Beyond Common Sense

And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

Luke 24:52-53 (NKJV)

Worshiped—great joy—continually—praising—blessing—Amen

We’ve recently watched Season 5 of “The Chosen.” Dallas Jenkins continues to do an amazing job presenting a realistic glimpse into the life of Christ. Even though we know the story, we sit on the edge of our seats watching it unfold—seeing Jesus with a whip cleansing the temple, viewing the struggle of the apostles to believe, shuttering as the religious leaders plot his demise.

So, what changed to make the verse above happen? Jesus rose from the dead, but that’s not all. He appeared to them, ate with them, reassured them He truly was the Christ—the Anointed One, the risen Son of God—, and it changed them completely. David Guzik writes this:

“Peter and John both observed what was in the tomb and John believed (John 20:8). This tells us that Peter analyzed the situation; he knew something spectacular had happened because of the condition of the grave clothes, but because he had forgotten the words of Jesus (John 20:9), he did not yet understand and believe the way John had.

“You can know that Jesus rose from the dead, but unless you know His words, it won’t make sense. Without knowing the life and teachings of Jesus:

• You don’t know that the resurrection means that the payment that Jesus offered on the cross was perfect and complete.
• You don’t know that the cross was the payment and the empty tomb is the receipt.
• You don’t know that death has no hold on redeemed man.
• You don’t know that when God’s love and man’s hate battled at the cross, God’s love won.
• You don’t know that because Jesus was raised from the dead, we can be resurrected in Him.” [emphasis added]

So often, we wonder if someone is truly born-again because we see no fruit in that life, but we MUST be careful, kind, and patient. When a seed is put into the ground, the fruit does not suddenly appear.

In my own life, I trusted Christ my senior year of high school, but anyone who knew me in college may have had a hard time believing I was born-again. My lifestyle didn’t match my decision to trust Christ as my Savior. However, as I drew closer to the Lord, started reading my Bible, and attended a Bible-preaching church, the fruit slowly appeared. It was watered and it grew! PTL!

These disciples had been put through the ringer. The gamut of emotions which played out throughout those three years with Jesus, and especially the last few weeks, would make anyone’s head spin. But now—now, it was real to them, and they couldn’t help but worship Him, and return to Jerusalem with great joy, and continually be in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen!