I've been pondering lately why the world seems so backwards to me, and I discovered that its all about the point of view that you have. The Christian has a radically different view of the origins and end of the earth that a Non-Christian would. Let me do a little bit of comparing.
Non-Christian: There is no God. Believes in evolution. Believes that the world came into existence through a Big Bang, random chance, or even aliens planting mankind here. Believes that there is no end of the world unless caused by mankind. Mankind hurts the world by overpopulation, misuse of natural resources, misuse of the environment. Believes in population control through abortion, and some even believe in killing off the non-productive citizens of the world. Believes that a tree or animal is more valuable than human life because the planet is over populated, and we are killing our planet that we need to last forever because there is no God to come back to save us.
Christian: There is a God. Jesus Christ is God and He is Creator of all things, and nothing exists that was not created by Him. The world is about 6000 years old. Mankind is to be a good steward of the planet that God made for us. There will be an end of this world when Jesus comes back with judgment. Jesus will make a new Heaven and a new Earth. Life is precious. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. The world is fallen and this fallen state is a disease that affects all things.
So when I see people that cry over a whale that beached itself, but get violent to protect their right to kill their baby, I can understand their delusion when I realize how they see things. The fool says in his heart, There is no God. how true that is. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He is the only way to spend eternity in heaven. He is the Truth and all things that do not line up with Him is lie. Jesus is the perfect example of life an the answer to all things. The Life, with out Christ we are without hope and are doomed to eternal separation from God and eternal judgment. Please don't buy into the lie of the world. Cling to Jesus, and live.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Death has lost it's victory
Dedicated to Mike:
1 Corinthians 15:42-57
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[a] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[b] the heavenly man.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[c] this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.[d]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?[e]”
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This passage and song is dedicated to my brother-in-law and dear friend Mike, who passed away today. Even though he is gone from us now, and will soon be placed in the ground I know, with 100% confidence that I will see Mike again in heaven someday. His body will no longer be battered and beaten from the cancer and diabetes. He will have a new body with no pain and no tears, Praise God! Death has no victory with you my friend because Jesus Christ was your savior. It is well with my soul, See you soon.
1 Corinthians 15:42-57
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[a] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[b] the heavenly man.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[c] this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.[d]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?[e]”
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This passage and song is dedicated to my brother-in-law and dear friend Mike, who passed away today. Even though he is gone from us now, and will soon be placed in the ground I know, with 100% confidence that I will see Mike again in heaven someday. His body will no longer be battered and beaten from the cancer and diabetes. He will have a new body with no pain and no tears, Praise God! Death has no victory with you my friend because Jesus Christ was your savior. It is well with my soul, See you soon.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Grace
In my journey through the bible again I have been pondering some of the passages I have been studying in the books of the law. Many of the old testament laws had a penalty of death or being put out from the people or excommunicated in a manner of speaking. For instance, in at least two passages, I have read about Hebrews that worked on the Sabbath and were put to death in accordance to God's law. Adulterers were put to death in accordance to God's law. People who deviated from God's plan for worship, and tried to worship in a slightly different way were put to death. Hebrews who questioned God's selection of Aaron and the Levites as priests were swallowed up by the earth. All of this seemed harsh to me until I realized that the relationship of old testament believers with God was different than it is now with us. The short answer is we are under grace now but what exactly does that mean?
To answer this question we have to understand a couple of things. First God the Father cannot be in the presence of sin. This is why we see the Holy of Holies shielded by an extremely thick veil. It is why the high priest had to be cleansed and holy before he entered the presence of God behind the veil. This is why the sin of all people had to have a blood sacrifice as a payment of sin. The penalty of sin is death and must be paid. The Hebrews had to bring sacrifices to the high priest to pay for their sins, and the High priest presented this to God in the Holy of Holies. This is the reason that the penalty of death was on so much of the law given to Moses.
Today, the Christian does not have to offer a sacrifice to God for our sin...why? Because Jesus Christ was our perfect sacrifice that paid for all of our sin, past, present and future. This is possible because a calf, lamb, bird, goat or whatever the sacrifice is was not perfect. Jesus Christ was perfect in every way and is the only sacrifice that is able to pay for all sin. Therefore, when we sin as Christians today, that sin has already had a sacrifice given for it. We need to confess that sin to Jesus Christ so we can remain in a right relationship with Him. We do not however, need to worry about the penalty of death, meaning death and eternal separation from God in hell, if we have accepted the gift of salvation, which Jesus offers us freely.
Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived among us and endured every temptation, never sinned, died for all humanity on the cross, rose again on the third day, and lives today in Heaven. Jesus is God and Man. Jesus is creator of all things. Jesus knows everything about you, both hidden and revealed. Jesus loves you and wants all to come to Him, and believe in Him that they may have everlasting life. Jesus is the only way to heaven, and our only way to have a relationship with God the father. We pray in the name of Jesus and enter the throne room of God to present our prayers. Only the High priest after he was made holy could do this before Christ, but now Christ makes this possible.
We still have the law as a guide even though we cannot while here on earth ever hope to obey every letter of the law. Trust in Jesus today. He is the only way that we can be saved. Time is short, and the world is changing. Don't let the end come and you still without Christ. Remember the wages of sin is death, but through Christ we can have eternal life.
To answer this question we have to understand a couple of things. First God the Father cannot be in the presence of sin. This is why we see the Holy of Holies shielded by an extremely thick veil. It is why the high priest had to be cleansed and holy before he entered the presence of God behind the veil. This is why the sin of all people had to have a blood sacrifice as a payment of sin. The penalty of sin is death and must be paid. The Hebrews had to bring sacrifices to the high priest to pay for their sins, and the High priest presented this to God in the Holy of Holies. This is the reason that the penalty of death was on so much of the law given to Moses.
Today, the Christian does not have to offer a sacrifice to God for our sin...why? Because Jesus Christ was our perfect sacrifice that paid for all of our sin, past, present and future. This is possible because a calf, lamb, bird, goat or whatever the sacrifice is was not perfect. Jesus Christ was perfect in every way and is the only sacrifice that is able to pay for all sin. Therefore, when we sin as Christians today, that sin has already had a sacrifice given for it. We need to confess that sin to Jesus Christ so we can remain in a right relationship with Him. We do not however, need to worry about the penalty of death, meaning death and eternal separation from God in hell, if we have accepted the gift of salvation, which Jesus offers us freely.
Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived among us and endured every temptation, never sinned, died for all humanity on the cross, rose again on the third day, and lives today in Heaven. Jesus is God and Man. Jesus is creator of all things. Jesus knows everything about you, both hidden and revealed. Jesus loves you and wants all to come to Him, and believe in Him that they may have everlasting life. Jesus is the only way to heaven, and our only way to have a relationship with God the father. We pray in the name of Jesus and enter the throne room of God to present our prayers. Only the High priest after he was made holy could do this before Christ, but now Christ makes this possible.
We still have the law as a guide even though we cannot while here on earth ever hope to obey every letter of the law. Trust in Jesus today. He is the only way that we can be saved. Time is short, and the world is changing. Don't let the end come and you still without Christ. Remember the wages of sin is death, but through Christ we can have eternal life.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The name of Jesus
I am inspired by a study we are currently doing in Church called the ever loving truth. No organization, no person, no government, no anything has trouble with the name Bob or Bill or Jack. If we say the name Jesus however then somehow everyone is offended and we have to be tolerant of other people without them tolerating us. Have you ever wondered why? Why is it we can pray to allah, buddha, or a block of wood and its ok, but if we pray in the name of Jesus then everyone is offended somehow. What is it about that name that people are afraid of? Its because the name of Jesus has power in it but the name of Bob does not.
Philippians 2:9-11 (New International Version)
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
There will come a day when all of those people can be offended all they want BUT they WILL bow a knee, and they WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the Glory of God the Father.
Do not be afraid to share Jesus even though people will get offended. We have been promised persecution if we choose to follow Jesus. But then again how little is the persecution that I could face compared to what He did for me on the Cross and the hours leading up to it. I will count it gain to be persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Philippians 2:9-11 (New International Version)
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
There will come a day when all of those people can be offended all they want BUT they WILL bow a knee, and they WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the Glory of God the Father.
Do not be afraid to share Jesus even though people will get offended. We have been promised persecution if we choose to follow Jesus. But then again how little is the persecution that I could face compared to what He did for me on the Cross and the hours leading up to it. I will count it gain to be persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A call to prayer
I started a quest to read through the bible again about 3 weeks ago and its going well so far. I am almost through with Genesis, and I am eager for God to speak to me in a deeper way than He has been while I have hit at random through the bible. Because I am in Genesis I think my blog has been a little lacking because nothing has hit me between the eyes so far, that has gotten my writing desire going. There has been a burden on my heart though.
I don't know how much any of you watch what is going on in the world, but I do on a daily basis. I am to the point now where I don't even recognize the country I live in. Its like I grew up in some different world and now that I am on the doorstep of 40 I have been moved to some alternate reality. The rioting around the world from unions over the cuts in pensions because their country is broke is frightening. Greece is on fire with protesters and people are getting hurt just because someone didn't get their entitlement check in the amount they were expecting. I realize I am probably over simplifying the chaos but in a nutshell the government is broke because they have spent themselves to death. To save the government of Greece they have to change the spending and people don't want to give up the benefits that they have enjoyed. But is any of this worth killing some innocent bank worker? Heaven forbid the USA ever sees a day like this. I am afraid however that this type of rioting is on our doorstep.
The US has 119 trillion dollars in debt and unfunded liabilities as of today. With Cap and Trade on the docket and who knows what else is coming under this administration, we now have no way of paying our debt under our current system. If every taxpayer in America made 1.7 million dollars and we had a 70% tax rate we could pay it off. Um, not gonna happen.....unless....the government inflates our dollar. Well what does that mean? Simply put, the total amount of currency available is multiplied by some variable, lets say 10. Your 1$ bill is now worth 10$, however your debts have not changed. So if you are making 50,000 dollars per year all of a sudden you will be getting 500,000 per year but your fixed liabilities will not changed like your mortgage or your car payment. What will change is the price of consumables like food, gas, clothing by a factor of 10. Needless to say this causes a huge strain on the economy.
Will we ever get to this point I am not sure. The IMF(International Monetary Fund) is the private organization that is leading the effort of bailing out Greece, but at what cost to Greece? The IMF is a world banking organization that the US contributes 17% of capital to which by the way the next biggest contributor gives just 6.2% and that is Japan. Most of the countries in the world give to this fund, so really we are financing 17% of the bailout for Greece. Also this week the IMF is calling for a single currency and governance for the world to prevent this from happening ever again. Even our politicians here in the US both Democrat and Republican are spewing the same rhetoric.
If all of this doesn't send a chill down your spine I don't know what will. We are moving on the fast train to a world government at a pace never seen before. If there was ever a time to get on your knees, repent, and pray for our world and the lost, it is now. Turn from your sin, abandon the fear we have in sharing the gospel, and cling to Christ and His promises like Peter and John did while facing the Sanhedrin in the book of Acts. We have nothing to fear as long as we have Christ with us. Let us not let one person in our lives go to hell because they never heard the gospel of Christ.
Time is running out.....
I don't know how much any of you watch what is going on in the world, but I do on a daily basis. I am to the point now where I don't even recognize the country I live in. Its like I grew up in some different world and now that I am on the doorstep of 40 I have been moved to some alternate reality. The rioting around the world from unions over the cuts in pensions because their country is broke is frightening. Greece is on fire with protesters and people are getting hurt just because someone didn't get their entitlement check in the amount they were expecting. I realize I am probably over simplifying the chaos but in a nutshell the government is broke because they have spent themselves to death. To save the government of Greece they have to change the spending and people don't want to give up the benefits that they have enjoyed. But is any of this worth killing some innocent bank worker? Heaven forbid the USA ever sees a day like this. I am afraid however that this type of rioting is on our doorstep.
The US has 119 trillion dollars in debt and unfunded liabilities as of today. With Cap and Trade on the docket and who knows what else is coming under this administration, we now have no way of paying our debt under our current system. If every taxpayer in America made 1.7 million dollars and we had a 70% tax rate we could pay it off. Um, not gonna happen.....unless....the government inflates our dollar. Well what does that mean? Simply put, the total amount of currency available is multiplied by some variable, lets say 10. Your 1$ bill is now worth 10$, however your debts have not changed. So if you are making 50,000 dollars per year all of a sudden you will be getting 500,000 per year but your fixed liabilities will not changed like your mortgage or your car payment. What will change is the price of consumables like food, gas, clothing by a factor of 10. Needless to say this causes a huge strain on the economy.
Will we ever get to this point I am not sure. The IMF(International Monetary Fund) is the private organization that is leading the effort of bailing out Greece, but at what cost to Greece? The IMF is a world banking organization that the US contributes 17% of capital to which by the way the next biggest contributor gives just 6.2% and that is Japan. Most of the countries in the world give to this fund, so really we are financing 17% of the bailout for Greece. Also this week the IMF is calling for a single currency and governance for the world to prevent this from happening ever again. Even our politicians here in the US both Democrat and Republican are spewing the same rhetoric.
If all of this doesn't send a chill down your spine I don't know what will. We are moving on the fast train to a world government at a pace never seen before. If there was ever a time to get on your knees, repent, and pray for our world and the lost, it is now. Turn from your sin, abandon the fear we have in sharing the gospel, and cling to Christ and His promises like Peter and John did while facing the Sanhedrin in the book of Acts. We have nothing to fear as long as we have Christ with us. Let us not let one person in our lives go to hell because they never heard the gospel of Christ.
Time is running out.....
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Do we really believe?
I asked my children a couple of days ago a question that made them really think. The question is, "IF, you were taken up to heaven, and were standing before the throne of God, and He was there arms wide beckoning you to come closer; what would you say?" My children told me they would thank him for things and ask for blessings. They also said they wanted guidance in their lives. What would you say?
Every time we stop to pray, that is exactly what happens. We are communicating with the all knowing, everlasting, creator God of all things. Um.....WOW!!! When I stop to think about that it leaves me speechless and awestruck. For starters, the fact that we even have access like we do, is amazing. But the bible does say, that those that have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, become children of God. That all makes a little more sense to me now. Even the most powerful King would not deny His children an audience whenever they wanted. We have the access because of what Christ did for us, in becoming our sacrifice for sin. When we believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day, and accept that, we become children of God. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your savior, you are missing out on so much.
Now, back to the Christian, what would you say? I believe that if we really understood the privilege that we have, in the ability to communicate anytime we want, with God; maybe we would not say repetitive empty prayers. How many times in our life have we ran through a prayer at the diner table without thinking just to fulfill some duty so we could eat? How many times have we prayed because we wanted to say "well I've finished that duty for the day", now let me go do what I really want to do? If we really believed that we were in the throne room of God and talking to Him, I think we would have a hard time getting up from praying rather than quick repetitive empty chants we call prayers. I challenge you to think about were you are and what you are doing next time you talk to God. Lets not abuse this awesome privilege we have.
Every time we stop to pray, that is exactly what happens. We are communicating with the all knowing, everlasting, creator God of all things. Um.....WOW!!! When I stop to think about that it leaves me speechless and awestruck. For starters, the fact that we even have access like we do, is amazing. But the bible does say, that those that have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, become children of God. That all makes a little more sense to me now. Even the most powerful King would not deny His children an audience whenever they wanted. We have the access because of what Christ did for us, in becoming our sacrifice for sin. When we believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day, and accept that, we become children of God. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your savior, you are missing out on so much.
Now, back to the Christian, what would you say? I believe that if we really understood the privilege that we have, in the ability to communicate anytime we want, with God; maybe we would not say repetitive empty prayers. How many times in our life have we ran through a prayer at the diner table without thinking just to fulfill some duty so we could eat? How many times have we prayed because we wanted to say "well I've finished that duty for the day", now let me go do what I really want to do? If we really believed that we were in the throne room of God and talking to Him, I think we would have a hard time getting up from praying rather than quick repetitive empty chants we call prayers. I challenge you to think about were you are and what you are doing next time you talk to God. Lets not abuse this awesome privilege we have.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
He is Risen!
John 20
The Empty Tomb
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The Empty Tomb
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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