John 20: Who do you say that I am
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
The New Revised Standard Version (The Resurrection of Jesus)
the other disciple?
=John (the author)
The New Revised Standard Version The Resurrection of Jesus
4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
LOL! John outran Peter. I love that he included this.
The New Revised Standard Version (The Resurrection of Jesus)
Simon Peter: Jesus’ disciple, the “rock” on whom Jesus would build the Church, denied Jesus 3 times but is later forgiven by Jesus and charged to love & feed Jesus’ sheep aka people. Many believe this is the first Pastoral office.
The New Revised Standard Version (The Resurrection of Jesus)
Mary Magdalene: a follower of Jesus whom Jesus had cast seven demons out of… dang girl.
The New Revised Standard Version The Resurrection of Jesus
and he saw and believed;
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
foreshadowing phrase.
The New Revised Standard Version (Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene)
two angels: angels are intelligent, moral, and spiritual beings created by God who worship him in Heaven and carry out his purposes on earth. God commissions angels to protect his people, deliver them from danger, transmit divine messages, and encourage believers. Faithlife, LLC. “Logos Bible Software Factbook.” Logos Bible Software, Computer software. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC, 3 April 2022.
The New Revised Standard Version (Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene)
Jesus: Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the world, the founder of Christianity, and the sinless exemplar of its principles and practices. Burns, J. Lanier. “Jesus Christ.” The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
The New Revised Standard Version (Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene)
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).
It seems that Mary did a Double-take. turned slightly and evidently turned back to her weeping since Jesus said, “Mary!” and she turned around again.
The New Revised Standard Version (Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene)
disciples: People who followed Jesus and listened to his teachings. (In the New Testament this often refers to the 12 men Jesus chose to follow him and learn from him.)
The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Appears to the Disciples
the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews
They were afraid of the Jews because their leader, teacher, and friend was just crucified and they figured they would be next.
The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Appears to the Disciples
“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
The New Revised Standard Version (Jesus Appears to the Disciples)
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
This is a great statement because it applies to us today. Our Father sent Jesus for us. And now God is sending you. You get to figure out who God is sending you to? and how?
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Wow! What power they have been given. Spiderman would say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Does this power extend to us as followers today?
The New Revised Standard Version Jesus and Thomas
“We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
This tends to be our response isn’t it? When someone comes to tell us something, especially in today’s day when we don’t feel like we can trust just anything someones says to us, Thomas responds with, “Well unless I see it for myself I don’t believe it.”
The New Revised Standard Version Jesus and Thomas
“Peace be with you.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Important phrase! It is repeated
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”
Jesus graciously comes to the house specifically for Thomas. Like Jesus reaches out for Thomas to believe in his time of doubt, Jesus is also reaching out for you, ready for you to come back to him when you experience doubt. In fact, this is something very normal for high schoolers to go through… Times of doubting whether God is real? Times of doubting whether God actually loves you? Times of doubting if you are worth it? Times of doubting if you have a purpose? Times of doubting if God can save you? These are all very real and normal questions to ask.
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Important Phrase! Thomas has correctly identified who Jesus is. One of Jesus’ most famous questions. Jesus asked the disciples in Matthew 16:15 “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” and Peter replies “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” Thomas in this moment also correctly identifies who Jesus is. “His Lord and his God” So the same question is asked of you? Who do you say that Jesus is? It is THE most important question you will have to answer for yourself because it means everything. Why? Jesus said He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the Life, and that no one comes to the father except through Him. That means, only Him, no other religion, not Buddha, not Muhammed, not Zeus, Hercules, Satan, president, prime minister, or anything else in all creation can offer you eternal life with the Father except Jesus. That means, either Christianity is the one Truth, it is correct or it is not. It means this spirituality that is very popular right now, “all people are good, let us come sing kumbaya to your god of your choosing, whoever you want because we are all correct.” This means this spirituality, called omnism (all religions are true) is false.
The New Revised Standard Version Jesus and Thomas
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
What does blessed mean here? It is the second pronunciation of blessing by Jesus in the form of a beatitude. The firs tin John’s Gospel was in 13:17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. In the matter of rendering service to others, as in all matters related to Christian living, it is one thing to know what we should do; it is another thing to do it. The blessing comes, not with the knowing, but with the doing.
Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4 of Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 281.
But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
So then what is the purpose of our reading this section? What is the purpose of the book of John? The answer is given by John right here! He wants you to decide whether Jesus is the Son of God so that you may have life here and eternal life later! What will you choose. This is supremely important for you seniors heading off to college, where your mind, your faith, and your trust is Jesus will be tested significantly more than in high school, you will be challenged by brilliant people that Jesus is not God, or that God does not exist, That there is no spiritual realm. However, the good thing is that there are also brilliant, dare I say MORE brilliant Christians with responses to these critics who can help you be ready to give an answer for why you believe in Jesus. And from what I understand, many of you seniors are already reading some of these materials by C.S. Lewis, perhaps J.P. Moreland, Augustine, and a plethera of of other authors.
Peace be with you! Why peace for the disciples? Their Lord is risen! Jesus is God! “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
3 Dicussion questions
What right now is causing you stress, anxiety, or fear? How can you practically follow Jesus (trusting in Him even though you don’t know the outcome)?
Who is Jesus to you? Honesty is always better than the churchy answer. Are you struggling with faith in Him? Why? Is your faith strong? Why?
Do you have life verse/verses? In other words, a verse/verses that points you back to God that encourages you? If so, what is it? Why does that encourage you? If not, find some passages (in context of course) and read those for the person.
If the point of the Book of John is so that people may believe in Jesus, how can you share your faith with others? (Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”)