FBC Daily Devotions

Read John 21:1-14.

Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples were few in the beginning. The first recorded account of His appearing to the disciples was on the first day of His resurrection (John 20:19). This was followed by His appearance to Thomas and the others eight days later (John 20:26). In John chapter 21, He makes a third appearance to many of the disciples, how long after the previous appearance is unknown. It seems, though, that a long enough time had elapsed that Peter’s reaction to Jesus on the shore seems a little more dramatic than one might expect if having only seen Jesus a few days earlier. Why would Peter so frantically (and irrationally – he put on his coat) jump into the water and swim back to shore? Had he doubted the reality of Jesus’ resurrection? Perhaps that was merely Peter’s personality – a little impulsive, a little extreme at times.

And why fishing? I suppose he needed to support the family. I think there was something more, though. Perhaps he misunderstood his commission given by Jesus earlier: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (20:21) Or maybe he still a felt a sense of failure over his sin in denying the Lord. Whatever the reason may be, it seems the disciples are unsure what to do next. They almost seem to be wandering aimlessly, moving on, doing what they used to do before Jesus came onto the scene.

But then Jesus appears on shore. And here He does something remarkably similar to Peter’s first encounter with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). The disciples have fished all night and have nothing to show for it. And Jesus tells them to throw their nets onto the right side of the boat. And like Peter’s first encounter, a net full of fish is drawn up from the sea. Sometimes when we lose direction, we have to go back to the beginning.

Jesus goes back to the beginning perhaps to remind them of all they had experienced from that very first encounter and maybe to remind them that the same Jesus that called them to be fishers of men was the same who was telling them now to do it! Here he gets them grounded again and back on course.

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost direction and were wandering aimlessly through life? Maybe you feel that way now. I encourage you to take some time and go back to your beginnings with Christ. Remember those days when Jesus first grabbed your heart? What was it like? How was He directing you back then? Sometimes retracing our steps enables us to move forward again.

Read Luke 24:13-35.

Shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to two men on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. As Jesus joined their conversation, He found them discussing the events of the weekend, namely the crucifixion of Jesus. What struck me in this passage is how the disciples responded to Jesus question, “What are you talking about?” (my paraphrase). The passage says, “And they stood still, looking sad.” (v. 17)

As mentioned in yesterday’s devotional, one can understand their sadness. For the next several verses, the disciples go on to explain the reason for their sadness (vv. 18-21). But here’s the thing, based on the verses that follow, it seems clear that these disciples were present when the women returned from Jesus’ empty tomb saying an angel had told them that Jesus was alive. But it seems their testimonies were not enough. And so these disciples left presumably to return to Emmaus sadly believing Jesus was dead and gone.

They are not alone in that story. Mark’s account in Mark 16 reveals that the Eleven disciples also did not believe the women. Mark says, “…they refused to believe.” (Mk 16:11) It is not until these disciples encounter the risen Christ face to face that their unbelief turns to belief. For many people, a personal encounter with Christ is needed to turn doubt and skeptism into belief and worship. Is that true of you? Was there a time when you encountered Christ in such a way that your doubts began to dissolve, and your belief and trust in Him began to solidify?

When we come across those who struggle to believe and trust in Christ, remember that for some, they need a personal encounter with the risen Christ. Who knows what that might look like, but we wait patiently for God to open their eyes just as He did those two disciples on the road. For now, thank God that He opened your eyes and met you face to face in your life, because that’s the kind of God we worship – One who desires to make Himself known to us personally.

At Sunday’s worship service, Norin shared from a passage of Scripture regarding the first morning after the resurrection of Jesus. And I was thinking about the time between Jesus’ death and His resurrection, and what it must have felt like for the disciples during that time. Surely they must have felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath them. Imagine the disappointment to see the One you had laid all your hopes torn away right before your eyes. Imagine the disbelief of the situation – to feel like you were duped. Imagine the sunken hearts and doubt. Have you ever had soaring expectations met with a hard crash? These were difficult times for the disciples.

But then, Sunday came, and the Scriptures say that after “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” were told by an angel that Jesus had risen, they ran to tell the other disciples, and on the way were met by Jesus. They’re response? “They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.” (Matt. 28:9) After days of disappointment and heartache, they’re hearts turn to worship because they have seen the risen Christ. All that they hoped and believed were true!

May I say that we live in a time not unlike those days between Christ’s death and resurrection? We are living a Saturday kind of life. This life is often met with disappointment, disbelief, and doubt. But there will come a day when we will see our Savior face-to-face, and like those early disciples on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, we will worship Him. This Saturday life of ours will not last forever. The reality of our faith will be revealed, and when it is, we will worship Him with great joy and gladness. Remember that the next time you struggle as the disciples must have on that Saturday before His rise.

Read John 19:16-30.

We call it Good Friday because it was good for mankind that Jesus die. That is perhaps the only good thing about it. Consider the agony, the humiliation, the burden of the world’s sin on Him, the separation from the Father and loved ones. Reflect on these things because He did it for you. It is a good day for us, but it came at such a high price…

Read John 19:1-16.

As I continued reading the story of Jesus’ passion, the earlier posting for today would not be complete without the above portion of Scripture. If you have not already read and contemplated the previous devotional, add this to your reading. It will add a great deal more depth and emotion to the thoughts and actions of those involved. And if you have already done the previous devotional, consider reading through the above passage before you go to sleep tonight.