Dear Family and Friends,

I would like to spend our time today diving a little deeper into last week’s topic – making Jesus our Lord. 

Why? Because this is perhaps the greatest challenge we will ever face in life. Yet the acts of declaring and then living a life under the lordship of Jesus will be the most fulfilling and rewarding steps we can ever take.

Let’s begin by examining a few verses that describe the morning Jesus was resurrected.

“ 6Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw (theorei) the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw (eiden) and believed (episteusen).”  John 20:6-8 NIV

Most English translations use the word ‘saw’ in verse 6, which could lead us to think the linen and cloth were noticed, but nothing more.

However in the original text of verse 6, we find that John used the Greek word – theorei – which means much more than to see or notice. Theorei means to view attentively, contemplate, discern or intensively acknowledge.

Peter and John did more than notice the grave clothing. They surveyed the scene while probably wondering:

  • Is there any logical reason why someone would bother removing and neatly folding Jesus’ grave clothes?
  • Why would thieves or enemies take the time to unwrap and neatly fold the linen and cloth before rushing out the tomb with a bare decaying body?
  • Could it be possible that friends would disrespect Jesus by carrying Him around naked?
  • Is it possible for any person to take off their grave clothes without help?

The original Greek word translated into the word ‘saw’ in verse 8 – eiden – again means more than to see or notice. Eiden means to stare at and discern clearly.

After seeing the unique way the head cloth was folded and placed, and eliminating all logical explanations, John perceived what had happened.

And he came to believe Jesus had risen from the dead.

Let’s now look at the final but powerful word in John 20:8 – believed.

The original Greek word translated into the word ‘believed’ – episteusen – means to have faith, to entrust, to be convicted of the truth. By the way, the Greek word used in John 3:16 comes from the same source word – pistis.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word ‘believe’ as used today means to consider or accept something as true. It can even mean to hold as an opinion.

So, where are we going with all this Greek?

One of the foundations to making Jesus the Lord over our lives, is to pisteuo, to believe in our hearts, what we say we believe.

And the foundation for being able to say we pisteuo, is to theorei, to attentively view, the evidence.

Evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV

John didn’t base his belief on anything Mary or Peter said. He ‘saw’ the evidence with his own eyes. He examined the evidence for himself. And then he believed.

When I was pastoring the church, I received a number of comments about not doing enough alter calls. People were bringing their friends or relatives to church, wanting them to raise their hands after hearing the message.

Quite honestly, I cut back on the frequency of alter calls. I didn’t want anyone who raised their hand to walk out the door confident of their salvation before gaining a biblical understanding of what it means to believe, to have faith and trust in Jesus.

My reluctance came from studying the scriptures like we did above.

And from witnessing the contrast between our American church practices and the practices of the Japan churches.

In Japan, a person takes, on average, two or more years to make the decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

And those years are not spent just attending church. The pastor requires they attend weekly Bible studies until he determines they are ready, that they truly believe in Jesus and understand the commitment they are making.

This is a good place to stop and ask you to take some time this week to reaffirm your faith in Jesus.

Start by examining all the evidence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in your life.

Be honest in giving credit for all the good things in your life to Whom credit is due.

And be honest as to who you would be today if Jesus was not in your life.

Be honest about your belief in all you’ve learned about Jesus and the Gospel.

If you have any lingering doubts or questions, be honest and ask for help.

And when you have completed your self-examination, say this personalized version of John 20:8 out loud, ‘I saw and believed!’

In love always,