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Catching Nothing

Three years they followed him, the one who on this very shore of the sea of Galilee said, come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. And yet here they were late at night, back where they started, catching fish…..with nets….and failing.

It’s hard to go backward, back to where you started. It humbles you. Like a board game when you land on the dreaded spot…and it sends you back to the beginning like some sick joke. It’s frustrating, and disheartening to go backwards.

Peter and the disciples had twice seen the risen Lord, their Messiah—back from the dead—back to life, fully and more alive than ever. And yet here they were, back to their former trade, fishing in the sea where they’d seen the storms still, at Jesus’ rebuke. They’d seen their Savior walk on these waves, heal the demon-possessed, and feed 5,000 from a single sack lunch. This Sea of Galilee held memory after memory of the miraculous and the personal.

In John 21, I don’t think it’s unintentional that the Lord revealed himself to the disciples on the same shore where he first called them to trust him. The Sea of Galilee. It’s where Peter, Andrew, James, and John had their first identity crisis. Fishing was all they knew, it was all their fathers, grandfathers, and probably great-grandfathers knew. Fishing was important, requiring great strength and resilience—what today we call, grit. Jesus chose his first four disciples because they had grit. They forged character over the years, sure of what they hoped for whenever they heaved the weighty net into the deep dark mysterious sea.

I think Jesus met his disciples here because they were their most honest selves. Fishing had days of delight and depression; here they would be real. Here they could be vulnerable. They would be called to trust and follow him again until the end.

Fishing and following have much in common. They’re both hard, requiring patience and endurance. Fishing and following both begin with faith. And the question for each of us is—is it worth staying the course, is it worth the effort? Fishing and following are harder if done alone. But when done with others, fishing and following feels possible.

The message wasn’t different; the call didn’t change. Fishing was fine for a time but following is the goal forever. When following gets hard, returning to the familiar is easy. Fishing is simpler, Fishing I’ve figured out. Following means a lot of unknowns, not doing what I want but instead trusting the one who leads me.

Donielle Winter
EFCC Member

by Donielle Winter

The Twin

Growing up, I always thought it would be fun to have a twin. Those who are twins might beg to disagree, but I imagined that having a built-in best friend, someone who inherently understood me, and a companion to walk through life with sounded awesome. Did you know that one of Jesus’ disciples was a twin? John told us so. He wrote, "Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came." (John 20:24)

We call Thomas “Doubting Thomas,” but he had a moniker before he obtained that unfortunate nickname. He was called “The Twin”. Which begs the question, where was his twin? Who was his twin? There’s not a lot of consensus on that, but I think I know. He’s my twin… he’s your twin!

I can remember when I first started following Jesus. I began reading through the Old Testament and I was struggling with some of the stories. The people of God seemed a bit fickle in their devotion. Everybody fell short of what God asked them to do. I was growing a bit disillusioned, so I asked a mentor of mine to help me understand how to read these accounts in a way that would bring life. His advice was so good. He told me we really can’t hear the stories of the Bible until we hear them as stories about ourselves. He suggested that we have to imagine our way into them.

The story of Thomas is a story we read best when we read it, nodding our heads, whispering “Me too.” I too want to know for certain. I too want to put my hands in his side. I want to have a divine encounter with Jesus. I’m Thomas’ twin. Some people receive a revelation of Jesus that changes everything. There are numerous stories of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus because Jesus meets them in a dream. If you’re interested in some breathtaking stories of encounters, I’d suggest a book called A Wind in the House of Islam by David Garrison. It will fuel your faith.

However, others don’t seem to get the kind of proof they’re looking for. It’s to those people Jesus speaks a blessing saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) When Jesus meets us in our questions and doubts, he doesn’t leave us to wallow in our uncertainty and he doesn’t chastise us for our human frailty. He teaches us in the middle of the night like Nicodemus, he runs to us on the road like the Prodigal Father, he heals us as we cry out, “Help my unbelief,” he reaches down to save us as we’re sinking in the water, and he tenderly shows us his scars and proclaims, “It’s really me.”

So today, maybe you name Thomas as your twin; but don’t only follow him into his doubt, follow him into his faith. Follow him in meeting the Risen Messiah and bowing in reverence at his nail-scarred feet.

Pastor Ryan Paulson

by Ryan Paulson

Logical Thomas

Oh, Thomas! How I love him. Do you think he really was doubting or simply asking clarifying questions? Wanting a few more visuals to make a decision. He certainly didn’t take the disciple's word for truth. He wanted to see for himself.

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were in, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it” John 20:25. A statement amid trying to wrap his mind around the disciples' encounter with Jesus. Once some of his conditions of belief were met, he was all in. For years I lived under “if/then” statements to move forward in a decision. Think about that, for a moment. Do you have conditions when it comes to belief?

But what had Jesus told the disciples? In John 16 the disciples were saying they didn’t understand where he was going and what was happening, and Jesus says, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” When we don’t see a situation clearly or don’t have a definitive understanding we tend to lose faith.

Hebrews 11:1, states “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We know that with the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains! My friend, April Motl shares in Christianity.com that the tiny mustard seed holds the potential to grow into a 30-foot bush! Assurance, hope, and conviction give the unseen great potential.

The Centurion and the Canaanite woman both amazed Jesus with their unquestioning faith. The Centurion simply knew that when Jesus spoke to his paralyzed servant, he would be healed. Nothing more was needed for the Centurion to believe. The Canaanite woman requested Jesus heal her daughter. Jesus responds with “It's not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs”, she profoundly replies “But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table.” Wow. This is sheer bold faith.

Thomas, the Centurion, and the Canaanite woman, all had questions concerning Jesus and his power. Two of them were questions because of their faith and one had questions due to lack of faith. Are your questions a roadblock to your faith? Grab hold of that mustard seed today!

Tammy De Armas
EFCC Member

by Tammy DeArmas

Honest Thomas

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” – Thomas’ words from John 20:25.

He wouldn’t trust the words of his friends. He didn’t even believe this from Jesus; as Jesus spoke ahead of time about his approaching death and resurrection. Thomas didn’t offer a prayer to God for truth. He didn’t make a request of his friends who had been with Jesus. This was Thomas putting his foot down and staking out his position. “I’ve gotta see it and feel it myself.”

It may seem unspiritual or untraditionally Christian, but God likes frankness and honesty. God values faith in people above all, but he also seems to respond to honest doubts and real human expressions of emotion. Is that why David could be named a man after God’s own heart, but also pen these words, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps 13:1) and these words, “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps 10:1.) These are not accurate accusations of what God does, but they are expressions of how David felt, and they were directed to God.

King David and Honest Thomas were desperate for God’s presence. They wished to experience him personally. There was no substitute they would accept. In God’s time and in his way he met them both. God meets us in our honesty. Sometimes bringing emotions to people leads to trouble, but honesty with God is good, especially when connecting with God, knowing him more, or finding what is needed in or through him is a part of the plea.

Pastor John Riley

by John Riley

Grieving Thomas

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him,“We have seen the LORD!” But he told 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.”
John 20:24-25

Doubting Thomas? Really? It is easy to give him this nickname but what caused the doubt? To me, Thomas was not so much doubting but he was grieving. He was devastated. Thomas had been ‘all in.’ He had been with Jesus for three years of hearing, seeing, and touching Jesus. He had been there for the miracles and fully believed Jesus was the answer to all, to
hope and to a future. In John 11:16 when Jesus had been counseled against returning to Jerusalem but turned His face toward it, Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” All in! In John 14:5, Thomas asks the question on everyone’s mind, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Which introduced the foundational verse 6, where Jesus declared He was the way, and the truth, and the life. Thomas wanted all to follow Jesus.

But Jesus was dead. Hope was gone. All Thomas had believed and lived for was over. He was bereft of everything. Bereft comes from the word to bereave when done by force. Nothing remained and perhaps in his grief there was also shame and guilt because he was one of those who had fled the Garden in fear when Jesus was arrested. This pain was intense in every way, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Perhaps when the other disciples proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection, he could not dare hope it was true because going through that pain again would be unthinkable. Can we who have felt this pain to some degree give Thomas grace for doubting, even trying to protect himself? He was afraid of risking that again. But God knew exactly what Thomas needed.

In just eight days, the verse from Psalm 30:11 would be true for Thomas,
“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.”
It was not wrong for Thomas to react as he did; the Lord does not condemn us for doubting or grieving. He is present with us even when we don’t feel His presence. Ponder the promise that you find in these lyrics from a Jeremy Camp song called There Will Be a Day:

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings There will be a place of no more suffering. There will be a day with no more tears, With no more pain and with no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place Will be no more and we’ll see Jesus face to face.

Francie Overstreet

by Francie Overstreet

Commissioned for Forgiveness

In John 20:23, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon his closest disciples and commissioned them with the words: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn. 20:23, NKJV)

While growing up in the Catholic Church, I was taught that to be forgiven we had to confess our sin to a priest who was empowered to dispense forgiveness and assign acts of penance to us on God’s behalf. I confess that I never cared much for that system of forgiveness! When I later became an evangelical Christian, I came to have an entirely new understanding of God’s forgiveness toward believers. The life of Jesus provides a compelling model of forgiveness. His main purpose for coming to earth was to forgive, to embrace, to heal, and to redeem. He forgave the sins of a woman caught in adultery, even though she didn’t ask him for forgiveness. He simply gave and she received. Likewise, while hanging upon the cross he asked his heavenly father to forgive Roman soldiers “for they know not what they do.” And he willingly forgave a repentant criminal who was being crucified beside him.

When Jesus told his closest disciples that any sins they forgive are forgiven by God, he pronounced this immediately after breathing the Spirit upon them. So, there seems to be a close connection between the indwelling of the Spirit and knowing what to forgive and what not to forgive. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to lead the apostles in all truth. A major part of that promise would be fulfilled by the divine inspiration given to apostles for proclaiming holy scripture (i.e., books of the New Testament). When the New Testament speaks of something being sinful or wrong we tend to view that as applying universally to the Church. Conversely, if the scriptures speak of something as permitted or good, we also tend to accept that as universally true in the Church. This is one way we can see how the apostles both “forgave” and “withheld” forgiveness (e.g., permission). While most Protestant ministers wouldn’t claim to serve as God’s agents to either judge or forgive, they assure fellow believers of their confidence that the Lord forgives every believer who confesses a sin to God.

Even though we are far removed from the apostles in both time and authority, all believers have a responsibility to forgive those who have offended us, (which doesn't always mean relationship restoration). While such forgiveness takes place on a horizontal plane, the act of forgiving can release us from the prison of an unforgiving heart and also keep us in a right relationship “vertically” with God our Savior. So, may you and I rejoice to be forgiven, forgivers!

Pastor Dave Korinek

by Dave Korinek

Holy Breath

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Have you ever had something take your breath away? We recently received news of our youngest son seriously injured while body surfing in Mexico, and all of the oxygen in the air seemed to evaporate in that instant. It felt like I couldn’t breathe fully for days. Whether the air is physically knocked out of us or metaphorically, the result is the same. For a moment in time, life-sustaining oxygen is absent or our brain’s neurons don’t transmit the need to breathe in the trauma of the moment, the unexpected traumas of life we all experience eventually.

After the resurrection, John 20 tells us that Jesus appeared and breathed on the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit who were trying to process the empty tomb and Jesus’ unknown whereabouts. The unknowns of life always scare us, don’t they? Often in a panic, in fight or flight mode, I’ve tried to take the wheel myself and fix things. Jesus knew that would be the case, and made sure we all have the Helper and we’re never alone.

When Jesus breathed on his disciples he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples were scattered to their own concerns and and interests apart from Jesus, and now the reality of Jesus missing was more than they could bear. Their faith was real but disordered and unfocused and not really applied to the important realities of life. I look back and realize I was in that same place many times.

All we are called to do is receive the gift he has given . . . and enjoy everything that means. He reveals himself to us as we exercise our faith and trust in him. Life is hard and full of challenges, but in our anxiety, sorrow, and grief the Comforter sends a new friend or gives us a scripture or a song to lighten our load. Do we see his hand at work in bad times as well as good? Or are we only focused on the blessings he gives?

Mark Batterson says it this way, “In my experience, take the Holy Spirit out of the equation of your life and it spells boring. Add it into the equation of your life and you never know where you are going to go, what you are going to do, or who you are going to meet.” I love that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to take risks to share the gospel, reach out to new people with no agenda except to be kind and especially to love even our enemies. We are each uniquely gifted and have a superpower the Spirit not only reveals but empowers us to use for his glory.

Ephesians 3:16-17 NLT is my prayer for all of us today. “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.”

Deb Hill
Exec. Assistant to Pastor Paulson

by Deb Hill

Peace Through Understanding

Jesus presented himself to a group of his disciples who were in hiding. Completely ignoring the locked door, He proclaimed, “Peace be with you,” but that didn’t do it. He had to first address the elephant in the room. Jesus had to provide some answers and explanations. He just died on the cross of Golgatha! Once he showed them his wounds, once he acknowledged his own death, then the disciples could entertain his resurrection. If Jesus glossed over his death and just said, “Peace be with you, let’s get back to work.” No peace would be had.

Peace is, therefore, contextual! It is how the unknown reality applies to our lives. Jesus had defeated death, but his disciples didn’t know that. Once they knew, peace took root. The scriptures are so powerful because they spell out truths that aren’t obvious. We seek to learn all the things God has set in motion for us. One of the most remarkable things about peace is it never changes the situation! It changes the greater context of the situation or our perspective of the situation. It reveals a glimpse of God’s greater plan for us and how he’ll accomplish it with us, and how worth it it’ll be.

The word talks about peace beyond understanding, I think this is an example of peace through understanding. For us, it often takes deliberate work to obtain knowledge, but then the Spirit teaches us what it means. Then we share in the revelation of Jesus’s mortal wounds on his perfect body and receive the same peace those disciples did.

Jonathon Duncan
EFCC Member

by Jonathan Duncan