The Bible Recap - Day 319 (Luke 24, John 20-21) - Year 5

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. If you're doing our New Testament plan, today we finished our third and fourth books, and if you're doing the whole Bible, we finished our forty-second and forty-third books. Congratulations! After the incredible resurrection events we read about yesterday, all of Jesus followers are buzzing about it. While two of his followers are making the seven-mile trip from Jerusalem to Emmaus, it's all they can talk about. At this point it's still Sunday, resurrection day, and it's probably mid-afternoon. Another man runs into them on their trip, but God keeps

Starting point is 00:00:40 them from seeing that it's Jesus. Maybe something is different about his resurrection body, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that his old tunic and turban, which cover most of a man's body, have been replaced with new clothes, and the body that was utterly destroyed a few days ago has miraculously healed. As he does, Jesus asks a question he knows the answer to. So what are you guys talking about? They're like, are you kidding me? What is anybody talking about?

Starting point is 00:01:03 How have you not heard? They crucified a prophet named Jesus a few days ago and we were pretty devastated because we hoped he was the Messiah. But then today we heard a rumor that some angels told some women that he was alive and we don't know what to believe. Then Jesus does two things I find interesting.

Starting point is 00:01:18 First, he calls them slow of heart. Not slow of mind, but slow of heart. Belief is in the heart. Second, he tells them that all of this was necessary. We've talked about this a few times before. This has always been the plan from before God created the world. Jesus unpacks the whole story from them from the beginning. He points out that he, well, Jesus, is all throughout the Old Testament. Of all the conversations in all of scripture, I think this is the one I most want in on. I see Jesus all through the pages of scripture, but I bet there are still some Easter eggs in there,

Starting point is 00:01:50 pun intended, that he pointed out to them that I've never noticed. If you have a hard time seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, that's your challenge for whom we read through this again next year. He's all over the place, not just in the New Testament. As they get closer to Emmaus, Jesus does that thing where he pretends he's gonna keep going, but then he doesn't.

Starting point is 00:02:07 He did that when he was walking on water, remember? They convince him to stay for dinner, and when he blesses the food, their eyes are opened to recognize him. Jesus loves surprising people. First Mary, now these guys. But as soon as they recognize him, he vanishes. Jesus could always do this,

Starting point is 00:02:23 so it may or may not be related to his resurrection body. But I hope it is, because I want in on that. Then these guys get up from the table and walk the seven miles back to Jerusalem, probably in the dark, to tell the other disciples what happened. Because you don't just go to bed after Jesus appears to you. I bet these guys couldn't sleep for a week. While they're all gathered together and these two guys are dishing the details, Jesus reappears in the room with them, even though all the doors are locked.

Starting point is 00:02:48 Surprise number three! He opens with, Peace be with you, because that's probably what you have to say when you nearly startle everyone to death. They think he's a ghost, so he shows them the holes in his hands and side. Then, just to double down on it, he says, Wow, I sure am hungry. I was just at a dinner in Emmaus, but I had to dip out before the main course. Quick wink to the two guys in the corner. Do you have anything to eat around here? And he eats fish.

Starting point is 00:03:11 Mirages don't eat. Ghosts don't eat. Then just like he did on the road to Emmaus, he explains to all the disciples how the whole Old Testament is about him. They couldn't see it then, but now that it's been fulfilled, all the pieces are in place. All the Wheel of Fortune letters have finally turned over and they can see the answer clearly. Thomas isn't there, so when word gets back to him he says, Show me and I'll believe it. We've called him Doubting Thomas, but Jesus never called him that. First, all of these guys doubted until they saw it with their own eyes. They

Starting point is 00:03:42 could all be doubting disciples. Second, Jesus never shames Thomas for questioning things. On the contrary, eight days later, he walks through another wall to meet Thomas in his doubts and questions and says, Hey, I heard you need a little more evidence. Here you go. Jesus shows him the scars and the wounds and Thomas is in awe. Then Jesus blesses you and me both when he says, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Yes and amen." Remember from yesterday in Matthew 28-7 and Mark 16-7 when the angel talked about Jesus going before the disciples to Galilee? The time has come for that to happen.

Starting point is 00:04:20 God may have given these instructions as a way of keeping them safe from the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem who were surely trying to get to the bottom of things. They are the reason the disciples have their doors locked when they're meeting together. So at some point, seven of them make the trip back to Galilee like the angel instructed. One night, they go fishing, and maybe they're just rusty since it's been a while, but they fish all night and don't have a single catch. Just as the sun is starting to rise while it's still dark outside, someone calls to them from the shore. Children, do you have any fish? Despite all they've been through, they're still just kids, probably 16 or 17 by this time. They call back to let this guy on the shore know that nope, they're coming up empty. But Jesus isn't done with his surprises

Starting point is 00:04:59 yet. He says, throw the net on the other side of the boat. They do, and their nets are nearly bursting with fish. This is a definite callback to the very day he recruited them. It's the same thing that happened in Luke 5, where they put out their nets at his command after catching nothing the first time and came up with more than they could handle. This is like an inside joke he has with his guys. So as soon as they pull up the net and it's breaking,

Starting point is 00:05:24 John puts two and two together that this is Jesus, and he tells Peter, who jumps in the water and swims to shore to meet him. This is one of my favorite scenes in scripture. When we visit Israel and I stand on that shoreline, I can picture it all happening. Peter soaked and wide-eyed, Jesus laughing and getting tackled with a wet hug. Scripture says they caught 153 fish. That's oddly specific, so does this mean something? Some scholars say there were 153 types of fish in the Galilee at this time, and that this number indicates

Starting point is 00:05:52 they caught one of every type of fish. The first time Jesus filled their nets back in Luke 5, He told them He would make them fishers of men from now on. So maybe these 153 fish are an object lesson, a reminder that they'll be catching people from among every nation, that the gospel net will pull in fish of every kind. Then Jesus cooks them breakfast over a charcoal fire, just like the one Peter sat around when he denied him, and they have this beautiful moment of restoration. Jesus keeps asking Peter if he loves him. Peter keeps saying yes, but in the Greek,

Starting point is 00:06:27 he's using a lesser word for love than what Jesus uses when he asks. This is a simplified version of the conversation, but it almost goes something like this. Do you love me? Yeah, I think you're awesome. But do you love me? Yeah, I told you you're great.

Starting point is 00:06:42 So finally, Jesus dials it back and meets Peter where he is. He says, Do you like me? And Peter says, Yes, I like you. This feels kind of sad to me, but maybe I'm expecting too much from a hormonal teenager, even after all they've been through. But here's what I love about Jesus in this moment. He reiterates his question three times to meet with Peter's three denials. Jesus doesn't need the proof that Peter has had a change of heart, so I'm guessing

Starting point is 00:07:07 this was more about Peter. He probably needs the opportunity to clear the air and make sure things aren't awkward between them. But not only are things not awkward, Jesus gives Peter a weighty assignment. He basically says, I'm putting you in charge of things now. Don't screw it up. Except, of course, it's much more eloquent when Jesus says, Feed my sheep.

Starting point is 00:07:27 He reminds Peter, just like he reminds all his followers at the end of every gospel, that his gospel has to go out to all the nations. Then he tells Peter how Peter is going to die. He'll be crucified too. It's not exactly what you want to hear. When Peter gets this tough news, he starts comparing his assignment to John's. and Jesus reminds Peter to stay in his lane. His lane is sheep-feeding and

Starting point is 00:07:50 Christ-following. A few weeks later, 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus walks out to the village of Bethany, where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived, just outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, and ascends to heaven. My God shot was on the road to Emmaus. In Luke 24, 32, the two guys say to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures? I love this for a few reasons. First, talking to God and opening the scripture, that's prayer and Bible study.

Starting point is 00:08:22 That's what we're doing right here. And second, those two things set their hearts aflame because God was in it. God is the one who makes His Word come alive. God is the one who makes our relationship with Him so rich and so beautiful. It's nothing without Him. It's a sad, dry, seven-mile walk through the desert. But with Him, our hearts burn within us. I pray you feel it and know it

Starting point is 00:08:46 and live it. He's where the joy is. Tomorrow we'll be starting the Book of Acts. It's 28 chapters long. We're linking to a short video overview in the show notes that covers the first part of Acts. Check that out if you have eight minutes to spare. I love getting to be a part of your day through this podcast, and my team and I would love to connect with you and our whole TBR community through social media. We want to encourage you with our daily posts, and we want to see how and where you're recapping and maybe even see some pics of you in your TBR gear.

Starting point is 00:09:17 So follow us and tag us when you post, we're the Bible Recap everywhere. Or you can find direct links in the show notes. Maybe you've seen me battle it out on the One Hit Wonder Song Battle, or put my Bible knowledge to the test in the Disney or Bible Name Challenge. These are videos from my friends at Way Nation, which is now called Hope Nation. They've changed their name, but they're still creating great content for you. Click the link in the show notes to see my features on the new Hope Nation.

The Bible Recap - Day 319 (Luke 24, John 20-21) - Year 5

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