SEARCHLIGHT

  APRIL 28, 2023 JOHN 20:21-22   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.      Well this week, we have been in the room with Jesus followers. A gathering of grieving, wounded, disappointed, confused, and fearful disciples who needed comfort and peace and calm. We have noted that Jesus showed up to them, and with his appearance there was a sense of comfort and calm that filled the room because of Jesus presence, and power, and words, and peace and wounds and the overflowing and abundant love of Jesus that was so manifest in the room. I would like us to end the week by also noting that comfort came upon these followers by the gift of the Spirit. Jesus didn't just speak peace to them, He breathed on them. And as He did, He said, "receive the spirit." And the same spirit that came upon these Easter People in the Gospel, is the same spirit that is po

  APRIL 27, 2023 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.   Now, this is an interesting passage, if you look at verse 20, they saw his wounds and were comforted. He showed them his hands and his side then the disciples were glad, the disciples were overjoyed, their gladness boiled over says one translation, their joy went to a different level when they saw his wounds. Why would his wounds comfort them? For one thing, it gave them confidence that it really was Him, that He was the person who they saw die on the cross. They were convinced. In Luke 24:39, it says, Jesus said “behold my hands and feet. It is I, myself.” I am the same Jesus you saw die. See my wounds, same wounds you saw on that cross. Then he says, han

 APRIL 26, 2023 JOHN 20:19-22 19 It was evening of the first day of the week. The followers had gathered together with the doors locked because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “May you have peace.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the followers saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “May you have peace. As the Father has sent Me, I also am sending you.” 22 When Jesus had said this, He breathed on them. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit." Yesterday we noted the disciples were calmed by Jesus presence, Jesus being there with them, changed their attitude, changed their situation, changed their behavior, and changed their world view. The Jesus followers described to us in John 20 also were calmed by his words. For as He opened his mouth, He spoke the words, I give you peace. My peace, I give to you. The disciples were calmed by these words. Take note, the circumstances did

  APRIL 25, 2023 JOHN 20:19-22   19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.   I like how the J.B. Phillips translation puts verse 19. It says, in the evening-- so that means it's also dark. When it's dark out, it's scary. When it's dark out, it's foreboding. So, when it was dark, when this says they were met together with the doors locked for fear-- there was fear in their hearts-- Jesus came and stood-- notice-- right in the middle of them, right in the middle of them. They're huddled up, and He appeared righ

APRIL 24, 2023 24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.  6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” ... 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he wen

  April 21, 2023 John 20:14-17     "At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 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.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means 'Teacher'). 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.’' "   Something that we notice about Mary Magdalene is that 8 times out of the dozen or so times she is mentioned in the New Testament, she is surrounded with other women. " When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go

  April 20, 2023 LUKE 8:1-3   8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.     Maurice Casey, the author of Jesus of Nazareth, supposes Mary must have suffered from severe emotional or psychological trauma to deem an exorcism necessary. She was battered and bruised, injured and in agony from the suffering demon possession entailed. We can only speculate what it was like when Jesus looked at Mary in her state of desperation. Only He could have seen who she really was, what she could become, regardless of her possessed state. He commanded the demons to leave her. Though not many details are reco

  APRIL 19, 2023 Mark 16:1-11 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. When Jesus

  APRIL 18, 2023 JOHN 21:24-25   24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that  his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written  down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.     These are the final words of John’s Gospel. He wrote guided by the Holy Spirit, he wrote knowing every word to be true (v. 24). At many points in the Gospel of John, we see its purpose stated outright. He tells us plainly that he recorded these things so that we would believe and, by believing, have life in Jesus’ name. The very first verse of John describes Jesus as the very Word of God. So, in a very real sense, to read these words is to encounter Jesus. Above, at the very final verse (v. 25), we see the results. You know the fact that you are reading the Gospel of John at all is quite amazing. Jesus sent His disciples out and put them to work doing

  APRIL 17, 2023 JOHN 21:18-23 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.” 20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” 23 So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” Historical tradition maintains that Peter was crucified

  APRIL 14, 2023 JOHN 21:9-17   9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11 So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he t

  April 13, 2023 JOHN 21:1-8   After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5  “Friends,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into th

  APRIL 12, 2023 JOHN 20:24-31 24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the  other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even 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 and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that

  APRIL 11, 2023 JOHN 20:19-23   19 When it was evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “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.”     Note the first words Jesus spoke to them. Consider their purpose and remember their background. Jesus knew (of course) that they had betrayed and abandoned Him. He even knew about Peter’s three denials of Him the night of His trial, but He did not bring up any of it. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have. We would not have been shocked if Jesus ha

  APRIL 10, 2023 John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” We prepare our hearts in anticipation of Easter. We reflect on the cross and its significance. We feel the long, heavy pause between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, waiting for the discovery of an empty grave and a risen Savior. And then it comes. He comes! HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA we say. And then it’s Monday. Now What? It is a temptation to let down spiritually after Easter when the events and the excitement are over. We are drawn back into the routine and commonplace repetition of our jobs and responsibilities. Sometimes, even unintentionally, we tend to put Easter carefully back on the shelf as a holiday until next year kind of like we do with the Christmas Nativity sets. So what is next for those who believe in Easter, in resurrection?  If there was ever a

  APRIL 8, 2023  HOLY SATURDAY  Matthew 27:62-66 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. This passage is the only text that speaks of the Saturday between Crucifixion (Good Friday) and Jesus' Resurrection (Easter Sunday). Sometimes, I feel we rush to Easter Sunday and the celebration of Resurrection. I don't know how you feel about it, but I have

  APRIL 7, 2023 GOOD FRIDAY Take extra time to read these sections.  You may want to read them twice.  Meditate on them.  Look for things you may have overlooked in the past.   Isaiah 53:4-9 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my peopl

 APRIL 6, 2023 MAUNDY THURSDAY JOHN 13:1-17; 31-35 13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no