The House You're Building

      Orient  John 21:1-25 The final chapter of John, the book concludes with an appearance of Jesus to Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and Joh, and two other unnamed disciples.  The men were fishing and Jesus calls them to shore for a meal.  In this chapter, a well-known dialog between Jesus and Peter occurs where Peter reaffirms his loyalty to Jesus which serves as a parallel to his trice denial.  The book then ends differently than the synoptic gospels, without the resurrection story but a brief conclusion by the disciple John.     Introduction I’m a fan of reality shows.  I think it all started in the early 2000’s with American Idol.  I love seeing non-celebrity reactions to extreme situations.  One I’ve watched for many years is the show Survivor.  A classic scene in most seasons finds the tribe members sitting around a fire eating fish as it is commonly one of the natural food ...

        Orient  John 20:1-31 Chapter 20 describes the Resurrection of Christ and His disciples’ reactions to seeing the empty tomb.  Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John are featured characters.  Jesus then makes several appearances, first to Mary, then a group of disciples, then the group again with Thomas present, who had previously doubted His return.  The end of the chapter contains the anchor to the book, where John restates his author’s purpose to believe in Jesus to experience life.     Introduction I can’t believe my eyes  is a well-known idiom meaning something is shocking or incredulous.  This expression is declared when one finds it hard to believe what your senses are telling you is true.  All the followers of Christ had this reaction upon seeing evidence of His resurrection.  Initially, as grave robbery was common, Mary saw the empty grave and ran to get help.  When...

        Orient  John 19:17-42 This installment of our series through John covers a sacred set of text: The Crucifixion.  This passage contains many fulfilled prophecies about the Messiah from multiple books from the old testament. Nicodemus, whom Jesus had spoken to in chapter 3, returns to assist in the burial of the body.    Introduction Not much needs to said in preparation for today’s meditative reading.  To Christians all over the world, the sacrificial act of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and salvation.  Without His triumphant act, we will still be lost in sin.  Our response to the atoning work of Jesus is the critical question all must answer: will I accept what He did for me? It is God’s desire that all will come to repentance [1]  when they behold His willingness to suffer in our place.  He makes this clear as even in His death, the deity of Jesus is was displayed in plain sight....