commissioned you to lead or teach others, never take that role for granted or abuse it. Stay faithful to God and follow His instructions.


*Does this mean they aren't in heaven? Who are any of us humans to say? Nadab and Abihu and real people and their story is a true story, God has told us what we can learn from and no more. 
*Many people argue against Christianity by claiming the the fiery God of the OT is very different from sweet, loving Jesus in the NT. As a follower of Jesus, it is important that we know the truth, Jesus is God. (John 10:30; 1 Tim. 3:16; John 8:19; John 1:14) But just as important as it is to know and believe the verses that spell it out for us, it is also important to recognize that fact. The story of Nadab and Abihu can be easily related parable of the talents. Just as Nadab and Abihu were severely punished for their disrespect and disobedience toward God, so was the third servant and all three were severely punished. There are many other similarities between Jesus' teaching, God's instruction, and the event of the OT. But to me, the most significant is the fact that from the moment Adam and Eve sinned, God (in His three parts) had a plan to sacrifice Himself to save us. He alluded to Jesus all through the OT which shows that He never changed His mind or love in regards to us and the salvation plan. 

Food for Thought: According to John 1:14, God (the threesome) is the perfect balance of grace and truth. When God kills Nadab and Abihu, He's displaying the truth side of Himself. He flat out said bad things would happen to those who disobeyed the laws created by God for their own good. But what if He was also showing grace to His people by eliminating the opportunity for them to have been led astray by two of their first priests. Obviously this could be completely wrong but I thought it was interesting to think about.

Reassurance: One way that we are assured that they weren't consumed by the fiery wrath of God for a little accident is what next happens with their two brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar. Read Leviticus 10:16-20. The two brothers were confused, sad, and probably quite scared. They did what they thought would be best based on God's law and their own feelings. While it probably would have been best for them to go ahead and follow God's law despite their emotions, God won't punish us for doing things wrong on accident in our confusion or grief. What matters to Him is that we are doing our best to obey Him and ask forgiveness when we don't get it right. 

Expansion on the Chronological Life Application Study Bible

p.s. the last 2 sentences from the "So, what can..." paragraph are verbatim from my Bible.

Outsider's Perspective

   I think we can learn a lot from the confusion and blindness displayed by Jesus followers after His death. When I read John 20, it is easy for me to think "come one guys! Jesus told you this was going to happen and there have been continuos references to it all through scripture and now you're seeing play out right in front of you and you still don't get it! It's so obvious what's going on!" And in truth, I'm right in saying that it is extremely obvious, but only because I have the outsider's perspective. 
   The outsider's perspective is the ability to see more of the big picture and analyze what's going on in a calm and collected manner. It is an ability that is usually only possessed by someone who is not directly involved in the given situation because they aren't not emotionally invested.* It explains how we know exactly what to do in hypothetical situations but are completely lost when those types of situations arise in our actual lives. I think John 20 can serve as a great reminder that asking an "outsider" for advice can often be very helpful because they have a less clouded view. However, we also see that the people the disciples could have asked would have given the wrong advice, whether because of bias (the Pharisees) or ignorance (the Romans). There is only one guy we can always depend on to know exactly what's going on. His name is God. Thankfully He's always available to talk to! :)


*The exception to this is God because He is invested in every situation, and every aspect of every situation so He gets the full picture that way. I think this is a cool thought because it shows that God's omniscience comes from His omnipresence. (Here's a dictionary just in case you need it!:))

Fun little visual:
From outside the towns walls we can see a bigger than the people inside the town (our view includes the hills and horizon) but also a less detailed one. Only God can see everything because He alone is in every detail of the town and every detail of the hills. He understands everything about His creation not only because He's great enough to do so but because He's loving enough to care.

The Four Reactions

   Last night at my Bible Study we studied John 20. It was amazing and I learned an incredible amount, so much that there will be like 6 separate posts on this one chapter so prepare yourself for an information overload!:)This post is about the four different reactions Jesus loved ones had to His death. Please go ahead and read John 20 before reading these posts. (It would probably be better to go ahead and open your paper Bible because I'm not going to link everything in these posts.)
   
   These are the four reactions to the fact that Jesus is gone from His tomb:
 1. Peter and John - eager
 2. Mary - sorrowful
 3. Thomas - doubtful
 4. Disciples - fearful

   These four reactions are probably some of the most common reactions to new developments in our faith. Sometimes we're Peter and John, eager to see for ourselves and do something even if we aren't exactly sure what we're supposed to be doing. Other times we are Mary, letting our grief overcome us temporarily blind us to the truth until Jesus appears to lift us up. Often we're Thomas, doubting what we hear or whether it really is Jesus speaking. Unsure of what to believe and refusing to do so until Jesus has come and given you absolute proof. But my personal most common reaction is that of the disciples, fear. Scared to go out and proclaim the miracle and salvation of Jesus because of what may happen to me if I do.
   If you're a human and follower of Christ, chances are you've responded with these emotions at some point in your walk with Jesus. Maybe you're in the midst of responding in one of these ways right now. Maybe your reaction is a combination of the ones above or something totally different. Well, no matter what you're feeling, I have good news for you! Some 2000 years ago, Jesus sought out each of these people and their different reactions and responded in the way that they personally needed so that the end result was belief! The good new? Jesus is still alive and active! Just as he met Peter and John and Mary and Thomas and the fearful disciples where they where, He will do the same for you! That is the hope that we as Christians can always cling to and a promise from God that will certainly come true!

An extra, interesting thought:
Here's some food for thought from one of my leaders in regard to the fearful disciples: "How crafty Satan is in causing the most life giving things to appear the most frightening."

A more personal note from me:
   While I often react with these emotions to specific events, I also have a little bit of a 'meh' reaction/mindset a lot of the time. I feel comfortable and complacent about where my faith is and lose my eagerness to learn more about Jesus and do more for Him. I intellectually know that actively following is better but a part of my subconscious seems to be refusing to believe it. This is not a suitable reaction at all considering all Jesus has done but if you too ever feel this way, let me assure you, Jesus will meet you and your complacency where you are and start deal with it as soon as you let Him, just like He did for me last night!

John 15:18-25

Please read John 15:18-25 before continuing

   One of the things that I love about this verse is that it is Jesus telling us one way it will cost us to follow Him. He isn't keeping any secrets or lying to gain followers, He's telling us point blank that people will hate us because of Him. We know the risk and cost of following Jesus because He told us Himself.

   Jesus is always honest with us, and not just by telling half truths because those are deceiving and since the definition of a lie is 'a statement meant to decieve' they are lies. Jesus tells us the whole truth. Jesus doesn't say, the world will hate you and that's all their is to it. He says the world will hate you because of me but if you were to abandon me and become part of the world it would love you. He gives us this option to turn away from Him just as God gave Adam the option to sin against Him because He is the perfect gentleman, never forcing His way. 

    So, we know that the world will hate us because it hated Jesus but this is actually a two way statement, those who love and listen to Jesus will do the same for us. 

    And lastly, verse 25 quotes the Old testament which is Psalm 69:4 for those who are curious.

The Cross: Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone

 My pastor, Dr. Edington, preached a wonderful sermon on Sunday that I'm going to recap here. We're doing a sermon series that focus on the message of different hymns and yesterday's was 'The Old Rugged Cross.' This hymn is one of the most powerful hymns because it clearly shows that our only hope in life is to cling to the cross of Christ. (disclaimer: I'm going to write this like I came up with it but just know that it's all God and Dr. Edington not me.)

   

   Many people think of the cross as a nice symbol to put on jewelry or bags or signs but in reality, without Jesus it is an awful symbol. The cross is probably the worst method of torture and execution humans ever came up with! (Criminals (and Jesus and martyrs) where whipped and then nails where driven through them to hang them on splintery wood that dug into the deep cuts. And there's a lot more gruesome details you can look up if you feel so inclined). We can't imagine kneeling down and worshiping at the bottom of gallows nor clinging to a noose in our time of need. We would think it insane if someone where to where a chain with a tiny, gold electric chair around their neck yet that is what we do with the cross. You see, without Jesus, the cross is simply the tool of an executioner. But because of Jesus, the cross has been transformed from an object of stark horror to profound adoration.

   When Jesus sacrificed Himself for us on the cross (Matthew 27:45-50) He did so out of love and in order to provide us with hope. Because Jesus is the only one not to cause sin, only He could cure sin and He choose to do so, for our sakes, despite the cost. I was saved on Good Friday at 3:00 about 2,000 years ago by Jesus on the cross.

   With those facts in mind, I'm going to tell a story. One day a little boy went to church for the first time in his life with his nanny. They sat down in the pews and the preacher began to tell a story about a innocent, young man who had been tortured and killed to save everyone in that room and the world. He learned that that man wanted His people to go and share the news of salvation with the rest of the world. The little boy looked around, expecting everyone to get up and go share the Good News but everyone else seemed quite unaffected by the news of Jesus. Stunned by the people's reaction the boy began to cry. At this point his nanny leaned over and whispered to him, "Don't take it so seriously, people will think you strange."

   Well, I don't think His reaction is strange at all. What I think is strange is that people can curse at a golf ball or scream at a TV screen and be normal but if one was to cry when they think of Jesus sacrifice on the cross it is odd. The cross is the most transformative event in history but not many people allow it to transform them or even give it much thought. This is not okay. We must all claim the cross of Jesus Christ because you cannot rightly live and cannot rightly die unless you make His cross your own.

John 15:1-11 (abide, apart, and ask)

*Please read John 15:1-11 before continuing.*

   Last night in Bible Study, God taught us through John 15:1-11. First we talked about abiding in Jesus. John 15:1 and 15:5 are the "casting" verses. They explain that in this analogy Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and God is the vinedresser (gardener). For a branch to live it must be securely attached to the vine. It gets its water/nutrients from the vine and stays anchored due to the vines roots. When something abides somewhere it is permanently living there. When we abide in Jesus we are trusting Him to be the one to meet all our needs and all of our time is occupied in His word and will. Abiding in Jesus results in glorifying God, being fruitful, and being full of joy (15:5; 8;11). Some ways to abide in Jesus include fellowship, sprayer, study, memorization, reading the Bible, serving others, and continuously checking our priorities. 
   When we abide in Jesus we produce fruit (fulfill our purpose) but to do this we must allow the gardener (God) to prune us. There are three different ways to prune. The first, also called dead heading, is simply cutting of the parts that are dead and useless (think of this as our sin; Ephesians 2:5). The second is used when a plant gets really long, the gardener will often cut off a chunk from one end even though that chunk is healthy. He does this so that the plants energy is more compact as can be used for producing more fruit rather than keeping an over abundance of cells alive. In our lives, God often tells us to let go of things that are good so that our energy can be focused in a more specific area and cause us to bear more fruit.
   These first two methods involve part of ourself being cut off and thrown away and will be undoubtably painful. God cuts away the thoughts and intentions that aren't serving Him. Hebrews 4:12 confirms that as well as informing us that God can cut through even the joints and marrow. Clearly God's word and discernment is insanely precise. While He does all of this tough "surgery" (or pruning), it becomes our job to hold still for Him (Psalm 46:10). This makes the process quicker and cleaner and allows more of it to get done. In order to hold still we must know that God is Lord and praise and trust Him through our pain.
   The third way of pruning also involves trusting God but doesn't involve cutting. Prune comes from the word catharse which means clean. In Bible times, when a vine got so heavy that it began to drag on the ground, the gardener would wash it off and then tie it to a trellis so it could continue to grow bigger and produce more fruit while staying clean. This makes me think of how I often get complacent when I have been following God. This complacency and pride results in me dragging on the ground and getting dirty. Only God can lift me back up from there, clean me up, and point in a new direction. This type of pruning requires a trust that God knows where you belong and where to put you (on the trellis). So in conclusion, to abide in Him, He must be number one and we must trust in Him. 
   The opposite of abiding is to be apart from Him. Just as a branch is dead, useless, and ends up in the fire when it is not attached to the vine, we are dead in sin, without purpose, and end up in the fire without Jesus. If we can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5), then the only meaningful things in life, the only things worth doing are the ones we do with and for Him. 
    To close I will point out that many people use John 15:16 as an reason to pray for material items or personal success and expect it when in fact the verse says IF. It is only when we abide in Jesus that we will get what we want because when we abide in Him our will aligns with His.