Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013     I Again Appeared to My Disciples

Page 327-328         John 21:1-14

John ends his Gospel after Jesus’ appearance to Thomas by summarizing his purpose in writing the Gospel: “so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31) Chapter 21 is an epilogue written to emphasize Jesus’ continued pro-active presence in the life of the church and in the lives of his followers.

Jesus’ appearance to his followers at the Sea of Galilee is similar to his appearances to Mary Magdalene and to Cleopas and his wife Mary on the road to Emmaus. In all three instances Jesus was not recognized, at least not initially. With Cleopas and Mary, Jesus was recognized after he broke bread with them. With Mary and the disciples in the boat, Jesus wasn’t recognized until he spoke to them in a familiar way; he called Mary by name and he again gave Peter fishing instructions. (See Luke 5:4-6)

All sorts of rationalizations have been presented in an effort to explain why those who knew Jesus the best could not recognize him. However, I don’t have difficulty understanding their poor eyesight. Like them, I too have a tendency to get so focused on my problems that I can’t see clearly. I cringe to think of how many times Jesus has been as close to me as my next breath, and I missed him because I was looking at my problems and not looking for God. Jesus said, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule” (Matthew 5:3 The Message). Like the disciples, I need help recognizing that I am at the end of my rope. That’s why Jesus keeps talking to us, and if necessary builds charcoal fires!

When Peter and the disciples came ashore “they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread” (John 21:9). Jesus built the fire, caught and cleaned the fish and made the bread. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need: “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NRSV).

Remember the charcoal fire in John 18:18? For Peter, the sight and aroma from that fire invoked vivid memories of his three denials of Jesus and set the stage for his after breakfast conversation with Jesus.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013          I Asked Peter if He Really Loved Me     

Page 328      John 21:15-23