Month: September 2014

Thomas Confesses Jesus as Lord: John 20:24-31

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Here are my notes for John 20:24-31. These form the conclusion of my notes on the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel.

20:24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

There is now no doubt that the person who stood amongst them was, in fact, Jesus. They wanted to tell others – and rightfully so. One of the people they tell is Thomas whose reaction is to deliver a withering statement of unbelief.

John goes out of his way to give us the details of this interaction for a reason.

The implacability of Thomas draws a vivid contrast to what the reader has just learned. Thomas seems to be so stubborn as to demand that unless God met his own conditions, he wouldn’t believe. This is hubris only humans are capable of, and unfortunately it offers us an uncomfortable and unvarnished window into our own souls.

During the most difficult of times our minds often become warped and bitter. Frustrated at our circumstances we make demands of God, which He sometimes yields to for the sole purpose of entailing on us a stiff lesson. At times God is so desirous to show us our own depravity that He actually grants our infant-like demands. Such was the case with Thomas. He would soon get more than He bargained for, and be so deeply knifed by the Spirit that His submission to Christ’s Lordship was immediate and forthcoming.

Not that I speak of any harsh injustice on God’s behalf, rather He sometimes cuts us most deeply by pouring over us His unrivaled affection, thereby revealing to us our own sinfulness and His own comparative faithfulness and charity.

20:26-29 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” [27] Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” [28] Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Lord’s Timing

It wasn’t until 8 days later that Thomas actually saw the Lord. In the Bible we have many times where numbers play a significant role. What I mean is that they “signify” something. The number 7 usually signifies “completeness” or “fullness”, and I’ve heard R.C. Sproul say that if 7 is the fullness, then 8 must represent the overflow of that – almost a one-upping of that idea (to paraphrase his thoughts).

Not to read too much into this, but Thomas didn’t get to see the Lord right away. Instead he had to wait not simply a week – 7 days – but 8 days. He had to wait until it was well past time for him to see the Lord. While everyone else probably discussed every detail of the Lord’s first appearance, Thomas was left out. His attitude of unbelief festered as the Lord waited until the right time to appear again.

I don’t think its wrong for us to remember that this is how the Lord works. His timing is not always in alignment with our timing!

In fact, the very timing of His coming into the world was perfectly selected by the Lord. Paul notes this in Galatians:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

And of course we see this in our own lives as well. How often do we look at the lives of others and say, “Well if I had there money, or their experience, or their children, or their husband, then things would be different! When will God give me those things?” And until then we hold out in unbelief. We don’t believe His promises because He hasn’t acted in our timing!

Getting What We Want

We don’t know how this scene played out emotionally, or have the benefit of watching the reactions of Thomas and the others, but I wonder if Thomas believed right away at this point or not. My guess is that at this point he didn’t have to touch Jesus to believe. Yet he still was commanded to put his hands into the wounds. Jesus was going to make him go through the motions of his own request. Therefore, by the time Thomas exclaims “My Lord and my God!” it seems possible that the declaration came through tears of shame.

Jesus’ words are not of comfort, but rather of rebuke for Thomas and a lesson for us all. He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”

This is the very definition of faith.

The author of Hebrews would later write, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:1-3).

In other words, faith is trust in God that He is who He says He is, and will do all that He has said He will do. And in the fullest sense of Jesus’ words, those who believe are indeed “blessed” because they will receive eternal life. This is what He said before His death:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21)

What Stands in Our Way?

Knowing that we have been called to believe in Christ – in His saving work, and also in the promises articulated for us in the Bible, I think it very worthwhile for us to ask the question: What is standing in the way?

The reason its worthwhile to ask this question stems from the fact that, like Thomas, we all battle unbelief from time to time. In fact, John Piper would say that unbelief is really at the root of many of our sins. It is unbelief in “future grace”, as he says in his book ‘Battling Unbelief’:

The “unbelief” I have in mind is the failure to trust in the promises of God that sustain our radical obedience in the future. These promises refer to what God plans to do for us in the future, and that is what I mean by future grace. It is grace, because it is good for us and totally undeserved. And it is future in that it hasn’t happened to us yet but may in the next five seconds or the next five thousand years.

For the Christian the promises of God are spectacular. They relate to our immediate future, before this minute is over, and our eternal future.

Therefore, its important to remember to fight the fight of faith every day, equipping ourselves with the truth of God’s word, and trusting to what is unseen.

Paul reiterates this truth in 2 Corinthians:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; [31] but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The Gospel is Not Neutral

And now we come to the thesis statement of our author. For many pages and lessons now I have pointed out that these verses are the foundation and the reason for why John wrote his gospel. He is not an indifferent historian; he has an agenda. And that agenda is spelled out in such certain terms that commentary seems almost superfluous.

Nevertheless a few words are appropriate.

First, one of the things that has always struck me about verse 30 is that John, and the other gospel writers, actually didn’t record all of the things Jesus did. They didn’t even get all the miracles down on paper.

Later John will say, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

This man Jesus was doing so many miracles that they couldn’t all be written down! We know, however, that those God intended for us to know were recorded. Everything written was written for our benefit by His gracious foresight.

Remember, these acts were not simply one-on-one clandestine doctors meetings. These were public healings. Let your mind be awed over His majesty as mediated through His miraculous healings. Surely this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).

Someone once asked me, “Why do you think Christianity spread so quickly and to so many people?” My answer was two-fold. 1) Anyone who rises from death and spends 40 days teaching people all over the country in mass audiences is going to cause a major stir and 2) anyone who heals this many people for three years is going to cause a major shift in the cultural landscape of the day (not to mention the physiological landscape!).

Secondly, just as John was not a neutral observer, so we also cannot be neutral observers. It is impossible to hear this message of the gospel and remain “neutral” because the gospel divides. It divides people because it convicts us of our sin, and exposes our darkness with the light of truth. Jesus said:

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! [50] I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! [51] Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. [52] For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. [53] They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53)

So the gospel is truth that cannot be responded to in a neutral way – you either reject its claims or embrace them, but there can be no in-between.

This is clearly articulated in chapter three:

Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. [34] For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:33-36)

For those of us who have accepted the truth of the gospel, let us read John’s thesis statement with joy, knowing that these things were written with us in mind! For those who might be reading this and do know claim a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, then I urge you to bear these things mind – look at what this man did and what He said. Can there really be any doubt that this was the Son of God?

Weekend Reading: September 26, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

What a week!  Lot’s going on in our world and nation. Maybe you’ve been so busy with family and/or work that the last thing on your mind has been to read an encouraging blog or Scripture or check in with the news. Never fear! We’ve got it all compiled for you! Now that your weekend is only hours away, take a few minutes, get updated and encouraged! My favorite stories, videos, blog posts and more from this week are listed below…enjoy!

Before you read anything, check out Steve Lawson’s blog this week titled ‘The Power to Persevere.’  Flag it, read it, share it with someone else, and carry on!

The top news stories this week involved the air strikes carried out by our military in Syria against ISIS. They used Tomahawk missiles and other powerful weaponry – you can see actual footage (very cool stuff) HERE.  They hit oil installations and targeted key oil production sites. In response ISIS leaders retorted that ‘You are not safe in your bedrooms’…big talk for people getting bombed into oblivion. I find that in such a situation its fun to ask: what would John Wayne say? 

And over at the “Justice” Department Eric Holder is out.  Good Riddance!  Holder is still being held in Contempt of Congress, and that’s not going away as quickly as he is...

Speaking of going away, where in the world is Kim Jong Un (not that you care)??

An eerie piece from Roger Cohen – is he describing the years pre-WWII or our current state of play? You decide…(h/t Lisa Wenzel)

Now, for some less serious stuff…

Speaking of cool videos, check out this amazing shredding machine…it devours household appliances like they were shelled peanuts at Five Guys! (h/t Marc Wilson for posting this to Facebook!)

Have you seen this website that is dedicated to democratically defining (via reader votes) “irony”?  Pretty funny stuff here. (h/t Ben Frank)

Are you a golf fanatic? Then go here to stream the Ryder Cup! 

Also, do you ever get that “Phantom Vibration” from your cell phone?  Don’t lie – you know you do!  Well Wired Mag had a neat little piece on it this week. 

And – this is almost as random – BJ Novak has a new children’s book out. Yes, BJ Novak from The Office!  I’m not endorsing this, but it is rather amusing. (h/t my Katie)

What else is going on? 

Well…How are you enjoying your iPhone 6?  What? You don’t have one yet? Why not get the new Blackberry (pause for momentary snickering). Done laughing? Okay – now watch this little video about the decline of Blackberry.

Now, to snap you out of your Blackberry depression, check out this youtube video of the Apollo 13 Soundtrack titled ‘Lift Off’.  I was led to this old score during the week because a large church in Houston used it during their 9/11 service as the opening music (Thanks Tracy Lear for sending!).

More on technology – a week or two ago Tim Challies linked to this awesome blog by an expert in the watchmaking field. He details the good and the bad about the new Apple Watch. Just hearing what he’s looking at and how he approaches the topic is fascinating.

Oh – also – good news!  Gas prices are going down…

I’m sure you’ve heard this already, but the President sustained some criticism regarding his namby-pamby salute to the marine guiding Marine One. In fact, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) even created a landing page chronicling the disaster called “Semper Latte”. 

ALSO – There were a handful of really encouraging posts in the Christian blogosphere this week, and one of the most encouraging to me was on ‘Irritability’ by Jon Bloom.  Bloom is quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers.

Also over on Desiring God’s site is a post from Ryan Shelton which asks if we’re spiritual “leeches”…good gut check here. 

This week John Piper launched ‘Look at the Book’ which is a really cool new endeavor to give Christians a fishing pole rather than just a fish…see what I mean HERE. 

Also, I posted some notes on Luke 6, and the Beatitudes titled ‘Reorient Your Perspective’

Separately, there’s a fascinating look at how American book publishers gave away millions of books during WWII and in doing so created a nation of readers…

Speaking of reading, ChristianAudio.com has a free download – and its a good one! 

And as the culture continues to embrace homosexuality, churches are finding there is no neutral ground.  Al Mohler keeps us up to date on recent developments, and reminds us that there’s no ‘Third Way’…

Tim Keller, so helpful on writing on issues of work and faith, has a new book out on the subject and has published an article excerpt that’s worth checking out. 

For you dorks out there (like me), check out this 3/4 scale model of an X-Wing Starfighter…this thing actually exists – in Colorado, where aiming high has many connotations (h/t Alex Wenzel who visited the blessed model in person last night).

Lastly, for you baseball fans, I thought USA Today did a nice job covering Derek Jeter’s final game. Sounds like it was one for the ages!

So that’s what’s going on – hope you picked up a few interesting stories and enjoyed the links. Now go out there and conquer the yard work!  Have a great weekend!

Reorient Your Perspective

~ pjwenzel ~ 2 Comments

Last night I had the opportunity to teach through a small section of Luke 6, and several themes were covered.  One of the most challenging things we read was how Jesus prayed all night long before picking his apostles.

How much prayer time do we devote before a big decision?

The second major theme we encountered came in Jesus’ teaching of what is commonly referred to as ‘The Beatitudes’. What seemed to come out of the text more than anything else in our discussion last night was how Jesus wants us to reorient our desires around those things which are not seen – heavenly things.

I hope you enjoy the notes!

6:12-16 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. [13] And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: [14] Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, [15] and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, [16] and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Here we have an account of how Jesus selected His disciples. The one shining principle that we ought to note, and to adopt with great zeal is the manner in which Jesus made decisions.

What was the first thing Jesus did before choosing His disciples? He prayed. And not just a little, but all night long He prayed. He did this in three parts:

  1. He selected the place – a mountain where He would feel comfortable and His thoughts would be undisturbed. It might be reading too much in to this to say that He wanted to be in a place of height, near to God, or that He wanted to be in a place where great imaginative scope would be available to Him. While this might be going too far in terms of reading into His motives, I do not think its going too far in suggesting we ought to think about where we go away to pray (strategically).
  2. He prayed alone – this flows from the first point, because it is likely that He picked this place for its solitude. He didn’t want to be distracted, or interrupted. His goal was to be alone with God, not to show off His holiness before other men, as the Pharisees often did.
  3. He prayed all night – this was no mere 10-minute prayer. We have difficulties even praying for 1 hour, much less all night long!

There is much to learn from this example. If we are to do real battle, and make real big decisions, we ought to spend great amounts of time in prayer. Our forefathers followed this example. Before coming ashore to the New World, the pilgrims spent a day in prayer aboard the Mayflower. Shore was within reach, and they had been at sea for weeks and weeks, yet they were intent on stopping, and spending a whole day in prayer in preparation for the great work in front of them.

Lastly, often we think of time set aside to pray as time we cannot afford. For example, we would never take a vacation day from work simply to pray, would we? Perhaps we ought to value prayer more highly than we do today, and stop wondering why we fail to gain guidance from the Lord on important matters.

6:17-19 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, [18] who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. [19] And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

So Luke sets the scene here. There’s a “great crowd” a “great multitude” and people from all over the place – Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon to name a few. In other words, there’s a TON of people around. Jesus is being thronged by people from all over the place.

He’s selected His disciples, and right away its mission critical.

More than simply an oddity, or a curiosity, many people were coming to him in hopes of finding any way possible they could be healed of their diseases.

When you consider this, and put yourself in their place, I think you begin to realize the desperation they might feel. Think of how enraged 75% of Americans were when they learned that President Obama had (essentially) lied about whether Americans could keep their healthcare plan or their doctor if they preferred that option under Obamacare. What was it that was fueling such rage? Of course liberals claim its racial, but I don’t buy that for a moment – I don’t even buy that it’s a partisan issue.

No, what was at stake in this situation was deeply personal, and touched on the most sensitive of emotions – the ability to be treated for a health problem. This (rightfully) spawns desperation in a remarkably quick fashion.

Put yourself in their shoes. You have a child with an incurable disease. Your wife is sick. You are a leper and are made to sit outside the city walls, left longing to see your family and in complete agony. You hear a whiff of a rumor, something spoken of by passing men at the city gates, that a man named Jesus is healing many, many people.

The only question left to ask is this: What do you have to lose? The question answers itself, does it not? If I were there, at that time, and I heard of what Jesus was doing, I would walk anywhere, do anything, and go to great lengths to meet this man Jesus. Nothing is stopping me. Nothing.

Now imagine you finally arrive at this location. You get to where Jesus is, and this is the scene: Hundreds upon hundreds are thronging at his feet…there’s no way to even see this man! You hear the moans and all the cries “Jesus! Over here!” This isn’t a doctor’s waiting room, after all. There’s no line. It’s just a stadium full of people wanting to see Him, lifting up their voices to try desperately to get His attention.

You begin to wonder how this is going to work. What will He do? You notice there are some really unsavory people up near Him. They look like their out of their minds – they must be demon possessed! There’s no way anyone would act like this if they weren’t deeply troubled.

And the most astounding thing begins to happen…the moaning turns to another sound. It’s similar to the sound you’ve heard at the gates of the great city of Jerusalem when a foreign king enters in his splendor. A sort of exclamatory “awe” is beginning to ripple back to your vantage point. It’s just then that you begin to get a glimpse of those same people who were writhing in pain and acting in very disturbing ways, are now jumping up in down with tears of joy in their eyes.

There’s a noticeable change in the mood of the entire crowd, as if working its way out from Jesus joy is spreading like a great tidal wave whose momentum shows no signs of stopping.

This is likely the scene. And it is upon the waves of this healing work that Jesus signals to the crowd listen to what He’s about to say…

6:20-23 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. [21]“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. [22] “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! [23] Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus speaks some of the beatitudes that we find in Matthew 5.

He says it is blessed to be poor, to be hungry, to weep, and to be hated on account of Him. In fact, He says that because of these things our reward will be great in heaven.

But He doesn’t stop there. He continues, and gives the inverse. We must take these verses together before we unpack them.

6:24-26 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. [25] “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. [26] “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Jesus says it is woeful to be rich, full, to laugh, and to be spoken well of by others – all the inverse of what He said was a blessing.

How do we read these things? Even a cursory reading of the NT would rule out taking them strictly literally. For instance, Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that he knows “how to abound and how to be brought low” – basically saying there’s spiritual difference between the two. Each has its own challenges; neither is intrinsically evil or good.

But we also dare not be overly flowery in our interpretation. We can’t miss what Jesus is saying. In a very real way humans are tempted to be content in their riches, their fullness, their mirth, and the shallow praise of men.

The reality is that 99% of all human beings experience being poor, hungry, and having little joy or comfort in the praise of other men. And for those people, and for all people in every century, there is a cost associated to following Christ.

Putting it All Together…

Taken together, we must remember the context. Jesus has just healed hundreds (more?) of these people. Now he is pointing to their condition in life and instead of saying, “I’m going to give you riches, and food, and everything you ever wanted”, He’s saying, in effect, “True joy doesn’t come from riches, food, or the praises of other men.”

Let us conclude with two points:

  1. Note that He isn’t telling us not to have desires for great things, but rather to reorient our desires to even greater things! This is about reaching for what will really satisfy us as opposed to what is not nearly as good.

Listen to what C.S. Lewis said in his famous sermon ‘The Weight of Glory’:

The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Therefore – THEREFORE – let us rejoice in God who is our provision and to join our hearts to that instruction of our Lord to “leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.”

  1. Let us look to what is unseen, though just as tangible. This is what Paul articulated to the Corinthians when he said the following:

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, [14] knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. [15] For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. [16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18)

Dear Christian – tonight we have afflictions that have weighed us down, but let us join with Paul and agree in the Spirit: “Do not lose heart”! Look to what is unseen, and prepare your mind and your heart for the riches that are eternal – that are yours now, in fact!

So let us reorient our minds around these truths. Let those realities govern your mind. Let those realities saturate your heart. Let those truths spill out onto your tongue and bless the lives of those around you.

The Commissioning of the Disciples: John 20:19-23

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Below are my notes on the commissioning of the disciples. Jesus has been resurrected from the grave, and now suddenly appears before His followers. Read on to learn what happens…

20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Walking Through Walls?

It is still Sunday, only now the day has reached its conclusion and evening has come. The disciples – this could be a group comprised of more than those later known as “Apostles” – are huddled in a meeting room when Jesus arrives on the scene.

Our author notes that far from the great alacrity with which we hope to meet our Lord upon His return, these men were fearful. John tells us the reason why – they feared the Jews. When Jesus suddenly appears in their presence, this must have given them a great start. Already on high alert, suddenly this man seemingly comes from out of nowhere.

Jesus, it is said by some, must have walked through the locked doors of this gathering place. As MacArthur presumes, “The locked doors were no deterrent to Him; His glorified resurrection body simply passed through the walls.”

But I think Morris, Hendriksen, are correct to urge caution to readers, that we might not jump to the immediate conclusion that we know exactly how He entered the room. Carson, usually very thorough on these kinds of things, agrees with MacArthur, though he actually gives a reason where as MacArthur (in his usual confident style) simply assumes the fact. Carson says,
“The function of the locked doors in John’s narrative, both here and in v. 26, is to stress the miraculous nature of Jesus’ appearance amongst his followers. As his resurrection body passed through the grace-clothes, so it passed through the locked doors and simply ‘materialized.’”

He has a point – at least contextually. And I believe that though the passage doesn’t explicitly say how Jesus got into the room, it seems implicit from the context that He arrived through some spectacular means.

That being said, I think this is a perfect example of a passage where we must read up to a certain point and then stand back in awe of the Lord, without pressing it or adding to it in such a way that it would bring judgment upon us. Therefore some, for example, who use this passage as a way to say that one day we will have some sort of translucent or metamorphic powers. It is not wrong to look forward in hope to the glorious new body Christ will clothe us in upon the resurrection, but those who presume to confidently erect an entire scheme of eschatological physiology based on this verse alone ought to temper themselves, and leave such things in God’s hands.

The Peace of God

Jesus (the embodiment of peace) then greets the disciples with the customary greeting – this would have been salom alekem in the Hebrew. It seems pretty normal, but as Carson wisely points out, Jesus says it twice. Therefore most scholars agree that there is more than a simple greeting here. As J.C. Ryle says, “He who ‘spake as never man spake,’ said nothing without meaning.”

This leads us to ponder two things in particular.

First, the gentleness with which Jesus addresses His disciples. These men have been cowering in fear. They’ve completely abandoned His grave – unlike the brave women and two influential members of the Sanhedrin, they don’t seem to have been spending a lot of time at the tomb.

But as Ryle points out, “’Peace’ and not blame, ‘peace’ and not fault-finding, ‘peace’ and not rebuke, was the first word which this little company heard from their Master’s lips, after He left the tomb.”

Secondly, this leads us to ponder the fulfillment of the promises He made before His death:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Thus the first thing He says to His disciples after defeating death has a tinge of the fulfillment of that great promise He made, and the reminder that because of His work they (and all who come to believe in Him – see Ch. 17!) would have everlasting peace. Indeed Paul saw this clearly:

…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:12-16)

It is significant in my own mind that the first thing Jesus says to our souls when we come to Him in repentance and seeking protection is “peace be with you.” As Christians we have that peace, and that rest. We simply come into His presence, we ask for forgiveness, we ask for His power and His peace, and He will be faithful to not withhold what He so enjoy to give:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

20:20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

He’s Really Real

He is not an aberration – there is a physical body, this is a real resurrection, He is not merely a Spirit. In John’s day, the Docetists were claiming that Jesus hadn’t really appeared on earth with a real human body. They felt that the physical world (much like the Gnostics) was evil, or corrupt, and they didn’t think that God would have subjected Himself to such an evil.

They believed that though He appeared to be human, He was really only spirit – not only post-resurrection, mais après as well.

John lays out the case against this simply by recording historical fact. Jesus, for His part, shows His disciples unparalleled love and kindly condescension. He wants them to know that He is not a mere aberration, but the One they love and have followed these past three years. This is the Lord.

20:21-23 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

The Commissioning

This seems to be a very difficult passage, but I believe the main theme is found in this commissioning of the disciples. Their commission is ours, and is an extension of the Son’s mission, just as the Son’s mission is an extension of the Father’s plans for His creation and chosen people, and that mission is given to the church as a whole to be carried out by individuals empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus makes this plain when He uses the words “as” and “even so” – these words are what remind us of the fact that He is the vine and we are the branches. Without Him we can do nothing.

What a thrilling charge! No sooner has Jesus arisen from the grave than He says, “its go time! Let’s roll. We have a great mission in front of us.” We.

And what I want to just point out here is that once Christ’s “peace” has come upon us, we are commissioned in a similar way. We are to be “doers” in the missional sense of James’ words. He has commissioned the church for action. Now what is that action? We’ll come to that in a minute…

Empowered by the Spirit – A Preview of Pentecost

First, I want to note that this commissioning is grounded in the reality that the disciples were empowered to carry out the mission. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit. They couldn’t do this job alone, and neither can we.

John Owen rightly said that there is a “natural popery in man,” by which (and I believe Tim Challies is right on this account) we naturally want to work our way through ever sin, every problem and every mission of life, depending very little on help from others or from God.

So let us not fall into that trap. As Christians we are commissioned for the spreading of the Gospel and the living of a victorious life. That only happens when we walk in the Spirit.

Now, there is an interesting situation here which scholars of all stripes have long disputed. The scene as we have just read it, involved Jesus breathing on His disciples. He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Only then does He commission them for action.

Some have said that there is a conflict between this mini Pentecost, and the one in Acts 2. How can we reconcile these two events?

Because of the context, and the order of what Jesus says and does here, I believe that He is grounding this imperative (the charge) in the indicative (the receiving of the Spirit). The Bible never asks us to do anything without giving us the help and power to do so. This is the case in numerous examples throughout the New Testament especially because of the New Covenant promise of the Spirit.

A perfect example of this is found in Philippians:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Note that there is a command, which is promptly followed by the reassurance that it is God “who works in you.” So the imperative is grounded in the comfort of the indicative.

With all of this in mind, I think that this breathing on of the Spirit is symbolic of what will happen soon at Pentecost (Acts 2) – it is anticipatory of that event, just as the commissioning is anticipatory of their upcoming mission (this view of the anticipatory nature of the “breathing” is taken by Schreiner, and fits well with my own contextual interpretation of the commission as a whole). Note that He will later instruct them to remain in the city until the Spirit comes upon them.

Therefore He commissions them with instructions grounded in His own promise to help through yet another “extension” of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. This all anticipates the day they will be sent into all the world to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18).

Second, I think this breathing is symbolic because the disciples don’t immediately show fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit. As Carson points out:

There is too slight a demonstration within the Gospel of John that this alleged bestowal of the Spirit made the slightest bit of difference in the lives of Jesus’ followers. The disciples still meet behind locked doors (vs. 26) and the natural inference is that they are still afraid of the Jewish authorities (vs. 19). When Thomas comes to faith, it is not because of the promised witness of the Spirit (15:26-27), but because he sees the risen Jesus for himself. Those who accept John 21 as part of the Gospel, even if it is cast as an epilogue, cannot fail to observe that the disciples are sliding back to their old employment (21:1-3), sorting out elementary reconciliation with the Master (21:15-19), and still playing ‘let’s compare-service-record’ games (21:20-22). All this is not only a far cry from the power, joy exuberant witness, courageous preaching and delight in suffering displayed by the early Christians after Pentecost, in Acts, it is no less distant from the same virtues foretold in John’s farewell discourse, where the promise of the Spirit receives such emphasis.

Carson goes on to say that if this is really John’s version of Pentecost, it’s really disappointing! And I agree with him. This must be a preview, an anticipation of what is to come.

The Instruction

Now looking at the instruction itself, He tells them that, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” This can only make sense if we understand that He is not talking to the individual (like priests or the pope etc.), but to the church as a whole (cf. Morris).

Furthermore, to understand this we must touch on that foundational truth we just discussed about the Spirit. Our work is grounded in the work of God – our power is assumed to come from Him. And this is the same here as it pertains to forgiveness. Those the church forgives are forgiven, but not because the church has a mystical power outside of God’s prerogative to forgive whomever we want, but rather because the church (when operating in a Spirit-filled manner) agrees with God’s Spirit to forgive, or not to forgive.

Some denominations – Catholics and others – have taken this to mean that priests have the right of “absolution”, but if we are to truly understand the ancient practice of ablution we must understand it to mean that form of agreement with God that reassures a church member that he/she has been forgiven (see esp. Sproul on this).

The Catholic “church” has in recently centuries enumerated unto itself such “powers” as were never meant in this practice (or ought not to have been meant in any case). Catholic priests say now, “et ego auctoritate ipsius te absolvo”, which is to say, “and by His authority I absolve you.”

In sum, the church can bind and loose, can forgive and hold back forgiveness, because it is a Spirit-filled institution, the very bride of Christ, and His body. So long as the church is connected to Him as His branches, we will agree discerningly with Him in all His judgments as we proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and the warning of eternal punishment to all who reject this free offer. What Jesus is saying here is none other than that the church has the commission to preach the gospel to all people in power endued by the very God who had just raised Him from the grave.

For as Peter would later recall…

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it…This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:24, 32-33)

Weekend Reading: September 19, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time again – to catch up on some reading for the week.  So flag this email and scroll through it as you enjoy some time off from the daily grind.  Here’s what’s shaking now, and what you might have missed this week…

First off, the top three stories of the week were undoubtedly the Congress’ decision to send President Obama money and permission to arm Syrian rebels, the Alibaba IPO, and the decisive “NO” vote on Scottish secession.

And this week’s MUST READ article comes from Al Mohler who writes to Christians about how Biblical Theology (a way of reading the Bible) ought to inform our thinking on sexual morality (among other things I’m sure).

The new rage is now ‘coffee-naps’ for those who have the constitution and schedule availability to nap in the middle of the day…perhaps not me (though I wish it were). What came to my mind was remembrance of great men like Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill who used mid-day naps in order to essentially create two working days from one. There are other bizarre nocturnal resting habits out there as well…

This was a quick and amusing article on how people in America talk – I say “quick” because it’s not worth reading the entire thing, but is worth a quick scroll.

Along similar lines, there’s a neat mapping feature that Pew Research has setup that will allow you to see migratory flow in different countries.  Click on the USA and you’ll notice immediately that as of 2013 over 45million people currently living in America were born in other countries…12million from Mexico etc.

There’s a great (and not too long) article in the American Thinker that quickly dispels the myth that oceans are “eating” the earth’s heat (which is one of the excuses die-hard climate change cultists use to explain away the lack of skyrocketing global warming recently).

The ‘Thinker’ also has a fabulous article called ‘The Mysterious Moderate Muslim’, which I enjoyed immensely, but all the more because expert researcher Fritz Wenzel was quoted!

Speaking of the fringes of intellectual reasonableness, someone is now making art from iPhone smudges…I refuse to attempt an explanation, you’ll just have to read it.

And speaking of phones and technology, Tim Challies has a new app he’s recommending to enrich your prayer life…check it out. As they say, “there’s an app for that…”

Here is a simply fascinating video on ‘How Wolves Change Rivers’ (4min – h/t Fritz Wenzel).

An interesting news piece from Business Insider was posted this week about the growing field of Nurse Anesthetics (h/t proud N.A. Rebecca Petzinger)

Hilarious (if not a bit crass – you’ve been warned) article to get the weekend started with a laugh. The author riffs off the old euphemism “happy as a clam” and asks the vital question: ‘Why are Clams so Damn Happy???’

A little more seriously, Challies reposted the Cripplegate’s little ditty on the Death of Thomas Cranmer, which is a nice little piece of historical encouragement.

And along the lines of standing up to the bullies of ignorance, Bill Maher found himself in the ironical position of standing up for Christians of all people…in so doing he exposed Charlie Rose as a dithering leftist buffoon of the most embarrassing variety.

On the opposing side of ignorance is Monergism.com who announced this week that they’re offering 125 free eBooks (of the Christian theological variety).

Also, in a fight against not only ignorance, but that attitude which pervades much of our society – Apathy – Paul Maxwell over at Desiring God has a column addressing the topic. 

And, in what was probably the most useful post for me this week, Tim Challies makes another appearance on my list of links with this helpful column on ‘Preaching the Gospel to Yourself.’  I assure you that this one is worth bookmarking.

That’s it for this week – enjoy your coffee and your reading!

PJW

PS – I have an entire stack of articles, videos and blog posts that many of you have sent to me to check out. If you don’t see your article, it may be that I’ve simply not been able to read or listen to it yet – so thank you for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

Weekend Reading: September 12, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment

Happy weekend! I’m writing to you from the road on the way to the North Carolina coast, where we’re spending a few days enjoying a family wedding. This week was PACKED full of interesting stories, and world-changing events.

So flag this email for later, or grab a cup of coffee and pick out a few links that interest you.  Let’s begin with the anniversary of 9/11…

Here’s a great little youtube documentary on 9/11 from the eyes/perspective of President Bush, who, as it turns out, had an eerie prediction of the situation we now face in Iraq.  FoxNews had a short 13-slide timeline of the day’s events 13 years ago. For you Twitter lovers, you need to check out former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer’s feed from the Wednesday. He tweeted out the memorable events from 13 years ago as if they were live. His perspective is interesting to say the least. Lastly, here was the President’s speech standing atop the rubble 13 years ago – the bullhorn speech! 

President Obama gave a speech about taking the war on ISIS to Syria on Wednesday evening…not quite Churchill’s Famous ‘Fight on the Beaches’ speech…Assuming you read your quota of those stories, check out this interesting perspective from a muslim who wants us to consider Saudi Arabia’s role in supporting terror networks like ISIS and Al Qaeda, and gives some history of their genesis.  Also Robert H. Scales, a retired Army major general and former commandant of the U.S. Army War College, had an Op-Ed in the WaPo this week about how to defeat ISIS that I found worth the read….and if all that wasn’t enough, apparently the President has fallen victim to a good ol’ fashioned caption contest! (h/t Tracy Lear).

Meanwhile, on the home-front, the wealthy aristocracy of New York City are pondering whether its worth an extra million for a parking spot in NYC.

Speaking of the ridiculous, this actually happened…

Now back to something encouraging…Pastor Tim Challies has a great little summary on chapter 2 of John Owen’s classic ‘Overcoming Sin and Temptation’ in which he boils some things down very nicely.

I’m sure you’ve heard, thought about, discussed the new iPhone this week. Apple announced their new iPhone (the 6th edition), iWatch and Apple Pay and I think critics were pretty much satiated that the technology giant had really moved the ball forward for the first time in a few years. Of course there are haters who disagree with my generous assessment. 

Speaking of tech, the net neutrality battle is heating up in case you didn’t notice….AND in addition to his work on Owen, Challies penned a short 5 point list on how to protect your information online which I found very helpful.

Continuing in that genre, not all technology is thrilling the masses these days…meet the simple technology that some say has ruined baseball. 

If that story doused your inner tech spark, then scroll through this one which is sure to ignite it again: advanced DNA technology solved the 126 year old mystery of Jack the Ripper this week!

On to TV…PBS has partnered with Ken Burns once again, this time on a documentary featuring the Roosevelt family. I have no clue if its going to be good or not, but its worth taking a peak…Burns will always find a place in my heart for the ‘Civil War’ and some really love his exhaustive (and exhausting) ‘Baseball’. 

This past week, Kate and I took in a little series posted to YouTube called ‘Tales from the Green Valley.’  Even if you just watch one episode of the 12 part series, you’ll enjoy watching 5 experts try and run a farm with all 17th century technology, clothes, and food. Fascinating stuff, and lots of little things you’ll learn you never new before. (h/t Katie W.)

Now some random stuff…

I appreciated this little piece on titled ‘The Problem with Reclining Airplane Seat Design’

Now THIS is cool – Whole Foods is a pretty hip grocery story, now they’re bringing hip to your door – check it out!

How to pay for all that food?  Well check out what John Piper has to say about ‘How to Decide About Your Next Job’.  Great little resource here. If you don’t read it now, file it away for a rainy day.

Vitamins or no vitamins? Nate Silver’s blog is advocating in the negative – mostly because of the way the results/benefits of vitamins are tested. This is a story for you stats geeks out there.

And…some more on the culture

Now this is a terrific little post that will crack you up and have you saying “amen!” One man edits Oprah’s coffee cup cliches. 

Challies also had a nice little follow up on last week’s nude celeb photogate scandal.

But not all celebs are scummy – check out Carrie Underwood singing ‘How Great Thou Art’...whoa! (h/t Senator Dan Hall!)

And a wonderful man of God, and terrific businessman Truett Cathy died this week. What an impact and legacy that man had!

Jared Wilson is in fine form here with an article about the church titled ‘He Must Increase; Our Churches Must Decrease’.

One thing not decreasing is the moral shift in America. Al Mohler’s daily briefing from earlier in the week is an indication of where the battle lines are. The collegiate Christian group InterVarsity has been kicked out of the California State University System. 

Kuyperian Commentary has a really solid resource on confronting deep sin utilizing 2 Corinthians. This meant a lot to me personally because a) I love 2 Corinthians and b) I’ve used many of these verses to confront sin in very difficult situations. It’s hard to describe the sense of fortitude one has when the rock of Scripture is firmly under one’s feet in such a moment.

The Twitters were tweeting this week about grade inflation at ivy league schools, which may be interesting to some of you ivy leaguers out there.

Lastly, and wonderfully, Jon Bloom ever at Desiring God had a fantastic piece called ‘The Antidepressant of Wonder’ in which he uses football and the changing of seasons as analogies for God’s work in this world, and how taking time to enjoy that work lifts our spirits vis a vis our changed perspective.

These articles remind us that we live in a rapidly changing world. Let us hold fast to our convictions in every sphere, knowing that He is able to help us hold them in integrity until the final day:

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:12)

 

 

Weekend Reading: September 5, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Well it’s the weekend again (almost), which means you’re getting the Weekend Reading email. Below are my favorite videos, news articles, blog posts and more from this past week.  There’s a lot of interesting stuff to sort through, so grab your coffee and some eggs and enjoy some of this week’s most interesting reading:

Apple’s big iphone announcement should come next week. The biggest cultural shift expected from the announcement will involve how consumers pay for stuff – think NFC tagging/leaving your wallet at home.

Probably the most alarming story of the week comes out of Eastern Europe where Russian President Putin said ‘I can take Kiev in two weeks’.  The Washington Post has an excellent opinion piece that I consider a must-read. 

Football season is here and the Wall Street Journal has an interesting graph which charts football success with academic capability. Lot’s of California schools in the right spots, along with some Big 10 appearances.

Nikki Daniel wrote an encouraging blog post about sex and marriage aimed at Christian women that’s worth skimming through. (h/t Challies)

Speaking of sex, quite some time ago Al Mohler wrote up a nice column on how J.R.R. Tolkein’s letters to his sons explains the birds and the bees. Definitely worth reading. (h/t Rod Kinsey for reminding me about this)

Joan Rivers died this week and Time did a piece on her. Best quote: “‘I succeeded,’ she said, ‘by saying what everyone else is thinking.’ Everyone else, that is, with a wicked mind and an agile tongue.”

Scientists are sifting through old ship’s manifests in order to determine climate history and stumbling on interesting stories on the way – unfortunately its an NPR story, and somehow they can make even the most fascinating story sound boring!

R.C. Sproul wrote a good article entitled, ‘Are Those Who Have Never of Christ Going to Hell?’ 

Potential 2016 Presidential Candidate Sen. Rand Paul wrote an Op-Ed this week defending his foreign policy views, and slamming President Obama for his disjoined (if non-existent) foreign policy.

Speaking of foreign policy, Michael Youssef has an excellent 5 min video explaining who ISIS is and where they came from. (h/t Tracy Lear)

Take a look at this excellent little article from Thom Rainer on why churches are moving away from “contemporary” and “traditional” style services and simply having one style of music/service.

Now before you get up to refill your coffee, check out this little video titled ‘Your Brain on Coffee’…and no, this won’t stop you from finishing the pour.

Speaking of food, if you don’t already know about PBS’s ‘The Mind of a Chef’ show, you might want to check it out on Netflix/Amazon.  We watched a few episodes at the recommendation of family (h/t Lindzey Gray and Shana Wenzel).

The Times of Israel posted the top 10 places to visit when you visit Israel – I saw 6/10 when I was there. Neat pics here. (h/t Uri Goldflam)

Heretical “Pastor” Olsteen was in the news again, this time it was Victoria Olsteen who gained some attention for proclaiming more unbiblical nonsense. Mohler’s take here, and a funny video with Bill Cosby’s reaction here. 

Speaking of funny videos, here’s a film company whose made the infamous Leroy Jenkins youtube sensation into a short film with real actors.

Clint Archer over at The Cripplegate has a fantastic article relating to Labor Day and how Christians should think about work. 

I had a wonderful time hosting my whole family over the holiday weekend, but sadness set in when they left. Here’s a post I wrote on the weekend and its aftermath titled ‘Renewing the Old Toyota.’

Speaking of holidays and school being back etc., Tim Challies wrote a funny little blog post about how he’s ready to welcome back his old friend Routine.  He also posted an interesting little video called ‘Making a Case for Books’ that’s fun to watch. 

Tim Keller discusses the disappearance of American normative Christianity, or “conservative christianity” – what Al Mohler might call “cultural christianity”. (h/t Gary Marx)

Of course one of this week’s biggest news stories was about how Hollywood A-listers and Playboy models got their iCloud photos hacked and distributed around the web. National Journal piece here on why Congress won’t get involved, and CNBC piece on how it could affect Apple. 

Speaking of hackers, Home Depot announced this week that their credit card system/database was compromised. 

If you’re into Christian reading and have never heard Francis Schaeffer, here’s your chance. Schaeffer is widely considered one of the 20th century’s greatest Christian philosophers/thinkers. He founded the L’Abri Fellowship where many other great thinkers, authors, and theologians studied or found rest for a time. Schaeffer’s grasp on art, culture, history and philosophy in addition to his sharp theological soundings make him a delight to read/listen to.

Lastly, here’s an excellent little devotional from D.A. Carson to round out your weekend!

Have a great weekend!

PJW

Renewing the Old Toyota

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment
1986-toyota-mr2
1986 Toyota MR2 from Motortrend Magazine

As I drove my brother and his wife and daughter to the airport yesterday it was hard to say goodbye.  My daughter Chloe came with me, and there was definitely a sense of loss as all the family we had in town for the weekend left around 4:30pm yesterday for their own homes and the routines of their lives.

As we drove back home from the airport I found myself very thoughtful, and grateful for a wonderful weekend. But I realized that it’s a cruel fate of this life that family should live so far away. We move away for work, or seeking a dream, or any number of reasons – many are highly necessary in order to live productively in this world.

When I think in my mind about scenarios that would allow me to live in the same 60-100 mile radius as my family (my brother is in Denver, my sister in Cleveland, my parents in Toledo, my grandparents in Portland) I can find none.

My family loves where they live – and I love where I live.  We all have lives that are built geographically around our homes.  We have different churches, different grocery stores, our friends are here, and those little dives that we dine at on Friday nights.

So there’s really no solution…in this life.

Driving home last night my eyes wandered onto an old Toyota – an MR2 – which was running parallel with us on 270 West. Admiringly I stared at the perfectly refurbished 1980’s classic, and I thought about how much time and effort it would have taken to have that car in such immaculate shape.

My mind then wandered to our Creator, and how He’s working in each one of His children to remake them after His own image (2 Cor. 3:18 was a topic of discussion at a family dinner on Saturday night).

The Bible promises that when Christ comes back He will renew the earth and the heavens (Rev. 21:1) – just like this man renewed this old Toyota.

That’s when it hit me – in the next life, when all is renewed and set right I will have family and fellow believers to fellowship with for eternity. I have no idea how distance will be traversed in the next life, and that’s not what I’m speculating about.  Rather, one of the feelings within my soul yesterday was that it isn’t a necessary eternal de facto state of being for family to be separated by vast distances for reasons that are so intrinsically tied to this earthly – temporary – life.

In other words, that Toyota minded me that the current state of play on the earth won’t always stand. I will have an eternity to fellowship with family and friends separated now by distance, or death, or other forces of this life which will not be associated with the next. And this is a comforting thought to dwell on the day after such a great time of fellowship ended.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)