Dispelling some Myths - Jonah. Chapter four.

When we last saw Jonah, he had walked through the town of Nineveh, a three-day journey, as he proclaimed “forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The result of God's proclamation, the entire town, and the Assyrian king cover themselves in sackcloth and ashes and repent of their evil.

Does Jonah rejoice over such a great response? Not at all, and that is where we pick up this story.

Jonah 4:1-2 NASB But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 2) He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

I pointed out early on that you needed to know the background story to understand why Jonah chose to flee from God and not carry out this assignment. Briefly, the Assyrians had ravaged Israel on multiple occasions and taken many captive. They were a brutal people and dragged many of their captives back to Nineveh with meat hooks. To put it plainly, Jonah despised them.

But there is another side to Jonah's background, and you see it in his comment above. “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”

Now Ask yourself, how did Jonah come to this understanding of God?

Just do a word search for the phrase, slow to anger. It shows up at least 14 times in the Old Testament. The passages extend from Exodus to Nahum. Another aspect of Jonah's life, which we only see in 2Kings 14:25, was that he was the son of Amittai, the prophet. It was not unusual for many of our biblical characters to be the son of a priest or elder. If that were the case, Jonah would have had a proper education in the local Synagogue school. His education would have required him to memorize the known books of the Law and writings of the prophets. Therefore, Jonah would have had tremendous insight into God's nature and character. How could that be a bad thing? It wouldn't unless, you are actively maintaining un-forgiveness toward a people group, and Jonah was.

Look at what Jonah said,

• “was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?”
  Apparently, Jonah tried to reason with God.
• “Therefore in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish,”
  What is Jonah trying to forestall - God showing mercy, contrary to Jonah's wishes? Secondly, there is the aspect of forestalling. To do that he effectively runs in the opposite direction of where he is supposed to go, and that required a boat ride. We have no maps that indicate a town called Tarshish in Jonah's day. Many, however, have pointed to Southern Spain as the location of Tarshish. That is definitely the opposite direction.
  • “for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, low to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”
    If you read my posts, then you also know that I have a thorn in my flesh – a study leader. This leader, in opposition to what Jonah understood, and the word of God, on a weekly basis, explains that everyone reaching the Great White Throne will be sent to a fiery hell. An in-depth reading of Matthew 25's account of the sheep and goats, is, though given different names, the same scenario we see in Revelation 20. One demonstrates an angry God, while the other shows us a gentle shepherd. Both indicate a group that chose not to follow Christ and therefore follows their leaders to the same hell. And both have books out of which Jesus makes His decision.
    In Matthew, the shepherd, finding simple acts of kindness in those books, allows those He called sheep to enter into the glorious kingdom, and therefore escape hell. It's all in the details, but details, are tedious for some. And, those details we find in scripture, you know, often point out how wrong we are, as they demonstrate that some teaching or belief we hold, is blatantly wrong and false, and no one wants to hear that. My wife asks me why I put myself under a false teacher. Don't think for a moment that this man is the only one. The pastor, whom my wife reveres, had many of us as a captive audience at a mountain camp where he told us while explaining communion once again, that Jesus, in the garden that night, did not want to go to the cross for us. So, false teaching is not that uncommon. While I am painfully aware of how grave this situation is I have not been called to fight with these men, for in so doing I move into the realm of judgment.
    Let me ask you an obvious question. Have we been called to be God's judges here on earth, or to show mercy and demonstrate His character? The answer is “show mercy.” This theme is detailed throughout the New Testament, and I will let you find that on your time. The ugly and more demanding aspect of the question revolves around judgment, something that has been taken out of our hands.
    David may have been anointed as king, but Saul still sat on the throne. And, Saul wanted David dead. While hunting for David, Saul stops in a cave to relieve himself. David and his unruly band happened to be hiding in that same cave. Given the opportunity to kill Saul, David chose not to, and thus we see his thoughts in 1Samuel.
    1 Samuel 24:12, 15 GW May the LORD decide between you and me. May the LORD take revenge on you for what you did to me. However, I will not lay a hand on you. 15) So the LORD must be the judge. He will decide between you and me. He will watch and take my side in this matter and set me free from you."

John 5:22 NASB "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son (Jesus,)

Jonah's depression has retaken hold of him, and therefore we see this:

Jonah 4:3 NASB "Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life."

Two things jump out at me as I read this.

1. Wasn't Jonah dead already?
   I guess to be fair, he didn't ask to be brought back to life, or did he?
   (Right in the midst of writing this I finally took Dad out to the Mexican restaurant I had promised once he had recovered from his surgery. Dad, having not seen much of me lately, asked what's going with me, and I began telling him about what I had been learning as I wrote about Jonah. He listened and then said, I think God prepared “a special fish,” one that could maintain an adequate oxygen supply for Jonah, and therefore Jonah never died. To try to bolster his argument dad added, Jonah was able to think and pray.)
   The problem with this kind of thinking is that it ignores common sense and logic by excluding the idea that God would not merely use what was available. Some examples would be:

• • That NO fish could provide a livable environment.
  • That medical documentation demonstrates how we lose consciousness after 30 to 40 seconds, therefore allowing Jonah the time for thought;
  • It also throws aside what Jesus said about Jonah being a sign, as he was three days and nights in the belly of a fish. This statement by Jesus was made was to Pharisees and scribes for the purpose of establishing a common thread between Jonah and what was to happen to Jesus shortly.
  • One other thing, because of Jewish tradition – that believed the soul finally parted from the body after three full days, Jesus words, meant that He acknowledged that Jonah had died out there in that fish.

2. If being dead was high on Jonah's list, then why did he say all those words we see in chapter two? Specifically:
   Jonah 2:7-9 NASB "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. 8) "Those who regard vain idols Forsake their faithfulness, 9) But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD."

It sounds like he was calling out to God, knowing that God would and could save him. You should be picking up on the general idea that God would and could save us as well?

God did not respond to this depressed, angry whining, but quietly said,

Jonah 4:4 NASB The LORD said, "Do you have good reason to be angry?"

Jonah thought he did, and so did I. I can only speak to my experience, as we are not privy to Jonah's. I wasted a significant portion of my life maintaining the chains and bars of the prison I kept in my head; a prison in which I held those people that hurt me. It was part of the payment I thought they owed me.

Jonah 4:5 NASB Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.

What did I just miss? We have to back up to chapter three to rehearse what happened.

Jonah 3:10 NASB When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

So, Jonah got the word that he was to deliver, and it went like this, “Forty days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Contemporary English Version)

What happened next is beyond belief? Why, because we lack a tremendous amount of information. In my previous post “Dispelling some Myths - Jonah chapter 3,” I posed a hypothetical situation in which an Assyrian worshiper of Dagon, the fish god, happened to be at the beach when the whale spewed Jonah upon it. If that person took this information and shared it with everyone they met along the way and all through Nineveh, it might explain the overwhelming response to the unfavorable words Jonah delivered to them.

Important points that the word shows about these people and their response. Jonah 3:5-10 NASB

• “the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.”
• The king in following the lead of the people covered himself with sackcloth and ashes.
• The king ordered a proclamation written which included man and beast. It stated that all must demonstrate repentance by covering themselves in sackcloth and ashes.
• And then, all must “call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from violence which is in his hands.

How did God respond to their actions?

4:10) When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

So, where do we find Jonah at this point? Sitting on a hill outside of town, watching and waiting for God to destroy them. Did he miss the memo? Did he not see their actions? Did, what seems like common acts of repentance, mean nothing to Jonah?

All you would have to do is start counting the days. And yet, we have nothing to help us with that. Like so many other things, we are left in the void.

Jonah 4:2 NASB He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

For all we know, Jonah saw their acts of repentance and immediately knew what would happen next.

Jonah 4:6-8 NASB So the LORD God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. 7) But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8) When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, "Death is better to me than life."

Sitting, waiting for these hated people to die, God appoints a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade. I don't know how to perceive this situation because I know that God can do miracles. However, it is reminiscent of Mickey Mouse portrayed as Mickey and the Beanstalk, where the beanstalk grows overnight at an unbelievable rate. Quickly the situation changes as the next day a God-appointed worm eats that same plant, and now the sun is beating down on Jonah's head.

Once again, Jonah turns suicidal.

Jonah 4:9 NASB Then God said to Jonah, "Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."

Did Jonah have good reason to be angry, even to death? All Jonah had was his hatred and bigotry. Is that a good excuse? Sorry, but no. Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, said, that having your debts forgiven is predicated upon you forgiving.

Matthew 6:12, 14-15 NASB 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ... "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

I participate in several different groups, from a variety of churches, but they aren't that different for there a consistent lack of understanding, and a limited desire to pursue God's word that permeates all three groups. Asked to join an evening group I am currently doing a book study. We are looking at Max Lucado's book, Facing Your Giants. We were attempting to discuss the fifth and sixth chapter in which the topic of forgiveness was covered. Max Lucado finally spoke in terms I could understand, as he, on page 48, said,

“God occupies the only seat on the supreme court of heaven. He wears the robe and refuses to share the gavel. For this reason, Paul wrote, “Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Romans 12:19 MSG). Revenge removes God from the equation. Vigilantes displace and replace God. “I'm not sure you can handle this one Lord. You may punish too little or too slowly. I'll take this matter into my hands, thank you.”

The problem is, we barely touched on this. One of the men tried to oppose me the previous week, as he said, forgiving is hard! I responded with, No, it is easy, what is hard, is accepting that you have no power over that person, and all your energies are useless.

Jonah 4:10-11 NASB Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11) "Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"

While I never saw anything said about the plant dying in verse 9; apparently God saw Jonah's heart. Jonah's anger had nothing to do with the plant. He wanted all of those people dead.

You can see that God destroys Jonah's lack of focus when He says, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand.” I always took this to indicate a lack of common sense. But I have learned so much by doing this study, and one of those things came as I looked at other translations of Jonah 4:11. The Amplified Bible indicates that the 120,000 were innocents - “persons not [yet old enough to] know their right hand from their left, and that is who God is protecting here more than those repenting.

While I have heard several pastors point out how Jesus had compassion on the doves and other animals that were being sold in the temple courts, for he emptied their cages and then threw them. Perhaps, in mentioning the “many animals,” God was taking a jab at those who had repented by their actions, knowing full well what would become of their great nation.

Think about the devastation that would come should God ignore their pleas. We see an example of destruction when fire and brimstone rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah, and everyone died, including innocents.

My study on Jonah is done for now. However, every time I do these studies I learn, things I have never heard; and, I unlearn some garbage. The result is that God always gets bigger and more valuable in my mind. Does any of this imply that I wish to test God's patience and resolve by throwing myself into choppy seas so that a big fish can spit me onto the shore, and entire communities will repent? Not a chance. I am content to let His love grow in me, and occasionally share with those that are willing to listen.

God bless you on this fascinating journey we travel, for we who are followers of Jesus are profoundly blessed, whether you realize it or not. While those outside the family, are loved, longed for, and pursued by a passionate God. Don't waste your time hating. Simply absorb yourself in His passion and watch what he can do.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached. Matt 24, part 5

Warnings about deceit, wars, famines, and earthquakes that will shake the world, all with the addendum, see to it that you be not troubled. There would only be one thing that would keep me mentally secure under such difficult circumstances, and that would be hope.

The problem most of us have understanding scripture is that we ignore the context and the audience. The audience was his disciples, men who were decidedly Jewish. Consider about how strongly they seem to feel about outsiders coming into the faith in the early days. If you are paying attention to scripture then you will see that not only does God attempt to straighten Peter out, but has to send Paul to withstand the leadership for pushing circumcision as a symbol of their salvation.

The context has everything to do with the period immediately preceding his return to the earth; that time lasts seven years, and is filled with an onslaught of horrendous events.

Matthew 24:14KJV And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

I cannot remember how the conversation with my friend started, but it ended poorly. He is a theology student, and was arguing the point that Jesus cannot come back because there are over 6500 unreached people groups in the world.

An unreached people group is an ethno-linguistic group that shares a self-identity among themselves as a distinct culture, language, social class along with their own collection of customs, and shared history that sets them apart from other people groups.

The thing that distinguishes them as unreached is the fact that there is no evangelical gospel witness established among them. To reiterate the importance of that statement: Unreached means much more than merely being unevangelized. Unreached means there is no access to the gospel among that people group. There is no witness for Jesus among them!

Nearly 2 billion people (27.9 % of the world’s population) live in these unreached segments of society (people groups). These peoples are cut off from any access to the gospel and are largely ignored or unknown by the Christian world. Borrowed from: http://www.toeverytribe.com/unreachedpeoples

Things that stand out in my mind.

1. Genesis 2:16,17 tell us that man only had one command restricting him, and that was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. My assumption is that man, created in God’s image, knew only good, and not the evil. Selfish desire brought about the death, which was most dramatically noted in their instant communication break with the father. My point here is that this knowledge of good is still in every man, and the evil that is so noticeable, has everything to do with man’s bent for selfishness.
2. Romans 11:29 NASB “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I think it is fair to say that this also applies to His love for us. We can see this demonstrated in Lamentations 3:22 NASB “The LORD'S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.” In referring back to point number #1, I am trying to convey that, just like his gifts or love, the good was never removed from us either.
3. Paul dealt a sobering blow to those that wish to restrict God’s timing and way in which he deals with the nations.

Romans 1:20-21 CEV God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.

While we can whine about them not being reached with the printed Word, Paul gives the impression that it does not matter.

4. Christ died, once for all. Again, this demonstrates our weakness in trying to interpret scripture, because far too many try to play the role of God and judge those we believe untouched by God’s word. In other words, if they are not reached then we presume that they are destined for destruction. What makes you so sure? No denying, there is the passage that tells us that Jesus is the only way. Now what do you do with the Muslims, who will violently reject your preaching and way of living; for under the dictates of Islam they have a mandate to kill you according to Sharia law. Yet, upon seeing Jesus in their dreams, a man they have never seen they acknowledge with an instant recognition of who He is. In many ways these people are also the unreachable, does any of that stop or slow down God, hardly.

5. Matthew 24 speaks primarily toward the last seven years of broken man controlling the earth, and a time of wrath against the nations and Israel for its multitude rejections of God. What does that say about the preaching of the good news as a testimony to all the nations?

This tends to convey that during one of earth’s most adverse periods, the good news about a relationship with Jesus, and the hope of an eternity with the Father, are still being preached.
This verse has nothing to do with restrictions or limitations on God’s love.

6. Who says they will not be reached? John tells us that all will hear the good news.

When I mentioned to my friend, in trying to defuse his argument, that there is an angel, who flies across the globe, preaching the gospel, he responded with, I have never seen that in scripture! Well, here it is.

Revelation 14:6 CEV I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth.

The next passage has no angels directly referenced, but who is to say. Are we not told that they are messengers?

Hebrews 1:13-14 KJV But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Colossians 1:23 NASB if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

This passage just told you that the good news was preached, to all creation under heaven, so it begs a question. Did God leave anybody out? That has to cover people groups. Keep in mind, that every people group, when found, worships at least one entity.

7. Revelation 11:3 NASB "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." If you have, an understanding of all that they do it is difficult at best to distinguish where the “good news” could come into play here. However, isn’t this testifying that we are supposed to do, give witness to Jesus Christ and by extension the Father?

“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” Okay, that is dramatic, but wait, it gets better.
“And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

(Rev 11:6) These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.”

Sounds a lot like what Moses did. No one in scripture had fire flowing out of their mouth, but everything else was done by the prophets. Elisha called fire down on several companies of troops.

Is the world going to see this? In this age of televised everything, you bet they will. This is not the positive spin that you think of when you think about spreading the gospel is it. I think we have to remember that the age of grace is over at this point. Sure, Jesus Christ’s’ name continues to carry all the power that God bestowed upon it, and the Holy Spirit will still be active on the earth. We know this because there is a steady, and continuous draw of people to Christ and to the Father.

The two witnesses take on a dramatic twist, for as you can see, they stop the rain. They are doing this for several reasons, but one is that spectators are supposed to see the power of a God that has had enough. However, Islam has its dramatic side also. The Jesus that Islam looks for will be able to do dramatic signs too. One of which is the restoration of rain where there has been none. Considering that everything points to two dramatic events at the three and one half-year mark into the time of wrath.

1) God will allow the two witnesses to be killed. Enemies of God have tried everything they could think of to shut their mouths for 42 months, with no success, so when they are killed, there is a global party.

2) Almost simultaneously, the false prophet shows up. How do I know he shows up here and not at the beginning of the seven years?

This guy is not just going to pop out of the earth. I believe he is alive and already here. I also believe, because of the terminology used in Revelation 13, that he is empowered by demonic spirits (that’s a fancy way of saying, one or more of Satan’s fallen angel clan.)
He follows (in terms of chronology) the beast with a human description; Islam will call this first man the Mahdi – they have waited for him, much like we have waited for Jesus Christ, to return. Strangely, the beast of Revelation 13:11, is what Islam refers to as: `Îsâ Ibn Maryam, is considered a Messenger of god (Allah) and al-Masih (the Messiah) in Islam. “al-Masih” is the Mahdi. He will be the highest representative of Allah on the earth. The Jesus they wait for is not our Jesus, the Son of God. They call Jesus Christ (the Christian Jesus,) the dijal (a false prophet).

Revelation 13:11-17 NASB “ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

In one of my recent posts I went into detail about the characteristics of this lamb we see in Revelation 13:11. I will not do that here. The point of all this is come to some conclusion about whether God is capable of getting his message spread across the globe; whether He is true to his character, demonstrating love and mercy (the answer to that is yes, by the way,) and whether or not God can come back for his church immediately.

Many are smarter than I. One of those would have been the former Pastor Chuck Smith, of Calvary Chapel, and he would repeatedly say that there are no prophecies left to fulfill before Jesus return for the church, his body. He is not the only one saying that.

We should have been able to comprehend that what some see as a restraint has nothing to do with the church, but deals specifically with the time of wrath, the seven-year period we call the great tribulation.
No doubt, things are nightmarish bad in some parts of the earth, but what is coming will make the destruction we are watching seem easy in comparison. It is going to get worse.

Where is the hope in any of this? The hope lies only in accepting Jesus Christ into your life. Salvation has so many meanings, and one of them is salvation from the wrath to come. That is one of the main purposes of Him coming back for his bride.

If you should find yourself stuck in this seven-year period, find a bible; you know, that thing your elders at the temple told you to stay away from because it is filled with deceit, and improperly translated. The Word of God is alive, and it will remain alive even in the midst of chaos.

The prophets of old stopped the wind, called fire down from heaven, parted waters, and stilled the enemy and the avenger by calling upon God. His name is still Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, and he, through the Holy Spirit of God, will respond to you. Grow a backbone and stand like a rock.

The Apostle Peter (he did not know this yet) stood on the day of Pentecost, having done what Jesus had told them to do, receiving the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to fill them with power, will do the same for you. Peter spoke to the people on the street, people who had heard them and mocked them, saying, this day this prophecy has been fulfilled in your ears. He spoke of Joel chapter 2, a chapter that speaks exclusively of the last seven years, the day of the Lord. Should you be in it, you will know what I mean.

Joel 2:28-29 NASB "It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. (29) "Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

I implore you not to wait. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ and allow him to change you. Ask him into your life. Admit that you have screwed it up and mismanaged it, and that you need him. He will come to you no matter what you have done or where you are. He will come into you. If you are in dire straights simply ask him to help you. He can change everything.

Now if you find yourself in the last days, and you think you need an example of what a bold, man of God looks like, turn your eyes toward the two witnesses. They will be standing in the streets of Jerusalem, most likely protecting the temple mount, as the new temple is being built. Do what they do.

The day started early.

John 20:19 -31; Luke 24 - Part 1

Once again I emphasized my belief that John was writing to Jewish believers. I say this because here he is making the point that it was still the first day. To the Jewish mind there is an instant understanding when John says this. The hearer or reader understood immediately that it is still light, for sunset marks the beginning of a new day.

Although John does not expound on it, there were many that made it to the tomb that day.

Told by the angel to go and tell the disciples, at least, Mary Magdalene did what the angel asked of her, for she found John and Peter.

Jerusalem, even then, was a large city. How was she supposed to find them all, just start running about the city shouting their names? Considering the fear that is expressed by their “shutting” the door I don't think so, for that would have drawn even more unwanted attention.

Jesus seemed to make a point of personally addressing the two on the road to Emmaus. (They were headed North West out of Jerusalem. What does that imply?)

Consider that after Jesus finally breaks bread with them, they too believed, to some degree, for they changed course and returned to Jerusalem, to the house where they knew they would find the others. For whatever the reasons they felt comfortable enough to have used a particular home; all of them. A relative of one, or a friend of the “ministry.”

John 20:19 NASB So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be with you."

“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week”

As the day has progressed we find them gathering together, but not all.

It's probably a little more than cool this time of the day. It would only make sense to close the doors and put out some candles. It is John telling us that the doors were shut for fear of the Jews.

“and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews”

The doors might be closed anyway, but fear has driven them to secure the doors so that no one walks in uninvited.

Fearing the Jews?

You might think that the Jews had appeased their anger; apparently not. Remember that the chief priests had worked themselves into a frenzy and the only thing that diffused that momentum was their wish to prepare for their religious practices. What ever evil they had been performing had to come to a quick end before the Sabbath which began at sundown.

They have had three days to calm down, but John understood their ways and their anger; he has watched it for at least three years. This meant something very significant to his Jewish audience.

John, looking back 90 years later, stated that when he looked at the grave-clothes and their placement, he believed. What did he believe?

The two on the road to Emmaus believed enough to turn around and return to the house in Jerusalem. What did they believe?

The door is secured. It was so crowded that John intentionally sits with his back against the door. No one is getting past him without damaging something (we did not call him one of the sons of thunder for nothing.) Only moments before securing the door someone did a head count and assured us that everyone was here. If they noticed that Thomas was missing they did not seem overly concerned. Mary had gone out of her way to round the disciples up (at least that is what we choose to believe), but Thomas was nowhere to be found. He must have gone home. Rather outspoken and belligerent at times, Thomas, just like the others, is aware that Jesus has died; what then is the sense of hashing this out anymore?

Jesus appeared to the two that were headed north-west and began talking with them. He explained who he was beginning with Moses (that covers a lot of territory) and the prophets (This was a long walk). The things he said are what we should understand as established believers, and are the foundations of our faith. Jesus, after what seems like some prodding from them, sits down to dinner with them. As he began to eat, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him and believed. They had to turn around and get back to Jerusalem with enough time to gather “all” the disciples. They were excited and they believed. What did they believe?

Luke 24:33 NASB states,

And they (the two from the Emmaus road) got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them,

We are not clear on who the “those who were with them” were. We can sort this out, but we have to look at Luke's and Mark's account to fill in the blanks.

• Mary Magdalene
• Mary the mother of James
• Salome
• Joanna
• There may have been others.

Feeling relatively safe, now that the door is secured, they began discussing the days events.

Can you imagine the emotions, the feelings. It made sense as John described how the grave-clothes were laid. No one stealing a body would have gone to all that trouble. And what about the head cloth; lying by itself as if purposefully taken off. One stated with a pained voice, I saw his face. Why would anyone need to see how torn up he was again? The point of the discussion was if he was really alive. Sitting, standing, leaning against the wall, they were all hashing out what it all meant.

Maybe he was alive?

Don't you remember what he said to us, how that he would rise again on the third day? You might think it was finally sinking in. The events of the day had all been very real. The witness of the two disciples on Emmaus road, realizing that it was Jesus, and they said he just disappeared after supper was over. Mary saw him there at the tomb earlier that day; he called her name, and she touched him.

Much like the death of a loved one, the reality may take days to sink in, and then once it does what do you do next? Having gone through such a horrid shock they are now challenged to believe that he is alive.

How do you dispute evidence; it is difficult at best, but it is so much easier to disqualify the eyewitnesses. This may be one of the reasons that John points out Mary Magdalene. Having read scripture you should have come to realize that Jesus, in the semi-barbaric world of the middle east, was the one person that showed women respect.

Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out of her. I do not think that there were too many people who were not aware of how those things manifested themselves. Of the women that traveled with the company she is the prominent example of the power of God's transformation and love in the life of a human.

“Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be with you."

Forget what he looked like, how did he get in here? We assume so many things about this, and we cannot prove any of them. The word histemi indicates that he was suddenly standing there in the midst of them.

Although they, as a group, had not been trying to draw the attention of the chief priests, one of the ladies screamed when she saw him. Several in the room jumped to their feet as though they were on the defensive and several charged for the door. You would have thought a bomb had gone off.

Suddenly it all became silent when the voice that we had come know as Jesus said, "Shalom Aleichem!" (Peace to you!) It all made sense!

Luke's gospel gives us some clarity that we do not see in John's account. Keep in mind that Luke was a physician and details were important to him.

Luke 24:36-40 NASB While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be to you." (37) But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. (38) And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? (39) "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (40) And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

John told us that he believed, but I ask you again, what did John believe? Fully, completely? I don't think so.

“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”

Because we don't see things like this, a formerly dead man appearing in the living room, every day. It is hard to put into words, but some even tried to answer him, but you could not understand them. No one would go near him for people do not just appear in the middle of room. Mary, and the two that had seen him on the road, started to approach him for she had already seen him this day.

What were the doubts? Many.

I told you I would rise again! It seemed like an eternity but in truth it was only a few seconds later when Jesus, with just a hint of sarcasm, spoke again.

“ Look at my hands; look at my feet--it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." Luke 24:39 MSG

It was the same tone he used in response to Nathanael when he said, John 1:51 GW "I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God's angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man."

We recognized the voice and the manner of speaking, but none of us had ever seen anyone just appear in the middle of a secured room. No one moved toward him as yet.

Perhaps you, like John believe; the question is, what do you believe? We all struggle with belief. One of the things that recently challenged me was the passages about having faith like a grain of mustard seed.

Luke 17:5-6 NASB  The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  (6)  And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.

Having had a mustard seed between my fingers, I pinched them together and you can see no light between them; that is small, and are you telling me that I don't even have that?  If that is what it is all about, my lack, or their lack of faith, then we have no hope. But we do have hope and it is in the grace and mercy of the Father, and that Jesus Christ himself stands as our mediator. He does this because we are broken and weak without Him. As a participant in Celebrate Recovery I am consistently saying, I am a grateful believer. I now know why, because in my worst moments he is always faithful and I live in him. Give him your life, allow Him to give you life and heal you.

Related articles

• Christ Is Risen
• Prayerbits Podcast - Focus on the End Result
• CC Sermon 022814, Breaking Bread, Luke 24:35, Friday Evening Sabbath Worship
• The Road To Emmaus
• Only after Jesus opens our eyes, we can see
• A kind and gentle Jesus
• On the road from Emmaus: A story from Cleopas' wife

Don't let the enemy rob you.

I love the story surrounding Issac and Rebekah. If I had been Abraham I would have wanted the best for my “only son” too.

The father of faith, Abraham, will not have his son marry one of the local women for they do not know, nor honor God. So he sends his servant to the land of his relatives to get a wife.

Nothing about that process seems good for there are far too many variables involved, even the servant knew that, but the servant demonstrated some remarkable insight and applies some logic, faith, and we bit of a test, and God comes through with the quick answer.

Rebekah comes off as remarkable in the first few seconds, and she demonstrates some traits that would have made her the prize of any man. I wish I had met her. Eventually Issac and Rebekah become man and wife, the family grows, and the boys choose wives of their own.

Anyone familiar with this fairy tale scenario knows that it is filled with some twisted human dynamics. I am not a psychologist, but have had to deal with a tremendous amount of family trauma myself, and it is not fun.

And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

(Genesis 27:46 KJV)

Look up the word weary in the Strong’s concordance and you will begin to get the true sense of despair in her voice.

The word is qûts, pronounced koots, (Strong # H6973) and is a primitive root (rather identical with H6972 through the idea of severing oneself from (compare H6962)); to be (causatively make) disgusted or anxious: - abhor, be distressed, be grieved, loathe, vex, be weary.

I read this and suddenly have a clearer picture of how depression affected her. If we take this concept of severing herself to it’s extreme she was considering suicide. We know that she did not follow through with this thought, but the effects of her playing the two sons against each other, and Esau’s rebellion against her authority were devastating.

It was only this last Sunday morning that our guest speaker, a man in national demand at prophetic conferences, said something that brought the grand prophetic illusion down to earth when he stated that one of major events that weakens us and make us subject to the enemies attacks was times of great weariness.

I know what it means to me. I am tired, but in my case add a little dose of low blood sugar, and I am not thinking straight at all. I have to force myself to distinguish between what I know feels like depression and just plain exhaustion. I also know that I dare not attempt to make a reasonable decision in a condition like that.

The dictionary tends to define weariness as: The state of exhaustion induced by physical labor; fatigue; disappointment; unmet expectations; worn-out patience, (or, if I may, burn out.)

Look, God has a job for you to do. Though you might look at yourself and consider yourself unfit for God’s duty, you need to know that you were especially designed and hand picked for that job; the path your life has taken you on and made you is exactly why, but if the enemy can take you out of action due to fatigue or poor decision making then not only has the enemy won that battle, but you have lost out on an amazing feeling of peace.

I have found that being prepared and alert enough to respond to the leading of the Spirit’s direction can be the most rewarding feeling this world has to offer. There is some foolishness in that statement because I am comparing a feeling I associate with the spirit with what the world has to offer. They cannot compare.

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waits for him.

(Isaiah 64:4 KJV)

Don’t let the enemy rob you through weariness. Sit by the brook for a spell, just as David's men did, and get your strength back. God will not forget you. (Read 1Samuel 30)