Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
How important to you is an ‘eye-witness’ when you hear the account of something that has happened but you were not there? What if that event happened before you were born? Probably you’ve heard family stories from parents and grandparents about people you never met and they’ve been deceased a long time, yet your family wants you to embrace your family history as though you were there, right?
In the weeks, months and years following that historic Passover/Easter weekend in Jerusalem, thousands of people faced the very same challenge. They had not been in Jerusalem that famous weekend. In some cases they hadn’t even been born yet! As the story of Jesus spread, many people struggled with whether or not to believe such an amazing, preposterous story.
Of course, those who had been eyewitnesses, who had seen Jesus crucified and seen Jesus after His resurrection, THOSE eyewitnesses became very significant as being reliable, trustworthy reporters of what is perhaps the most remarkable and significant weekend of all time. Why?
Because if the story is FALSE, hundreds of millions of people have been duped and have lived a lie. If TRUE hundreds of millions of people have experienced new life available only in the resurrected Jesus Christ, and are now in heaven with Him! Oh, my friends, do you see the challenge? The eyewitnesses of that Passover/Easter weekend have all been dead more than 1900 years!
If eyewitness is what you demand, the only way you’ll know if heaven is real and if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, is this: WAIT! After you die here on earth you will discover if heaven is real and you will absolutely SEE the resurrected Jesus face to face…either as Lord and Savior welcoming you to heaven, (Luke 23:42,43) or as Judge determining your eternal fate! (Rev.20:11-15)
I left you yesterday sitting on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee about 2000 years ago with 7 disciples and the resurrected Jesus Christ. (John 21:1-9) This was perhaps two or three weeks after that famous Passover/Easter weekend when Jesus had been crucified and then resurrected from the dead. For these 7 disciples, this was now at least the third time they’d been together when Jesus appeared to them, since that Easter morning. (John 20:19; 20:26; 21:12-14)
One of them, John, had been an eyewitness to the crucifixion of Jesus. (John 19:25-27,35) He had also been awakened by Mary Magdalene with the news that she’d been to the garden tomb and it was empty! John and Peter had both run to and even gone into the tomb to see for themselves. (John 20:1-9)
Now John is one of these 7 sitting around the fire having breakfast with Jesus, and because of John’s pattern at other meals (John 13:23) I presume John was sitting near Jesus on this beach, listening and watching very carefully. I think John already knew that one day he’d write his eyewitness account which would help those of us who weren’t there, to believe!
Over the past three days we’ve looked very closely at John’s account of what took place that morning on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, especially between Peter and Jesus. I love the way John writes, giving us unusual insights not just into the facts, but also into some of the emotion of what was happening with Jesus and His friends. It seems Jesus got up from the beach fire, inviting Peter to take a stroll with Him as they continued their very important forgiving and restoring chat.
Beach walking is one of the most refreshing and reflective places to stroll, would you agree? Looking out at the water, feeling the waves lick at your ankles, watching your footprints in the sand. That’s what Peter and Jesus were doing. Peter needed to experience a very powerful and restoring forgiveness from Jesus whom Peter had denied and abandoned that Thursday night after boastfully promising he’d be willing to even die for Jesus! (John 13:36-38; 18:15-18, 25-27)
Jesus had three times asked Peter to consider the depth of love he really had for Jesus, and hearing his responses, Jesus had invited Peter to re-engage with Him and accept the roles Jesus was outlining for Peter for his future. Now, as they walked, I imagine Peter occasionally looked back at his footprints and when a wave washed them away, I wonder if the Holy Spirit of God did a fresh work of washing Peter’s shame and regret away from his heart?
But I’m also sure Peter noticed Jesus’ footprints being washed away too, and that was a painful reminder Jesus would very soon be leaving them permanently, for Jesus had several times promised He would soon be returning to heaven, from which He had come. (John 16:7, 28)
Once when Peter looked back he also noticed John was following them along the beach from a distance and Peter couldn’t help himself, so he asked Jesus: “Lord, what about him?” Jesus’ response is so important for Peter and for you and me, my friends, for we too often look at others and compare ourselves, don’t we? “If I want Him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me!” (John 21:20-23) No, Jesus was not suggesting John would live forever, nor that John would be alive when Jesus returns to rapture up the church.
Jesus was challenging Peter, and every person who follows Jesus, to keep our eyes on Jesus and let Jesus guide each of us according to the individual, personal, private, plan and purpose God has for us! Actually, this disciple John outlived all the other disciples, not dying until about 95ad after he had written the closing book of our New Testament, Revelation.
And by the way, if you’ll look at how John begins Revelation 1:1,2 you’ll see Jesus did return and gave this revelation to John to write for all of us: “The revelation from Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place…”
With the help of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) John wrote a fairly detailed account of his eye-witness journey with Jesus. We call it the Gospel of John. John gives us 8 full chapters of what he saw and experienced with Jesus that Passover/Easter weekend and 1 entire chapter just about this morning breakfast with Jesus and seven of his disciple friends, on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee.
Twice John invites us to understand that he wrote his account of Jesus with purpose and while he’s given us some wonderful eyewitness details, there was much more that he didn’t write: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name!“ (John 20:30,32; 21:25)
So my friends with Easter now fading into the distant past I invite us to stroll along the beach watching Peter and Jesus, and John following. Just as Jesus knew exactly what each day of the rest of their lives would be, so Jesus knows the same about you and me.
Just as Jesus invited them to follow Him for the rest of their lives, so Jesus invites you and me to the same.
Just as Jesus assured them that He would send His Holy Spirit to live within them, and guide them, and protect them, and empower them to accomplish what Jesus would lead them to do, so Jesus promises the same to you and me.
So… what’s your decision today? Will the rest of your life be defined primarily by those words of Jesus: “You must follow Me”? Here’s a song to help us consider that Jesus wants to walk the journey with you and me, wherever it leads us, my friends…
Today’s Scripture: John 21:19-25.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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