Jesus called out to them and told them not to be afraid!

John 6:16-21 We can walk on water, with Jesus!

That evening his disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed out across the lake toward Capernaum. But soon a gale swept down upon them as they rowed, and the sea grew very rough. They were three or four miles out when suddenly they saw Jesus walking toward the boat! They were terrified, but he called out to them and told them not to be afraid. Then they were willing to let him in, and immediately the boat was where they were going!

Food for thought!

Since yesterday, and for the next few days, we are in chapter six of the Gospel of St. John. Yesterday, we say Jesus doing a miracle by multiplying bread. Today, he walks over the water. These two miracles are meant to prepare his disciples for what Jesus will teach us in the next days about the bread of heaven. But before, from today's story, we learn a number of things. We  learn that Jesus watches us; he may seem to be away, but in fact he is fully aware of what is happening with us. Up on the hill Jesus had been since yesterday alone with his father in prayer, watching his disciples too. He had not forgotten them; He was not too busy with God to think of them. Even now, we know that though up in heaven with His Father, he still watches us; he knows all about me, all about you. That's why he said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20).

God cannot forget us. He said, "Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not forget you. See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm." (Is. 49:15-17).

Jesus watched them and he watches us. However,  he does not make things easy for us. He lets us fight our own battles. Like a parent watching his son put up a splendid effort in some athletic contest, he does not substitute him but rather feels proud of him.

 Jesus does not remove challenges from our life; he empowers us to face them. Remember this as you too struggle with storms in your life. Remember that life is lived with the loving eye of Jesus upon us.

This said, Jesus is not a sadist; he does not enjoy seeing us struggle and fight; he does not stay indifferent when we are drowning; he comes down. Down from the hillside Jesus came to enable the disciples make the last pull that would reach them to safety. He does not watch us with serene detachment; when strength is failing he comes with strength for the last effort which leads to victory. Jesus watches, Jesus comes and Jesus helps. It is the wonder of the Christian life that there is nothing that we are left to do alone.

When Jesus came to the them, the disciples immediately reached the shore. Jesus brings us to the haven. In the presence of Jesus the longest journey is shorter and the hardest battle easier. In Psalm 46:1, we learn, "God is our refuge and strength, a t ested help in times of trouble."

He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do!

John 6:1-15

After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. And a huge crowd, many of them pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration, were following him wherever he went, to watch him heal the sick. So when Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him, he soon saw a great multitude of people climbing the hill, looking for him.

Turning to Philip he asked, “Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.) Philip replied, “It would take a fortune[a] to begin to do it!” Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a youngster here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish! But what good is that with all this mob?”

“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus ordered. And all of them—the approximate count of the me n only was five thousand—sat down on the grassy slopes. Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God and passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full! “Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers! When the people realized what a great miracle had happened, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him their king, so he went higher into the mountains alone.

Food for thought!

Today, we begin the sixth chapter of the gospel of John. We shall dwell on this chapter for some days. It is full of eternal truths. First and foremost, look at this phrase: "After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. And a huge crowd, many of them pilgrims on their way t o Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration, were following him wherever he went." As you can see, it was Jesus who lead these people accross the Sea to a place where there was no food to eat. Why did he do this? Why does he do this?

We must remember in our most desperate moments in life that it is God who has often led us to the very place we cry out from... the place where we face impossibilities. And God has led us to this place, as he did to the people in today's gospel reading. God sometimes allowes the storm, the challenge, the problem in our life . . . with a plan to use it ALL for your good and HIS glory! Did you notice that "When the people realized what a great miracle had happened, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”? God wants us to praise him at the end our ordeal.

Sometimes Jesus asks us questions whose answer he knows already. Yes, he asks us questions to stretch our faith or, as we normally say, to pull our  leg. Jesus knows what he is going to do in our situations, in our problems and yet he questions us. Remember this and you won't panic as Phillip did. Be like that little boy; just give all you have to the Lord; do your part; do your best; be your best. Don't say like Andrew that it is too lilttle. Remember little with Jesus is much. With Jesus expect the unexpectable.

The message that Jesus needed the Disciples to understand was that it was by faith that they could deal with lack of bread. It’s the message He wants you to know, as well. In the Bible, people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work (Romans 4:5).

If God has allowed the challenge, He will make a way through it. Be certain that God is only allowing the challenge because He knows the blessing behind it. Through the challenge, God is giving you the opportunity to experience, first hand, His miraculous and sufficient power in your life.

Like Phillip and Andrew we often

are faced with what is absolutely impossible in the eyes of man, but to God, it is merely an opportunity to display His awesome power. It is an opportunity for Him to showcase His ability to overcome any and all situations, without exception! In your challenges of life, your spirit can be quieted by grabbing hold of the Truth: If God has allowed me to get into this challenge, He will make a way through it. He has assured us that He is with us always. (Matthew 28:20). To him be praise and power and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In Jesus there's life!

John 3:31-36

[After speaking to Nicodemus,  Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and stayed for a while in Judea and baptized there. Then John the Baptist told the people about Jesus:] “He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is a fountain of truth. For this one—sent by God—speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. The Father loves this man because he is his Son, and God has given him everything there is. And all who trust him—God’s Son—to save them have eternal life; those who don’t believe and obey him shall never see heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them.”

Food for thought!

JOHN the Baptist is telling the people about the supremac y of Jesus. He is saying that if we want information, we have to go to the person who possesses that information. If we want information about a family, we will get it at first hand only from a member of that family. If we want information about a town we will get it at first hand only from someone who comes from that town. So, then, if we want information about God, we will get it only from the Son of God ("For this one—sent by God—speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. The Father loves this man because he is his Son, and God has given him everything there is."); and if we want information about heaven and heaven's life, we will get it only from him who comes from heaven.

When Jesus speaks about God and about the heavenly things, he's not telling us second-hand tale; his information is not from a secondary source; he tells us that which he himself has seen and heard. To put it very simply, because Jesus alone knows God, he alone can give us the facts about God, and these facts are the gospel.

The gospel says, "And all who trust him—God’s Son—to save them have eternal life; those who don’t believe and obey him shall never see heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them." Believing in Jesus means at least three things. (a) It means believing with all our hearts that God is as Jesus presented him to be. It means believing that God loves us, that God cares for us, that God wants nothing more than to forgive us. (b) It means that we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that in him is the mind of God, that he knew God so well, was so close to God, was so one with God, that he could tell us the absolute truth about him. (c) It means that we must stake everything on the fact that what Jesus says is true. Whatever he says we must do; whenever he commands we must obey. When he tells us to cast ourselves unreservedly on the mercy of God we must do so. We  must take Jesus at his word. Every smallest action in life must be done in unquestioning obedience to him.

1 John 5:11-12

And what is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life.

Shut up that He may start telling you!

John 3:16-21

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Food for thought!

Jesus continues his teaching. Indeed, we must say that he begins his real teaching. As Jesus talks more and more, our friend Nicodemus is talking less and less. Did you notice that up to now Nicodemus was more argumentative and even stubborn in his questions? (Jn 3:4)

"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re- enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born- from- above' talk?"

Yesterday, Nicodemus was brief: (Jn 3:9) “How can these things be?” he just said.

Today, Nicodemus is completely silent; he is no longer saying anything, he is no longer arguing, he's now receptive, he's surrendered. And as he gives in, Jesus gives out all there's to say; as he surrenders Jesus leads, now it is Jesus talking, and man listening. Now it is the moment of revelations of eternal secrets.

You know what, many of us are like this Nicodemus; we come to the Lord (or to church) armed with questions and arguments and concerns. Some of us, when we go to the Lord, we do all the talking all the time,  asking why me, why now, why all this... we don't want to stop for Jesus to start; we don't want to give in, in order for Jesus to give out what he holds for us, we don't want to surrender for Jesus to lead us; we don't want to listen for Jesus to talk.

When Nicodemus stopped arguing, Jesus started to reveal to him: (Jn 3:14-18)

14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

All this teaching was said by Jesus when Nicodemus stopped talking and started to lis ten. Let us learn to listen that the Lord may talk. Yes, sometimes the best we can do when we go to Jesus or prayer or church is to just shut up and give Jesus a chance to talk. Don't do all the talking; do all the listening, so that Jesus may start revealing to you the mysteries of life. Talk less that Jesus may talk more.

If you´re not dead, then you?re not done!

John 3:7-15

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Food for thought!

A

s we said yesterday, Nicodemus was one of the most powerful and influential men in all of Israel during his time. Nicodemus is a wealthy, powerful man. Yet, he is a man with an itch that neither he, nor his money, nor his power can scratch. During the course of the learning, Jesus refers to Nicodemus as “Teacher of Israel”. This tells us that Nicodemus was an educated man, but despite his learning, there were some things this man did not know. But, one night, this rch, powerful, educated man found himself alone in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. What Nicodemus learned that night would prove to be the greatest lessons of his life!

Let us consider what Nicodemus learnt that night. We all know that human birth is a marvel that no one can fully explain! When Jesus talks of a "new" birth, he is indirectly talking of the first birth, the physical birth, as a necessary condition for the spiritual birth. He is telling us that for a man to get to heaven he must hav e two birthdays. There must be a day when he was born into the kingdom of men and a day when he is born into the kingdom of God! There are a few ways that physical birth can be used to illustrate spiritual birth.

1. Physical birth provides life – All babies have life because they are born! Likewise, spiritual birth provides a person with spiritual life, 1 John 5:12.

2. Physical birth only happens once – Physically speaking, you can only be born once. Spiritually, the same thing is true! Your spiritual birth is a one time event. It cannot be undone and it cannot be repeated!

3. Physical birth takes place because of the suffering on another – A mother enters the very jaws of death to bring life into this world. Jesus entered the cruel jaws of death so that we might be born again. The new birth rests squarely upon the pain and suffering of another! Jesus!

4. Physical birth gives the infant a brand new start – No baby is born with a pa st! Babies have no past, only a present and a future! So it is with the new birth. When you get born again, you get a brand new start. Your past is deleted, wiped away and a new, clean future lies in front of you! It is like you get a brand new slate on which nothing is written. This is the invitation Jesus is making to you and me as long ago he made it to Nicodemus. Start anew; live the old ways; the old habits; the old friends; the old places; the old life; the old mentality. Get a fresh Start!

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you’ve been through, it’s never too late to begin again. Regardless of your past failure or your present struggle, God offers you a new beginning. God always offers a new chance. A new opportunity. A new life. At one time or another, all of us get lost in the middle of our song. A failed marriage, a broken dream, a disappointing career, a financial setback, or a family struggle causes us to hang our heads low and wonder where things went wrong. We assume others are watching us like a panel of unforgiving judges, marking our missed notes with enthusiasm. Even worse, we assume God is the head judge, giving disapproving attention to our forgotten melody. With each mistake or setback, we grow ever more nervous, certain we’ll receive a failing grade. Good or bad, clean or dirty, lost or found, every part of your life can be given to God. If you’re not dead, then you’re not done! Why not claim today as a day of new beginnings?

"Dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us." (Phillipians 3:13-14)

(More on this tomorrow)

Start all over again!

John 3:1-8

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. ’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Food fo

r thought!

Today, we begin a series of lessons. Very difficult lessons, on being born again. Jesus is urging us all to be born again; to start all over again. The real difficult is this: how can a grown up man or woman like you, with your age, with such strongly held habits, convictions, and ways of doing things, ever start again? Why does Jesus call us to leave our comfort zones to go to new territories? This is what bothers Nicodemus: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”

Nicodemus the man. He was one of the most powerful and influential men in all of Israel during his time.  Nicodemus is a wealthy, powerful. Yet, he is a man with an itch that neither he, nor his money, nor his power can scratch.  During the course of the learning, Jesus refers to Nicodemus as “a master of Israel”. This title means “teacher”.  This tells us that Nicodemus was an educated man,  but despite his learning, there were some things this man did not know. But, one night, this rich, powerful, educated man found himself alone in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  What Nicodemus learned that night would prove to be the greatest lessons of his life!

Did you notice that the class is at night, under the cover of darkness? It is always night when we come to Jesus; it is always day when we leave Jesus, after being instructed. Nicodemus has received a lot of criticism for approaching Jesus at night.  Some people have suggested that he came at night because he was ashamed and was trying to hide what he was doing.  I don’t think that was the case at all!  I think he came at night because he was, like many of us, a busy man and he knew that Jesus was also a busy man.  I think he came at night because he wanted some uninterrupted time with Jesus! Night time, when all are sleeping in your house and neighbourhood, is the best time to earnestly pray because the re is not much distractions.

Now, you will notice that when this man came to Jesus, he came humbly and was very complimentary to Jesus.  He came with some serious questions, but I dare say that he did not expect the answer he received.  Jesus told him, “You must be born again!” Surely, Nicodemus must have thought this was a mistake. After all, if you looked at this man and at all that he had going for him, you would never expect him to need to be born again!  Not Nicodemus!  Maybe some other man, some other woman needs to be born again, may be my spouse, my friend, my neighbour, but not me. Not someone like Nicodemus, who apparently has everything he needs.  He has all the plusses and none of the minuses, from a human perspective.

It is exactly to Nicodemus (and by extension to you and me) that the divine teacher is saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you must be born again.” Another way of saying, you must start all over again, like a new baby born for the first time into this life. Jesus is saying that we have to see life as if for the first time; we have to listen to the Word of God as if for the first time.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that just as the wind can be felt, it can be measured and the effects of it can be seen; where it came from and where it went, remains a mystery. The new birth is the same way.  You cannot see God do His work in a human heart.  But, you can see the effects of the wind of the Spirit in a life!  When you see a drunkard leave his bottle, you know God has been working!  When you see two enemies reconciled, you know God has been at work.  When you see an unfaithful spouse turning faithful, you know God has passed by. When you see a wicked, hateful person turn into a sweet, loving, holy saint, you know the wind of the Spirit has been blowing in his or her soul.  It is a mystery because we do not see it happen.  But, there is no denying the effects of the power of God when He works in the hum an heart. That's is new birth. That's being born again.

Now you see that all of us need a new birth, in some area of our life. We all have to begin all over again. We have to start anew. (More on this tomorrow).

The Divine Mercy Sunday!

John 20:19–31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a we

ek later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Food for thought!

As we come to the end of the written gospel, we are reminded that this is not all the gospel; there is still more good news that was not  written nor was writable down in human words. Indeed, most of what we have of Jesus is what he did in the last three years of his life. What, for instance, did Jesus do during his 30 years of hidden life? As we know, Jesus lived about 33 years of age, of which some 30 years, he spent at Nazareth, his home village. But as to what he did during this time, we know very little. The gospels focus on his last 3 years. This is why John confesses that "There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can't imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books."

We are not sorry for what was not written down because what we have is what our heavenly Father intended for us. In other words, although we don't have all the good news of Jesus, we have all the good news of Jesus that we need and that God intended for us and for our salvation: 

"Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These  are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it." (John 20:30-31)

As we read the written gospel, we believe the unwritten gospel as well. This is what Jesus is recommending Thomas to do: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

And talking of seeing and believing. Today’s gospel gives us an example of a man who struggled with the two. His name is Thomas. “In the evening of the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, ... the disciples had met ... Jesus came and stood among them (John 20:19).” Jesus had told them, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). 

On the first Christian Sunday morning following the resurrection of the Lord, all the disciples are gathered for Sunday service and what do we notice? Thomas is not there. Where i s Thomas? You can see that Thomas is like one of these modern-day Christians who do not go to church regularly on Sundays. Such people are not there in church when Jesus comes to meet his people and to strengthen them in their faith. As a result, they remain with their doubts. 

Initially all the disciples had their doubts. But because of their encounter with the risen Lord in Sunday worship their doubt was turned into faith. Thomas missed that experience. But, being a wise man, Thomas resolved never again to miss the Sunday gathering of believers. The gospel reading continues, “A week later [i.e. the following Sunday] his disciples were again in the house, and [this time around] Thomas was with them [and as usual] Jesus came and stood among them (John 20:26). 

This time Thomas had his own share of the resurrection experience. Immediately his doubt changed into faith and he fell down and worshiped Jesus, saying, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28). 

Now ask yourself, What if Thomas had stayed away from church saying, “Prove it! Prove it to me that Jesus is risen and then I will come,” would it be possible to prove it to him by arguments alone? Sometimes the best argument you can give to sceptics about faith and God, is a sentence in three words: “Come and see.”

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Divine Mercy. Or better, it is the feast of the benevolence of the Lord. Jesus is indeed benevolent and merciful, because when the other disciples told Thomas, “We have seen the Lord,” he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail-marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A  week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Notice the words of Jesus are the words that were said by Thomas. This is very interesting. It means that when Thomas said what he said, Jesus was invisibly there listening to him and even seeing him. Fortunately, he did not blast him; he waited for eight days to speak to him. 8 days of waiting! Jesus is indeed merciful; he is kind; he benevolent. "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." (Psalm 103:10).

“The Lord our God is merciful and pardons even those who have rebelled against him.” (Daniel 9:9)

"LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared." (Psalm 130:3-4).

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." (Lamentations 3:22).

"For thou, Lord,

 art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." (Psalm 86:5).

Be the Good News!

Mark 16:9-15

After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. 10 She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. 11 When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her. 12 Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. 13 They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either. 14 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. 15 Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.

Food for thought!

Do you realize how many times in this text there is "disbelief" in the resurrection?

Verse 11 When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't bel ieve her.

Verse 13 They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either.

Verse 14 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up.

And do you realize how Jesus, in spite of all this disbelief, still tells such unbelieving people "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all"? Jesus is telling doubting people to announce exactly what they doubt; he is telling them to go forward, in spite of their hesitations.

In other words:

Jesus does not wait for us to get all the knowledge there is on the resurrection; Jesus does not wait for us to understand everything on his resurrection; Jesus does not wait for us to know all the theology; Jesus knows that the resurrection is a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend; so he tells us to go on and announce him, anyway.

Jes

us entrusts to us, you and me, the announcement of this great news; with the little or much we know and believe, Jesus tells us, as he told them then, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all." In other words, what we announce is not ours, it is Jesus' good news. In spite of ourselves, we can be of use to Jesus. Yes, inspite of yourself, you can announce the good news; inspite of myself, I too can announce the good news of Jesus.

And note this one as well: Jesus tells us to into the world! Yes, it is into the world, the real world we live in, the main street, the down town, the office we work in day in, the home we live in; it is there that he sends us to go and be, not the bad news, but the good news. Where we are, we are called to make people happy, not sad. If, when you move into a place, an office, a home, people feel sad, then you are not proclaiming yet the good news; if when you come back home your children instead of r unning to embrace you they run away from you and hide, then you are not good news to them. And your spouse, does s/he rejoice when s/he sees you? Does s/he smile when you return home? If not, you are not being good news to her/him. Something must be done. Go into your world and proclaim the good news. Be good news, not bad news! We are called to leave our comfort zones and take the good news into the world. "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all."

Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!

John 21:1-14

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night. It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had p ractically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land. As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

Food for thought!

Imagine this. Simon Peter announces

 to his friends: "I'm going fishing." The rest of them reply, "We're going with you." And off they go into the sea. It must have been a while since Jesus called them to leave everything and go after him. But today, they go back to fishing. Peter is in the lead; he is giving orders and the rest just follow him! As they follow Peter, they work all night and catch NOTHING. As if not enough, Jesus appears to them and they don't recognize him. They are too busy in their business to recognize Jesus.

From yesterday's Gospel

*In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ *

Yes, even disciples of Jesus miss him. Thanks to Jesus, if and when we miss him, he does not give up on us. Jesus appeared to them in yesterday's and today's gospel reading. Jesus came and gave them new rules. It is no longer Peter giving orders; it is Jesus in the driver's seat. Peter's driving leads to the wrong side, that is, on the left side of the boat; and as always we cannot get much if we keep going and working in the wrong; from the wrong we don't get a right.

Fortunately we have JESUS, who shows us what's good and right: "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." And they obeyed. The disciples did what Jesus said. And because they obeyed, all of a sudden there were so many fish in the net that they weren't strong enough to pull it in.

This Gospel tells us that sometimes, like Peter and his friends, we make wrong decisions in life; we throw the nets on the wrong side. All of us, we are where we are because of the decisions we have been making all along; it is our decisions that brought us to where we are! We are the way we are because of the decisions we make. As they say, "We make the decisions, and the decisions make us!" That is the bad news.

The good news, is that Jesus can undo our bad decisions; Jesus knows where we can fish best. And when he tells us to do so, WE SHOULD OBEY and see what happens. Even when he tells us to fish against tradition or custom or others' expectations. Jesus knows best what's best for each one of us; what he says is always the best course of action. We do well to follow Mary's advice at the wedding at Cana: "Do whatever Jesus tells you to do." (John 2:5). That's the rule of thumb.

Tell your Story!

Luke 24:35-48

35 The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognized Jesus at the breaking of bread. 36 They were still talking about this when Jesus himself stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 37 They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. 38 He continued with them, "Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. 39 Look at my hands; look at my feet-- it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true. He asked, "Do you have any food here?" 42 They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. 43 He took it and ate it right before their eyes. 44 Then he said, "Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Mo ses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled." 45 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. 46 He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, 47 and then a total life- change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations-- starting from here, from Jerusalem! 48 You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses.

Food for thought! Tell your story and your story will tell you who you are!

Two disciples met the risen Lord on the way to Emmaus. After recognising Jesus, they hurriedly came back to Jerusalem to share their experience with the other apostles. And «While they were telling their story, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you'» (Luke 24:36).

It is in the process of sharing and of telling our story that Christ makes sense of things. Keeping silen t does not help; sharing with someone always helps bring clarity to our confusion. The whole situation seemed to the two disciples to have no explanation. Their hopes and dreams were shattered. Everything seemed meaningless until they talked; until they shared; until they told their story, first to Jesus (yesterday's gospel), and today to the others. That is when the meaning of life became clear and the darkness gave way to light.

Like we said yesterday, our individual stories are not meaningless, they are meaningful, that is, when seen through the eyes of Jesus. Look at your story, your life through the eyes of Jesus and you will see that it carries much meaning. Have you ever told your story? Have you ever shared your story? Do you come home in the evening and share the story of your day, or you think that your story is of no interest to anybody? Do you find time to sit with your people at home to listen to their story? Parents, do you ever listen to the story of your children ? Or you think their small stories are nothing? Do you prefer watching movies to listening to your spouse and children? When did you last listen to anyone’s story? When did you last tell your story to anybody? Tell your story and your story will tell you who you're; reveal your story and your story will reveal who you are.

See how Jesus' story helped the disciples to understand theirs: «Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.» He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their stories. In other words, when we read scripture we come to understand our story. God as Master Weaver, Master Builder, redeemed the story of Joseph in Egypt. Can’t he redeem your story as well?