Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that has come into being. In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

Chapter twenty-four of Luke is a VERY encouraging chapter. It shows the care that Jesus has for ALL of us, not just an elite group. It also shows the unity of the Word. ALL of it points to Jesus.

As soon as it was no longer the Sabbath, the women who had followed Jesus throughout His ordeal gathered their ointments and spices and went to the tomb where He was buried to anoint His body (as per Jewish burial rites). When they got there, the stone that had blocked the entrance of the tomb was rolled away, allowing access. They went in, perplexed because this was not normal in ANY circumstances. Inside were two men who glowed. They told the women that they were odd even looking for Jesus here because Jesus had told them He would rise after three days. When the angels said this, THEN the women remembered Jesus’ words. They told the disciples about it, but it seemed to the men like wishful thinking.

Two of the disciples (some of the many, not any of the Twelve – now Eleven, with Judas dead) left Jerusalem, heading toward a village about seven miles away (about a two to three hours walk). As they were walking and talking, a man joined them wondering why they looked so sad. They wondered what rock he was living under the last few days. Didn’t he know what was happening in Jerusalem? Didn’t he know what had happened to Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth? The man said that the prophets had spoken about these things and they should know it. Over the rest of the walk, the man taught them from the Law, the prophets, and the scriptures everything about the Son of Man needing to suffer, die, and resurrect to save humankind from Sin. They got to the town and he was going on, but they convinced him to eat with them. At the meal, he broke the bread and gave thanks. Instantly, they knew it was Jesus. Then He left them. Like instantly, poof, gone. They got up, ran back to Jerusalem, and told the Eleven.

While this report was being given, Jesus showed up. Instantly, poof, there. They were terrified, but He calmed them. Showed them His wounds. Spoke soothingly. They fed Him fish. And some honeycomb. Then they believed He wasn’t a ghost. He spoke to them about what He had spoken of to them when He was with them before the crucifixion. It all lined up. Nothing had been hidden. Then He walked with them toward Bethany, blessed them, and ascended to heaven. They worshipped Him, returned to Jerusalem full of joy, and were consistently in the Temple praising and blessing God. End of the book of Luke.

The book of John was probably written in John’s home in Ephesus, around 70 A.D. or as late as 90 A.D. It was written after the other gospels and John doesn’t tread the same ground. They had great lessons from Jesus’ life and teachings. But Holy Spirit wanted to focus on something John was really drawn to: the divinity of Jesus. There are seven main events that John’s gospel shares with the other gospels, but most of John’s gospel focuses on the end of Jesus’ ministry – especially the last week of His life. There is also a lot about Jesus’ conflict with the ruling religious elite (though not the Jews as a whole group). Jesus often debated with the religious elite, a Jew debating Jews and using the language of the prophets to do it. Jesus claims divinity in seven statements. He also often appears linked with or juxtaposed with the identities God used in the Septuagint (the Jewish scriptures). John explains Jewish customs, and the Holy Days are a part of the fabric of Jesus’ life and ministry. More than any other gospel, John’s gospel showcases God’s personality and character. As such, it is the hardest book to ‘sum up’.

The beginning of John mirrors the beginning of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-3) and the wisdom literature (especially Proverbs 8:22-23). John does this to show that Jesus IS the Word and the Word IS Jesus. Jesus was the creative WORD by which the Father created everything. Holy Spirit was the power, Jesus was the word, and the Father was the intent. Together they made everything and by them everything was made. Jesus is the LIGHT of creation. The Light that shone even when darkness showed up, but the darkness did not have the ability to overcome it, take it down, subdue it, or dominate it. Darkness was not created by God and God does not need darkness to exist, be framed or understood, or to have purpose. Jesus, in whom there is NO darkness, is the manifested proof of that.

In order for the people of God (the Jews) to understand and accept this Light about to be made manifest, God raised up John the Baptizer. High priest by bloodline (not office) and the last prophet of the Old Testament. His ministry was to prepare the people for the Way. To call them to repentance and to help them focus their HEARTS on God. He did this admirably, baptizing them with water (the cleansing of water being a main tenant of Jewish thought) as the physical evidence of their heart decision. The religious elite saw the ritual bath as their own private domain and challenged John about it. John didn’t take the bait, but told them One was coming who would baptize with something so much more. John was pointing them to Jesus, without naming Him.

The next day, John saw Jesus walking and pointed Him out to his disciples. Two of them (John the author of the book and Andrew, brother of Peter) went to Jesus. They followed Him to His home and spent the day with Him. Then they told Simon about Him. Jesus met Simon and told him that although his name (Simon) meant something that shifted in the wind, Jesus would call him Peter (pebble – although not necessarily tiny), a rock that stayed where it was put. The next day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee. There He found Philip and called him to follow. Philip found Nathaniel and brought him to Jesus. Jesus called him to follow as well. Nathaniel got revelation of who Jesus really was because Jesus prophesied about him (spoke a revelation from Holy Spirit that Jesus as a man could not have known). Jesus must have laughed as He answered, telling Nathaniel and the others that this was not as marvellous as other things they would witness – including angels and their ministry to the Son of Man (tying in with Jacob’s ladder of Genesis 28:12 and Daniel’s vision of Daniel 7).

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples (men and women), John the Baptizer, Religious Leaders, Jews

Key Verse(s): Luke 24:25-32; John 1:1-5, 9-14