29 November 2015
Two-Minute Features | 06 December 2015 | 22 November 2015

Jesus First Appears to Mary Magdalene, Part 2 (TMF:305)

Friday, December 04, 2015
Peace to Live By: Jesus First Appears to Mary Magdalene, Part 2 (TMF:305) - Daniel Litton
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       Now let's pick up on some more of the passage, starting in verse 11: “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her” (John 20:11-18, ESV). I can just picture the stone being rolled away, and Jesus standing there. I think the women who believed in him, like Mary, had more faith than the men (see John 11:27).

Jesus First Appears to Mary Magdalene, Part 1 (TMF:304)

Thursday, December 03, 2015
Peace to Live By: Jesus First Appears to Mary Magdalene, Part 1 (TMF:304) - Daniel Litton
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       Both Peter and John hurried to the tomb based on what Mary had told them. One has to wonder what they were thinking as they ran there. But it is interesting how John states that the disciples had not understood that Jesus had to rise from the dead until they saw the tomb empty. It's not that they understood beforehand and just didn't believe. The text says they didn't even understand that it had to happen that way. One of my favorite scenes in the whole New Testament is when Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden outside the tomb. Out of all the people Jesus could appear to first, he chose Mary Magdalene. Jesus loved Mary, and you have to understand that this was epic for the time. Women were often treated lesser at the time, but Jesus would have none of that. Now let's pick up on some more of the passage, starting in verse 11: “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:11-13, ESV).

Peter & John Go to Jesus' Tomb (TMF: 303)

Wednesday, December 02, 2015
Peace to Live By: Peter & John Go to Jesus' Tomb (TMF: 303) - Daniel Litton
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       As the disciples sat and pouted, Mary Magdalene came back from the tomb of Jesus with some interesting and confusing news. Let's look at what John says about what happened: “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes” (John 20:1-10, ESV).

Christ's Crucifixion was God's Plan (TMF:302)

Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Peace to Live By: Christ's Crucifixion was God's Plan (TMF:302) - Daniel Litton
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       And so Christ was crucified, but because God allowed it (see Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). It was actually God’s plan from the very beginning. Christ was dying for the sins of the whole world, even though the people thought they were putting him to death for crimes committed (see 1 John 2:2). We don’t really know if all the disciples were at the crucifixion. We know John was there (see John 19:26). They probably weren’t there because Jesus dying on the cross represented the total demolition of the plans they had had. They thought he was the Christ, and that he was going to reign in Jerusalem as king. They likely saw the death of Jesus on the cross as the end all. They were likely devastated. Even though Jesus had told them what was going to happen beforehand, they still didn’t get it. And they had even seen a person rise from the dead, after being dead for four days (see John 11:44). But they didn’t get it. And I think if we had been part of Jesus' earthly ministry, we probably wouldn't have got it either.

Peter Later Found Restitution with Jesus (TMF:301)

Monday, November 30, 2015
Peace to Live By: Peter Later Found Restitution with Jesus (TMF:301) - Daniel Litton
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       The good news here is that while Peter did deny Jesus, he later found restitution with him. Jesus forgave him, and their relationship was restored to an even better place than before (see John 21:15-19). And indeed, Jesus will forgive us when we fail ourselves and fail others, no matter how bitter or sorrowful we may feel (see 1 John 1:9). And so Jesus would go through the fury of unfair and unjust trials (see Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19). The group of chief priests and Pharisees twisted what Christ had really done, and they sought for him to receive the death penalty based on false accusations (see Matthew 26:59). And they also didn’t believe his own testimony when he told the truth. You see, they had already decided what they thought about him—that he was hillbilly from Galilee who wasn’t worthy of anything good, and certainly by all means wasn’t worthy of his claim to be the Messiah. They had already made up their minds about him, and anything he would have said wouldn’t have mattered. They already perceived him as guilty no matter what. And so Christ was crucified, but because God allowed it (see Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). It was actually God’s plan from the very beginning. Christ was dying for the sins of the whole world.