The Gospel of John
March 10 - 16
www.spu.edu/lectio
John 20
By Dr. Laura Sweat
Daily Reading suggestion:
Monday……….20:1-10
Tuesday……….20:11-18Wednesday….20:19-31
It’s all about seeing and perceiving rightly. Dr. Laura Sweat uses the illustration of the
Harvard psychology experiment known as “The Invisible Gorilla” to help us
understand that it’s possible for us to miss seeing what is there or not there
in a scene. John 20 portrays three
encounters after Jesus was buried in a tomb: Mary Magdalene discovers an empty
tomb, then encounters (the gardener?) Jesus in the garden, and Jesus meets his
disciples in a room and gives them the Holy Spirit. In each case notice what these people see or
don’t see…and what they see or do not see through the eyes of faith. How easy it is to miss seeing the risen
Jesus, even though he is right there in our midst! But how great is God’s gift of faith, which
helps us to gradually perceive his presence and see our relationship rightly.
Where We’ve Been…
Last week we read about Jesus trial, suffering, and death
on a cross. It was dark, but it wasn’t
the end of the story. Jesus was betrayed
and arrested, Peter denied Jesus three times, and Jesus was placed on trial and
sentenced to death. From the place of
trial he was taken to “The Place of the Skull,” where he was crucified and gave
up his spirit, and then his body taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb
by Joseph and Nicodemus.
Where We’re Headed…
·
Mary Magdalene, then Peter and the other
disciple, discover the empty tomb (John 20:1-10)
·
Jesus appears to Mary in the garden…and she
recognizes him when he calls her by name (John 20:11-18)
·
Jesus then appears to his disciples in a locked
room, giving them a commission and the Holy Spirit, later helping Thomas through
his doubts about the resurrection (John 20:19-31)
For each of these
episodes, consider the following questions:
- What does this encounter tell you about who Jesus is and what is important to him?
- What does Jesus teach here about God the Father or the Holy Spirit?
- What is Jesus communicating to his disciples? How might Jesus be communicating these same things to you today?
- What is one thing Jesus says to his disciples that I need to hear today, and share with others?
Here’s one major
question from this entire section:
Look closer at the characters of Mary Magdalene and
Thomas and their encounters with the risen Jesus. Which person do you identify with the most,
and why?
Words of Blessing
Receive these words spoken to you by the risen Jesus in
John 20:21-22 ---
Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.(Jesus breathing his breath of eternal, abundant life into you says)
Receive the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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