Reflective Bible Study

It seems like such a long time ago since we began our year focusing on Jesus’ miracles. So much has happened, and we have discovered so much. At this point in our journey, according to most lists of miracles, we have just one miracle left to cover, and this miracle happens to be the only one that is recorded following Jesus’ resurrection and prior to His return to heaven.

This miracle is almost like a repeat miracle, because it is very similar to one of Jesus’ earlier miracles, though this second time around we discover some pretty amazing truths about Jesus’ character and His love for all of us.

After Jesus had been resurrected and had visited the disciples two times in the upper room, we learn that at least half of the disciples returned to Galilee, and while they were there, Jesus appeared to them again.

Let’s discover what happened, and the miracle that Jesus wanted to surprise His followers with. Our passage is found in the gospel of John, chapter 21, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ⁹ When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

In this passage and in this miracle, we remember the earlier miracle surrounding the first disciples and their official call into being disciples, or followers, of Jesus. Perhaps Peter and his fishing buddies had heard of Jesus or heard Him speak prior to their first personal encounter with Jesus as He asks to preach from their boat, but the foundation leading up to both the original miracle and this last miracle are the same. In both cases, the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing.

Following the original fishing miracle, Jesus invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples. From this point forward, these four men were among the closest and most well known of the group of disciples. Andrew, more than any other disciple, is portrayed as bringing individuals to Jesus, and the other three disciples formed Jesus’ inner circle of disciples.

Looking at this second fishing miracle, I wonder if these disciples were confused or discouraged. They had spent over three years with Jesus and had expected His kingdom to follow a certain path that the religious leaders had been describing the Messiah to walk for as long as they could remember. They knew Jesus was special and that Jesus was sent by God, but Jesus simply didn’t fit the role they were expecting.

Not only that, but Jesus also had died, and leading up to His death, they all had abandoned Him to the cross. According to the religious leaders, and the expectation of the disciples, the Messiah wouldn’t die and He would last forever. While they got the second part right, those in the first century missed the sacrificial portions of the scripture predicting Jesus’ death. Even the sanctuary service pointed forward to the death of the One God would send.

In this last official miracle, we discover a second chance. Part of me believes that these disciples believed they had failed God beyond what was forgivable. At the one point when Jesus needed them the most, they had run away. While things turned out well for Jesus, they likely wondered if Jesus would forgive them for what they had done. Peter was probably the most discouraged out of the group, because he had been the most vocal about staying by Jesus’ side, and he had fallen exactly like Jesus had predicted he would.

However, while the disciples may have given up hope of being the champions they believed Jesus wanted them to be, Jesus steps up with a surprise. Jesus comes to them and He repeats the miracle that prompted their first invitation. With this miracle, Jesus invites the disciples back into being His followers, and with this miracle, we discover a second chance for all of us.

When we fail God, and when we are tempted to believe that we have turned too far away from God for Him to be willing to take us back, remember that at least we didn’t reject Jesus leading up to the cross like His first followers did. And even with their rejection, Jesus invited them back. This means that no matter how far we have fallen away from God, He is willing to invite us back. No matter how badly we have messed up, while we have breath, we have been given the chance to return. Even if we think God no longer loves us, know that Jesus came to redeem sinners – and that includes whatever you feel you have done that isn’t forgivable. God wants to forgive you, and He is more than willing to invite you back into being one of His followers.

However, we have run out of time for this episode, so next week, leading up to our finale-wrap-up episodes, we’ll expand on where we have left off here, and focus in on probably the greatest miracle we have, which is a gift from God to us. Most people don’t realize the miraculous nature of this gift, and dedicating a whole episode to it seems like the best way to finish off our year of podcasting Jesus’ miracles.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always remember to seek God first and when we mess up, don’t delay returning to Him. The worst thing we can do is to leave God when we feel we don’t deserve forgiveness. It is for people who don’t deserve forgiveness that Jesus came to give forgiveness to. Forgiveness is freely given to those who come back to God and acknowledge their sin and their need for a Savior.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow personally closer to God. While listening to others can be helpful, never let someone else’s experience or relationship with God get in the way of your personal relationship with God. A personal relationship with God is too important to let someone else into.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we enter the final chapter in Mark’s gospel, we come to the biggest event in the entire Bible. However, the last chapter in Mark is significant for more reasons than simply because it describes the morning of Jesus’ resurrection and the women finding an empty tomb. Above all these things, the last chapter in Mark has controversy surrounding it because the oldest manuscripts we have don’t really conclude this gospel. Mark’s gospel is a gospel without an end.

However, this detail didn’t stop later writers from crafting an ending to Mark’s gospel, and most Bible’s today will include a long or a short ending. However, neither one of these endings are included in the oldest surviving manuscripts.

With this framing in mind, as we read and conclude our passage for this episode, the way our passage ends could be considered the end of Mark’s gospel. While our next two podcast episodes will explore details included in the longer conclusion to Mark’s gospel, there is significant evidence that this ending was added later and not by Mark himself.

But what isn’t contested is what Mark describes in our passage for this episode. So without any further delay, let’s read what Mark tells us happened on the morning Jesus was resurrected. Our passage is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 16, and we will read from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 1, Mark tells us that:

¹ The day after the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought some sweet-smelling spices to put on Jesus’ body. ² Very early on that day, the first day of the week, soon after sunrise, the women were on their way to the tomb. ³ They said to each other, “Who will roll away for us the stone that covers the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ Then the women looked and saw that the stone had already been rolled away, even though it was very large. ⁵ The women entered the tomb and saw a young man wearing a white robe and sitting on the right side, and they were afraid.

⁶ But the man said, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who has been crucified. He has risen from the dead; he is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him. ⁷ Now go and tell his followers and Peter, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there as he told you before.’”

⁸ The women were confused and shaking with fear, so they left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell anyone about what happened, because they were afraid.

And that’s it. Everything after this last verse in our passage has more evidence against it being written by Mark than it has for it.

However, while Mark’s gospel may have ended here, or its original ending may have been lost, in this passage, we discover at least one woman, Mary Magdalene, show up at the tomb after she watched Jesus’ body be laid there. She wasn’t alone on her trip to the tomb, and from Mark’s description of this event, these women did not expect Jesus’ body to be gone, nor did they expect soldiers to be guarding the tomb.

From the details Mark shares, it would appear that these women knew that the men on Friday were rushed when getting Jesus’ body ready for the tomb, and they may have not thought Jesus’ body was prepared for burial as well as it could have been. Another idea is that they simply wanted to pay their last respects to Jesus because they didn’t have the opportunity on Friday before sunset.

Regardless of the reasoning, the last thing anyone expected was that the tomb would be empty. If the women had suspected an empty tomb, they wouldn’t have brought spices and they wouldn’t have wondered about how they were going to open the tomb to get to Jesus.

However, they arrive at the tomb, the soldiers they were not aware had been posted were gone, and the stone had been rolled away from the opening.

When reading events where angels appeared to people in the Bible, I’m always humored that the people involved are described as being afraid and the angels always seem to begin by saying “Don’t be afraid”.

However, the angel’s message to these women has a couple of interesting details.

First, in verse 6, the angel tells them, “You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who has been crucified. He has risen from the dead; he is not here. Look, here is the place they laid him.” This messenger knows exactly why they were there, but he basically says, you’ve come to the right place, but you’re too late. It is as though this messenger knew people would be coming, and he has been commissioned to tell them what happened and to remind them that this is what Jesus had predicted.

Also, in the angel’s message to these women, he gives them a commission. In verse 7, the angel continues by telling them, “Now go and tell his followers and Peter, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there as he told you before.’”

In my mind, it is powerful that the angel singles out Peter by name. Of all the disciples who abandoned Jesus, Peter may have felt the worst because not only did he abandon Jesus, but he also had denied Jesus the three times Jesus had predicted. Singling Peter out by name gives us hope that even when we mess up and fail God, He is willing to accept us back to Him when we are willing to return. This angel-messenger doesn’t speak poorly of Peter, or Peter’s decisions. Instead, this angel’s message is given to encourage not only all the disciples, but especially Peter as well.

Mark’s last words in this passage speak to how we are prone to failing as a race. While much of the gospel record gives us numerous examples of Jesus’ disciples failing Him, here we have one example of the women who were commissioned failing the task they were challenged to do. However, the failure doesn’t last forever, since other gospels describe how the women ultimately do tell the disciples the message, and how word gets out about Jesus’ miraculous resurrection.

As we have seen in our year of podcasting through Mark’s gospel, one of Mark’s big themes is God’s love for us. Even when we fail God, He never gives up on us! If you have felt as though you have failed God, don’t give up on God because He hasn’t given up on you. Instead, return to Him, ask for forgiveness, and restart your walk with God from a place where you are a little older and a little wiser than you were before. With God, we never restart our spiritual journeys at the same place, but every restart is further ahead than the last one as we continue walking through life towards eternity.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to bring your lives, your challenges, and your heart to God and let Him use you for His glory. When life gets scary or confusing, don’t give up on God or on the mission He has placed before you. Instead, lean into God and trust that He will equip you with everything you need to fulfill the challenges He brings your way.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and become more of the person God has created you to be. Grow your personal relationship with God and don’t let anyone or anything get between you and God. Pastors, authors, speakers, podcasters, or even close friends can have great things to say, but always take what you hear and see and test it against the truth of God’s Word!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!