Forgiven

 

"Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed." John 20:29

Jesus is talking about us here! We have not seen Him walking, and preaching, and eating like the disciples did. We have not seen Him doing miracles and healing the sick. We did not put our finger to His side and His hands. And yet, we believe.

In his first homily as Pope, John Paul II said: “Do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept His power...Open wide the doors for Christ...Christ knows what is in man. He alone knows it. So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns to despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, eternal life."

Christ knows first hand what is in man. He has the wounds of the flagellation, the crucifixion, the helmet of thorns, the spear to His side. The wounds we have given Him. We have been forgiven. We are indeed blessed over and beyond what we deserve. We deserve death, Jesus offers us life. 

David Wilkerson was a Christian evangelist best known for his amazing book, The Cross and the Switchblade. The last blogpost he wrote before he died was about this same verse.

He said, "Blessed are those who believe when there is no evidence of an answer to prayer—who trust beyond hope when all means have failed. Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world." Yes, let us receive these amazing gifts this Easter, hope and new life and His incomprehensible love. 

They Refused to Believe It

“…they refused to believe it.” Mark 16:11

The writer of the Gospel of Mark is John Mark, who traveled with the apostle Paul. When he settled in Rome, he wrote down Peter's recollections of Jesus' life. The last chapter of his writings are a short summary of what happens after Jesus' death, starting from when the women discover the empty tomb. 

The disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene when she delivered the news that Jesus was alive. Neither did they believe Cleopas and his companion when they reported seeing Jesus on the way to Emmaus.

Jesus then appeared to them and rebuked them for their disbelief- “their stubborn refusal to believe". Do you think Jesus is frustrated with the disciples here? Disappointed? Is He thinking they are hopeless? He can't depend on them? That they can't be trusted with the mission He wants to give them?

On the contrary, right after rebuking them, He says, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to everyone, everywhere." I can imagine Jesus being frustrated with the lot of us! We are being given so much! We are entrusted with so much treasure in His Word. What do we do with it? But then I know, because I see it in my own life, that no matter how much I fail, Jesus never gives up on me. He still gives and gives and gives! Every day, He opens up His treasure chest. And every day, we still get a new chance to believe in Him, and become His Easter people of hope and generosity! 

It is the Lord!

 “It is the Lord.” John 21:7

How do we recognize the Lord’s work in our lives? With Peter and the other disciples, it was only when they obeyed Jesus’ words to cast their net over the right side of the boat, and they caught much fish, that their eyes opened. 

If we want God to work in our life, we should also obey His words. The promises in the Bible are like seeds that we plant in our lives, and we can wait for it to bear fruit. If for example, we are anxious about the future which is so terribly uncertain, we can search the scriptures for what God has to say. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” That’s what St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans (8:28). He also says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) If we repeat these Words, confessing them, believing them, and rejecting other negative thoughts that we have, it will change the way we think, and God will transform our life. 

There is a battle we are fighting all the time, and the battlefield is our mind. If we can take control of our thoughts, by refusing to think self-defeating, negative, cynical, pessimistic, or gloomy notions, we can change the direction of our life. My sister and some other brothers and sisters in our community used to tutor kids in the slum areas. One of the things that they had to do, was change the children’s perceptions of themselves. They could not excel because they did not believe in themselves. They thought they were dumb and worthless. Where did they get these ideas? Unfortunately, it was drummed into them by their parents who just got it from their parents who used to say the same things to them. “Wala kang kuwenta!” “Wala kang alam!” “Wala kang patutunguhan!” (You’re not worth anything! You don’t know anything! You won’t get anywhere!”) 

We are all unique, special individuals with our own talents and gifts. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...” (Jeremiah 1:5) Our God loves each of us, we are each the apple of His eye before we were even born! If we just know how much God loves and values us, we will be more confident about facing the future. Let us strive to see ourselves the way God sees us. When Jesus saw Peter, He did not see an uneducated, uncouth, lowly fisherman, He saw a man that could change the world! How does He see us? Let us catch His vision, His plan for us, and then we will be able to say with excitement, “It is the Lord’s work in my life!”

Share This Good News!

 “Look at my hands and feet, that it is I myself.” Luke 24:39

Jesus appeared to His disciples and followers several times. It is plausible that He appeared many more times than what is written in the Gospels. After all, in John 21:25, John the disciple attests that Jesus did and said so much more than what he wrote down, that if everything was written in detail, the whole world would have no room for all the books! 

In one of those occasions when Jesus showed Himself, He ate and drank with His followers, even showed His hands and feet. “Touch me,” He invited. He spent time with them to open their minds to understand the scriptures, from the writings of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. No wonder they overcame their fear and were ready to go forth and proclaim the Good News! Atheists claim that all the appearances of Jesus after His death were mere hallucinations. How could many have the same hallucination, and how could a figment of the imagination produce such stalwart and determined men and women willing to die to defend their faith?

Jesus was single minded in His mission. He spent all that time after His death to commission His followers to “Go forth to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” If we are His true believers, that is what we must do. Father, may we spend time to study Your Word so You can make it come alive in our hearts and we will have no choice but to share this good news! 

Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?

 

“Were not our hearts burning within us...”  Luke 24:32

Cleopas and another disciple were on the road to Emmaus, which was 7 miles from Jerusalem. We can imagine them very sad and confused, talking about Jesus the prophet, and how He was crucified. When a stranger joined them, they did not recognize that He was Jesus Himself. “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. It is the third day since all these things happened,” they explained to Him.

Jesus then illumined the scriptures, beginning with Moses and all the prophets and how it foreshadowed His life and death. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me...For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.” (John 5:39, 46)

There is much in the Old Testament that parallels the life of Christ. In the life of Moses alone, there are so many similarities. Both Jesus and Moses were born during the reign of ruling tyrants who ordered the murder of Hebrew baby boys. Both Moses and Jesus were saved, came out of Egypt through water, and ended up in the desert. In the desert, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, just as Moses did in Mount Sinai. Jesus was tested by Satan in the desert, just as Israel was severely tested in their wanderings. 

After Moses spent 40 days fasting on Mt. Sinai, he came down to bring the Jews the commandments of the covenant. After Jesus’ time in the desert, He began His public ministry with the law of the new covenant, the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7. Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water in stone jars into wine in Cana. Moses’ first sign was turning all the water in Egypt, even the water in stone jars, into blood. Moses chose 12 men to enter into the promised Land and 70 elders to assist him. Jesus chose 12 apostles and 70 missionary disciples. Both Moses and Jesus were transfigured on a mountaintop. 

Indeed when we consider all these and more, our hearts burn, knowing that God put into place a plan for our salvation, a plan put into place thousands of years ago! During the Passover, Christ called the cup of His blood, “my blood of the Covenant”. When Moses sealed the Covenant at the foot of Mt. Sinai, he sacrificed animals and threw the blood on the people and the altar. He said in Exodus 24:8, “Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you”. 

Jesus is the lamb who was slain for you and for me. 

Why are You Weeping?

 

"Woman, why are you weeping?" John 20:13

After reading the four Gospels' accounts of the resurrection story, I find it a little hard to put it all together in one cohesive story. But that is not surprising considering how sometimes there are so many versions of one story depending on who is telling it. What is different about the Gospel story is that women are the primary witnesses. During those times, women could not even appear in court as credible witnesses, so if the Gospel story was just made up, as some believe, the writers would never have used women as witnesses.

In the 20th chapter of John, after Mary Magdalene had gone early to the tomb while it was still dark, and had seen that the stone had been rolled away, she ran quickly to Simon Peter and to John to tell them. Perhaps the men hesitated, but they went with her. After seeing for themselves, that what she said was true, they each went away again. They left Mary. Isn't that strange? They did not try to investigate, they did not look for any signs around the tomb, they did not look for anyone to ask. They just left. Perhaps they were still in their "fear" mode. They had assumptions about what happened, and did not want to interfere. Jesus, their leader was dead, and they did not want to be connected to Him any longer.

But Mary, Mary wanted answers. She stayed. She did not want to leave until she had some clue as to what happened. Aren't women like that? We can't let go. We like to solve things, until we sometimes become busybodies!!! But this time, Mary gets her reward. Jesus appears and asks why she is crying. And then she recognizes Him and she is filled with joy!

Let us not be afraid to cry. Pope Francis said that sometimes tears are the lenses we need to see Jesus. Recalling the story of Mary Magdalene, the Pope said, “let us ask the Lord to give us the grace of tears — it’s a beautiful grace” — and ask for the grace “to be able to say with our lives, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ not because he appeared to me, but because I saw him with my heart.” Christian witness, he said, can be summarized as: “I live this way because I’ve seen the Lord.” (Homily about Forgiveness, April 2, 2013, at the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae)

Do we live as if we have seen the Lord? 

Easter People

 “And they departed quickly from the tomb in fear and great joy...” Matthew 28:8

In Matthew 27:65, Pilate gave strict instructions that the tomb would be sealed and guards posted to protect and secure it. The leading priests and Pharisees had informed him that Jesus claimed that He will be raised from the dead after three days. “So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day so the disciples can’t steal His body and claim He came back to life!” What this shows was that the Pharisees were really listening to Jesus. They had their ears open and their minds working, but it was with the goal of protecting themselves and their positions. It was like they had blinders on so they could only see their “truth”. What a missed opportunity!!!

The Greek word sphragidzo is used by the Chief Priests to ensure that after inspection of the tomb, a legal seal would be placed. 

 Early Sunday morning, when the women went to anoint Jesus’ body with burial spices, the unimaginable happened. An angel rolled away the stone, seal and all. The guards shook with fear and fainted. The angel told the women , “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has been raised from the dead. Now go and give this message to His disciples, including Peter.”

The women departed quickly trembling in fear, bewilderment, but also with great joy. What a story they had to tell! What a message they had to deliver! I know we women get excited when we have a wonderful experience. We can’t wait to tell our family and friends about it. It’s like we have a scoop. Do we feel this way about Jesus? That we have a revelation, an exciting bit of news? 

How sad is it if we only get excited to tell stories about a celebrity, someone getting married, a new kind of lipstick, or where to buy a bargain! The biggest scoop is really that God loves us so much, He did everything, even up to giving His life for us in the most excruciating way. New life can begin for us the minute we accept Jesus, turn away from our sins, and claim Him as our Lord and Savior. 

As Pope John Paul II famously paraphrased St. Augustine, “We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song."

God Never Gives Up on Us

 “Shall I not drink the cup the Father gave me?" John 18:11

"Are you not also among the disciples of this man?" the woman servant asked Peter. John 18:17

I cannot decide which verse to think about. Both speak to me eloquently. The first one tells me how in following Jesus, we too should go after God's will no matter the difficulty and sacrifice. The second verse shows that even if we desire to follow Jesus, even if we know Him intimately like Peter, there will be times that we will betray Him and say, "No I do not know Him!"

The important thing is not to despair like Judas, but to repent, continue to drink of the cup, knowing that God will do what we can't. We need to always remember the scene in Mark 16:7, when the women could not find Jesus' body in the tomb and the angel said, "He is risen. Go tell the disciples AND PETER that He is going to Galilee."

When we fail, we should never, never despair or lose hope. God never gives up on us!

Forever Promises

 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” 1 Corinthians 11:25

There is a short book written by Messianic Jew Jamie Lash, which speaks about the “Cup of the Covenant”. It is very interesting that in the first century, when a young Jewish man was of marriageable age, his family would choose his wife for him. After a “bride price” was agreed upon by both families, the young man’s father would pour out a cup of wine and present it to his son. This “Cup of the Covenant” was part of the engagement ceremony. The son would turn to the young woman and offer her the wine cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which I offer to you.” He was in effect saying, “I love you, and I’ll give you my life. Will you marry me?” Then it will be the woman’s choice whether to accept him as her husband or not. 

In the same way, Jesus is offering the “Cup of the Covenant” to us, saying, “I love you and I give you My life.” He is actually, literally, proposing to us. Do we accept His love and His sacrifice? Do we give Him our life in response? Jesus is the only one who can promise forever!

Surely it is Not I, Lord?

 “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Matthew 26:21

As we near the climax of the Lenten season, we accompany Jesus as He journeys toward His crucifixion.

While they were eating the Passover, He reveals, “One of you will betray me.” Judas asks, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Peter then bravely pronounces, “Even if everyone else has fallen away from you, I will never fall away.” Jesus had to disillusion him and reveal to  him, “Amen I say to you, that in this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Mt. 26:34) 

Sometimes we are like Judas, betraying Jesus when we sin against Him knowingly. Sometimes we are like Peter, desiring with all our heart to lay down our life for the Lord, and then denying Him to others with our words and actions. Are we brave enough to stand up for Jesus? 

We have to build up our faith because the time is coming when we will have to be brave just to stand on the side of truth and righteousness. During the Holocaust, a Pastor is mentioned in Corrie ten Boom’s story. When the ten Boom family was helping to save a Jewish baby from being killed, the Pastor dissuaded them, asking how could they put their lives in danger for one baby. “You will all be killed!” he warned them.

Corrie’s 85-year old father Casper answered, “It would be an honor to die for God’s ancient people!” Casper and his family continued to aid the Jews to escape until they were arrested. He died in Scheveningen Prison 10 days after his arrest. Casper ten Boom and his family had a faith that sees beyond suffering, pain and trials. Do we?

To Know You

 “O God, You have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim Your wondrous deeds.” Psalm 71:17

It appears that the reason my blood clots abnormally is I have an inherited disorder of the blood called Thalassemia. I have been joking that it is because I am really Jewish. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews are routinely screened for beta thalassemia. 

Joking aside, if we have accepted Jesus as our brother, we are adopted into His family. And as adopted sons and daughters, we should learn more about our family, what we have inherited, how to be a good member of this royal family, even about the family business. Is that not common sense? It is supremely important to get to know our Father, our brother Jesus, how they think, how they want us to act. We don’t want to be like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) who rejected the Father who loved him so much that the Father waited and longed for his return even if his son had insulted him! We don’t want to miss out on a life here on earth surrounded by friendship with the One who knows us best, joy that the world can never give, peace beyond understanding. Even in the midst of trial and tribulations, we can know we are more precious to God than anything He has created. Let us waste time with Him who was, who is, and who is to come this Holy Week. We will never regret it. 

Infinitely Precious

 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

A few years ago, when my pulmonary doctor talked to me and Luigi, we learned that because of a congenital condition, I developed blockage in both my lungs as a consequence of pulmonary embolism. Blood could not carry the oxygen where it needed to go. No wonder I was usually breathless! Another doctor said it was a miracle I was alive, and it was a miracle we have our son Josh! “Women with antithrombin III deficiency are prone to pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolism,” I read. I had a normal pregnancy except for a scare which turned out to be Josh hiccuping in my womb and bed rest towards the end of my pregnancy because of pre-eclampsia.

I can see that God wanted us to have a child, and a wonderful son at that, in spite of my condition, in spite of my being 38 years old! I continuously marvel at his goodness and faithfulness in giving us the gift of Josh. I see that even if there are natural causes conspiring against us, if God wants something for us, He will make a way even if there is no way. 

During the start of the Holy Week, it is good to pause and think of what God has done on Calvary for us. With all our sin, it would have been impossible to be with Him in heaven, to even get close to a sinless God. But He made a way where there is no way because He wants us there with Him! He wants us to be part of His divine family, His adopted sons and daughters. Thank You Lord for conquering the impossible for us! We should be insignificant but we aren’t! You love us so much You sent Your Son Jesus to get us into heaven! I see how infinitely precious we are to You! 

Why, God?

 “This night, all of you will have your faith in Me shaken...” Matthew 26:31

Jesus knew His disciples would have a difficult time continuing to believe in Him that night of the Passover. Although Peter said to Him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in You shaken, mine will never be,” Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times. Sure enough, before the night was over, Peter had said he did not know Jesus three times. Peter wept bitterly at his betrayal of His master and Lord. 

We can’t escape trials. We ask God sometimes why are You allowing this to happen? Like when Emma McKinley lost her balance while she was at work in 1993, and fell from a storage loft. She struck her head, passed out, and developed a widespread nerve disorder that left her in pain and dependent on a wheelchair. Why God? she asked as her condition progressed. 

Her neck and spine twisted, blood clots formed in her legs and doctors urged her to have her legs amputated. Still, she prayed for healing and held fast to her hope in Jesus. Two nights before Christmas in 2011, Emma was alone at home. She fell from her wheelchair and was unable to get up for 8 hours. Then she saw Jesus come to her in a bright white robe. When He raised her to her feet, her bones cracked, and together they began to walk. Emma later said, “Jesus has never let me down. His Word promises He will never leave us or forsake us.”

Jesus knows that there are times that will test our faith, that will shake our trust in Him just like that night of the Passover. After the meal, He led the disciples to Gethsemane, where He told them to keep watch with Him and pray for an hour. He always found them asleep! I am sure if they prayed with Him, they would have been stronger and would have been given the grace to understand. And so it is with us. 

We need to pray for grace even if we do not deserve it. Grace is power. St. Paul wrote, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). We know that St. Paul was a powerhouse of the early Church, but it was the grace of God working in him that made him what he was.  Like the apostles and St. Paul, and Emma McKinley, we need grace to get us through these dark times with our faith stronger than ever. 

Covenant of Peace

 

"I will make with them a covenant of peace." Ezekiel 37:26

When we are in our comfort zone, we do not feel how important this promise of God is. 

In July 2007, 23 young Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Two of them, the Pastor of Saemmul Presbyterian Church and a 29 year old member of the church, were executed before an agreement was reached with the South Korean government. One of the missionaries who was released shared that although they had this horrible experience of being incarcerated, knowing that martyrdom was a real possibility, they also had a very concrete sense of God's presence with them. The last day when all the 16 women and 7 men were all together, before they were divided into groups and brought to farmhouses in remote areas, they had an amazing time of fellowship, surrendering their lives to the Lord, and telling Him they were willing to die for His glory. One of them who had a small Bible, ripped it apart into 23 pieces, so each would have a portion of Scripture to read. 

The most amazing part is that after they were freed and they would get together, some would say, "Don't you wish you were still there?" Many of them were able to experience a deep communion with God, a peace that defies understanding, that they have not felt since. 

Dear Jesus, may I abide in You and Your words abide in me. Thank You for this covenant of peace! 

Mighty Champion

 

“The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion...” Jeremiah 20:11

Christianity is distinguished from other religions by the doctrine of grace, which offers salvation as a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. In the Quran, 16:97, the good follower of Islam gets to Paradise according to good character and good deeds and even then he is not sure of the reward. In Buddhism, if you follow the Noble Eight Fold Path, you will attain Nirvana. Hinduism believes in reincarnation based on karma, which seems to be a force in a person’s present that affects what happens in future lives. 

None of these other belief systems seem to have a mighty champion who does all the work for us. One of my favorite verses is from Exodus 14:13, when Moses tells the people to just stand firm when they were being pursued by Pharaoh’s mighty army with 600 of Pharaoh’s best chariots and charioteers. The Jews were caught beside the shore with nowhere to hide. 

Moses reassured, “Fear not! Stand your ground and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today...The Lord Himself will fight for you, you only have to keep still.” We know what happened. The waters parted, the Israelites went through, and the chariots drowned when the waters closed in on them. Indeed when Jesus became a man and was crucified, He took all our sins with Him. He is our mighty champion. All we need to do is repent, believe in Him, accept His saving work for us and receive His Holy Spirit. Pure grace. Pure gift. 

Thank You Lord for grace, a way out of sin and a way into Your family. 

Hedieh, It’s Me!

 “I solemnly declare it; before Abraham came to be, I AM.” John 8:58

After arguing with Jesus, the Jews picked up stones to kill Him. They were aghast that He claimed the divine name of YAHWEH. This name, frequently translated as “I AM THAT I AM”, was the answer God gave Moses when he asked, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God has been revealing His name to His people as He does not want to be an anonymous force in our lives. He has a name and He wants us to address Him personally. All the more so when Jesus came as a man. He reveals Himself as the God who is always with us, present to His people in order to save us. 

Even today, if we sincerely call out to Him, He will answer. Hedieh Mirahmadi Falco, a former Muslim leader who has worked with King Charles, President Obama, and President Trump, was very devout, wore a hijab, fasted, and prayed five times a day. But with all her striving, the Islamic clerics she asked would laugh and tell her, “Only Allah will say at the very end if you are going to heaven.”

After 25 years, Hedieh left Islam and felt lost and broken. Then she clicked on a link and watched a pastor preach a simple gospel. He said basically, “Jesus loves you, turn and repent of your sins, and Jesus will save you.” She thought now why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this Jesus? 

When she was binge watching this pastor’s messages every day, excited that this Jesus of the Bible could promise her an eternity in heaven, she would pray, “Lord God, whoever You are, reveal Yourself to me.” And she audibly heard the voice of Christ say, “Hedieh, it’s me.” It was her road of Damascus moment and there was no turning back. 

Now, Hedieh is helping equip and encourage new believers through her books, and Resurrect Ministry. 

Father, I thank You that You reveal Yourself to Your people. You did not hide Yourself from us, but You have revealed Your name, Your character, Your love and faithfulness for us, Your people.