Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish 21  Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples,  by the Sea of Galilee. [ a ]  It happened this way:   2  Simon Peter, Thomas  (also known as Didymus [ b ] ), 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. Jesus appears yet again to his disciples.  The disciples were back at what they new best ... fishing.  It doesn't seem clear whether or not Jesus had risen, or wh

Jesus Appears to Thomas 24  Now Thomas  (also known as Didymus [ a ] ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.   25  So 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.” 26  A 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!”   27  Then 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.” 28  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29  Then Jesus told him,  “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” About a week later, Jesus returns to be with the disciples a second time. This time Thomas was with them, which obviously means he wasn&

Jesus Appears to the Disciples 36  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,  “Peace be with you.” 37  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.   38  He said to them,  “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?   39  Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see;  a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.   41  And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them,  “Do you have anything here to eat?”   42  They gave him a piece of broiled fish,   43  and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44  He said to them,  “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled  that is written about me in the Law of Moses,  the Prophets  and the Psalms.” Even after the disciples had heard from reports from the women and their friend Peter, they

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together   and saying, “It is true! The Lord  has risen and has appeared to Simon.”  Luke 24:34-35 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas,   and then to the Twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:4-5 Between the time Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, and when he appeared to the disciples when were having dinner, he appeared to Peter. Of course, we all know the story of Peter's threefold denial of Jesus in the garden. We also know that he had a foot race to the tomb with Jesus' beloved disciple, John.  John got there first, but Peter went into the empty tomb first. The verse says, "John saw and believed", but we don't hear about Peter believing. 

Luke  24:13-30 On the Road to Emmaus 13  Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.   14  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.   15  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;   16  but they were kept from recognizing him.  17  He asked them,   “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast.   18  One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”  19  “What things?”   he asked.  “About Jesus of Nazareth,”  they replied. “He was a prophet,  powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.   20  The chief priests and our rulers  handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;   21  but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  And wha

This week we are examining the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, as we seek to understand the power of the resurrection in our daily lives.  Yesterday, after the Peter, John and Mary Magdalene had seen the empty tomb, Mary hung around still not being sure of what happened to her Lord.  Then, two angels appeared to her. And finally, Jesus appeared to her and called her name, "Mary".  Mary immediately she believed and went and told the other disciples that she had "seen" the Lord.   Appearance #1 We are going to take these resurrection appearances in chronological order, beginning with the above story which happened Easter Sunday at night. Appearance #2  The other women have departed the apostles and are on their way possibly back home. Jesus then appears to them ( Mt 28:9 ) after he had dispatched Mary. He also sends them back to the apostles with the news that he had risen and that he would see them. 8  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid y

As we begin the 2nd week after Easter, we are going to delve into the resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples.  Jesus knew that his disciples might still be mired in doubt, and so this week we are going the different ways in which the resurrected Jesus showed up in the lives of his followers.   Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11  Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb   12  and saw two angels in white,  seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  13  They 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.”   14  At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,  but she did not realize that it was Jesus.  15  He asked her,  “Woman, 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 h

1 Peter 3:21 And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are looking at the diffferent uses of the word "resurrection" in the bible. As we are now post Easter, we are understanding how the resurrection is used in other senses in the bible.  In this context, Peter reminds the believers about the story of Noah, and how Noah and his family were saved out of the water by God's grace. Then, Peter uses this imagery and says that water is also a symbol of baptism that now saves you.  Water now being a symbol of cleansing and re-birth.   So the question one might have as they read this verse is, "Does Baptism save us"? And the answer is yes and no.  It is no, because Jesus is the only one who can save us by his death and resurrection and our trust in Him.  But Baptism is a sign of that death and resurrection and

" He was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. " Romans 4:25 As we continue our week after Easter, we are studying the role of the resurrection in the life of a Christian.  Paul says Jesus died for our sins, and was raised to life to bring us back into a right relationship with God.  So his death delivered us from our sin, and his resurrection reunited us to a new relationship with God. Sin separated us from God, and the resurrection sealed our eternal friendship with God. His death was the means for the deliverance from sin, but his resurrection finalized victory over sin and death. His resurrection proved he was God and though he died as a many he back to life as the Risen and Eternal Son of God.  Notice he uses the word "our" for both clauses.  Both his death and resurrection were FOR US!! And both were necessary for us! So what does this mean? God did everything for us.  When Jesus cried, "It is finished", he

25  Jesus said to her,  “I am  the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes  in me will live, even though they die;   26  and whoever lives by believing  in me will never die.  Do you believe this?” I am curious about what Jesus says in this translation when he says, " whoever lives by believing in me."  Other translations says, " w hoever lives and believes in me."   The bottom line is that Jesus in some way equates our believing with our living, which relates to the nature of eternal life.  So what might we make of this?  First of all, I think that this is saying that believing is not all about just an assent to a set of intellectual assertions. Meaning belief is not just agreeing to a set of propositons.  In our Western intellectual mindset, I think we sometimes overly focus on the intellectual aspects of faith.  I am not saying we not be mindful of what we believe, or that thoughtful inquiry into what we believe is not needed.  But what I am tryin

1 Corinthians 15:58 Verse Concepts "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." Paul concludes his 1 letter to the Corinthians with this verse.  He was trying to encourage the Corinthians to be steadfast to the end.  Though they would face many trials and troubles as they lived out their Christian faith in the city of Corinth, which was known for its pagan idolatry, their labor would not be in vain. I know sometimes when I am doing ministry, I wonder if my labor is in vain. We try to reach people with the gospel and sometimes we feel as if certain people will never believe no matter what happens. This can be discouraging especially with those people we love and want to spend eternity with in heaven.   But Paul says in effect, "Don't lose heart! Stay rooted in the power of the resurrection. Always give your heart to the work of the Lord.  Keep up th

As we said yesterday, though Easter Sunday is the greatest day in the Church year, it doesn't mean we forget about the resurrection the rest of the year.  We surmised that if it the Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, we possess a power much greater than any natural power.  Paul says this about how the resurrection is a model for our Christian lives. He says,  " For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."   Romans 6:5-6 In chapter 6, Paul is writing to the Romans about how the resurrection can affect their daily lives. Paul begins by rebuking the Romans for thinking that because Jesus has forgiven them, they can keep on sinning. Paul uses the analogy of baptism to say we have been baptized or buried with Christ.