Faulty to Forgiven

David’s life was a series of ups and downs. His story in the Bible begins in 1 Sam 16, when he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to replace Saul as the king of God’s people (1 Sam 16:1-13; Ps 78). This did not mean that he was immediately crowned as king. He was probably 10-12 years old when he was anointed. Two years later, he served as the king’s musician (1 Sam 16:14-23). Five years after he was anointed, he defeated Goliath (1 Sam 17:1-54). Ten years later, he was appointed by Saul as a commander of his army and was very successful in battles, earning Saul’s daughter Michal in marriage and also Saul’s jealousy (1 Sam 18:6-30; 19:9-17; 2 Sam 6:20-23). He was almost killed by Saul so he fled, hiding and pretending to be a crazy man in order to stay alive (1 Sam 21).

He became king, finally, thirty-two years after his anointing. He was named king of Judah (2 Sam 2:1-7), then of Israel (2 Sam 5:1-5; 1 Chron 11:1-3). Then he re-conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites (2 Sam 5:6-16). As king, he accomplished many great things. After defeating the Philistines, David brought the ark back to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:1-19; 1 Chron 13:1-14; 15:1-16:43), which earned him God’s wonderful promises (2 Sam 7:1-29). Second Samuel 8:1-18 lists his victories and officials. He is portrayed as a just and merciful king, pardoning and befriending Saul’s son Mephibosheth (2 Sam 9:1-13). Then he defeats the Ammonites (2 Sam 10:1-19). For 13 years, from the time he was made king (from ca 993-980 BC), his life was filled with victories. However, this rose-colored history changed in 2 Samuel 11. The story is tragic:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. ² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died (2 Sam 11:1-5, 14-17, NIV).

The unthinkable happened. The man of victory over armies was defeated by his own self. It seems unfathomable that he would fall in such a dramatic way. But the honesty of the Scriptures is unmistakable. Good and godly men and women are not temptation-proofed. Even the most faithful lover of God can sin. David, full of wisdom as a military strategist, was also stupid, thinking with his penis. David’s lips that were full of praises were also full of deceit.

In fact, David’s story is so shocking because he is not only portrayed as having one fault. The story reveals that David had many faults. First, he was not where he should be (11:1). It was the season of war and he was in his palace, getting up from bed in the evening! Secondly, when he saw naked Bathsheba he stared too long. Like a hot-blooded male member of human species, he was deeply attracted to beauty and wanted to possess her. Thirdly, he abused his power as king to summon Bathsheba to his palace (11:4). She did not really have a choice but to comply to the summons. It was either obedience or death for her. Fourthly, David slept with her and sent her away after purifying herself (11:4). He did not realize that their one-night affair led to her being pregnant (11:5). So, fifthly, David schemed against Urriah twice. He wanted to cover up his sin and shift the responsibility of impregnating Bathsheba to Urriah. When his plots to make Urriah sleep with Bathsheba failed, David ordered his general—Joab—to send Urriah to his death. David committed both adultery and murder.

Also, the story is full of irony because David is portrayed in the Bible as one possessing a godly heart. When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to choose the king, David was chosen by God because of his heart: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). God Himself testified concerning David: he “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22). Unfortunately, it was also David’s own heart that was attacked by the tempter. No matter how good his heart was, it was still vulnerable to temptations.

David also thought that he had covered his tracks very well. However, God knows everything. God is smarter than we are. He sent His prophet Nathan to confront David:

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites (2 Sam 12:1-9, NIV)

           

Nathan’s direct confrontation forced David to make a decision. He could have birthed another sin—the sin of denial—but he chose to utter the most gallant statement of his entire life: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam 12:13). In Hebrew, David only said two words: hatati Yahweh. These two simple words would have the biggest impact in his life. Here lies his difference from king Saul, who sought to rationalize with God and defend what he did (1 Sam 15:20-21). Unlike Adam, David offered no excuses, no alibis, no blaming of Bathsheba. He dealt with his own self and sin—with boldness—and faced the reality that he was at fault. His heart is portrayed vividly in Psalm 51 (NIV), a psalm he wrote after Nathan confronted him:

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge…
⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me…
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

The immediate response of Nathan to David’s confession was surprising: “Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin’” (2 Sam 12:13). After all of Nathan’s passionate speech and God’s denunciation of David’s sins, Nathan’s response was quite unexpected. I would not have been surprised if Nathan said that it was already too late and that God had already abandoned him like his predecessor Saul. David would have readily accepted if this were God’s punishment for him. After all, he knew that he had sinned against God big time.

David did not even ask for forgiveness. He only confessed what is truth and what both God and Nathan already knew. Then he was forgiven just like that. The immediacy and unexpected forgiveness that happened to David was precisely what happened to Jacob and Isaiah as well. Jacob asked the man of God to bless him, but the man asked him, “What is your name?” (Gen 32:27). This sounds like a simple question, but it was actually a question that deals with the core of Jacob’s identity. Jacob means “deceiver,” and the man of God wanted him to admit who he is, a deceiver who victimized his own family: his brother Esau, his father Isaac and his brother-in-law Laban. When Jacob said his name and therefore admitted his faults, the man responded: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel (Gen 32:28). The story of Isaiah in the presence of the holy Lord narrates the same confession-forgiveness sequence.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:5-7, NIV)

In relation to what we are required to do, does God’s forgiveness sound cheap? I am grateful that it is. Otherwise, no one can afford it. I am grateful that God’s forgiveness is just a prayer away, that a contrite heart is all that God wants, that confession of what He already knows is enough, and that God is willing to restore me in His loving embrace. This was what the apostle John wrote about much later: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The whole point of Nathan’s fiery charge against David was not to punish him, but to bring him to his senses. God confronted David not for him to be left feeling extremely guilty and ashamed.

We can find parallels between our lives and that of David. We all have faults (plural). David may have struggled with lust, but others might be struggling with food, desire for attention, and other things. Everyone has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We may be strong against naked men or women, but we may be weak regarding gossiping, judgmentalism, slander, apathy and other attitudes that destroy other people. The good news is that people who have faults can receive forgiveness. God’s healing, restoring grace is available for those who are willing to face God with the same painful honesty about ourselves. This is the greatest step towards a rebuilt life.


(This is the third manuscript in the New Beginning sermon series. The first and second are also available in this blog.)

Wandering to Winning

Joshua was first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 17, when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the wilderness on their way to Mount Sinai. In the story, Joshua was already portrayed as Moses’ trusted assistant: “The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekite’” (Exo 17:8-9). Moses seemed to have been fond of Joshua that he actually took Joshua with him up to Mount Sinai on his sixth climb to meet God: “Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God” (Exo 24:13). Joshua stayed with Moses at Mt Sinai for forty days, and went down with Moses: “Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, ‘There is the sound of war in the camp’” (Exo 32:15-17). It seems therefore that Joshua was with Moses when Yahweh inscribed the law in stone tablets.

Joshua served Moses’ young aide all throughout Moses’ leadership: “Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent” (Exo 33:11). He was very protective of Moses’ role leadership over the Israelites and was jealous for Moses’ sake (Num 11:29). As Moses’ assistant, it was proper that he was a member of the 12-man scouting party Moses sent to Canaan (Num 13:16-14:38). When Moses died, he succeeded him as the leader of the Israelites (Deut 31:7-9; 34:9). This is not surprising because Joshua was actually a very remarkable man of God. He was described by God as “a man in whom is the spirit of leadership” (Num 27:18) and one who “followed the Lord wholeheartedly” (Num 32:12).

What fascinates me in Joshua’s life is the fact that even though he was great in the eyes of God, he still suffered a lot with the people of Israel. He was there in Egypt as a slave. He was there the very day the Israelites left Egypt. He was a part of the wandering people of God in the wilderness. He experienced the difficulties and scarcity of the desert. He experienced the scorching sands of the wilderness, and its lack of resources necessary for human survival. He experienced eating manna for 40 years, every day. He experienced and saw with his own eyes God’s blessings and punishments. He saw, and probably buried, thousands of people in the wilderness. As Moses’ assistant, he knew how rebellious and ungrateful the Israelites were to God. Like

Joshua, with all his good credentials, was a wanderer for forty years. His life may be the mirror of ours. We may be good men and women but still in the desert, not because of our own fault, but because we belong to an ungodly group of people. We might be suffering and stuck in scarcity because of our own families. We might be experiencing the death of our own spirits because of our friends. We might be experiencing a lot of toxicity because of our workmates or school mates. We might be experiencing an asphyxiating pressure because of our loved ones. Our potentials might be being suppressed because of our leaders. We might be feeling discouraged because of others. We can be like Joshua, the righteous man of God among a crowd of mockers, pulling us down with them in their steady descent to the cradles of hell. Even righteous people wander in the wilderness—not by their own choice—but as the consequence of their belongingness to a group.

Nothing is more depressing than to realize that you are doing the best you can only to be dragged down by your group. This was the life of Joshua for 40 years. He was suffering as an innocent. He was wandering in the wilderness of death, surrounded by people whose expertise was in grumbling. The journey was already exhausting, but being with nasty people added to the suffering. The journey from Goshen to the promised land is only about 900 miles, which they could have walked in four months, maximum. In fact, they reached Mt Sinai, which was about than halfway through, in just 44 days. But the journey lasted for forty long years, not while eating ice cream in the desert, but in suffering and death. For Joshua and the Israelites, they could almost see their destination. It was just right in front of them, but they could not move forward. They were trapped in their hellish routine.

Never in his entire life would Joshua have expected to experience victories. The odds were against him. Although he was the new leader of the Israelites, the Israelites were still the Israelites. They were the same rebellious, stiff-necked, doubting grumblers like in the time of Moses. If I were Joshua, I would not be expecting much from the same people who were the very reason for his 40-year wandering. It was not as if he joined another group of more reliable and godly people. He was basically in the same place, surrounded by the same group of people who weighed him down. He knew the Israelites very well that the task given to him was challenging. He saw how the people regarded God and Moses, and he was most probably not optimistic about his dignified new leadership role.

But the miracle of miracles happened. After 40 years of wandering in defeat, Joshua tasted two victories immediately after taking the leadership from Moses. They were able to cross the Jordan river and defeat Jericho without much effort. They have been trying so hard to enter the promise land in the last 40 years, and the land seemed almost impenetrable. But Joshua and the people crossed the Jordan river and defeated their first city within a month’s time. In the span of one month, Joshua experienced a change from being a defeated wanderer to a winning warrior.

How did this happen? What changed? What was different? We can observe two things.

First, in both crossing Jordan river (Josh 3:14-17) and conquest of Jericho (Josh 6:2-7), the priests holding the ark of the covenant were leading the way. Gone were the days when the Israelites relied on their own wisdom and strength. Gone were the days when the scouts led the way. It was a new era: one characterized by unreserved (and even foolish) trust and confidence in God. Can you imagine how foolish it was to send priests carrying the ark of the covenant to walk ahead while crossing a river? Can you imagine how foolish it was to send priests carrying trumpets to lead the way in sieging a fortified city? They allowed God to lead them, and this gave them victories.

Secondly, immediately after entering the promise land, Joshua led the people to be circumcised in Gilgal and celebrate the Passover (Josh 4:19-5:12). Circumcision was the sign of the covenant between God and the Israelites, so Joshua was leading the people to renew their covenant with God. Most of the people who entered the promised land were not there when the Israelites made the covenant with Yahweh at Sinai forty years ago. They have broken their covenant of worship and faith in Yahweh in their repeated disobedience and grumbling in the wilderness. One of the first things Joshua did was to renew the covenant between the people and Yahweh. The way forward is to return to covenant relationship with God.

These two things are what we should do today if we want to transition from being a wanderer to a winner. We must make sure that our covenant with God is renewed every day. We must make sure that we are in relationship with Him. This is the foundation of all that we are as Christians. Also, we must allow God to lead the way for us. We must renew our faith in God and be confident in His wisdom and grace that will carry us through life. In the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, we must

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.


[This is the second sermon in the series New Beginnings. The fist sermon is here.]

Forget the Past; Forge the Future

If we are to describe our last year in one word, what would it be? Would it be success, failure, busy, lazy, challenging, joyride, stressful, chill, change, constant, love, sorrow, heartbreak, excitement? The thing is that whether we have had a good or challenging year, we are all going to leave last year behind. Last year is already the past. This is both a scary and a beautiful prospect. For some of us who have had a good year, there is no assurance that we will have another abundant 2018. For those of us who have had a difficult year, we are looking forward for a better one.

The common image in Filipino comics that describes the changing of the year is an old man being replaced by a new baby. There is a new beginning, almost from nothing. The new year affords great opportunities to start again. The apostle Paul, reflecting about his life as a missionary of the gospel, has written one of the most important set of verses in the whole New Testament about what it means to put the past behind as we look forward to the future. This is one of my favorite passages: Philippians 3:4-14 (NIV)

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Our primary verse is this: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (3:13). These two complement each other. When we look at the life of Paul, the message is very clear.

Forget the Past

Paul’s first advice is to forget what is behind. Typically, Paul’s advice is interpreted from a negative perspective. Paul is thought to be admonishing that we should leave our experiences of troubles behind and forget all of these. We should forget both the offenses of others against us and our own self-inflicted failures. To a certain degree, Paul was probably thinking of these when he was writing the letter. He had the right to say these things, because his past was not a rose-colored story of righteousness and success. He was once a blasphemer, violent, and persecutor of the church (1 Tim 1:13). People persecuted him. People stoned him. He was undeservedly punished. He was a recipient of envy and scorn, even from those he ministered with (the Corinthian believers). He was tossed and battered by the angry sea. He was accused of all sorts of things, arrested, and beaten.

So Paul’s words may be understood as a challenge that if we have been violent blasphemers of our faith, defiling the name of God in the process, we should leave that behind in the coming year. If we have experienced suffering because of persecution, misunderstanding, envy, and others, we should forget about these things and leave them behind. We may have been criticized, talked about negatively, pushed aside, neglected, offended, not respected enough, rejected, or whatever, we are being asked to forget and let go. We should let go of the thoughts of vengeance or bitterness or unforgiveness. We are to leave behind the sufferings of the past year, both self-inflicted and caused by others.

However, I think Paul’s main thought in the passage is about forgetting our sufferings. In fact, when we go back and read verses 4-6, Paul enumerated a few things that he can boast about himself. He was talking about his achievements. It seems to me that Paul’s primary message in Philippians 3 is that if we are to forget something, we must concentrate on forgetting our past achievements. We are entering the new year. We may have accomplished this and that, we may have achieved this and that, we may have received this and that, we may have done this and that, but it is time to forget them and move on. We may be tempted to live in the glories of the past and lose sight of the greater work that is in front of us. We might become conceited about what we have accomplished in the past and develop spiritual pride and superiority complex over others. Paul says in verse 7: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless” (NLT). Let go of the past, and strain toward what is ahead, because as Paul wrote, “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it” (3:13). There is so much more to do. We have not even reached half of our task and goal.

Forge the Future

When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in prison. He was probably aware that he was almost at the end of his life. He had an inkling that the Roman empire would not leave him alive. We can sense that he was torn:

“Now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil 1:20-23).

Whatever the outcome of his imprisonment would be, Paul’s attitude was exemplary. He was discerning that the end for him was very near, but he still admonished that we should all strain toward what is ahead. What is ahead might be death and other many forms of suffering for the sake of the kingdom, but Paul says, strain toward it anyway!

We must forget about our past accomplishments and consider everyday as a new start, because our goals are yet to be achieved. We cannot be content with our past victories. We cannot be content with our historical record, but must strive to break them. We must move toward even more victories, more accomplishments, and more labor. There is no time to be complacent. Our victories in the past should pale in comparison to the victories of tomorrow, so that when we look back, we can laugh and scorn our old selves and say, “How foolish of the old me, thinking that this was the meaning of success.”

However, and more importantly, we should learn why Paul talked about forgetting what is behind and straining toward the future. Why should we forget our past accomplishments behind? What is the goal that we should strain toward? The answer is found in verses 7-10:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Let us leave our victories behind. What truly matters is our deepening relationship and knowledge of Jesus Christ. So what if we have earned more money last year? So what if we have been promoted at work? So what if we have served a thousand hours in our ministries? Paul says that these are garbage, because what we should really gain is Jesus Christ (Phil 3:8). He is the goal that we should strain toward. All our efforts should be concentrated on knowing Him, in experiencing the power of his resurrection, in participating in his suffering, and becoming like Him in his death (Phil 3:10). Forget the past, leave it behind, and strain toward our goal, Jesus Christ. He is the true crown of righteousness for us. Our destiny and purpose is not predicated on what we do, but on who we are with. Our desire for this new year must therefore be to get closer to God, to know Him more, and to have Him manifested in our lives.

This is what our 2018 as disciples of Jesus Christ should look like.


[This is first of the sermon series entitled New Beginnings.]

The Nature of Christian Work

A hymn that I learned to sing in college says, “We’ll work till Jesus comes.” Because there is such a thing as Labor Day, this post deals with the nature of Christian work. The passage we will meditate upon, however, is not quite conventional. In fact, at first sight, Luke 8:1-3 does not seem to offer much about the nature of Christian work, but actually, it offers three fundamental things about Christian work that all Christians should know about.

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.

Unnamed and Unpaid

One of the interesting things about this passage is the fact that apart from the three named women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna—all the other women are unnamed. The only description we have from the text about these workers are that they are “some women” (8:2), “many others” (8:3), and “these women” (8:3). Many of these active workers who travelled with Jesus “from one town and village to another” (8:1) were basically unnamed. Maybe there were so many that it was simply too tedious to write all of their names. Maybe they were coming and going because they had obligations elsewhere so they were not really prominent. Maybe they had quiet and shy personalities that made them less noticed. Whatever the reason was, there were many women workers who accompanied Jesus who remain unknown to us today.

This is one of the natures of Christian work: anonymity. Majority of the workers of the kingdom are unnamed heroes. These are workers who are unrecognized and unappreciated. They are nameless, faceless, and invisible. They are hiding behind the curtains, unwilling to receive the spotlight. But they are there, doing the work of the kingdom alongside those who are under the spotlight. To be honest, given our fallen human nature, it is hard to be nameless. We feel that it is unfair to be unrecognized. It is hurting not to be appreciated. It is hard not to desire recognition, appreciation and applauses. But if we listen to the words of Jesus, this was precisely what He wants us to do: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt 6:1-4).

Help and Support

The passage says that these nameless women followed Jesus wherever He went and “were helping to support Him and the disciples” (Luke 8:3). The Greek word used for support is diakoneo, which literally means “to serve.” The word can actually refer to any activity or ministry, which is why even scholars have yet to reach a consensus about what specific kind of service these women were doing. What is crucial, however, is that while Jesus and the disciples were preaching, teaching, and healing, the nameless women served in other ways. While Jesus and the disciples were fulfilling their roles, these women were also fulfilling theirs. This was what Paul admonished about in Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Rom 12:6-8).

The word diakoneo is very important, particularly because it means serving in whatever way is needed. Furthermore, if we compare these unnamed women to the named male disciples, we actually see such striking contrasts, which also enables us appreciate the lives of these women.

First, the women stepped back and out when it was needed. In contrast to their self-effacing attitude, we see the disciples who were already at the forefront arguing with each other about who was the greatest among them: “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34; also 10:35-41). The women disciples stayed behind the curtains and served silently and joyfully even without being recognized, while the disciples who were already seen by other people were still competing for even greater status. The women did not compete with the disciples for prominence and recognition. They did not occupy key roles where people can see them. They were serving behind the scenes. They were invisible to many people. The women exemplified the true meaning of diakoneo, because to serve is to do anything that is needed to be done without being recognized.

Secondly, the women stepped up and in when they were needed. Again, diakoneo means serving by doing whatever needs to be done. The contrast with the disciples is again striking. In Luke 9:1-3, when Jesus was welcomed by the people, the disciples were at the forefront while the ladies were at the background. But the moment Jesus was arrested, there was a reversal of roles. The disciples went at the back (in hiding!) and the women stepped out. Apart from John, the disciples were nowhere near Jesus at the crucifixion, but women were “near the cross” (John 19:25). The disciples were nowhere to be found when Jesus was laid down in the tomb, but “the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it” (Luke 23:55). It is customary in Jewish culture that when someone dies, the family members and closest friends should bury him or her. In the case of Jesus, the disciples were too afraid to even honor Jesus in His burial. His burial was handled by a not-well-advertised disciple Joseph of Arimathea, and surprise: unknown women. The disciples were unwilling to visit the tomb for fear of the Jews, but the very first thing the women did as soon as Sabbath was over, was to visit the tomb to serve the body of Jesus (Luke 23:56-24:1). These women were not afraid of the religious leaders. They did not care for their lives so long as they can serve Jesus even in his death.

What does diakoneo mean? To serve wherever, whenever, and whatever is needed to be done, especially the things that nobody wants to do. This is the comparison: the disciples were at the forefront during the glory days of Jesus and the women were only working behind the scenes; in Jesus’s humiliation, the disciples were hiding and the nameless women were the ones so courageous at the forefront.

Out of their Own Means

The women were not only unnamed and were willing to perform whatever service is needed wherever and whenever the needs arise, they were also helping in the ministry of Jesus “out of their own means’ (Luke 8:3). They were helping Jesus according to their own capacity. They did not rely on the help of others in order to help Jesus. They did not look at the wallet of others, but looked into their own purses, and they helped out of their own savings. We see this sort of story in Moses. When God called him, Moses was very reluctant because he did not see himself as a man of many talents and capabilities. But God asked him a very simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (Exo 4:2). God was not looking for something that Moses did not have. In fact, God used Moses in accordance to what Moses already had: a simple staff. This was the same with the women who served with Jesus. They served out of their own means.

Like these unnamed women, our required capital in serving is not much. These women were not the richest or even the most socially influential. In fact, as Herman Henstrickx commented, “these women came mostly from the lower and poorer strata of Jewish society and that they combined what economic resources they possessed to offset the cost of Jesus’ itinerant ministry. They majority of them were probably single (unmarried women, widows, divorced women and, with less certainty, former prostitutes) for only women of single status enjoyed some personal and economic independence.”[1] These women did not have much. They served out of their own small means. This is another meaning of diakoneo, serving not only whenever, wherever and whatever is needed to be done, but also however one might be able to do it.

Conclusions

Imagine a job hiring where the recruitments conditions are that you will not be recognized; in fact the company does not even want to know your name; you will stay at the background and are not allowed to compete for attention with the big guns; you will work hard but you will not be getting any applause; you will not be paid, and most importantly; you will need to use your own money and resources in order to work. Then there is a big PS: Be prepared that when your bosses do not show up for work, without previous notice you will be required to do their abandoned responsibilities.

Not many people are willing to work under these harsh conditions. There is no earthly gain. There is only sacrifice. In fact, most of the times, these people hear more criticisms and suggestions about how they might do their job better, than hearing words of encouragement and appreciation. But this is the life of service and work that we are called to do as Christians. The church is recruiting unnamed and unpaid supporters who would minister out of their own means. These are the people who would be involved in the harvest.

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[1] Herman Henstrickx, The Third Gospel for the Third World, vol 2B (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998), 113-7.

Easter: Peter Reinstated

The Easter story deals with hope when it presented the transformed lives of the disciples. The death of Christ rendered them hopeless, but the resurrection gave them hope. The resurrection also deals with faith in the story of Thomas the doubter. Thomas’ faith in Jesus Christ was shaken because of Jesus’ death, but Jesus appears to Him to restore His faith and confidence in Him. In this post, the greatest of the triad—love—will be highlighted. This is just proper, because if at the cross God showed His love for us, during the resurrection days, God asked about our love for Him. The reading is from John 21:15-17

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Do you love me more than these? (15:15)

The setting of John 21:15-17 is that of a breakfast over fish (21:12). It was in the context of this communal gathering that Jesus opened His mouth and directed a question to Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (15:17). I can imagine the tension here. The question was addressed only to Peter, not to the whole crowd. Jesus locked His eyes on to Peter and asked him of his love for Him in the presence and hearing of the other disciples. This must have been a very awkward moment. The disciples all knew the not-so-distant-blunder of the outspoken Peter. They can remember how Peter publicly declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you!” (Matt 26:33-35; Mark 14:29-31; John 13:37; 15:12-13), and also how Peter also publicly denied Jesus Christ three times (Matt 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:16-18, 25-27).

Jesus’ question to Peter was like a knife wrenched in his heart, but the fang of the question was probably intended by Jesus. The question about our love for God is not a private question between God and us only. There is no such a thing as secret love for God. God asks the question of our devotion to Him in the presence of our close friends and family members. The question stings painfully because like Peter, these close friends and family members are the ones who know us and our blunders. To answer the question in public is scary, because the eyes and ears of many are attentive to us. But there is no other way. God demands that our love for Him be made public and for the world to see.

The first question is very interesting. What do the “these” refer to? Leon Morris argues that the “these” does not refer to the other disciples. Jesus was not asking if Peter loved Him more than how the other disciples love Him. Rather, “these” refer to the fishing paraphernalia. The question, therefore, is “Do you love me more than fishing?” It sounds like a simple question, but it actually is quite profound. Jesus was asking Peter about his future. It was a question of Peter’s way of life. It was a question of career choice.[1] Was Peter going to be a fisherman or an apostle? Let us remember that the disciples went fishing at the instigation of Peter (John 15:3). This is interesting because for one week, the disciples locked themselves in the room (John 20:19, 26), and the story of John 21:1-14 was the first time in the resurrection narratives that the disciples voluntarily went out, and their purpose was to fish. It would appear that Peter was going back to His old career as a fisherman. They no longer feared the Jewish leaders because the act of fishing symbolized that they have returned to their old lives and have moved on. Their Jesus experience and commitment were over. When Jesus asked “Do you love me more than these?” He was asking if Peter loved Him that He would go back to His calling to be a fisher of men (Matt 4:19). When Peter said “Yes Lord, you know that I love you,” the immediate response of Jesus was, then “Feed my lambs” (John 15:15).

Do you truly love me? (15:16)

It seems that Jesus was not satisfied with Peter’s affirmation, because Jesus asked Peter again: “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?” (15:16). Again, it is good to remember that Jesus’ questions to Peter were in the presence of the disciples. If the first question created an awkward atmosphere, the fact that Jesus asked the same question to Peter might have further thickened the air. But Jesus had the right to ask the question again, because Peter did not really answer Jesus’ question in the first instance. This is more obvious in the original Greek manuscripts:

            Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapas) me more than these?” 

Peter: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love (philo) you.”

Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapas) me?” 

Thus, the reason Jesus asked Peter the same question again was that Peter did not answer Jesus’ question in the first place. Jesus was asking if Peter love Him in an agape way. Agape is the kind of love that God has for humanity. It refers to God’s faithful love—a love that never lets go. It is love that is willing to make a sacrifice for others to the point of death (Rom 5:8; 1 John 3:16). Jesus was asking Peter if he had this kind of love for Jesus. But as we see in 20:15, Peter actually avoided the question and literally said, “Yes Lord, I have a brotherly affection for you.” Basically, Peter said something like: “Yes Lord, I love you but not the kind of love that you are expecting from me.” Jesus was bro-zoned by Peter!

Jesus asked Peter again because Peter’s response was disappointing. Jesus wanted him to love Him with all his heart, soul, body, and mind (Matt 22:37), but Peter’s commitment was limited. In fact, Peter was actually shameless, because his response to Jesus’ second question was the same as the first one:

Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapas) me more than these?” 

Peter: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love (philo) you.”

Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapas) me?” 

Peter: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love (philo) you” (John 15:15-16).

Maybe the reason Peter responded in this way was because He no longer dared to be arrogantly sure in front of others again. He was afraid that He would fail again. He knew himself better now. He once proclaimed his undying commitment to Jesus in front of the other disciples, and he failed miserably in fulfilling his words. So this time, in the presence of the disciples, He did not dare to be so sure again. But you know what, it was precisely what Peter did not want to say that Jesus wanted to hear. Jesus wanted to hear from Peter his confession again. Jesus was challenging Peter to be so valiant again. He wanted Peter to express the same level of devotion for Him before his denials. Jesus was challenging Peter and us today if we can love Him in the same way that He loves us.

Do you love me? (15:17)

Jesus was not satisfied even after asking Peter twice, and receiving Peter’s response twice too. In John 20:17, it says that “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” Jesus was a persistent stalker. He asked the same question a third time, and but what was Jesus’ focus this time?

It would appear that Peter’s love and commitment to Jesus has turned somewhat cold when Jesus died. He no longer had the same passion as before for Jesus Christ. He went back to fishing and when asked if he loved Jesus, he responded that he loved Jesus as a brother or friend. Something happened to Peter’s love when Jesus died. He lost his motivation. He lost his zeal. He lost his vigor. He lost the fiery love that he once had for Jesus.

The third question is actually probably the most important. Whether we like it or not, Peter did not want a crucified Messiah. He was expecting a victorious political king. This is why when Jesus said that He would suffer and be killed, Peter rebuked Jesus sternly (Matt 16:22; Mark 8:32). Peter loved the Jesus who was popular and was going to be the political liberator of the nation of Israel. Peter wanted a victorious Lord, not a failed revolutionary. Peter wanted a Lion, not a Lamb. Again, his actions of going back to fish and his affirmation that he loved Jesus only as a brother indicate that something has changed in his heart. Jesus’ third question asked Peter if he still loved Him even though He was not the person Peter wanted and expected. Jesus was a crucified Messiah. Would Peter still follow Him? Would Peter love Him even though He was not the man he wanted?

Conclusions

Jesus asked Peter three times. The same questions apply to us today. In the first question, Jesus is asking us if we love Jesus more than we love our career and our future and is comfortable for us. In the second question, Jesus is asking us if we love Him the way He loves us. In the third question, Jesus is asking if we love Him as He is, even though He does not respond to our prayers, even though He seems silent, even though He is not granting our deepest desires? We have expectations about God and how He should work in our lives, but these expectations often fail. Do we love Jesus the way He is?

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[1] Leon Morris, The Gospel of John (rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 767-72.

Easter: Forty Days Later

Like the disciples, we have heard the good news that Jesus has risen from the dead. Death is unable to have a grip on Him. If, according to Paul, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:26), then death is already destroyed. “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor 15:54), so that we can taunt death and its powerlessness: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55). God “gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:47).

This is the good news of the resurrection. This was the good news that the disciples heard on the first Easter. But the question is this: How did the disciples receive the good news of the resurrection? How did the first Easter affect the lives of the disciples from the time Jesus rose from the dead up to the day He ascended to heaven?

Let us look back at the gospel stories and narrate what happened:

Day 1 Morning          

           

John 20:1-2	Women saw the empty tomb, and reported to the disciples that Jesus’ body was stolen. “While the women were on their way,” the chief priests conspired against Jesus’ resurrection (Matt 28:11-15).
John 20:3-9	Peter and the disciples went to the tomb. The disciple who went inside “saw and believed” (20:8). Peter ran, saw the empty tomb and went away, “wondering to himself what had happened” (Luke 24:12).
John 20:10-18	The disciples went home. Mary stayed and Jesus appeared to her. Mary went to report to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (20:18). People who heard the women’s testimonies did not believe them (Mark 16:11).

Day 1 Afternoon and Evening

Luke 24:13-35	“That same day… two of them were going to a village called Emmaus” and Jesus appeared to them. They recognized him when He broke bread. “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem… they found the Eleven… ‘It is true! The Lord has risen’” (24:34). But the disciples “did not believe them either” (Mark 19:12-13).
Luke 24:36-40	“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them” (24:36). He showed His hands and feet (Luke 24:40).
John 20:19-23	“On the evening of that first day of the week…, Jesus came and stood among them.”

Later…

“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven… he rebuked them for their lack of faith and the stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen” (Mark 16:14).

Day 8

John 20:26-29

“A week later,” Jesus appeared to the disciples. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared last time and he did not believe (20:24-25). Thomas saw Jesus and said: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28).

Days between Days 9 to 40

John 20:30-31	“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples.”
John 21:1-14	“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias” (Sea of Galilee). The disciples were fishing. They did not recognize Jesus (21:4). “This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples” (21:14).
John 21:15-19	Jesus reinstated Peter.
John 21:25	“Jesus did many other things as well.”

Day 40

Jesus appeared to the disciples in Galilee, as He said to the women (28:10). The Great Commission pronounced (Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-20).

The resurrection changed everything. This is particularly true in the lives of the disciples. But if we think that the changes were dramatic and instantaneous, we are wrong. We realize that the good news of the resurrection was gradually understood and received by the disciples. They heard the good news early Sunday morning, but they were not able to fully appropriate it in their lives immediately.

• Mark 16:11 indicates that people did not believe the testimonies of the women.
• Mark 16:12-13 tells us that the disciples did not believe the testimony of the two disciples who walked and ate with Jesus in Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).
• John 19:19 vividly portrays that they were still afraid of the Jews even though they already heard that Jesus was raised from the dead.
• Mark 16:14 records that Jesus had to appear to the disciples and “rebuked them for their lack of faith and the stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”
• John 20:26-29 narrates the unbelievable story of Thomas still doubting even after a week!
• John 21:1-14 reveals that the disciples went back to Galilee not to be “fishers of men” (Matt 4:19; Mark 1:17), but to return to their old profession as fishermen.

If I were Jesus, I would have been really mad at the disciples. But Jesus is patient. Luke writes that Jesus “appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). What does this mean? It means that the disciples are very slow in appropriating the good news of the resurrection. It required 40 days for them to finally understand it. It required 40 days until their lives were fully affected by the resurrection. The good news of the resurrection was a good news, true, but it was a good news that has yet to permeate their mind, heart, and life.

Let us ponder for a moment: How many days or years does God need in order for us to fully understand and appropriate one simple good news? It is amazing that on the very day that Jesus was risen from the dead, the disciples were still afraid of the Jews (John 19:19). This might be the same with us. On the very same day that we have received the good news, we immediately forget about it, and live our lives as if nothing happened.

The post-resurrection stories reveal, once again, the sharp contrast between human stubbornness and God’s remarkable grace. In the words of the Psalmist, we can only marvel at the fact that “the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Exo 34:6; Num 14:18; Deut 4:31; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 145:8). The post-resurrection stories re-enact the relationship between the Israelites and Yahweh: “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them” (Neh 9:17).

The forty days that Jesus spent with the disciples might be more meaningful than we think. There seems to be a connection between the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness and the experience of the disciples. We need to remember that “the Israelites have moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Josh 5:6). If in the Old Testament, God used forty years to kill stiff-necked and disobedient Israelites so that they would not enter the promised land, in Jesus Christ, He spent forty days so that His stubborn disciples might be reinstated into the kingdom and receive the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). He stayed with them. Jesus was patient, not wanting anyone to perish. He wanted His disciples to be able to enter the place which He was preparing for them: in His Father’s house which has many rooms (John 14:1-2).

Easter: One Week Later

In the post Easter: Mary’s Transformation, the primary question was: “What was the immediate effect of the resurrection to the disciples?” Emphasized there was the transformation miracle brought about by the resurrection to Mary Magdalene on the morning of the resurrection. By looking at John 20:11-18, we highlighted that because of the resurrection, Mary experienced three changes: from mourning to joy, from being muddled to crystal clear clarity, and from being a magnet to a missionary. In this post, the question is: “What was the effect of the resurrection to the disciples one week after the resurrection day?” John 20:26-29 (ESV) will provide us the answers:

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. 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; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

As the story indicates, it has been “a week later” (20:26). Interesting here is that there seems to be nothing exciting going on with the disciples a week after resurrection day. In fact, there are striking similarities between what was happened happening on the evening of the first week of Easter (John 20:26-29) and what happened on the evening of the resurrection day (John 20:19-25). As John 20:19-25 (ESV) records,

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.” …

²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:19-25)

What are the similarities between these two narratives?

JOHN 20:19-25	JOHN 20:26-29
“On the evening of the first day of the week” (20:19)	“A week later” (20:26)
“with the doors locked” (20:19)	“doors were locked” (20:26)
Thomas’ doubt and unbelief (20:25)	“Stop doubting and believe” (20:27)
“Jesus came and stood among them” (20:19)	“Jesus came and stood among them” (20:26)
“He showed them his hands and side” (20:20)	“Reach out your hand and put it into my side” (20:27)
“Peace be with you!” (20:19, 21)	“Peace be with you!” (20:26)

Phobia (20:19, 26)

Both narratives indicate that the doors of the room the disciples were staying at were locked: “with the doors locked” (20:19) and “doors were locked” (20:26). In 20:19, the reason is explained as “for fear of the Jewish leaders.” It seems, therefore, that nothing has changed in the lives of the disciples even a week after the resurrection. They were still inside the same room, with the same locked doors, with the same fear. Jesus’ appearance to them a week earlier did no benefit to them. They were still plagued with fear. The contrast is unmistakable: Jesus’ tomb is open and empty but the house where the disciples were was locked and full. They left the empty tomb of Jesus (20:10) and entered another dark tomb.

This may sound familiar for some of us. Jesus is already risen from the dead. Like the disciples, we know this as a fact. But we are still in our homes, locked up inside for fear of death! We left the empty tomb to enter into our own seclusion and self-imprisonment. We left the tomb of resurrection to enter our room of death. We left the tomb of victory to enter our room of defeat.

Perplexity (20:25, 27)

The narratives also indicate that even after a week, in addition to fear, one of the disciples still did not believe the resurrection of Jesus. Thomas was quite clear: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (20:25), which was why Jesus’ words to him was a stern: “Stop doubting and believe” (20:27). Thomas’ unbelief is particularly upsetting because he had no reason not to believe. He followed Jesus for several years, and he saw how Jesus raised several people from the dead: Lazarus (John 11:1-44), the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15), and the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:41-42, 49-55). For sure, Thomas had heard Jesus speak the words, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). But after all of these first-hand experiences of Thomas, he still did not believe the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection.

Thomas remained in his unbelief, doubt, and lack of faith even after being with Jesus for several years. In Thomas, we see the example of someone who remains unaffected by the truth of the gospel even when he belongs to the same group of disciples. Thomas remained in his unbelief even though he was surrounded by believers who passionately testified about the truth of the resurrection. He was surrounded by a cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1). For whatever reasons, he chose not to believe. He chose not to be affected. He chose to persist in his lack of faith.

In fairness to Thomas, he was not alone in his unbelief. In fact, Mark 16:14 says, Jesus “appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” All the disciples were guilty. Quite interestingly, Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith throughout His time with them. In the gospel of Matthew, for example, Jesus rebuked the disciples on this matter five times, saying “O you of little faith” (6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20).

Presence (20:19, 26)

Those of us who are parents know very well how to be frustrated with our children who do not seem to know how to listen and obey. My wife is a lot stricter than me at home. At home, I am the good cop and she’s the bad cop. But even though she can yell at Heloise, our daughter can still not listen to her mom’s instructions. She can tell her to put her toys in the toy basket, only to see the toys still scattered on the floor after having already showered. She would be furious, and would actually pack all of her toys and hide them. Finding something undone and unchanged after so many attempts to change things is discouraging and infuriating. I could only imagine Jesus’ frustrations when He saw the disciples still unchanged. In John 20:19-21, on the evening of the first day, He already gave them peace. He already forgave them. He already showed Himself to them so that they would believe and be strengthened. And yet Jesus came one week later only to hind them to have reverted to their old fears and doubts.

Intriguingly, if the circumstances of the disciples were similar in the week after resurrection day, Jesus’ approach to the disciples was also similar to His first appearance to them: “Jesus came and stood among them” (20:19, 26). In short, He made Himself available to them again. Jesus’ patience is actually noteworthy. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He died, Jesus prompted the disciples to pray, but when He returned from praying, He found them sleeping. But He did not give up and prompted them to pray again, but the result was the same as last time: He found them sleeping. Then this cycle happened again and for the third time. Jesus did not give up on His disciples. The weakness of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane is displayed again after the resurrection, because Jesus found His disciples again in their weaknesses. Like in the Garden of Gethsemane, He came to the disciples and found them in the same state He found them last time.

The statement is very simple: “Jesus came and stood among them” (20:19, 26), but this sentence highlights Jesus’ act of giving the disciples another chance to experience renewal and restoration. God is a God of second chances, or of many chances. Jesus came again. The reality for many of us is that we need the visitations of God in our lives many times before we are truly transformed! This is true in the lives of the disciples. Actually, after Jesus appeared to the disciples in John 20:26-29, He appeared again to them a third time John 21:1-14. Here, when Jesus appeared, what were the disciples doing? They went back to being fishermen instead of being fishers of men (cf Matt 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10). But Jesus appeared to them over and over again, giving them the opportunity to believe and be transformed: “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

Peace (20:19, 21, 26)

What happened when Jesus came and stood among the disciples? Both narratives say that Jesus’ first words to them were “Peace be with you” (20:19, 21, 26). Jesus appeared to them not with words of fiery condemnation or words of disapproval or words of exasperated grievances. No. Jesus’ words to the stiff-necked, stubborn, dull disciples were of peace. Jesus appeared to His disciples not to make them feel guilty. In fact He knew that His mere presence would make them feel guilty and ashamed, so His first words contained a message of peace.

Jesus comes to His broken, ashamed, guilty disciples to restore them. In fact, we learn through the gospels that the succeeding appearances of Jesus to the disciples were moments where He lavished grace upon them: He forgave and reinstated Peter (John 21:15-19), commissioned the disciples (Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20), and promised the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). God’s grace is amazing!

There is something profound in these visitations of Jesus Christ. He is teaching us that He comes precisely for those who are plagued by fear. He comes precisely for those who are filled with doubt. He comes precisely to those who are broken and shattered. He comes precisely to those who are suffering. He comes precisely to those who are in need of forgiveness and peace. He comes to those who are tortured by shame and guilt. He comes to those who have heavy burdens. He comes to those who are hopeless. Even in the resurrection, Jesus’ words ring true: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32, NIV).

Conclusions

Jesus was risen from the dead for us. But like the disciples, it is possible that the resurrection of Jesus has not yet affected our lives or that the effect of the resurrection in our lives was only momentary. Maybe we are still living in fear of death. Maybe we are still in doubt. The good news for us is that the transforming power of the resurrection is not only available on Easter Sunday. Jesus comes in the lives of people who have failed in their relationship with God. Jesus comes to give us peace. Jesus comes to restore us. This is His grace: He gives us a lot of chances until we get it. He gives us chances until we finally believe. He gives us chances until we are freed from fear. He gives us a lot of chances until we have peace.