FBC Daily Devotional – November 1, 2021

The Resurrection Was Unexpected Even Though Jesus Had Told Them

Well, a good Monday morning to you, and first day of the next-to-the-last month of the year. Four-fifths of 2021 is behind us, and here we are looking forward to the last two months, the holiday months, isn't that the way we usually think of November, December?

Look forward to Thanksgiving at the end of the month, and then Christmas, and yeah, seems to be the focus of these couple of months. Well, nevertheless, here we are, we're starting off, and I hope your week gets off to a good start today, and maybe you'll be encouraged by God's Word.

If you haven't been able to get into the Word yourself yet this morning, I encourage you to read John chapter 20, and then a couple of sections of Psalm 119 in our scripture reading plan. But in John 20, one of the things that stands out to me, and it hits me every time I read the account of the resurrection, and that's how totally unanticipating of it the disciples were.

Jesus had told them before the crucifixion that what was going to happen. He told them, we're going to go to Jerusalem, I'm going to be turned over to the Gentiles, I'm going to be crucified, but on the third day, I'm going to rise again.

But when it all happened, when it all started to play out, it's like they had never heard that before. And so here, in John 20, the resurrection has happened, and you see the opening verses of the chapter that Mary Magdalene gets the notice that Jesus has risen, the tomb is empty, and she takes off and tells the disciples, and Peter and John run to the tomb, and John outruns Peter, and he stands outside the tomb, and he's looking in, he's puzzled, and Peter goes into the tomb as soon as he gets there, and Peter, he's always charging forward.

He goes into the tomb, and he sees everything, he sees the linen cloths lying there on the bench of the tomb, and these guys are puzzled. They're astonished, they're marveling at this. What in the world has happened, they wonder.

And we know that that was basically what was in their mind because of what verses eight and nine say. Verse eight says, the other disciple who came to the tomb first, that is John, he went also, and he saw and he believed.

In other words, he believed that the tomb was empty. But it goes on to say that for as yet they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. They didn't know that. Now the scripture was there, and Jesus had told them, he had given them his word, but it says they didn't know yet that the scripture says he must rise from the dead.

Humility About Prophetic Interpretation

Now I read that, and I wonder, how many things does the Bible say that we just don't get, that we don't fully understand? We think we do, we think we've got it figured out, but when it all ends up coming to pass, we'll look back and say, wow, I didn't realize it was going to be like that.

I think, for example, the whole subject of eschatology, in that subject, what we know unequivocally is that Jesus said, I will come again, I will return. He said that himself when he ascended into heaven, the angels reiterated that to the disciples.

They said, this same Jesus you see going up into heaven shall so come in like manners you'd see him go into heaven. So, we know that Jesus is coming again, and the disciples from that moment when Jesus ascended, from then on, they expected Jesus to come again.

They expected him to come in their lifetime, that his coming was imminent, could happen at any time. All right, so we know that, but then there are all kinds of other passages that are prophetic passages.

And it's really interesting that there's different ways of interpreting some of these passages of scripture. The biggest divide, I suppose, is between dispensationalists and covenant theology. This discussion is, is there going to be a premillennial return of Christ?

He comes and sets up his millennial kingdom. Is he coming post-millennium, after the millennium has already come? Is there not even going to be a literal thousand-year reign millennium? So there's these differences of interpretation, differences of opinion.

And the thing of it is, those who hold to each of those different interpretations are pretty well convinced that their position is right. So obviously, somebody's wrong. Yeah, I know, and the amillennialists say, yeah, you premillennials, you're the ones that are wrong.

And the premillennialists say to the amillennialists and the posts, you know, you guys are wrong. And the posts say, no, both of you guys are wrong. So somebody is going to be wrong here. So when it all plays out, here's my point, when it all plays out, there are these scriptures that we think we understand, but when all is said and done, we're going to look at them again and say, oh, that's what that meant.

I really think that's the way it's going to be. Just like with the disciples, Jesus rose from the dead, they weren't expecting it. They didn't know that the scripture said he must rise from the dead. It took Jesus explaining the passages of scripture, opening them up to their understanding for them to go, to have that aha moment, ah, oh, okay, that's what he was talking about.

That's what he was talking about. And we know that happened because later on, like in the book of Acts, in Peter's preaching, for example, he refers to the fact that the Old Testament scriptures speak of Christ's resurrection, you know, that David spoke of the Lord not seeing corruption in the grave.

And he said he couldn't be speaking of David because, you know, David's grave is with us and we know where it is, but he's speaking of Jesus who rose again from the dead and so forth. And then in the epistles as well, they elaborate on the passages that speak of the resurrection.

Hold Clear Doctrine With Humility

So anyway, I say that to encourage us to be absolutely dogmatic and affirming of what is absolutely clear, what every orthodox believer in Christ believes and holds to these major doctrines, Jesus is coming again.

But then to hold with humility our convictions about some of these interpretations where people who hold to the big picture and agree with us on the big picture, Jesus is coming again. To hold our interpretations with a degree of humility to realize that, you know, Jesus is coming again.

And when he comes, then we'll know for sure what these passages were all about. So I hope that will encourage us a little bit to approach some of these things with humility. All right, again, I hope you have a good day, a good week, and a good start to the month of November.

Let's pray and ask God to bless it. Thank you, Father, for your word and thank you for its clarity in so many ways that your word gives us understanding and insight into what is and what shall be. But we also realize that there are things in your word that are subject to different interpretations and Lord, I pray that we would have the humility to hold these interpretations of ours with tenderness and gentleness, especially toward others who may disagree.

And Father, I pray that by your grace, our eyes would be open to see and understand when Christ does open up these things, these truths, completely to our understanding so that all things will be clear to all of his followers.

Bless these thoughts to our hearts today, we pray, and we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. All right, have a good day, God bless.