A few things caught my attention while reading the resurrection passages in ‘A Harmony of the Gospels in 30 Days’ on YouVersion. Reading all the Gospel accounts together by story sheds new light on the life and ministry of Jesus. For instance, look at how revelation comes;
John 20:9 (CJB) “They had not yet come to understand that the Tanakh teaches that the Messiah has to rise from the dead.”
Luke 24:32,42-45 (CJB) “They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn inside us as he spoke to us on the road, opening up the Tanakh to us?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 which he took and ate in their presence. 44 Yeshua said to them, “This is what I meant when I was still with you and told you that everything written about me in the Torah of Moshe, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds, so that they could understand the Tanakh,”
The only way we can comprehend the Scriptures is by revelation. The disciples walked with Jesus for three years, yet it wasn’t until He opened their minds to understand that they did. Today, we still need that revelation. We cannot just read words on the page and think we have understanding; the Holy Spirit must breathe on the text and make it rhema for us. There are two words for the word (Scripture), logos and rhema.
The Vine’s Expository Dictionary states: “The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Eph. 6:17; here, the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual Scripture which the Spirit brings to remembrance in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.”
When the Lord opened the minds of His disciples to understand the Scripture fully, they walked in a revelation no one else had, a revelation that is expounded to us in the letters Paul wrote. Let these examples from the resurrection passages remind us that we need the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of Scripture to us.
Another interesting thing was Jesus’ response to Peter when he asked how John would die after being told how he would die.
John 21:22 (CJB) “Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you? You, follow me!””
It seems to us today that there might have been a little bit of a rivalry between Peter and John, but look at what Jesus said, “what is it to you? You follow Me!” Notice the exclamation mark. We often get caught up in what other believers or ministers are or are not doing. It’s so easy, but it’s not my concern what anyone else is doing. I am called to fulfill my purpose and minister what God has given me to minister. Unfortunately, in today’s social media world, we have too much access to other people and concern ourselves with things that don’t concern us. Let us be wise and heed the admonition Jesus gave to Peter, don’t concern yourself with others; just focus on following Jesus, as you are called.
When we take our time in the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit uncovers nuggets we miss. This is also why we should see the benefit of reading through the Bible every year; there is always something else to glean.
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