I could never be an angel. I have neither the patience, nor tolerance for people and would be tempted to tell them what I think rather than do exactly what God assigned me to accomplish. Sometimes I wonder what the angels are thinking when they look at man and see him struggle with faith. The story of Jesus’ birth is found in Matthew and Luke, however only Luke 1:5-38 describes in detail the announcement the angel Gabriel gave to Zacharias and Mary concerning their miracle babies. I want to focus on the reaction of both Zacharias and Mary when the angel Gabriel appears to them. I’m going to give Gabriel the day off and I will take his place when he makes the announcement to Zacharias and Mary. I will tell the story in my own words.
The Lord God almighty looked down from heaven and saw the pain of Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth because they were childless. Then the Lord said to angel lowest class Ron, “Hey Ron, why don’t you head on down to the temple in Jerusalem and tell my pal Zach that he and the Mrs. are gonna get a visit from the stork. So I make my way down to the temple and appear to Zach. Zach sees me and nearly has a heart attack. Angelic visits are not an everyday experience, at least not to Zach so when he sees me he nearly passes out.
I say to Zach, “Don’t be scared Dude I got some great news.” Zach says, “I hit the lottery?” ‘No man, something much better, the Lord has heard your prayers and you and the Mrs. are gonna have a baby.” Zach looks a little dumbfounded and says, “I stopped praying about that when the wife turned forty. “Why I stopped chasing her around the house ten years ago.” I can see this isn’t going to be easy so I say, “This is important so pay attention. “This kid (your baby) is gonna be 'The Man' when he grows up and everybody is gonna be glad he was born because he will talk about the Messiah."
Zach says, “How shall I know this for certain? “My wife and I are old geezers so how are we gonna have a baby?” I look at Zach and say, “What are you stupid? What do you mean how will I know this for certain? It’s real simple, just go home get the wife drunk and then take advantage of her. Before long she will start to become real crabby and then she will have cravings for foods that she has never liked before. In a few months her belly will grow so big she won’t be able to see her feet." I continue, “You must have heard about this when other women got pregnant?” Zacharias says to me, “I know all about that. I just didn’t think the Lord was gonna answer my prayers this way.” I say, “Nobody ever does.”
A few months later the Lord God almighty looks down from on heaven and sees a young woman named Mary. God says to me (still the lowest ranking angel in the kingdom) “Go down to Jerusalem and tell Mary that she is gonna have a baby and the world will never be the same again.” So I say to God, “Are you sure this is a good idea I mean after all the last time I did this that guy Zach didn’t even know anything about women, or babies or much of anything else.” The Lord says to me, “This time things will be different I promise.”
So I appear to Mary and say, “Hail favored one.” Mary is a little concerned about what I just said, as she could not understand why a poor girl from Nazareth would receive a visit from an angel who calls her a favored one. I’m beginning to like this kid. I can see why God choose her. I tell her that she is gonna have a baby and the world will be talking about him from now on. Mary says to me, “How is this gonna happen since I am a virgin? I tell Mary that God calls the shots and when He say’s something is going to happen, it will happen. Mary says something to me that still sticks with me to this day. She said, “I am the Lords bondservant let it be done according to your words.”
When I go back up to heaven I see God and say to Him that even though I wasn’t so sure about that Zach fellow, He really knew what He was doing with Mary. God looks at me a little funny and says, “I knew what I was doing with Zach as well.” To make a long story short everything worked out according to God’s plan and I even got my wings thanks to Mary and Zach.
The two reactions of the news presented to both Zacharias and Mary are noteworthy. Zacharias was looking for a sign from the angel that would solidify his belief while Mary was merely asking how a virgin could conceive a baby. I would have figured an appearance by an angel of the Lord was enough of a sign for Zacharias, but apparently not. As for Mary, she was asking a logical question about an event that still mystifies humanity. If we spend some time thinking about it each one of us is a bit like Zacharias and Mary. We need to keep in mind the proper response when the Lord answers our prayers. Mary had the proper response.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 5:1-11 tells the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple who owned a piece of land and sold it for the purpose of donating the money to charity. The early Christian church was undergoing persecution and, as a result, there appeared to be financial hardships for a number of families. As a means of offsetting the financial hardships, some of the better off Christians provided financial support to the apostles with the understanding the apostles would distribute the money as needed to the less fortunate believers. Barnabas, the man who would eventually go on missionary journeys with Paul, sets an example of this in Acts 4:36. He sold some a piece of land and gave the money to the apostles.
Enter Ananias and Sapphira, a married Christian couple apparently with no children, who also decided to sell some land and make a donation to the apostles. Unfortunately, when Ananias presented the donation he told the apostles that the money he was presenting was all the money he received from the land. Wrongo! The couple actually kept some of the money for themselves. Ananias had every right to keep as much of the money as he wanted, it was his to do so. The simple fact is they could have kept all the money for themselves and have done no wrong (Acts 5:4) that notwithstanding, they decided to give some of the money away apparently to look good to their fellow believers.
Then Peter, apparently guided by the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias about the transaction prompting Ananias to cover his original deceit with another lie. This results in an apparent stroke and his sudden death. Then some young men come and bury Ananias. When his wife enters the room some time later, Peter confronts her and asks the same questions about the amount of money they received for the land. She, like her husband, tells a lie and falls dead at Peter’s feet. The young men return and bury her as well.
The problem is the story of Ananias and Sapphira caused the Christians of the day to be very fearful of God. Yes, that is a problem. After the word got out about A and S there was great fear in the community (5:13). I’ll bet! Some of those people were probably changing their pants when they began thinking about some of the things they may not have been too honest about in the past.
Think about what I am saying. Let’s say that I am alive in the first century A. D. and I know Peter and some of the other Christian Big Wigs of the day. I see Peter right after a church service and I say, “Hi Pete, how’s it going?” Peter says, “Yo dude, how are things going between you and the Mrs?” Now the Mrs. and I were engaged in a fifteen-minute brouhaha about our latest phone bill right before the church service. That notwithstanding I say to Peter, “The Mrs. and I are doing great, it’s like were on a second honeymoon.” I ask, “How are you and Mrs. Peter doing? In a vain attempt to change the subject and he tells me he just bought her a new dress. I say, “That’s great” and make haste getting out of there.
You may have noticed that there is a slight variation between what I said about how my wife and I are doing and the actual truth. Does that mean that the feet of the young men who buried A and S are going to bury me as well?
So now I got a real problem. You see I have to decide whether or not I can ever tell even the slightest lie. When Peter’s wife sees me in the church parking lot and asks how I like her new dress do I tell her the truth and insult her, or tell her a little lie so as not to hurt her feelings? Yet, if I tell her a lie the young men who buried A and S may be working the shovels again this time for me. All this because I tried to spare a woman the pain of being insulted.
All humor aside, Ananias and Sapphira are not mentioned again in scripture. Neither is the act of selling things and giving them to the apostles for distribution. Well, so much for socialism. Like everywhere else, socialism failed in the first century as well. To be clear on the subject of giving, Paul does mention the support he has received from churches and encourages churches in more prosperous provinces to be generous to churches in area where poverty is more prevalent.
This lesson here is not about giving, it is about giving for the purpose of being noticed as apparently, A and S felt that Barnabas had received some recognition for his generous gift and they wanted some kudos for themselves. The gift presented by A and S was accepted, as there is no indication the money was returned to whoever survived them. So the gift was honorable, but the attempt at gaining recognition was not.
As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 9:7` we need to be cheerful givers. Our actions need to be seasoned with unconditional love. Unconditional love is love without expectations.
Enter Ananias and Sapphira, a married Christian couple apparently with no children, who also decided to sell some land and make a donation to the apostles. Unfortunately, when Ananias presented the donation he told the apostles that the money he was presenting was all the money he received from the land. Wrongo! The couple actually kept some of the money for themselves. Ananias had every right to keep as much of the money as he wanted, it was his to do so. The simple fact is they could have kept all the money for themselves and have done no wrong (Acts 5:4) that notwithstanding, they decided to give some of the money away apparently to look good to their fellow believers.
Then Peter, apparently guided by the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias about the transaction prompting Ananias to cover his original deceit with another lie. This results in an apparent stroke and his sudden death. Then some young men come and bury Ananias. When his wife enters the room some time later, Peter confronts her and asks the same questions about the amount of money they received for the land. She, like her husband, tells a lie and falls dead at Peter’s feet. The young men return and bury her as well.
The problem is the story of Ananias and Sapphira caused the Christians of the day to be very fearful of God. Yes, that is a problem. After the word got out about A and S there was great fear in the community (5:13). I’ll bet! Some of those people were probably changing their pants when they began thinking about some of the things they may not have been too honest about in the past.
Think about what I am saying. Let’s say that I am alive in the first century A. D. and I know Peter and some of the other Christian Big Wigs of the day. I see Peter right after a church service and I say, “Hi Pete, how’s it going?” Peter says, “Yo dude, how are things going between you and the Mrs?” Now the Mrs. and I were engaged in a fifteen-minute brouhaha about our latest phone bill right before the church service. That notwithstanding I say to Peter, “The Mrs. and I are doing great, it’s like were on a second honeymoon.” I ask, “How are you and Mrs. Peter doing? In a vain attempt to change the subject and he tells me he just bought her a new dress. I say, “That’s great” and make haste getting out of there.
You may have noticed that there is a slight variation between what I said about how my wife and I are doing and the actual truth. Does that mean that the feet of the young men who buried A and S are going to bury me as well?
So now I got a real problem. You see I have to decide whether or not I can ever tell even the slightest lie. When Peter’s wife sees me in the church parking lot and asks how I like her new dress do I tell her the truth and insult her, or tell her a little lie so as not to hurt her feelings? Yet, if I tell her a lie the young men who buried A and S may be working the shovels again this time for me. All this because I tried to spare a woman the pain of being insulted.
All humor aside, Ananias and Sapphira are not mentioned again in scripture. Neither is the act of selling things and giving them to the apostles for distribution. Well, so much for socialism. Like everywhere else, socialism failed in the first century as well. To be clear on the subject of giving, Paul does mention the support he has received from churches and encourages churches in more prosperous provinces to be generous to churches in area where poverty is more prevalent.
This lesson here is not about giving, it is about giving for the purpose of being noticed as apparently, A and S felt that Barnabas had received some recognition for his generous gift and they wanted some kudos for themselves. The gift presented by A and S was accepted, as there is no indication the money was returned to whoever survived them. So the gift was honorable, but the attempt at gaining recognition was not.
As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 9:7` we need to be cheerful givers. Our actions need to be seasoned with unconditional love. Unconditional love is love without expectations.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a poor man in Luke 16:19-31. As the story goes, a rich man enjoyed life immensely and a poor man, Lazarus, was in poor health and could only beg for help, as he was apparently unable to work. They both eventually die and Lazarus ends up in heaven and the rich man ends up in hell. At face value, it appears that Jesus is telling a story about the ills of money. However, like anything else I look into in the bible, it is apparent that there is more here than meets the eye. I will tell the story in my own words.
Once upon a time there was this really super rich guy who dressed in the finest threads and had a chauffeured limo to boot. Now there was this homeless dude named Lazarus who was plopped down by the rich guy’s main gate. Lazarus was there everyday begging for some morsels that the rich guy might drop, by accident of course, as he was getting out of the limo. Sometimes Lazarus got a crumb, sometimes he didn’t.
Before long, Lazarus dies and gets carried away by the angels. He gets a first class escort to Abraham’s house and sits beside old Abe at the dinner table with servants and everything. Eventually, the super rich guy kicked the bucket and was buried.
In hell, the rich guy looks over a great chasm and sees Lazarus over at Abraham’s place and they are porking out. The rich guy says, “Yo, Abe, I could use a little help over here why don’t you send Lazarus over and dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am getting fried in this place.”
Lazarus says to Abraham, “I’ll be happy to go over and give him some water after all I know what its like to be in need of sustenance.” “Why is he only asking for a drop of water from my finger to his tongue? That won’t do anything for his thirst.” Abraham says, “No my son its not his thirst that is tormenting him it is all the disparaging remarks he made about you when you were at his front gate. You see he had important dignitaries coming over for dinner and other social gatherings and you were the first thing they saw when they got out of their limos. It wasn’t an appealing sight and it devalued his status in the eyes of his important guests. That’s why he cursed you whenever he would walk by you. Now his tongue is burning as a reminder of the things he said to you. That is why he specifically asked that you be the one to touch his tongue. Because he knows when that happens he will be forgiven and his torment will ease.”
Then Abe says to the guy who used to be rich, “Child, you seem to be forgetting something.” The used to be rich guy says, “What, what, what am I forgetting?” Abe says, “Back in the day, you had all the fixings and trimmings and Lazzo here didn’t have squat. Now you’re the beggar and he’s got food coming out the yahoo. Are you beginning to smell the coffee?” The guy who used to be rich says, “Hey man you gotta send somebody over to my brothers and warn them about this place because I don’t want them coming here.” Abraham says to the used to be rich guy, “I know you don’t, and we both know why.” The used to be rich guy hangs his head in shame and apprehension.
Lazarus says to Abe, “Why is he so afraid of his brothers coming to be with him?” Wouldn’t that help ease his pain?” Abraham says, “No my child, he knows that his brothers will hold him accountable for their demise. You see the rich guy was the oldest of the family sons and it was his Judaic responsibility as the oldest son to be an example for the other family members to follow. The other sons will blame him for their being sent to Hades and that will only make matters worse for him.
Jesus told this story to the religious leaders of that day (Luke 16:14) because they believed that God loved rich people, that’s why they were rich. Jesus was trying to get them to understand that they had a responsibility to the poor and infirmed, as Lazarus was both, because the poor were children of God as well. The religious leaders believed only those who are rich and powerful would end up in heaven and the poor and sick were cursed by God and deserved hell.
This story was Jesus’ way of setting the record straight.
The story does not suggest that all rich people go to hell and all poor people go to heaven it is just the Lord’s way of removing class distinction as a means of determining God’s judgment. The story of Job clearly stresses the point that even those who do right in the sight of the Lord may see evil at an unimaginable scale.
As believers we must get away from the notion that when someone suffers its because they did something to deserve their demise. The saying “I must be doing something right because good things are happening to me” is a false understanding of our relationship with God. Things that occur on this planet can be complex and confusing and may not have anything to do with whether or not we are following closely to God’s instructions. The first century Christian leaders were following God’s instruction and they all suffered terribly and most faced execution as a result of their commitment to God.
Indeed, the same needs to be said of our Lord who chose to live as a homeless vagrant rather than a king. What did He do to deserve that?
Once upon a time there was this really super rich guy who dressed in the finest threads and had a chauffeured limo to boot. Now there was this homeless dude named Lazarus who was plopped down by the rich guy’s main gate. Lazarus was there everyday begging for some morsels that the rich guy might drop, by accident of course, as he was getting out of the limo. Sometimes Lazarus got a crumb, sometimes he didn’t.
Before long, Lazarus dies and gets carried away by the angels. He gets a first class escort to Abraham’s house and sits beside old Abe at the dinner table with servants and everything. Eventually, the super rich guy kicked the bucket and was buried.
In hell, the rich guy looks over a great chasm and sees Lazarus over at Abraham’s place and they are porking out. The rich guy says, “Yo, Abe, I could use a little help over here why don’t you send Lazarus over and dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am getting fried in this place.”
Lazarus says to Abraham, “I’ll be happy to go over and give him some water after all I know what its like to be in need of sustenance.” “Why is he only asking for a drop of water from my finger to his tongue? That won’t do anything for his thirst.” Abraham says, “No my son its not his thirst that is tormenting him it is all the disparaging remarks he made about you when you were at his front gate. You see he had important dignitaries coming over for dinner and other social gatherings and you were the first thing they saw when they got out of their limos. It wasn’t an appealing sight and it devalued his status in the eyes of his important guests. That’s why he cursed you whenever he would walk by you. Now his tongue is burning as a reminder of the things he said to you. That is why he specifically asked that you be the one to touch his tongue. Because he knows when that happens he will be forgiven and his torment will ease.”
Then Abe says to the guy who used to be rich, “Child, you seem to be forgetting something.” The used to be rich guy says, “What, what, what am I forgetting?” Abe says, “Back in the day, you had all the fixings and trimmings and Lazzo here didn’t have squat. Now you’re the beggar and he’s got food coming out the yahoo. Are you beginning to smell the coffee?” The guy who used to be rich says, “Hey man you gotta send somebody over to my brothers and warn them about this place because I don’t want them coming here.” Abraham says to the used to be rich guy, “I know you don’t, and we both know why.” The used to be rich guy hangs his head in shame and apprehension.
Lazarus says to Abe, “Why is he so afraid of his brothers coming to be with him?” Wouldn’t that help ease his pain?” Abraham says, “No my child, he knows that his brothers will hold him accountable for their demise. You see the rich guy was the oldest of the family sons and it was his Judaic responsibility as the oldest son to be an example for the other family members to follow. The other sons will blame him for their being sent to Hades and that will only make matters worse for him.
Jesus told this story to the religious leaders of that day (Luke 16:14) because they believed that God loved rich people, that’s why they were rich. Jesus was trying to get them to understand that they had a responsibility to the poor and infirmed, as Lazarus was both, because the poor were children of God as well. The religious leaders believed only those who are rich and powerful would end up in heaven and the poor and sick were cursed by God and deserved hell.
This story was Jesus’ way of setting the record straight.
The story does not suggest that all rich people go to hell and all poor people go to heaven it is just the Lord’s way of removing class distinction as a means of determining God’s judgment. The story of Job clearly stresses the point that even those who do right in the sight of the Lord may see evil at an unimaginable scale.
As believers we must get away from the notion that when someone suffers its because they did something to deserve their demise. The saying “I must be doing something right because good things are happening to me” is a false understanding of our relationship with God. Things that occur on this planet can be complex and confusing and may not have anything to do with whether or not we are following closely to God’s instructions. The first century Christian leaders were following God’s instruction and they all suffered terribly and most faced execution as a result of their commitment to God.
Indeed, the same needs to be said of our Lord who chose to live as a homeless vagrant rather than a king. What did He do to deserve that?
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Woman Caught in Adultery
John chapter 8 1-11 tells the story of the woman caught in adultery. This story is not found in the original manuscripts that make up the New Testament. The story probably made its way into the canon over time. I believe it was originally known to the Christian community as one of the many stories told about Jesus. John may have actually been the one to tell the story to other believers, but elected not to write about it in his gospel. As John points out in chapter 21:25 that there were many things Jesus did that were not written down because they are too numerous to mention. Still in all, the likelihood of this story having actually taken place is a virtual certainty.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in the temple and the religious leaders of the day presenting Him with a woman accused of adultery. It is difficult from the text to determine the exact nature of their accusation. Was the woman married and yet caught with another man? Or was she a prostitute that was with a married man? Either way she would have violated the seventh commandment. I believe the woman was a prostitute, as the religious leaders had no trouble finding her when they needed to bring her before Jesus.
I am going to tell the story in my own words:
Jesus goes into the temple of Jerusalem to teach the people who had gathered to hear Him. While He is talking He is rudely interrupted by the local religious chieftains who set a woman before Him. The Lord stops speaking and looks at them. He says, “Gentlemen, I am surprised to see you here, being that the people who come here actually want to learn more about God.” They are not amused and say, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery, in the very act.” Really,” Jesus says as He looks around, “When that happens there is usually someone else present, I mean like her lover.” “I don’t see him here; did he miss the bus?”
They continue to accuse her in front of the assembly hoping to embarrass both Jesus and the woman. They say to Him,” Moses commanded that a woman like this be stoned to death, we were just wondering what were your thoughts on the matter?” Jesus does not answer them but rather stoops down to the ground and begins writing with His finger. We do not know what He wrote but I believe it was the Ten Commandments. If it was then it was the second time God wrote the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 32:16).
After He finishes writing, He stands up and says, “You are correct. Moses did command that a woman like this be stoned and I think you should uphold the law. I just command that the one who throws the first stone be without sin.” Then Jesus stoops down again and continues to write on the ground. One by one the entire assembly begins to leave the temple beginning with the oldest. The older men had been married for many years and knew from their wives and Mother in Law’s opinions of them that they were true sinners. That’s why the older ones left first.
The younger ones who were not married, or were not married long enough to hear what their wives were saying, stuck around to see what was going to happen. These guys actually thought they were doing pretty good at living the law so they were reluctant to leave. Give them a year or two of marriage and they too would discover just how miserable they actually are. Eventually, the younger ones leave as well and only Jesus is there with the woman.
Sidebar: Did you notice that only Jesus and the woman remain? Think about that. Jesus was in the temple teaching the people who had come to hear Him (John 8:2). Now, however, He is alone. That means the very people He was teaching were the ones who wanted to stone the woman.
Then Jesus says to the woman, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?” The woman answers “No one Lord.” Then Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.” Jesus could not condemn the woman because He did not come for that purpose (John 3:17).
The truth of the matter is that Jesus could have thrown a stone at her and then all the others could have stoned her as well. Jesus did not say they could not stone her He only said the one who was without sin had to be the first to stone her. That’s why Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn you.” Once Jesus refused to condemn the woman she could not be stoned. It is interesting to note that at no time did she ask Jesus for forgiveness. This is not a story about repentance; it is a story about judging others.
The story does not end there. We do not know whatever became of this woman. Jesus instructs her not to continue her life of sin. Since prostitution was the only income she was provided, her life would dramatically change. Few men even today would marry a former prostitute. Women of Jesus day were not employed the way men were. Women could do jobs like those of a servant, or they could make pottery, or garments and sell them at the market place. Yet, they would be hard pressed to earn a good living at those jobs.
This woman’s future was uncertain at best. No longer would she be wearing fine gold necklaces and jewelry on her arms and fingers. From now on she would live like the other commoners in the community with one exception. Everyone would always look down upon her because of her former trade. No doubt she had a rough go of it for the rest of her life.
The people who looked down on this woman forgot the one thing Jesus said that was the most important thing. “Neither do I condemn you.” We should keep this in mind whenever we see people who don’t measure up to our Christian expectations.
The story begins with Jesus teaching in the temple and the religious leaders of the day presenting Him with a woman accused of adultery. It is difficult from the text to determine the exact nature of their accusation. Was the woman married and yet caught with another man? Or was she a prostitute that was with a married man? Either way she would have violated the seventh commandment. I believe the woman was a prostitute, as the religious leaders had no trouble finding her when they needed to bring her before Jesus.
I am going to tell the story in my own words:
Jesus goes into the temple of Jerusalem to teach the people who had gathered to hear Him. While He is talking He is rudely interrupted by the local religious chieftains who set a woman before Him. The Lord stops speaking and looks at them. He says, “Gentlemen, I am surprised to see you here, being that the people who come here actually want to learn more about God.” They are not amused and say, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery, in the very act.” Really,” Jesus says as He looks around, “When that happens there is usually someone else present, I mean like her lover.” “I don’t see him here; did he miss the bus?”
They continue to accuse her in front of the assembly hoping to embarrass both Jesus and the woman. They say to Him,” Moses commanded that a woman like this be stoned to death, we were just wondering what were your thoughts on the matter?” Jesus does not answer them but rather stoops down to the ground and begins writing with His finger. We do not know what He wrote but I believe it was the Ten Commandments. If it was then it was the second time God wrote the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 32:16).
After He finishes writing, He stands up and says, “You are correct. Moses did command that a woman like this be stoned and I think you should uphold the law. I just command that the one who throws the first stone be without sin.” Then Jesus stoops down again and continues to write on the ground. One by one the entire assembly begins to leave the temple beginning with the oldest. The older men had been married for many years and knew from their wives and Mother in Law’s opinions of them that they were true sinners. That’s why the older ones left first.
The younger ones who were not married, or were not married long enough to hear what their wives were saying, stuck around to see what was going to happen. These guys actually thought they were doing pretty good at living the law so they were reluctant to leave. Give them a year or two of marriage and they too would discover just how miserable they actually are. Eventually, the younger ones leave as well and only Jesus is there with the woman.
Sidebar: Did you notice that only Jesus and the woman remain? Think about that. Jesus was in the temple teaching the people who had come to hear Him (John 8:2). Now, however, He is alone. That means the very people He was teaching were the ones who wanted to stone the woman.
Then Jesus says to the woman, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?” The woman answers “No one Lord.” Then Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.” Jesus could not condemn the woman because He did not come for that purpose (John 3:17).
The truth of the matter is that Jesus could have thrown a stone at her and then all the others could have stoned her as well. Jesus did not say they could not stone her He only said the one who was without sin had to be the first to stone her. That’s why Jesus said to the woman “Neither do I condemn you.” Once Jesus refused to condemn the woman she could not be stoned. It is interesting to note that at no time did she ask Jesus for forgiveness. This is not a story about repentance; it is a story about judging others.
The story does not end there. We do not know whatever became of this woman. Jesus instructs her not to continue her life of sin. Since prostitution was the only income she was provided, her life would dramatically change. Few men even today would marry a former prostitute. Women of Jesus day were not employed the way men were. Women could do jobs like those of a servant, or they could make pottery, or garments and sell them at the market place. Yet, they would be hard pressed to earn a good living at those jobs.
This woman’s future was uncertain at best. No longer would she be wearing fine gold necklaces and jewelry on her arms and fingers. From now on she would live like the other commoners in the community with one exception. Everyone would always look down upon her because of her former trade. No doubt she had a rough go of it for the rest of her life.
The people who looked down on this woman forgot the one thing Jesus said that was the most important thing. “Neither do I condemn you.” We should keep this in mind whenever we see people who don’t measure up to our Christian expectations.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Bible Secrets Revealed: Peter
One of the many things I find intriguing about the Bible is the subtle way the writers tell the readers about someone or something without actually stating the point. Lets take a look at Peter the apostle who is also a fisherman. Peter is probably the most outspoken apostle of all the apostles chosen by Jesus. We know him to have many opinions and see him as a leader because his name is constantly mentioned in the gospels. However, we do not know what Peter looked like; or do we? John 21:1-11 tells the story of Jesus appearing to several of the disciples after His resurrection. The disciples are fishing and Jesus asks them if they have any fish. They reply no. He then suggests they cast their net on the one side of the boat. They did and caught many large fish.
At first read one would not see my point about the description of Peter. Since Peter’s physical description is not provided in any of the verses unless, of course, you look deeper into the verses and find the clues. The one clue I believe emphasizes Peters size is found in John 21:11. Peter goes into the water and drags the net full of fish all by himself right up to shore. I’m going to paraphrase the story in my own words. You can read it for yourself in John 21:3-11.
Peter says to his chums, “Hey guys, I’m going fishing. Anybody game?” His chums say, “You betcha, we’re game.” They all go out to the Sea of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee as the locals call it, and fish all night yet catch nothing. They are tired and more than a bit irritated. These guys are professional fisherman and when they go out to fish they expect to bring home the bacon. But, like I said, they have been at this all night and, nada.
By now dawn is beginning to break and there is a man standing at the shore. The man says to them, “Children, did you catch any fish?” The disciples look at each other and think, “What is this guy, a comedian? Why would we have stayed out all night if we had caught fish? What a screwball.” But being honorable men they answer, “No.” Then the guy says to them, “Cast your net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.”
There are seven men in the boat and they are all facing in different directions depending on how they are casting their nets. So four look over one side of the boat and three look over the other side. One of them says to the group that he will cast a net on his side while those on the other side say if you do you will make the guy mad because he wants us to throw the net on this side. “What are you talking about,” he complains, “ he said the right side of the boat and that is this side here.” Now a near scuffle results as they began arguing incessantly about which side of the boat is the right side.
One of them, tired of the whole situation, throws a net over on his side of the boat. He then feels the net fill with fish and calls his friends to help pull it over to the boat. All the men join in and pull the net close to the boat and tie up the net so the fish can’t escape. John, who only knows of one man who can do something like this, looks over to the shore and sees that it is Jesus. He says to Peter that it is the Lord. Peter looks over and sees it is his old friend and wants to get over to Him as fast as possible. So he jumps in the water and swims to shore.
The other disciples begin rowing the boat to shore, as they are about one hundred yards away. As the boat nears the shore the net, laden with fish, begins to start dragging on the bottom of the sea and acts as an anchor. Then the obvious takes places. Some in the boat start complaining that the others aren’t rowing hard enough and that’s why the boat is not moving. The others say they are rowing hard and the fish net is dragging one the bottom of the sea and that’s why the boat is not moving
They are still about 50 feet from shore and the water is knee deep. The time is early spring and the water is cold, so none of the guys in the boat want to get wet. After all they heard Peter scream when he jumped in so they know its cold. One of the disciples says to the others, “Let’s unhook the net from the boat and row to shore.” The others agree and they untie the net and let it loose from the boat and then row to shore.
When they arrive at the waters edge they all step from the boat to the beach without so much as getting their tootsies wet. They see Jesus standing there with Peter who is nearly shivering because he is soaking wet and the air is cool because it is early in the morning. There is a fire and fish are cooking on it.
Jesus say’s to the group, “Why don’t you bring in the fish?” The disciples look at each other and then look down. They have no intention of getting as wet as Peter. Then Peter, who has nothing to lose, walks out into the water and grabs the net by himself and drags it to shore, a feat six other men could not do.
This should tell you a little about just how powerful the man was. The fact is he dove into the cold sea when the other disciples would not even get their feet wet even though they all knew it was Jesus who was on shore. That alone speaks volumes about his commitment to the Lord. Then he goes back into the water to retrieves the net the other disciples refused to bring to shore also speaks volumes. Peter is a large and powerful man with a large and powerful heart.
Funny that none of the writers of the New Testament mention that, or did they?
At first read one would not see my point about the description of Peter. Since Peter’s physical description is not provided in any of the verses unless, of course, you look deeper into the verses and find the clues. The one clue I believe emphasizes Peters size is found in John 21:11. Peter goes into the water and drags the net full of fish all by himself right up to shore. I’m going to paraphrase the story in my own words. You can read it for yourself in John 21:3-11.
Peter says to his chums, “Hey guys, I’m going fishing. Anybody game?” His chums say, “You betcha, we’re game.” They all go out to the Sea of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee as the locals call it, and fish all night yet catch nothing. They are tired and more than a bit irritated. These guys are professional fisherman and when they go out to fish they expect to bring home the bacon. But, like I said, they have been at this all night and, nada.
By now dawn is beginning to break and there is a man standing at the shore. The man says to them, “Children, did you catch any fish?” The disciples look at each other and think, “What is this guy, a comedian? Why would we have stayed out all night if we had caught fish? What a screwball.” But being honorable men they answer, “No.” Then the guy says to them, “Cast your net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.”
There are seven men in the boat and they are all facing in different directions depending on how they are casting their nets. So four look over one side of the boat and three look over the other side. One of them says to the group that he will cast a net on his side while those on the other side say if you do you will make the guy mad because he wants us to throw the net on this side. “What are you talking about,” he complains, “ he said the right side of the boat and that is this side here.” Now a near scuffle results as they began arguing incessantly about which side of the boat is the right side.
One of them, tired of the whole situation, throws a net over on his side of the boat. He then feels the net fill with fish and calls his friends to help pull it over to the boat. All the men join in and pull the net close to the boat and tie up the net so the fish can’t escape. John, who only knows of one man who can do something like this, looks over to the shore and sees that it is Jesus. He says to Peter that it is the Lord. Peter looks over and sees it is his old friend and wants to get over to Him as fast as possible. So he jumps in the water and swims to shore.
The other disciples begin rowing the boat to shore, as they are about one hundred yards away. As the boat nears the shore the net, laden with fish, begins to start dragging on the bottom of the sea and acts as an anchor. Then the obvious takes places. Some in the boat start complaining that the others aren’t rowing hard enough and that’s why the boat is not moving. The others say they are rowing hard and the fish net is dragging one the bottom of the sea and that’s why the boat is not moving
They are still about 50 feet from shore and the water is knee deep. The time is early spring and the water is cold, so none of the guys in the boat want to get wet. After all they heard Peter scream when he jumped in so they know its cold. One of the disciples says to the others, “Let’s unhook the net from the boat and row to shore.” The others agree and they untie the net and let it loose from the boat and then row to shore.
When they arrive at the waters edge they all step from the boat to the beach without so much as getting their tootsies wet. They see Jesus standing there with Peter who is nearly shivering because he is soaking wet and the air is cool because it is early in the morning. There is a fire and fish are cooking on it.
Jesus say’s to the group, “Why don’t you bring in the fish?” The disciples look at each other and then look down. They have no intention of getting as wet as Peter. Then Peter, who has nothing to lose, walks out into the water and grabs the net by himself and drags it to shore, a feat six other men could not do.
This should tell you a little about just how powerful the man was. The fact is he dove into the cold sea when the other disciples would not even get their feet wet even though they all knew it was Jesus who was on shore. That alone speaks volumes about his commitment to the Lord. Then he goes back into the water to retrieves the net the other disciples refused to bring to shore also speaks volumes. Peter is a large and powerful man with a large and powerful heart.
Funny that none of the writers of the New Testament mention that, or did they?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Politics: Where Does the Christian Stand?
Over the past 30 or so years there has been a dramatic increase in Christian leaders taking a political stand. Certainly, the Moral Majority with its outspoken leader the late Reverend Jerry Falwell played a key role in energizing Christian voters of the 1980’s. Even as I write this blog Pat Roberson, founder of The 700 Club and The Christian Broadcasting Network, has endorsed Rudi Giuliani for President. Considering that Mayor Giuliani’s record on social issues is far to the left of the average Christian, Rev. Robertson’s endorsement is almost jaw dropping. Rev. Falwell is not resting in peace.
I want to spend some time reviewing the reasons pro and con about Christians and politics. Christians began taking a stand in U. S. politics in the 1960’s and 70’s after the U. S. Supreme Court began settling cases that directly affected the status of Christianity in America. The political landscape of this nation has always had a high level of Christian influence. Indeed, many of our founding fathers and quite of few of our presidents were outspoken Christians. From the beginning of our nation’s constitution until the middle of the twentieth century most American Christians did not feel the need to protest against pending legislation or, comment on the direction of the nation as a whole. That’s because the nation was generally going in the direction Christians felt comfortable with.
However, that all changed when the Supreme Court held that prayer could not be said in public school. Not long after that the infamous Roe v. Wade landmark case allowing legal termination of a woman’s pregnancy galvanized most Christians and inspired many to make changes at the polls. From the early 1960’s until now Christians have seen an erosion of Christian influence on our society steadily decline and an increase in moral decay.
So the question for many Christians is what is my political responsibility in the shaping of this society? Christian writers and leaders are divided on this issue. One the one side there are those who feel Christians should not be involved with politics. That is to say Christians should not be so outspoken about political issues that concern us. We should vote, of course, but we need to maintain a low profile when it comes to controversial issues. Christianity is a faith-based commitment of an individual the Lord Jesus. Our allegiance is to Him. Because it is faith based, that is to say not a scientific fact, we cannot impose our ideals of a secular society. They go on to say that when Christians become involved in the shaping of our political landscape we present Christianity in an unfavorable light. Christianity is no longer seen as a religion of humility, but rather a religion of political power.
Those on the other side say “Horse feathers” to that type of thinking. They believe that the lack of Christian influence is what brought us to the point of moral decay our nation now experiences. Had Christians been involved with the shaping of our country in the 1950’s we would never have had a Supreme Court led by Earl Warren. Chief Justice Warren led the most liberal court in the history of our nation. Most Christians of the time were voting for Democratic presidents who were appointing left wing justices without realizing the damage they were doing. Christians were completely ignorant as to the power a president had in the future shaping of this nation. The Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition helped educate Christian voters in understanding what the candidate’s positions were on issues that matter to Christians.
Whenever I need to understand what direction I should take when holding a position I generally turn to the bible. Unfortunately, I won’t receive any help on this issue as the New Testament was written while Palestine was under Roman occupation. None of the non-Roman residence had any rights whatsoever and certainly had no right to vote. The issue that concerned most Jews living in Jerusalem was how to get rid of the Roman occupiers and be free to live without the excessive tax burden the Romans had imposed. This thinking led to the revolt that Josephus wrote about in his book The Jewish Wars. The Jewish revolution took place in 70 AD, on or about, and led to the sacking of Jerusalem.
Thirty years earlier when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem His message was one of forgiveness. A difficult sermon to get an audience to shout Amen to when they are oppressed daily by Roman soldiers who saw them as second-class citizens. Jesus had no political ambitions either for Himself or His country. His message was clear: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… That sounds like a simple enough message to listen to, however, not so simple to live by especially if your nation is occupied by foreign soldiers.
Christians in this country live in a very different political environment. We have the right, as citizens of this country to voice what direction the nation should move. So we are faced with a dilemma. Should we voice our opinion at the polls, as is our constitutional right and help shape the direction of this land for our children; or should we remain silent and seek God and His righteousness and let the proverbial chips fall where they will?
Good question, I wish I had a good answer.
I want to spend some time reviewing the reasons pro and con about Christians and politics. Christians began taking a stand in U. S. politics in the 1960’s and 70’s after the U. S. Supreme Court began settling cases that directly affected the status of Christianity in America. The political landscape of this nation has always had a high level of Christian influence. Indeed, many of our founding fathers and quite of few of our presidents were outspoken Christians. From the beginning of our nation’s constitution until the middle of the twentieth century most American Christians did not feel the need to protest against pending legislation or, comment on the direction of the nation as a whole. That’s because the nation was generally going in the direction Christians felt comfortable with.
However, that all changed when the Supreme Court held that prayer could not be said in public school. Not long after that the infamous Roe v. Wade landmark case allowing legal termination of a woman’s pregnancy galvanized most Christians and inspired many to make changes at the polls. From the early 1960’s until now Christians have seen an erosion of Christian influence on our society steadily decline and an increase in moral decay.
So the question for many Christians is what is my political responsibility in the shaping of this society? Christian writers and leaders are divided on this issue. One the one side there are those who feel Christians should not be involved with politics. That is to say Christians should not be so outspoken about political issues that concern us. We should vote, of course, but we need to maintain a low profile when it comes to controversial issues. Christianity is a faith-based commitment of an individual the Lord Jesus. Our allegiance is to Him. Because it is faith based, that is to say not a scientific fact, we cannot impose our ideals of a secular society. They go on to say that when Christians become involved in the shaping of our political landscape we present Christianity in an unfavorable light. Christianity is no longer seen as a religion of humility, but rather a religion of political power.
Those on the other side say “Horse feathers” to that type of thinking. They believe that the lack of Christian influence is what brought us to the point of moral decay our nation now experiences. Had Christians been involved with the shaping of our country in the 1950’s we would never have had a Supreme Court led by Earl Warren. Chief Justice Warren led the most liberal court in the history of our nation. Most Christians of the time were voting for Democratic presidents who were appointing left wing justices without realizing the damage they were doing. Christians were completely ignorant as to the power a president had in the future shaping of this nation. The Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition helped educate Christian voters in understanding what the candidate’s positions were on issues that matter to Christians.
Whenever I need to understand what direction I should take when holding a position I generally turn to the bible. Unfortunately, I won’t receive any help on this issue as the New Testament was written while Palestine was under Roman occupation. None of the non-Roman residence had any rights whatsoever and certainly had no right to vote. The issue that concerned most Jews living in Jerusalem was how to get rid of the Roman occupiers and be free to live without the excessive tax burden the Romans had imposed. This thinking led to the revolt that Josephus wrote about in his book The Jewish Wars. The Jewish revolution took place in 70 AD, on or about, and led to the sacking of Jerusalem.
Thirty years earlier when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem His message was one of forgiveness. A difficult sermon to get an audience to shout Amen to when they are oppressed daily by Roman soldiers who saw them as second-class citizens. Jesus had no political ambitions either for Himself or His country. His message was clear: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… That sounds like a simple enough message to listen to, however, not so simple to live by especially if your nation is occupied by foreign soldiers.
Christians in this country live in a very different political environment. We have the right, as citizens of this country to voice what direction the nation should move. So we are faced with a dilemma. Should we voice our opinion at the polls, as is our constitutional right and help shape the direction of this land for our children; or should we remain silent and seek God and His righteousness and let the proverbial chips fall where they will?
Good question, I wish I had a good answer.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Thomas the Doubter
Thomas is one of the more fascinating figures in the New Testament. He is given the dubious title “Doubting Thomas” and has been maligned through church history because of his disbelief that the Lord rose from the dead (John 20:24,25). However, I think we need to take a closer look at the apostle and determine if the title “Doubting Thomas” is appropriate.
Thomas is a chosen apostle of Jesus and was commissioned on several occasions to go to cities and preach the Lord’s coming (Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1). Thomas, like all the other disciples, was given power over demons (Luke 10:17). His name is only mentioned a couple of times in the gospels. Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15 all mention the Lord selecting Thomas along with all the other apostles.
From the time of his selection Thomas is only mentioned in John 11:16 when Jesus is going to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead, and again at the last supper (John 14:15). So the majority of what we know about Thomas comes from John’s interpretation of events after the Lord’s resurrection (John 20:24-29). John spells out the details of Thomas’ doubt in verse 25 when Thomas is quoted as saying to the other apostles, ”Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side I will not believe.” Wow, that pretty much defines disbelief.
To be fair to Thomas I should point out that the Lord rebuked the other ten apostles for their refusal to believe the women who told them of the empty tomb and seeing the Lord (Mark 16:11,14 Luke 24:11). If the other ten apostles also doubted the Lord’s resurrection (Luke 24:41) then why is Thomas looked at with such distain? Namely because he refused to believe the Lord rose from the dead even after the other apostles told him they had seen Him.
In Jesus’ day women were looked down upon so it was one thing to not believe them. However, Thomas took it a step further and doubted ten men who were like brothers to him. These were the men he had lived with on the road for three years. They slept out in open fields or in barns and watched the Lord heal people and even raise the dead. Yes, Thomas saw the Lord raise people from the dead.
So to me the story of Thomas’ refusal to believe would look something like this:
Thomas walks in on a gathering of apostles along with some of the women who knew Jesus and saw the empty tomb. Every member of this group has seen the resurrected Jesus. Several of the men say excitedly to Thomas, “We (the men) have seen the Lord, He is alive.” Thomas is now thinking to himself, “Not this again, first the women now my friends also. What is wrong with these nuts anyway? Can’t you just let Him rest in peace?”
But they continue to press him and he shows little interest in their testimony. Finally he tells them that they are all under a lot of stress and need to take the night off and go see a ball game. The apostles are undeterred and press him further. “Why don’t you believe us?” they demand. “Because I didn’t believe the women when they came back from the grave so why should I believe you?” Thomas responds. “Because women are emotional, so it’s easy to doubt them,” Peter blurts out. “Yea and we are not,” came John’s accommodating response. The women in the room are clearly uplifted by the support the men have just offered.
Thomas remains adamant, and is now becoming increasingly agitated. Finally he blurts out in disgust, “Unless I see with my own eyes that it is Jesus and feel His flesh and can personally vouch for the type of death He suffered by placing my hand in his side I simply will not believe.
The apostles take a step back. Some of the more astute are beginning to wonder if anyone will believe them. Thomas is a friend and he does not believe what they are saying about the Lord’s appearing, what will everyone else think?
Thomas’ disbelief is no different than Paul’s disbelief and the Lord’s brother’s disbelief (John 7:5). What is interesting is that the Lord had to personally appear to all three before they believed (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 1:14). And that raises a more troubling question. Why should Thomas, Paul and the Lord’s brothers receive eternal life if Jesus had to appear to them before they believed? Wouldn’t that be true of any non-believer today? Aren’t all non-believers today the same as Thomas? They would believe also if Jesus appears to them.
To be fair, Jesus had to appear to someone. He couldn’t just call out from heaven saying, “I’m here.” In order for Jesus to prove He had power over death He had to rise from the dead. Additionally, in order for anyone to believe Jesus had power over death Jesus had to appear to him or her. So, from that we must conclude that Jesus had to appear to someone after He rose from the dead.
Still in all, at one point Jesus would return to heaven and leave the job of evangelism to those He had trained for three years. Then it was incumbent upon the trainees to persuade the non-believers to accept the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. A feat more easily accomplished after they had seen the Lord in the flesh shortly after they saw Him executed (Luke 24:36-43).
Therefore, the apostle’s experience witnessing Thomas disbelief would have greatly impacted them. They would have seen in Thomas the true nature of unbelief. Additionally, the apostles were aware of something else about Thomas. He walked with Jesus for three years and knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. If Thomas did not believe them when they spoke about the resurrection of Jesus, why would anyone else?
Thomas is a chosen apostle of Jesus and was commissioned on several occasions to go to cities and preach the Lord’s coming (Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1). Thomas, like all the other disciples, was given power over demons (Luke 10:17). His name is only mentioned a couple of times in the gospels. Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15 all mention the Lord selecting Thomas along with all the other apostles.
From the time of his selection Thomas is only mentioned in John 11:16 when Jesus is going to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead, and again at the last supper (John 14:15). So the majority of what we know about Thomas comes from John’s interpretation of events after the Lord’s resurrection (John 20:24-29). John spells out the details of Thomas’ doubt in verse 25 when Thomas is quoted as saying to the other apostles, ”Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side I will not believe.” Wow, that pretty much defines disbelief.
To be fair to Thomas I should point out that the Lord rebuked the other ten apostles for their refusal to believe the women who told them of the empty tomb and seeing the Lord (Mark 16:11,14 Luke 24:11). If the other ten apostles also doubted the Lord’s resurrection (Luke 24:41) then why is Thomas looked at with such distain? Namely because he refused to believe the Lord rose from the dead even after the other apostles told him they had seen Him.
In Jesus’ day women were looked down upon so it was one thing to not believe them. However, Thomas took it a step further and doubted ten men who were like brothers to him. These were the men he had lived with on the road for three years. They slept out in open fields or in barns and watched the Lord heal people and even raise the dead. Yes, Thomas saw the Lord raise people from the dead.
So to me the story of Thomas’ refusal to believe would look something like this:
Thomas walks in on a gathering of apostles along with some of the women who knew Jesus and saw the empty tomb. Every member of this group has seen the resurrected Jesus. Several of the men say excitedly to Thomas, “We (the men) have seen the Lord, He is alive.” Thomas is now thinking to himself, “Not this again, first the women now my friends also. What is wrong with these nuts anyway? Can’t you just let Him rest in peace?”
But they continue to press him and he shows little interest in their testimony. Finally he tells them that they are all under a lot of stress and need to take the night off and go see a ball game. The apostles are undeterred and press him further. “Why don’t you believe us?” they demand. “Because I didn’t believe the women when they came back from the grave so why should I believe you?” Thomas responds. “Because women are emotional, so it’s easy to doubt them,” Peter blurts out. “Yea and we are not,” came John’s accommodating response. The women in the room are clearly uplifted by the support the men have just offered.
Thomas remains adamant, and is now becoming increasingly agitated. Finally he blurts out in disgust, “Unless I see with my own eyes that it is Jesus and feel His flesh and can personally vouch for the type of death He suffered by placing my hand in his side I simply will not believe.
The apostles take a step back. Some of the more astute are beginning to wonder if anyone will believe them. Thomas is a friend and he does not believe what they are saying about the Lord’s appearing, what will everyone else think?
Thomas’ disbelief is no different than Paul’s disbelief and the Lord’s brother’s disbelief (John 7:5). What is interesting is that the Lord had to personally appear to all three before they believed (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Acts 1:14). And that raises a more troubling question. Why should Thomas, Paul and the Lord’s brothers receive eternal life if Jesus had to appear to them before they believed? Wouldn’t that be true of any non-believer today? Aren’t all non-believers today the same as Thomas? They would believe also if Jesus appears to them.
To be fair, Jesus had to appear to someone. He couldn’t just call out from heaven saying, “I’m here.” In order for Jesus to prove He had power over death He had to rise from the dead. Additionally, in order for anyone to believe Jesus had power over death Jesus had to appear to him or her. So, from that we must conclude that Jesus had to appear to someone after He rose from the dead.
Still in all, at one point Jesus would return to heaven and leave the job of evangelism to those He had trained for three years. Then it was incumbent upon the trainees to persuade the non-believers to accept the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. A feat more easily accomplished after they had seen the Lord in the flesh shortly after they saw Him executed (Luke 24:36-43).
Therefore, the apostle’s experience witnessing Thomas disbelief would have greatly impacted them. They would have seen in Thomas the true nature of unbelief. Additionally, the apostles were aware of something else about Thomas. He walked with Jesus for three years and knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. If Thomas did not believe them when they spoke about the resurrection of Jesus, why would anyone else?
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