a Holy Spirit sandwich

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

John 20:21-23

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

John 20:22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

a Holy Spirit sandwich

The joy of that resurrection evening was not meant to be an emotional high that faded with time. Jesus met His disciples with peace, but He did not leave them with passivity. The moment their fear melted into gladness, He placed upon them two world‑shaping responsibilities.

First, He sent them. “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” The mission of the Son now becomes the mission of His followers. They are to go into the world as His representatives—bearing His message, embodying His character, and continuing His work. Resurrection joy is not meant to be hoarded; it is meant to be carried outward.

Second, He entrusted them with the stewardship of forgiveness. Not that they themselves could forgive sins in their own authority, but that through the proclamation of the gospel, the fate of the world would hinge on its response. When the church announces forgiveness in Christ, heaven ratifies it. When the church declares that sin remains for those who reject Christ, heaven confirms that too. The message they carry is life and death, freedom and judgment. It is the most weighty responsibility ever given to human beings.

And Jesus does not give these responsibilities without giving the power to fulfill them. He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The same Spirit who empowered His ministry will empower theirs. The same Spirit who raised Him from the dead will animate their witness. The mission is impossible without Him, but unstoppable with Him.

This remains true for every disciple today. We are sent. We carry the message of forgiveness. And we are empowered by the Spirit who dwells within us.

Holy Spirit, we choose to receive You. Empower us to represent Christ faithfully and to share His forgiveness with a world that desperately needs it.

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Sunday evening visit

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 20:18-20

John 20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.

John 20:19 When it was evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

John 20:20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Sunday evening visit

The disciples gathered on that first Sunday evening carrying a mixture of emotions—fear, confusion, guilt, and a fragile hope they barely dared to name. They had heard the astonishing report that Jesus was alive, yet the memory of their failure still clung to them. Doors were locked, hearts were unsettled, and the future felt uncertain. Into that atmosphere Jesus stepped—not with rebuke, not with disappointment, not with reminders of their abandonment, but with peace.

His first words were not, “Why did you run?” or “Where were you when I needed you?” His first gift was calm. His presence transformed the room. What had been a gathering of anxious disciples became a place of joy. John tells us simply and beautifully: “They rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” The One they had failed had not failed them. The One they had abandoned had not abandoned them. His resurrection did not expose their shame; it healed it.

This moment becomes a pattern for Christian gatherings in every generation. Followers of Christ do not meet to rehearse their failures or to dwell on their inadequacies. They meet to encounter the risen Lord, whose presence brings peace where fear once lived and joy where shame once lingered. The church is not a place where disciples are scolded for their weakness but where they are strengthened by His grace.

Whenever believers gather—whether in a sanctuary, a living room, or a quiet corner—this same dynamic is meant to unfold. Anxiety gives way to peace because Christ is present. Shame gives way to joy because Christ is risen. The One who entered that locked room still enters the locked places of the heart, bringing the same greeting: “Peace be with you.”

May every meeting of Christ’s people echo that first resurrection evening, where fear was replaced by gladness and sorrow was swallowed by joy.

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don’t cling, go and tell

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 20:10-17

John 20:10 Then the disciples went away again by themselves.

John 20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb.

John 20:12 She experienced two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

John 20:13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve laid him down.”

John 20:14 Having said this, she turned around and experienced Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.

John 20:15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve laid him down, and I will take him away.”

John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”– which means “Teacher.”

John 20:17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

don’t cling, go and tell

The message Jesus entrusted to Mary on resurrection morning carries a depth that reaches far beyond that single moment. It was not only a word of comfort for a grieving disciple; it was a commissioning. Mary’s instinct was to cling to Him, to hold tightly to the One she thought she had lost. But Jesus gently redirected her. His resurrection was not meant to draw His followers into private devotion alone. It was meant to send them outward with news the world had never heard before.

He wanted Mary to know He was alive—truly, bodily, gloriously alive. But He also wanted her to understand that His mission had not ended at the tomb. The Son who left the Father to take on flesh had now returned to the Father, carrying with Him the completed work of redemption. His ascension was not a departure from His people but the beginning of His intercession for them. He returned to the Father for us, just as He came into the world for us.

Mary was the first to hear this astonishing truth, and she was the first to be sent to proclaim it. The pattern has not changed. Worship is essential, but worship that never becomes witness is incomplete. The risen Christ calls His followers not only to adore Him but to announce Him. The good news is not meant to be held tightly; it is meant to be shared freely.

The message entrusted to Mary is the message entrusted to every generation of believers:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ has ascended.
Christ intercedes.
Christ reconciles.
Christ lives forever.

This is the story the world still needs to hear. And the Holy Spirit continues the same work He began that morning—opening eyes, stirring hearts, and empowering ordinary disciples to speak of the resurrected and ascended Lord.

Holy Spirit, reveal more ways to share the good news of the risen Christ, and make the witness of His people bold, joyful, and clear.

1Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34.

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when we don’t have a word

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 20:1-9

John 20:1 On the first of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw the stone having been removed from the tomb.

John 20:2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus cared for, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve laid him down!”

John 20:3 At that, Peter and the other disciple exited, heading for the tomb.

John 20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first.

John 20:5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

John 20:6 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and experienced the linen cloths lying there.

John 20:7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.

John 20:8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and trusted.

John 20:9 Because they did not yet know the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.

When we don’t have a word

The disciples’ confusion on resurrection morning is not a sign of weak faith but a reminder of how limited human understanding can be, even when truth has been spoken plainly. Jesus had told them repeatedly that He would rise, yet when it happened, they stood bewildered. The empty tomb did not immediately produce insight. They had not yet grasped that the resurrection was not only promised but necessary—necessary for Scripture to be fulfilled, necessary for redemption to be complete, necessary for Jesus to be revealed as Lord.

Their experience mirrors the life of discipleship in every generation. Revelation does not eliminate the need for trust. Even with Scripture in hand, there remain moments when the path ahead is unclear, when events unfold in ways that do not match expectations, when the meaning of what God is doing is hidden until later. The disciples had chapter and verse for the resurrection, yet they did not recognize it until after the fact. In the same way, believers today may witness God’s work without immediately perceiving it.

This is not a flaw in faith but part of the journey of faith. God has revealed much, but not everything. Some promises are clear; others are glimpsed only in outline. Some events are predicted; others are understood only in hindsight. The life of a disciple is not a life of perfect comprehension but of steady obedience. It is a rhythm of walking and trusting, then walking again when trust is all that is available.

There will always be moments when the Word is clear and the next step is obvious. There will also be moments when the Word does not speak directly to the situation, when the only option is to trust the character of the One who leads. The disciples learned this on resurrection morning. They walked into a future they did not yet understand, trusting that the God who raised Jesus would guide them.

So the pattern remains: walk, trust, walk, trust. Scripture lights the path, and trust carries the heart when the path bends beyond sight. Both are necessary. Both are gifts.

Lord, grant courage to walk according to Your Word when it is clear, and to walk trusting when understanding is beyond reach.

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two gardens

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 19:41-42

John 19:41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been laid down in it.

John 19:42 They laid Jesus down there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.

two gardens

The image of the garden tomb carries layers of meaning that go far beyond geography or archaeology. Chuck Smith’s reflection captures the sense of sacred possibility that many feel when standing before that quiet place near the skull‑shaped hill. Whether or not that particular tomb is the exact one, its setting—a garden carved into the side of Mount Moriah—beautifully mirrors the theological story Scripture tells.

John’s simple note that the tomb was located “in a garden” is not accidental. The story of humanity begins in a garden, a place of life, beauty, and fellowship with God. Eden was meant to be the home of flourishing, but disobedience turned it into the birthplace of death. Humanity was driven out, cut off from the tree of life, and the ground itself became a reminder of loss.

Now, at the climax of the Gospel, another garden appears. This time it is not a garden of innocence but a garden of burial. A tomb stands where life seems to have ended. Yet this garden becomes the place where the curse begins to unravel. The second Adam is laid to rest in the soil of death, but He rises to inaugurate a new creation. The garden that once symbolized humanity’s exile becomes the setting for humanity’s restoration.

The contrast is profound:

  • In Eden, disobedience brought death.
  • In the garden tomb, obedience brought life.
  • In Eden, humanity hid from God.
  • In the garden tomb, God revealed His victory.
  • In Eden, the ground received the first promise of a Redeemer.
  • In the garden tomb, that promise stood up and walked out alive.

The garden setting reminds us that God has been telling one continuous story from the beginning. What was lost in the first garden is restored in the second. What was broken through Adam is healed through Christ. The resurrection is not merely an event; it is the dawn of a new creation, blooming in the very soil where death once reigned.

Lord, thank You for Your obedience, which opened the way back to life. May the garden of resurrection continue to bear fruit in all who trust in You.

1Smith, Chuck. “C2000 Series on John 18-19.” The Word for Today. Blue Letter Bible. 1 Jun, 2005. 2018. 24 Nov 2018.

2Genesis 3:1, 3.

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from the background

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 19:38-40

John 19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus– but secretly because of his fear of the Jews– asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’s body. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and took his body away.

John 19:39 Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, presenting a mixture of one hundred litras1 of myrrh and aloes.

John 19:40 They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.

from the background

The appearance of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea at the end of John’s Gospel is striking precisely because they have been so quiet throughout the story. Nicodemus appears early, coming to Jesus at night with questions he is afraid to ask in daylight. Joseph appears not at all until this moment. Neither man travels with Jesus, preaches publicly, or stands beside Him during the trial. They are not part of the inner circle, nor do they seem to play any visible role in the unfolding ministry.

Yet when the disciples have scattered, when the crowds have vanished, and when Jesus’ body hangs lifeless on the cross, these two men step forward. They do not perform miracles, preach sermons, or confront authorities. They simply take responsibility for the body of the Lord. They offer dignity when others offered mockery. They provide care when others fled in fear. Their task is not glamorous, but it is necessary. Their courage is quiet, but it is real.

This is one of the Gospel’s gentle reminders that God’s work is not carried only by the visible leaders or the outspoken disciples. Much of His work is carried by those who remain in the background until the moment comes when faithfulness is required. Nicodemus and Joseph were not central figures in the narrative, but they were essential in the moment God had prepared for them. Their devotion was not measured by public recognition but by obedience when the opportunity arose.

For anyone who wonders about purpose, these men offer a comforting truth. Not every calling is dramatic. Not every mission is public. Some roles are hidden until the right moment, and some tasks are small in the eyes of the world but precious in the eyes of God. Faithfulness is not measured by visibility but by readiness. When the time came, Nicodemus and Joseph stepped into the place God had prepared for them.

Their story also reflects the nature of the church. The body of Christ is sustained by countless acts of unseen service—quiet faithfulness, unnoticed generosity, steady devotion. God delights in using those who are willing, whether their role is large or small, public or hidden.

Lord, we are at Your service. Use us as You see fit, and make us ready for the moments You appoint.

1about seventy-five pounds.

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two types of evidence

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 19:35-37

John 19:35 He who saw this has given evidence so that you also may be faithful. His evidence is true, and he knows he is telling the truth

John 19:36 because these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken.

John 19:37 Also, another Scripture says: They will stare at the one they stabbed.

two types of evidence

John closes his account of the crucifixion by appealing to two solid foundations: what he personally witnessed and what Scripture had long foretold. These two strands—experience and revelation—intertwine to form a testimony that is both historically grounded and theologically rich.

First, John insists that he was there. He saw the events unfold with his own eyes. He watched the soldiers, the spear, the blood and water, the final moments of the Savior’s suffering. His testimony is not secondhand, not hearsay, not a later embellishment. It is the sober recollection of someone who stood close enough to remember every detail. John writes so that readers may know the truth is not myth but memory.

Second, John shows that what he witnessed was not random tragedy but the fulfillment of Scripture. The fact that none of Jesus’ bones were broken echoes Psalm 34:20, a psalm celebrating God’s protection of the righteous. It also connects Jesus directly to the Passover lamb, whose bones were never to be broken. The lamb’s wholeness symbolized purity and divine preservation; Jesus’ unbroken bones declare Him the true Passover Lamb whose sacrifice brings deliverance.

The piercing of Jesus’ side fulfills Zechariah 12:10, where God promises that His people will one day look upon the One they pierced and mourn. Psalm 22 also describes the suffering Servant being stared at in His agony, surrounded by enemies who gloat over His wounds. Revelation later echoes this theme, declaring that every eye will one day see Him—even those who pierced Him. John sees in the spear thrust not only a brutal act but a prophetic signpost pointing to Jesus’ identity as the promised Messiah.

By combining eyewitness testimony with fulfilled prophecy, John provides a model for Christian witness. Faith is not built on vague spirituality or private impressions. It is anchored in real events interpreted through the lens of God’s Word. What John saw confirms what Scripture said; what Scripture said explains what John saw.

Armed with these same two resources—Scripture and the testimony of what Christ has done—believers today can share the story of redemption with confidence. The gospel is not speculation; it is truth rooted in history and revealed in Scripture.

Lord, thank You for the witness of Scripture and the witness of those who saw. Strengthen the courage to share the story of what the Savior has done.

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why water and blood?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

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John 19:31-34

John 19:31 Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath (because that Sabbath was a great day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that their bodies be taken away.

John 19:32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with him.

John 19:33 When they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs since they saw that he was already dead.

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers stabbed his side with a spear, and at once blood and water escaped.

why water and blood?

The physical suffering Jesus endured was not only severe but medically devastating. The scourging, blood loss, dehydration, and exhaustion placed His body into hypovolemic shock—a state in which the heart struggles to pump because the blood volume has dropped so drastically. In such a condition, fluid often accumulates around the heart in the pericardial sac, a condition known as pericardial effusion. When the soldier pierced Jesus’ side, the mixture of blood and water that flowed out aligns with what would be expected from a body pushed beyond its limits by trauma and shock.

Yet John does not record this detail merely as a medical observation. He sees theological meaning woven into the physical reality. The water and blood flowing from Jesus’ side echo the entire sacrificial system God had established. In the Old Testament, cleansing came through both water and blood. Water symbolized purification; blood symbolized atonement. Together they pointed toward a deeper cleansing that animal sacrifices could only foreshadow.

The New Testament writers pick up this theme repeatedly:

  • Hebrews speaks of purification “with blood” and being “washed in pure water.”
  • John writes that “the blood of Jesus cleanses” and that He came “by water and the blood.”
  • Revelation describes the redeemed as those who “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.”

These images are not accidental. They reveal that Jesus’ death fulfilled every symbol, every ritual, every sacrifice God had commanded. The water and blood from His side were not only the result of physical suffering; they were the visible sign that the true sacrifice had finally come. The cleansing Israel longed for, the forgiveness humanity needed, and the redemption the prophets promised all converged at that moment.

Every sacrifice before this day was temporary, incomplete, and anticipatory. But the sacrifice offered on the cross was perfect, final, and sufficient. It never needs to be repeated because it accomplished what no other offering could: permanent life for sinners, secured by the Son of God Himself.

Thank you, Lord, our sacrifice, for the cleansing that came through Your suffering, for the water and the blood that testify to the completeness of Your redeeming work.

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how he showed his love

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

 

John 19:28-30

John 19:28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now finished so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.”

John 19:29 A jar full of sour wine had been laid there; so they prepared a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth.

John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

how he showed his love

Luke’s Gospel and Acts both reveal that Jesus understood His mission as a “baptism” He still had to undergo—a plunge into suffering that would not be complete until every part of God’s redemptive plan had been fulfilled. This baptism was not water but agony, not symbolic but literal. It included betrayal, abandonment, injustice, torture, and finally the slow suffocation of crucifixion. Each element was part of the cup He had agreed to drink.

Near the end of that ordeal came the terrible thirst. David had foreseen it centuries earlier, describing a tongue so dry it clung to the roof of the mouth, a body brought to the “dust of death.” The psalmist also foresaw the sour wine offered to the suffering Messiah. These details, small as they seem, mattered deeply to John. They were not random cruelties; they were prophetic markers. Each fulfilled word testified to who Jesus truly was.

John’s Gospel consistently presents the suffering of Jesus not as an accident of history but as evidence of His identity. The Messiah would suffer. The righteous One would be pierced. The Servant of the Lord would be crushed for the sins of others. The thirst, the sour drink, the final cry—each was part of the divine script written long before Rome ever built a cross.

And this suffering was not for His own sins. It was the baptism He underwent for the sake of those He came to redeem. His thirst was part of the price of our salvation. His dryness purchased our living water. His descent into the dust of death opened the way for our resurrection.

David ends Psalm 22—the great crucifixion psalm—with a triumphant vision: a future generation declaring what God has done. The suffering of the Messiah would not end in silence. It would become the message proclaimed to people yet unborn. The gospel is not merely the announcement of forgiveness; it is the story of how that forgiveness was won. The love of Christ is not abstract. It is seen in the wounds, the thirst, the cross, and the final cry of completion.

Lord, Your ordeal is finished. You have done it. Thank You for the love that endured every part of that baptism so that redemption could be complete.

1Luke 9:31; 12:50; 18:31; 22:37; Acts 13:29.

2Psalm 22:15.

3Psalm 69:21.

4Psalm 22:31.

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taking care of each other

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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John 19:25-27

John 19:25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”

John 19:27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own family.

taking care of each other

The scene at the cross reveals a tenderness that shines all the brighter against the surrounding cruelty. Jesus, in the midst of agony, does not retreat into Himself. Even as His strength drains and His life ebbs away, His heart remains outward‑focused. He sees His mother standing there—grieving, vulnerable, soon to be without the son who had cared for her. He sees the disciple whom He loved—faithful, but soon to face a future marked by loneliness and responsibility. And in that moment, Jesus brings these two solitary souls together.

The language John uses is deliberate. When he writes that the disciple “took her into his own,” the word ἴδιος carries the weight of family. It is the same word used when Andrew finds “his own brother,” and when Jesus speaks of God as “His own Father.” John is not describing a temporary arrangement or a polite gesture. He is describing adoption—Mary becoming part of John’s household, John becoming a son to Mary. Jesus is forming a new family at the foot of the cross.

This act is not merely sentimental; it is theological. Jesus is showing that the kingdom He inaugurates creates bonds deeper than bloodlines. Mary had other children, yet Jesus entrusts her to John. Why? Because He is forming a community defined not by biology but by shared faith, shared love, and shared need. Two lonely believers are given to one another so that neither must walk alone.

This is the essence of Christian fellowship. The church is not a collection of isolated individuals who happen to believe the same doctrines. It is a family created by Christ’s sacrifice, held together by His love, and sustained by mutual care. When believers invest in one another—bearing burdens, sharing joys, offering presence—they reflect the heart of the Savior who knit Mary and John together in their grief.

The cross does not only reconcile humanity to God; it reconciles believers to one another. It forms a community where no one is meant to stand alone, where loneliness is met with companionship, and where needs are met through the love of Christ expressed in His people.

Lord, thank You for caring about human needs even in Your suffering. Shape Your church into a true family, where believers care for one another with the same compassion You showed from the cross.

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