Easter Purpose
In the letter to the church entitled 1 John, John opens up his letter to them saying,
1 John 1:1-4 (NIV)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make your joy complete.
John heard Jesus, saw Jesus, he looked at Jesus, his hands touched Jesus, and he has come to proclaim this same Jesus.
According to Luke, John’s “official” call was when Jesus met them in a fishing village named Bethsaida. John says he “heard” Jesus with his own ears. Jesus used their boats and as a result they ended up catching a massive amount of fish. So many fish in fact, that two boats began to sink into the Sea of Galilee because they were so full. These disciples had never seen the like. This was off the chart. “Are. You. Kidding. Me?” As these four men, business partners, were standing, actually falling down on their faces before Jesus, he invited them to walk away and come change the world with him: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”
PURPOSE GIVEN.
Jesus showed up and walked into their lives.
They heard his voice asking,
they heard his voice proclaiming,
and they heard his voice inviting them into a real purpose.
But honestly, they had no clue what the next three years would yield.
For the next three and a half years John saw things, heard things, why, he’d even DONE things, that never would have happened had he stayed in that fishing village. He could have stayed and done what his father had done, his grandfather had done, and likely what his great grandfather had done before him. It was a good living. It was honest work. It afforded him the opportunity to have a family and raise some children. It was respectable.
But sometimes these things do not satisfy that thing inside of us, that calls, in the midst of a normal day. It is a longing that wells up and causes us to ask, “Am I experiencing all there is in life?” As we dream and read books, this welling up asks, “Are there no adventures, no dragons to slay, no worlds to discover, no challenges worthy of “My life?” It is unsettling. And then a stranger shows up and overwhelms you. You begin to believe, you dream of purpose; “World Changer” is going to be your new purpose, mission, and maybe even your name!
For those three and a half years John anticipated a magnificent revolution. A place where he, being more loved than the other disciples, would have the ear of the King. Blind men saw, lepers were cleansed, cripples were healed, children were welcomed, women were treated with respect, authorities were challenged and then shown up—humiliated even. John’s life had purpose.
PURPOSE SLAIN.
Darkness fell and Jesus went to the garden, the disciples with him. They saw him praying, but he prayed long and hard into the night. John fell asleep, he woke up, but fell asleep again. Noise, confusion, and soldiers everywhere. Jesus, John’s purpose, was hauled off to the high priest Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest, then to Caiaphas, the high priest. Next, he was taken to Pilate. John got to be a part of this all because he was known to the high priest personally (John 18:15). Eventually Jesus was crucified and everyone saw him on that cross.
John watched his misunderstanding crumble.
Purpose destroyed. All is lost; now what?
PURPOSE REBORN.
On Easter Sunday morning, the day after Synagogue, the day following the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, something was up. Something in the world WAS NOT RIGHT. A man died, was put in a rock tomb, the tomb was sealed, and then three days later the sun came up. What could never, ever happen, was shown to be a reality: a dead man came back to life. A dead man walked up to his friends and embraced them. He ate with them, he served them, he met with them and they ALL SAW HIM!
Easter is coming.
No one knew that two thousand and twenty years ago. The power of God to change lives, heal the pain and suffering, and restore our lives to the hope of living with purpose, meaning, of believing that through the sacrifice and the resurrection, we matter. God Believes in us.
John saw it, he touched it, he heard it, and now he is sharing it with us, that we might believe.
Over the next few weeks, you can find reflections here at vineyardrichmond.com. Use them to prompt yourself to focus on your faith in a fresh way. Each week we will consider a different theme as we build up to the resurrection event. On Mondays, we will draw your attention to a biblical focus on a character in the gospel accounts. On Wednesdays, we will reflect personally on how that theme affects our spiritual lives. On Fridays, we will focus outwardly as we consider how God is inviting us to engage the world around us for his kingdom. If what you are learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to share it with your friends. Let this be a time of personal reflection and careful examination of our own hearts and minds.