The Story Continues
Commentary
Sometimes movies end with the “happily ever after moment.” Finally — Hooray! Sometimes movies begin with the “happily ever after moment.” Roll up your sleeves. The real fun is just beginning.
Acts 5:27-32
The Acts of the Apostles begins with the ascension of Jesus, which is a happily ever after moment, but the story goes on for the apostles, disciples, and all the rest of it. A key moment is the arrival of the Holy Spirit, galvanizing them to begin the spread of the good news of Jesus the Christ. It is not long, despite signs and wonders, that the apostles find themselves facing real opposition. Arrest and threats. However, in the leadup to this passage they ignore these threats and continue to share the good news. The news about this comes to the religious leaders while they’re debating what to do about them.
So, of course, the religious leaders dragged them back into the court. However, because of the popularity of this message with the people those charged with arresting them have to handle them with kid gloves. Otherwise, those opposing the apostles might be stoned by the people. This is a definite turnabout. Only weeks earlier, it was Jesus who was the one was brought before these religious authorities in dubious circumstances to stand before a kangaroo court and a mob that was manufactured in the middle of the night to condemn him. Now the religious authorities are being held accountable (for now — it won’t last) by a real group (not a mob out of control) of the populace. And it is the authorities who will face an accusation — intentionally or not, you have murdered the Messiah, and to back this up the apostles have the nerve to quote scripture to people claiming to be scriptural experts: “When someone…is executed and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you must bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
Nevertheless, they attempt to browbeat the apostles into silence. We told you to keep silence! they said, to which the apostles reply, in effect, “You’re not the boss of me.”
The story continues because the apostles insist, “We must obey God rather than human authorities.” And the same is true for us. In order for the story to continue in our own day we must witness to Jesus and obey God.
Revelation 1:4-8
If the resurrection of Jesus is the happily ever after of the gospels, his appearance in Revelation is the happily forever after. As for those who deny the resurrection, who believe his story ended when he was hanging on the cross, they’ve got a surprise coming, and it begins with this passage in Revelation.
Jesus is real, and will ultimately be revealed in a manner that cannot be explained away, gainsaid, or ignored. In the meantime, as the story of Jesus continues John the revelator writes us a letter to remind us of the reality we live in. This is not something puzzling, esoteric, obscure, or difficult. John is writing in the simple, clear, Greek we read in the first chapter of the Gospel of John (In the beginning was the word, etc.) and the first letter of John (We’ve seen this, we testify to this, it’s real.)
This passage is written in letter format, addressed to seven churches of Asia who are experiencing the problems that all of our churches grapple with, in order to encourage us, and also light a little fire under us as well. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but the letter is from John to the seven churches. We are the conduit, as the story continues beyond the happily ever after moment.
What relationship did John have with these churches? Did he help establish them? Is he an overseer? When he reminds us Jesus is the one “Who is, who was, and who is to come,” he’s connecting him with the eternal word revealed in the first chapter of the gospel. When he reminds us that this same Jesus who loves us and frees us from our sins he is reiterating the words of the First Letter of John, and reminding us that he is one of the witnesses who saw these things. When he states that this Jesus is the one we’ll see coming on the clouds, he’s drawing in the Book of Daniel. And the best thing is, even though it can sometimes feel lonely as one of the believers, we’re assured that everyone, everyone powerful and weak, high and low, believer and nonbeliever will know when Jesus returns and that the salvation offered by Jesus is available to everyone, and that there’s still time! Very few knew about his earthly ministry. Everyone will see his salvation ministry. And the way is still open to repent.
Look! he writes. But he also makes it clear we won’t have a choice about looking! Honor Jesus. The rulers of the earth come second. And this great and glorious Christ exists, extending into the past, in the present, into the future. God is not making this up on the fly in response to events. This is part of the fabric of the universe. Universal — everyone will see this. It won’t be a secret.
And it will be forever happily ever after.
John 20:19-31
In contrast to Luke’s version of the good news the apostles and disciples, where a fairly large group of believers receive the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, in a dramatic, vibrant, and loud event fifty days after the resurrection, in John’s gospel the giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit happens around fifty days earlier, after the resurrection, but before the ascension. Though it is a deceptively quiet scene it is also powerful and affirming. God is working powerfully through the quiet believers, the patient disciples, the everyday inhabitants of the faith who endure.
Instead of ending here, happily ever after, the apostles having received what Jesus promised, read to face the world, this passage bundles the gift of the Holy Spirit with a serious task — forgiveness. That’s an odd thing to say, don’t you think?
This is a big responsibility that many people don’t want. Why should they? Who wants to engage with another person in order to reach a place in their lives where they can truly forgive?
Besides, the world looks down on you if you forgive too easily.
This is part of what got Jesus into trouble. When Jesus claimed the power to forgive sins he became very unpopular with the religious and political authorities.
But if Jesus could get into trouble for claiming the power to forgive sins, what trouble can we get in? Governors who commute death sentences or sign off on parole can risk their re-election. Survivors of a murder victim who seek to forgive rather than pursue the death penalty can run into roadblocks from the legal system. Amish who visit the family of a murderer to share forgiveness for the murder of their young children came into criticism as well.
I am not able to sit in judgment on someone who is struggling to forgive or be forgiven, because we cannot fully apprehend someone else’s pain. The good news is that not only has God given us the power to forgive sins, but he has given us an eternity to do so.
That’s the patience of the Holy Spirit.
In the book If Grace Is True, authors Phillip Gully and James Mulholland suggest that at the heavenly banquet we sit between two people — the one who most needs our forgiveness, and the one who we most need forgiveness from. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine who you will be sitting between. And remember, forgiving and being forgiven is the beginning of the truly eternal happily ever after.
Acts 5:27-32
The Acts of the Apostles begins with the ascension of Jesus, which is a happily ever after moment, but the story goes on for the apostles, disciples, and all the rest of it. A key moment is the arrival of the Holy Spirit, galvanizing them to begin the spread of the good news of Jesus the Christ. It is not long, despite signs and wonders, that the apostles find themselves facing real opposition. Arrest and threats. However, in the leadup to this passage they ignore these threats and continue to share the good news. The news about this comes to the religious leaders while they’re debating what to do about them.
So, of course, the religious leaders dragged them back into the court. However, because of the popularity of this message with the people those charged with arresting them have to handle them with kid gloves. Otherwise, those opposing the apostles might be stoned by the people. This is a definite turnabout. Only weeks earlier, it was Jesus who was the one was brought before these religious authorities in dubious circumstances to stand before a kangaroo court and a mob that was manufactured in the middle of the night to condemn him. Now the religious authorities are being held accountable (for now — it won’t last) by a real group (not a mob out of control) of the populace. And it is the authorities who will face an accusation — intentionally or not, you have murdered the Messiah, and to back this up the apostles have the nerve to quote scripture to people claiming to be scriptural experts: “When someone…is executed and you hang him on a tree, his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you must bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
Nevertheless, they attempt to browbeat the apostles into silence. We told you to keep silence! they said, to which the apostles reply, in effect, “You’re not the boss of me.”
The story continues because the apostles insist, “We must obey God rather than human authorities.” And the same is true for us. In order for the story to continue in our own day we must witness to Jesus and obey God.
Revelation 1:4-8
If the resurrection of Jesus is the happily ever after of the gospels, his appearance in Revelation is the happily forever after. As for those who deny the resurrection, who believe his story ended when he was hanging on the cross, they’ve got a surprise coming, and it begins with this passage in Revelation.
Jesus is real, and will ultimately be revealed in a manner that cannot be explained away, gainsaid, or ignored. In the meantime, as the story of Jesus continues John the revelator writes us a letter to remind us of the reality we live in. This is not something puzzling, esoteric, obscure, or difficult. John is writing in the simple, clear, Greek we read in the first chapter of the Gospel of John (In the beginning was the word, etc.) and the first letter of John (We’ve seen this, we testify to this, it’s real.)
This passage is written in letter format, addressed to seven churches of Asia who are experiencing the problems that all of our churches grapple with, in order to encourage us, and also light a little fire under us as well. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but the letter is from John to the seven churches. We are the conduit, as the story continues beyond the happily ever after moment.
What relationship did John have with these churches? Did he help establish them? Is he an overseer? When he reminds us Jesus is the one “Who is, who was, and who is to come,” he’s connecting him with the eternal word revealed in the first chapter of the gospel. When he reminds us that this same Jesus who loves us and frees us from our sins he is reiterating the words of the First Letter of John, and reminding us that he is one of the witnesses who saw these things. When he states that this Jesus is the one we’ll see coming on the clouds, he’s drawing in the Book of Daniel. And the best thing is, even though it can sometimes feel lonely as one of the believers, we’re assured that everyone, everyone powerful and weak, high and low, believer and nonbeliever will know when Jesus returns and that the salvation offered by Jesus is available to everyone, and that there’s still time! Very few knew about his earthly ministry. Everyone will see his salvation ministry. And the way is still open to repent.
Look! he writes. But he also makes it clear we won’t have a choice about looking! Honor Jesus. The rulers of the earth come second. And this great and glorious Christ exists, extending into the past, in the present, into the future. God is not making this up on the fly in response to events. This is part of the fabric of the universe. Universal — everyone will see this. It won’t be a secret.
And it will be forever happily ever after.
John 20:19-31
In contrast to Luke’s version of the good news the apostles and disciples, where a fairly large group of believers receive the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, in a dramatic, vibrant, and loud event fifty days after the resurrection, in John’s gospel the giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit happens around fifty days earlier, after the resurrection, but before the ascension. Though it is a deceptively quiet scene it is also powerful and affirming. God is working powerfully through the quiet believers, the patient disciples, the everyday inhabitants of the faith who endure.
Instead of ending here, happily ever after, the apostles having received what Jesus promised, read to face the world, this passage bundles the gift of the Holy Spirit with a serious task — forgiveness. That’s an odd thing to say, don’t you think?
This is a big responsibility that many people don’t want. Why should they? Who wants to engage with another person in order to reach a place in their lives where they can truly forgive?
Besides, the world looks down on you if you forgive too easily.
This is part of what got Jesus into trouble. When Jesus claimed the power to forgive sins he became very unpopular with the religious and political authorities.
But if Jesus could get into trouble for claiming the power to forgive sins, what trouble can we get in? Governors who commute death sentences or sign off on parole can risk their re-election. Survivors of a murder victim who seek to forgive rather than pursue the death penalty can run into roadblocks from the legal system. Amish who visit the family of a murderer to share forgiveness for the murder of their young children came into criticism as well.
I am not able to sit in judgment on someone who is struggling to forgive or be forgiven, because we cannot fully apprehend someone else’s pain. The good news is that not only has God given us the power to forgive sins, but he has given us an eternity to do so.
That’s the patience of the Holy Spirit.
In the book If Grace Is True, authors Phillip Gully and James Mulholland suggest that at the heavenly banquet we sit between two people — the one who most needs our forgiveness, and the one who we most need forgiveness from. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine who you will be sitting between. And remember, forgiving and being forgiven is the beginning of the truly eternal happily ever after.
