Living Everyday with Jesus

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Living Everyday with Jesus

(Matthew 28:8-10, John 21:20-23)

Andy Nagahara

It’s Easter morning. People say “Happy Easter” to each other, but what’s so auspicious/festive about it? That is because the events of Easter are the evidence that Jesus, who was crucified, has been resurrected and is now your companion for life.

Do you realize that Jesus is walking with you through your life? This morning I would like to share two things with you to help you realize that you are walking with Jesus. Let’s start by reading Matthew 28:8-10.

1. Jesus said, “I will see you in Galilee.” (Matthew 28:8-10)

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

When the women went to the tomb, they found that Jesus’ body was not there. The women are then told by an angel to tell the disciples to go to Galilee and see the resurrected Jesus. And as they hurried to the disciples, Jesus appeared to them and said that.

Today I would like to focus particularly on Jesus’ words in verse 10.

“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Today I would like to focus particularly on Jesus’ words in verse 10.

“This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

But why “Galilee”?

Jerusalem was the political and religious center of Israel. Galilee is a remote region. The Christian church was started in Jerusalem by the disciples. Why did the resurrected Jesus choose to reunite with his disciples in Galilee, far away from where the church’s work began?

One reason is that it was the place where Jesus’ ministry began, and it allowed his disciples to confirm the origins of their faith.

However, what we need to keep in mind today is that the Galilee region was an everyday place for the disciples.

Jerusalem was the last place where they spent their ministry with Jesus, and it is the place where crucial events for us occurred: the crucifixion and resurrection, but I don’t think Jesus wanted it to be a holy place. I believe that Jesus wanted his disciples’ missionary work to be a part of their everyday lives.

In the Gospel of John 21, we learn that the disciples, had followed Jesus’ instructions and returned to Lake Tiberias (another name for Lake Galilee). They even went out fishing, which was a part of their daily lives before they met Jesus. At that moment, the same thing happened as when they had met Jesus and decided to follow him. Do you all remember?

It was an incident where they had not caught any fish at all, but when they followed Jesus, many fish were caught in their nets. The disciples realized that Jesus was with them in their daily walk, whether they could see him or not.

When we meet Jesus, when we spend time with Him, it is not a special “one day” but rather we are living our daily life with Him. Certainly we treasure Sunday as a special time, but if that is the only time we spend with Jesus, it will be difficult to feel that we are living with him. Make it a habit to listen to and speak to Jesus from time to time, not just during our Sunday worship together or our personal daily worship alone, but whatever you are doing in your daily life.
I believe you will come to realize that Jesus is with you not only on special occasions, but in your everyday lives.

2. Follow me (John 21:20-23)

When his disciples returned to their daily lives and were disappointed by the poor catch, Jesus spoke to them from the shore, saying, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” And the results were just as Jesus had said. When the disciples realized that it was Jesus who had called out to them, they returned happily, and Jesus even prepared breakfast to welcome them back.

After this pleasant breakfast meeting, the Gospel records another conversation that is also important to us.

After this meal, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times, “Do you love me?” even though Peter had said three times, “I have nothing to do with Jesus,” when Jesus was on the cross. When Peter, painfully aware of his own weakness and sinfulness and confessed his love for Jesus, Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep, follow me.” This is the conversation in which Jesus forgives Peter and entrusts his church to him.

But there was something else Peter needed to know. Let’s read from verse 20.

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

Peter did not have a very good impression of the young disciple John. It’s true that Jesus loved him and told him to start a church, but he felt that Jesus loved John more than he loved himself. He probably did not like John’s expression of affection for Jesus, as recorded here. Jesus even went so far as to use an extreme metaphor to rebuke Peter: “Whatever I give to anyone, it is none of your business; you follow me.”

These are Jesus’ words not just to Peter, but to all who care about others. If we trust that Jesus will give us what is best for us, then what others are given should be of no concern to us as Jesus said.

The reason we tend to compare ourselves to others is because we are the master of ourselves. It is nothing but a manifestation of the selfish sin that resides in all of us. The devil wants to exploit this weakness in order to destroy our relationship with Jesus and the relationship between believers in Jesus.

Let us simply live our daily lives with Jesus, listening every day to the Lord’s voice saying, “Follow me.”

(Prayer) Lord Jesus, thank you that you overcame death, you were resurrected, and are walking with us in our daily lives.

Please allow us to be in closer communion with you.

Although we have received many blessings from you, we are still concerned about others.

Please allow us to live each day in amazement and joy at Your great blessings.

Guide and protect us so that we may continue to walk with you forever.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Summary

The resurrected Jesus lives among us, even though we cannot see his body or hear his voice. Faith is trusting in Jesus, following him, and walking through life with him. It is not simply believing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. Jesus is calling out to you, none other than you. “You, follow me.”

For Discussion

1. Where is Jesus now?
2. What does Galilee mean to us?