Retracing Our Steps

Psalm 84:1-12                           Luke 5:4-11                        John 21: 1-14

Retracing Our Steps

Have you ever been busy running around doing chores when suddenly you forgot what you were going to do? No matter how hard you tried to remember you simply couldn’t, and eventually you did the only thing that most people find useful in remembering something forgotten…you retraced your steps. Usually returning to the place you first had the thought helps you to remember what you had forgotten. Unless, of course, you really have lost it and, in that case, you might try going to sleep for a while to reboot your mind.

Now, I think this is equally true for things spiritual. All too often the tyranny of the urgent and the pressing demands of the moment, rob us of that which is truly important. We find ourselves on this proverbial never-ending treadmill and before we know it, God and his kingdom are somewhere at the bottom of our priority’s lists. There are many good excuses we can give to justify this type of backsliding and we may even react disproportionately when someone confronts us with the truth or even be offended at those whose lives and words appear to be directed right at us…but, deep down inside, we know that we are not where we ought to be and that either makes us angry or it makes us sad. 

The only way out of this all-too-common predicament, is to retrace our spiritual steps to remind us of what we have forgotten and from where we have fallen. Chapter 21 of John’s Gospel focusses on this restoration process, particularly regarding the restoration of Simon Peter. 

Jesus had told the disciples to go back to Galilee where he would meet with them again (Mark 14:28; 16:7). We are not told why Jesus wanted them to go back to Galilee since he had also told them that they ought to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit, but my guess is that in the process of retracing their steps, Simon Peter and the others would be reminded of where their story with Jesus had begun. 

Do take note of the names listed here. Peter, who had denied Jesus not once but three times (more about that soon); Thomas, who had doubted him and who had demanded sensory evidence of the resurrection; Nathanael, who seems to have so effectively deserted his Lord that he is not mentioned anywhere in the Passion narratives; the sons of Zebedee (or the sons of thunder, as Jesus called them) who were well known for their impatience, their selfish motives, and their desire for important positions; as well as two disciples not mentioned by name. Not a group known for their humility, loyalty, or steadfast perseverance now, are they? 

It is interesting that it is Simon Peter that suggest that they return to the fishing industry. Now, what I’m about to say is speculation on my part, but I do believe that at this point, Peter no longer considered himself a disciple of the Lord. Why do I say that? Well, because the Jews believe that if you repeat something, words or actions, three times whatever you have said or done becomes permanent. Chazakah usually refers to the ownership of property (a piece of land, a parking spot, or a chair), but it can also refer to a statement repeated more than three times. In short it is the halachic status of permanence that is established when an event repeats itself three times without challenge. And, if you remember, Peter had denied being the disciple of Jesus three times. 

So, it is possible that in his mind, he no longer considered himself a disciple. The only option open to him at this point was to return to his previous vocation. Fishing. 

But, if they needed to be reminded of what they had been called to do since meeting Jesus, returning to the place where they had first met him and where they had been challenged to follow him to become fishers of people, would surely help them to remember.

Now, if you have ever read the four Gospels in chronological order you would have realised that what happened in John 21 had happened before. In Luke 5:4-11 we find that the disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing, but when they obeyed Jesus and let down their nets despite human reason and logic, they caught so many fish that their nets almost broke. Is it pure coincidence that this miracle is repeated in John 21? I don’t think so. If you recall, it was at that moment recorded in Luke 5 that Simon Peter forsook his fishing industry to follow Jesus and become a fisher of people. 

So, now, when after a night of fruitless toil, and after they had obeyed the mysterious stranger on the shore who had told them to cast their nets on the right side of their boat, and after the fish began to multiply, as it were, in their nets, that John had a flashback. Like the disciples in Emmaus who recognised Jesus by what he said in the breaking of the bread at supper, John recognised Jesus by what he did in this miraculous catch of fish…and immediately, he told Peter. “It is the Lord!”

 Peter’s first reaction to this declaration was to cover his naked body and then to plunge into the sea and to swim to shore. It gives one the impression of a person who is both embarrassed and ecstatically happy. Nevertheless, his actions were as immediate as that day when he first surrendered to Jesus.

Interestingly, when he reach land, he noticed a breakfast prepared for them already. Jesus didn’t need what they had to offer…he already had what they needed before they had even lifted a finger. 

But I want you to try to imagine the flood of memories that must have bombarded Peter as he came closer. Not only was he taken back to the time he first fell to his knees at the feet of Jesus with the words, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”, but he was surely also taken back to that fateful night when he denied his Lord as well. The term "charcoal fire" used here (in Greek, anthrakia) occurs in the New Testament only in two places, both in the gospel of John. 

The first is at the trial of Jesus. John recorded in 18:18, “Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.” It was there, with the smell of the charcoal fire in his nostrils, that Peter heard the rooster crow after having denied being a disciple of Jesus three times. And now here, on the shore of Lake Galilee, he smelled it again.

But then Jesus invited them to bring what they had caught to add to what he had seemingly miraculously provided himself. Peter went back to the boat to help haul in the overloaded nets and John not only tells us that they were large fish, but that there were 153 of them. This number has intrigued many biblical scholars, but none have come to any satisfactory conclusion. Jerome supposed that there were 153 different species of fish indicating that the disciples were to bring in all the nations. Augustine, after some impressive mathematical equations, concluded that the number represented the Law, the Gospels, and the Trinity. Cyril of Alexandria thought that the number 100 represented the Gentiles while the number 50 represented the remnant of Israel, and the number 3 represented the Trinity. Calvin called these attempts to explain the number “childish trifling” …but I’m not so sure. Knowing that John’s used words very carefully when writing his Gospel leads me to believe that there is more to the number then a mere mention of the count, but what that is I have yet to discover.

The fact that the net was not broken again emphasizes that this was a miracle and not a chance event. I think it amazing that God takes care of even the most mundane details when we are obedient to his commands. The mention of the net not being torn or broken may indicate that it had crossed the minds of the fishermen and that they had been worried that this would be the case. Just like when we are worried about the many things that might go wrong if we do what God expects of us. But here we see that God takes care of our proverbial nets and that they will not break while we are doing his bidding.

As they come to eat the breakfast Jesus had prepared for them on the beach, their faith can be seen in that they did not question him. The time of doubt seems to have passed. The light was no doubt not bright enough to clearly reveal much more than the outlines of the face, but although they did not perceive him with their visual senses, they believed him to be their Lord. 

Perhaps the giving of the bread and the fish brought back memories of the feeding of the five and the four thousand and the teaching that had accompanied both miracles. Bread and fish were well known symbols of life as the fish was the only creature to survive the flood without the aid of the Ark, and the word “bread” is used throughout Scripture to describe the basic staple food to sustain life, both in a physical as well as a spiritual sense as Jesus used bread as a symbol of his life given for ours. So, I believe, in the prayer, “give us this day our daily bread”, we are asking for more than physical sustenance…we are asking for a daily spiritual feeding on the living Word as well.

Now, John said that this was the third time Jesus “was revealed” to his disciples, but we know that this was not the third “appearance” of Jesus because Jesus had already appeared to his disciples more than seven times at this point. It could mean that this was the third set of appearances, this being the last before the ascension that took place after they had returned from Galilee to Jerusalem. Of course, the number 3 is a significant number in biblical numerology being the number of the Trinity, two or three witnesses were needed to establish a verdict, and Peter had denied the Lord three times…to name only a few…but once again, we are left without a definite answer as to why John used this number here. 

But the thought I want to leave with you today is the one I started with. Do you perhaps need to retrace your own steps today? Have you perhaps forgotten what your faith in Jesus is all about? Have you perhaps lost the plot? Perhaps got sidelined with thoughts that are not compatible with the humble mind of Jesus? Have the cares of this life choked out the precious seeds of God’s Word? Have you lost your first love?

Think back to the day when you first met Jesus…I mean really met him. When you knew in the depths of your being that he was not only Lord and God but YOUR Lord and YOUR God. Or perhaps you smell the proverbial charcoal fire? 

Maybe, like Peter, you have turned aside from the main call to follow him and to be fishers of people. Is Jesus perhaps standing on the shore of your life calling you back to following him? Will you come back and dine with him once more today? 

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Ballad of the Faithful Follower

Our dear friend, sister in Jesus, and step-sister-in-law passed into glory today.

Ballad of the Faithful Follower

In memory of Alta Coetzee: one who embodied the Beatitudes

23 August 1961 - 10 May 2025

I walked through the world with my sleeves rolled up high,

With a fire in my heart and a light in my eye,

My hands were the Gospel, my voice was a balm,

And my faith never flinched in the winds of the storm.

I stooped to the lowly, I lifted the weak,

I carried the burdens of broken and meek,

I poured out my soul in the places I trod,

And in loving my neighbour, I honoured my God.

Though pain gripped my body and wearied my frame,

I rose every morning and served just the same.

No crown did I seek, no applause did I crave,

My joy was the love that I tirelessly gave.

But my race is now run, and my labour is done,

I dwell in the glory that shines from the Son.

I sing with the angels in life without end,

Where sorrow is silenced, and sadness is spent.

So, mourn if you must, but don’t dwell in the night,

My tears are all gone in this kingdom of light.

I’m whole now, and radiant, and filled with new breath,

More alive than I ever was, even in death.

I carried you always; I carry you still.

My love is not broken, nor prayers unfulfilled,

For all those in Jesus are never apart,

I’ll be with you always, tucked deep in your heart.

And you, little soul, whom I never could hold,

My prayers wrapped your cradle with blessings untold.

Walk gently with Jesus, and one day in time,

We’ll meet in the garden where life is sublime.

©️ Johannes W H van der Bijl 10 May 2025.

Let Me Live My Faith

Let Me Live My Faith

Maker of morning and marrow and mind,

Fount of all forming, of favour designed,

I fall into awe at the gift of your gaze,

You wove me together to awaken your praise.

You stirred up my soul with the breath of your being,

Lit reason and conscience and hunger for seeing,

You drew me with dreams of a joy beyond measure,

A thirst for your truth and your wonderful treasure.

I laud you, my Light, for the gospel’s revealing,

For peace in your purpose, for patience in healing,

For mercy that moves from the depths of your heart,

For hope that ignites in the cold and the dark.

You’ve taught my frayed conscience the wonder of grace,

That the vile may be pardoned, the lost find a place,

That the sinful be sanctified, poor made to sing,

Transformed by the blood of a crucified King.

So let me be numbered with doers, not dreamers,

With walkers and worshipers, lovers and leaners

On every sure word you have spoken and sealed,

Who rejoice in your presence through mercy revealed.

Keep kindled my craving for present salvation,

For Spirit-sent joy and the grace of my station,

For holiness hewn in the hearth of your fire,

For delight in my duties, not worldly desire.

To prize what is plain, and with purity burn,

Love truth without tarnish, and evermore yearn

To be what I am in the sight of all eyes,

Yet truer before you, where nothing can hide.

To live out my faith before I declare it,

Cast off the cloak of the world and not wear it,

To turn from its lies and its lures and its guise,

Before I draw near where your holiness lies.

Make me, O Maker, both giver and guest,

A bearer of blessings, a bringer of rest,

One ready to rise when the darkness draws near,

To fight without faltering, to love without fear.

O God, by your calling, make worthy my days,

That Jesus be glorified deep in my praise,

And I in his name be forever made new,

One note in the song that is rising to you.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

That You May Believe

Psalm 23                         1 Peter 2:19-25                    John 20:24-31

That You May Believe

Trust me. Two words so easily spoken and yet so seldomly obeyed. But this problem with trust is not a product of the enlightenment or the age of reason or science…it is a problem as old as sin itself. 

When the serpent approached Eve, he sowed a subtle seed of doubt in her mind that has continued to bear bad fruit ever since. “Did God actually say…?” In many ways, this question is the foundation of every temptation as it opens the door to doubt and doubt, when allowed to fester, gives birth to a lack of trust in the Word of God.

When Jesus repeatedly warned the disciples of the upheaval about to engulf them during that Passover, they were distracted by the many things they wanted to believe about him and his kingdom rather than what he was trying to teach them. Remember those discussions about who was to be the greatest and who would sit on his left and right hands when he was enthroned as King? 

But once his predictions became their reality, their lives fell apart. Why? Because he hadn’t taught them properly? Because he hadn’t told them the truth? Because he hadn’t prepared them well in advance? No. It is because they doubted his words. Remember, Peter even went so far as to rebuke Jesus! They did not trust him enough to believe him and when push came to shove, their little house of cards came tumbling down. 

But shame upon shame, when his further predictions regarding the resurrection also were fulfilled, they still doubted! They doubted the report of the women, were sceptical about the report of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and perhaps even Peter’s report, and Thomas doubted them all. Remember that even when Jesus stood before them, he had to show them his wounds to prove that he was not a ghost! So, even though we love to single out Thomas as the doubter, all the followers of Jesus struggled with trust at some or other point…and, if we are honest, so do we.

Thomas had not been present at the gathering on the night when Jesus first appeared to the group of disciples. We are not told where he was at the time, but we can assume, given his attitude, that any post-crucifixion meeting may have seemed pointless and meaningless to him. I’m sure we have all done something similar before…sulking in a dark corner of our hearts when things do not go our way seems to be quite common…and consequently, like Thomas, we also often miss out on a blessing because we were too busy licking our wounds or feasting at the table of self-pity rather than being present for the sake of others who might be equally disappointed or grieved. 

Now, this is not the first time we meet Thomas in this Gospel. In chapter 11:16 John recorded that he was ready to die with Jesus as they planned to return to Bethany. Then in chapter 14:5, he revealed a keen and probing mind when he asked for clarity concerning the location of the “way” in which they were to follow Jesus. 

But, it seems, the crucifixion was a bridge too far for him and with the death of Jesus, Thomas buckled. Sadly, he resorted to an attitude condemned by Jesus in chapter 4:48: “Unless you see signs and wonders,” Jesus said to the official from Capernaum, “you will not believe.” The signs and wonders movements throughout history has always commanded great followings until adversity invariably separates the committed from the uncommitted. The ecstatic can only satisfy as long as the last experience is equalled or surpassed by the next experience. Remove the adrenaline and the excitement and the shallow devotion is sure to wane. And we’ve all heard it said in one way or another: “I tried Christianity, but it didn’t work for me.”

However, I don’t think that the doubting of Thomas is the central issue of this passage because he simply reflects the general scepticism of the greater group. I think that it is his unreasonable demand to believe by means of his senses that is the central issue. “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails,” he said, “and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” In other words, Thomas neither trusted in the prophetic words of Jesus nor in the words of his fellow disciples. In short, Thomas succumbed to the “seeing is believing” idea…trusting in what can be seen, touched, experienced…trusting in so-called empirical evidence…measurements or data collected through direct observation or experimentation.

But when it comes to God, this is a completely ridiculous notion. Any god that we can figure out using only our finite senses isn’t worth believing in. As Solomon wisely encourages us to do: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Our senses are limited…not only by our finite knowledge and resources, but also by our sin and brokenness. Besides, how arrogant to insist that God should satisfy our pride by bowing to our sensory perception. 

But I think the point of this passage is not to shame Thomas or those like him. No, I think the point is that the Lord of all creation heard the words of his beloved child and graciously came to help him overcome his unbelief. Eight days after he had appeared to his other followers…which would then bring us to another gathering on the Lord’s Day if we use the Jewish way of reckoning days, counting the first and the last…Jesus again appeared the same way he did before and offered them the same blessed greeting of peace. Let me stress again the profound impact this ordinary Hebrew greeting must have had on this particular group…complete and absolute peace to all those who had deserted him, denied him, and doubted him. If ever there was a comforting word for us it is this: Peace be with you. Despite our ignorance, our arrogance, our bumbling and stumbling, our weakness and our faults…peace be with you.

But surely the greatest display of divine humility and amazing grace is seen clearly the moment Jesus addressed his doubting disciple. “Put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe.” What grace! What mercy! The Lord humbly condescended to help his fallen child to his feet. Wonder of wonders…he conceded to the unreasonable faithless demands of his doubting disciple so that he might restore him. And yet, incredibly, it seems that his faith that had appeared to have been smothered by his own unbelief and his finite limitations, was not completely extinguished. I believe this is because faith does not find its origin within us. Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9; see also 2 Peter 1:1; Philippians 1:29; Acts 3:16) and, as such, only he can give it and only he can strengthen it.

True, faith can be suppressed by sin. The clearest example I can think of in Scripture is King David when he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. For a while, this man whom God himself calls “friend of God” blocked out any form of conscience by stubbornly justifying his lawless acts. By his own testimony, this only brought misery, but the sin of lust was so overwhelmingly powerful and blinding that he was able to overlook even that. But by God’s mercy and grace, David’s eyes were opened through the divinely directed word of the prophet Nathan, and he repented of his sin.

Thomas, like David, also repented in shame, yet also only after being confronted, not by a divinely directed word, but by the Divine Word himself. 

Now, it is interesting to note the words used by Thomas in his short statement of faith. For pious Jews, the title “Lord” was usually used when referring to God. It is a sign of respect and of reverence for God and indicates a willing surrender to his will as sovereign. But Thomas adds the word “God” to indicate that he realised that the Person standing before him was not just a good man or a prophet. Thomas knew that Jesus was truly and completely God. 

However, Jesus did not simply dismiss Thomas’ faithlessness. Although our God is forgiving and gracious and merciful and compassionate and unbelievably kind, he is also a holy God who wants his people to live according to his will as revealed in Holy Scripture. The demands made by Thomas are inconsistent with the nature of faith and trust and Jesus told him so. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

Thomas’ faith was restored but note that it was not by touching and seeing, but by an awakening of that which had been implanted in him before though his encounter with the living Word. I am thankful that the Lord does not give up on me or any one of his children, even when we give him every reason to back away…because he knows that faith is not something I can gain or grow through the mere experience of things or events. Faith is birthed and nurtured in a living relationship with the living Word. “Faith comes by hearing,” Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “and hearing by the Word of God.” It is the Scripture that awakens or reawakens the divinely implanted seed of faith. So then, if we do not base our lives on God’s Word, how then can we ever claim to have faith?

It is a sad day when God’s Word is something foreign in the Church. Once Scripture is sidelined in the Church, anyone in the Church can be led astray without ever knowing any better. How can we say we have faith if we only live by our senses? Faith in God transcends our understanding and demands a trust in him not in anything or anyone else.

Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is not against reason or logic…it is most reasonable and logical…but it is not based on our finite reasoning or logic. We are limited and therefore our unaided reason and logic may be flawed. That is why faith may at times demand that we go against the tide…that we swim upstream against the flow of culture or society.

In short, there is no true faith that is not founded and established on God’s Word. The eye of faith is such that, although we do not see him, we believe him. We believe him rather than our circumstances…rather than our senses. As Peter wrote in his first Epistle 1:8, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled.”

What made these men, women, and children love someone they had never seen enough to lay down their lives for him? It was faith. Indeed, Christians have been martyred through the centuries in some of the most horrific ways imaginable for their faith…a faith that was possible because God had given them the ability to believe beyond or despite their senses.

John ended this chapter by referring to many other signs Jesus did which were not recorded in his Gospel. However, he said, those that were included are sufficient for our faith. We need no more special revelation. We agree with the testimony of Scripture as we believe that it was inspired by God himself. As Paul wrote to Timothy in his second epistle 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God (or inspired by God) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” John’s purpose for writing what he had written was so that we who read the Gospel may believe.

When any other object, symbol, sign, or ideology or whatever takes centre stage, the downward spiral begins. The biblical norm is then inverted. Humanity take the place of God and human reason replaces divine revelation.

Trust. Believe. Have faith. Thomas had doubted the Lord’s Word and the witness of his colleagues…and even though Jesus restored his faith, he indicated that his wish was rather that Thomas had trusted him…had believed him…had had faith in him.

Of course, it is easy to trust when the going is good, but when life takes us down a darkened alleyway where the way out is not visible, that is when our faith is tested for what it’s worth. We may fail from time to time, not because we aren’t strong enough, but perhaps because we are trying to be too strong. Remember Jesus said that our faith ought to mirror the trust of little children. Simply believing what he says is the best way forward…after all, have you ever been able to prove him wrong?

When my mother was a young girl, she scribbled down a few words in her “Prayer Book for Boys and Girls”…words that she never seemed to have recovered until shortly before her death. This is what she wrote:

“Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner.

I am still a weak beginner.

Please dear God make me strong,

So that I will do no wrong.”

I would like to conclude with a prayer from that Prayer Book for Boys and Girls in which these words were pencilled.

Let us pray:

“Lord be my Shepherd, and then I shall not want for anything.

Feed me in a green field and lead me beside the comforting streams.

Turn me the way you want me to go, into the right path.

Then if I do have to walk in the dark valley, I won’t be afraid,

Because you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.

Prepare my food and rest in difficult times,

Give me your healing and put your kind cup before me.

Oh surely, I shall find your loving kindness and forgiveness always ahead of me,

And my Lord’s house for my rest always.”

Amen.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Repaired and Renewed

John 20:19-31

Repaired and Renewed

Some of you may be familiar with the form of art known as Kintsugi (which may be literally translated as 'golden joinery' in Japanese, also known as kintsukuroi or "golden repair"). It is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.  

In our Gospel reading for today, you may have noticed that Jesus showed the disciples, and later Thomas, his wounds to confirm that it was really him. Interestingly, in John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 5, the Apostle recognised the Lamb as one that had been obviously slaughtered. In other words, the wounds of Jesus that identified him as our Passover Lamb, are still visible even now as he sits on his throne in glory.

Many have wondered why his wounds had not disappeared after he was raised…but that which bought us our salvation is far too glorious to hide from the sight of the redeemed. In eternity to come we will still humbly and lovingly gaze with deep gratitude on those wounds that redeemed us. Of course, they also serve to remind everyone of the awful cost of sin…we should never take our salvation for granted…grace may be free, but it was not cheap.

But I believe, the presence of his wounds post-resurrection also addresses what God does with us when he redeems us. Like Jesus, we are raised from a state of deadness (in our case deadness in sins and trespasses) and we are seated in heavenly places with him because we are united with him according to Ephesians 2:6.

But, like Jesus, I believe, we too continue to bear the tokens of our scars.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 Paul wrote: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

As the scars of Jesus are far too glorious to hide from the sight of the redeemed, and as his wounds serve as a reminder of the awful cost of sin, so too our scars…not removed but redeemed and renewed…serve as a reminder of salvation and sanctification, but also that the surpassing power belongs to God, not to us. 

We often do not understand this because we are part of a consumer-based society that sees renewal as a discardment of the old and a replacement with something completely new…the so-called “new and improved” version…but God’s renewal is not replacement but reparative…not just in a sense of restoring utility or usefulness…but in a sense of transformative re-creation (a new creation of the old creation) that brings about a beauty out of brokenness and, in many ways, in that brokeness.

The Kintsugi masters go looking for broken pottery and may often find treasures that no one else wants, precisely because they are broken. Then out of the shards of shattered bowls and vessels, they painstakingly mend the object with laquer and gold making a restored piece that is, in many ways, more beautiful than the original. 

But, and this is probably the most important point I wish to make today, the repair work shows to the world the creative nature and the amazing ability of the skilled craftsman that remade it into the beautiful piece of art that it now is. 

And so it is with us. We find God’s creative salvific presence and power not on the shelves of the “new and better” but on the heaps of the broken and the discarded. Like the Kintsugi pottery, we bear in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. Our repaired brokenness witnesses to his grace, his forgiveness, his love, and his redemptive power at work in us and tells those who see us that salvation is gifted to the broken, not the whole or the perfect. God’s glory shines most brightly through our cracks rather than through our perfection.

So, as we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to humankind, let us remember that this gift is most clearly seen in our repaired scars…

I’d like to conclude with a poem I wrote entitled The Ballad of Creation.

The Ballad of the New Creation

Before the voice that summoned light, there was a formless deep,

The Spirit brooded over all in silent hovering sweeps.

The darkened void hung motionless until the Word unseen

Spoke into being all that is and all that is to be.

Then broke the darkness into light, an evening and a day,

The Cosmic Artist sung the stars and laughed the Milky Way.

He spun the world in rhythmic turns of sky and sea and earth,

He breathed into a lump of clay and granted Adam birth.

The pinnacles of what he made were called to represent

The one whose image they revealed, and they were quite content.

Then on the seventh day he ceased; he finished all he’d made,

He hallowed it and rested from the goodness now displayed. 

But then the serpent found the tree and coiled it with deceit,

And in the garden sin destroyed the fellowship once sweet.

A woman stood beneath the tree as God looked on and cried,

The precious jars of clay he’d made lay shrivelled, cracked, and dried.

Yet mercy wove within the curse a thread of golden grace:

Broken not discarded shards of pottery, though defaced

Would once more be restoried, in renewal beautified,

As he reversed the dreadful curse that day when death would die.

Again, the Spirit brooded, not over waters, but the womb,

And so was born the Holy Child in brokeness and gloom.

The Word once more spoke light into the world that he had made,

And yet the serpent coiled again, and Jesus was betrayed.

There on the cross the darkness clashed with word and light again.

“It’s Finished”, the Creator cried as life came to an end.

The women stood beneath the tree, as God looked on and cried,

His precious incarnated Son bowed low his head and died.

Again, the seventh day was still, the Creator was at rest.

He’d robbed the grave of victory and raided Satan’s nest.

But then the Spirit moved once more, once more the voice was heard,

The rising, swelling, upsurge of the symphonic living Word.

Still shards of broken pottery we all appear to be,

But as the wounds that bought us life, still there for all to see,

Were not removed nor were replaced, but borne and deified,

So are our cracks with glory filled, renewed and beautified.

He does not cast the world aside, though shrivelled, cracked, and dried,

But gathers shards of shattered clay and with what he supplies

Creates a new yet better work of art that will reveal 

The love of God that shines so clearly through the wounds he heals.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Missionaries of Peace

Psalm 118.14-29         Acts 5.27-32                Revelation 1.4-8                   John 20.19-31

Missionaries of Peace

Who today senses the call of God to missions? Who will step out in obedience and offer themselves to the Lord of the harvest? The fields are ripe, but the labourers are few. If God is calling, don’t hold back…I see that hand brother…thank you sister in the back row…yes, young man, you come on right down to the front. God is calling. God is calling. Don’t harden your heart to the voice of his Spirit. Give your all for God…after all, he gave his all for you.

Have you ever heard an appeal like that before? Such appeals have been made from many pulpits worldwide for many years, often accompanied by strong emotional and manipulative language designed to be convicting and persuasive. 

But what exactly is this “call” they speak about? Many young believers responded to invitations to come forward only to be thrown into utter confusion the next day when others reacted to the “call” that had seemed so clear the day before. What constitutes God’s call to missions? If God is calling, why the confusion?

Dr Herbert Kane blamed it on an incorrect concept of missions. In his book, “Life and Work on the Mission Field”, he wrote: “The term missionary call should never have been coined. It is not scriptural and therefore can be harmful. Thousands of youths desiring to serve the Lord have waited for some mysterious ‘missionary call’ that never came. After a time, they became weary of waiting and gave up the idea of going to the mission field.” 

But what is a missionary call? Or what is a mission field? Or, indeed, what is a missionary? Is the “mission field” defined by a specific distance and the missionary by a specific vocation? 

The term mission is derived from a Latin word meaning “to send”. A missionary is therefore a person who is sent somewhere. But how does the one sent know if they should go, and when they should go, and where they should go? It is here that the idea of a “call” comes into play. 

The word “call” is used 148 times directly and 70 times indirectly in the New Testament. But the context usually refers to a call to salvation and a certain quality of life as a believer in Jesus. There are a few references to a “call” to a specific task or ministry, but the word is primarilly used in connection with the relationship God wishes to have with his children.

Keep this in mind as we explore the Gospel passage for today…and perhaps we might just come up with a biblical concept of missions and missionaries.

The narrative begins in the evening of the first day of the week…the day of the resurrection. Up until this time, the disciples only had the word of the women who had seen the risen Jesus, as well as, perhaps, the report of the disciples who had been on the road to Emmaus, and they seem to have treated these reports with much skepticism. However, they were gathered together for some purpose, perhaps to discuss the disappearance of the Lord’s body or to interogate Mary Magdalene, Cleopas, and the other disciple from Emmaus. 

We can safely assume that the women were present as well because in Acts 1:14 we see that they were regarded as part of the group. The only one apparently not present, was Thomas, which, in the scheme of things, seems to have been providentially ordered as the group learned a lesson they would never forget. Besides, what would we preachers have done with out dear old doubting Thomas?

John wrote that the doors were locked for fear of the Jews. This was, in itself, not cowardly, but rather prudent and wise. We ought not to tempt the Lord by flagrantly testing his protecting power. It is quite godly to take the necessary precautions. 

So, if John was not saying this to chide the disciples, why did he mention such a seemingly insignificant piece of historical trivia?  I think that its because he wanted to give us one more image of the power of the resurrection. Although still very much clothed in a physical, tangible, touchable body, Jesus was now able to appear and dissappear at will, travel from place to place in a non-physical manner, and to enter an otherwise impregnable room without the usual means of entry. Note that John did not say that Jesus passed through the locked doors, but he simply stated that despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst. 

If you remember, a similar thing happened to Peter in the Jerusalem prison as recorded in Acts 12, only there the doors and gates actually opened of their own accord. In our Lord’s case, his entry transcends the physical yet does not deny the physical nor necessitate a purely spiritual body or something like a ghost. 

From Luke’s account, we see that this was exactly what the disciples thought he was…a ghost. In chapter 24:37-38 we read: “But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Exactly how Jesus managed to gain entrance to a closed room and still be physically tangible is beyond our mental capacity. We will have to wait for our own resurrection bodies to experience this phenomenal, not to mention really cool ability.

But the more important thing to realise at this point is that when Jesus ascended to be seated on his glorious throne, he ascended in a bodily form, albeit a glorified bodily form, to reign as a Man on behalf of humanity. As the Second Adam, our King and Lord and Advocate is not without understanding…he knows what it is like to be human…but he is also not limited by walls or doors or windows. Meditate on that when you get home…

Notice too the very ordinary and yet profound salutation he used to greet his disciples. “Shalom aleichem” is a general greeting in Hebrew culture even to this day, but in this specific context the ordinary became extraordinary. Normally, the term is used to wish good health, long life, prosperity, and happiness to the recipient, but think about all that had transpired before. 

The recipients of this greeting had deserted their Rabbi, one had denied him, and they all had in many ways rejected his teaching…a teaching they had never really understood nor believed anyway. And still Jesus greeted them with this most comprehensive of greetings. Peace be with you. As such the words gain a new and greater meaning. In two simple words, Shalom aleichem, Jesus offered them a peace that transcends understanding…a peace between the offended and the offender…a peace between a holy God and sinful humanity…in short, the words convey nothing less than full and complete reconciliation.

What an amazing understatement then to say that the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord! Heap on the superlatives! Overjoyed, ecstatic, rapturous, euphoric, jubilant, thrilled, awed…the Son of Righteousness had risen and there was healing in his wings! There is complete forgiveness for all who believe on him…he has dealt with sin and Satan and death once for all…and he is alive! What joy! What hope! What love!

He then showed them his wounds to confirm that it was really him. Some have wondered why his wounds had not disappeared after he was raised, but that which bought us our salvation is far too glorious to hide from the sight of the redeemed. In eternity to come we will still humbly and lovingly gaze with deep gratitude on those wounds that redeemed us. Of course, they also serve to remind everyone of the awful cost of sin…we should never take our salvation for granted…grace may be free, but it was not cheap.

It is possible that our Lord had to offer a second greeting to break the awe-filled silence. Or perhaps it was to quiten them back down again…

But it is after the second greeting that Jesus recommissioned them. But notice that while they had been heralds of his incarnation before, they were now witnesses to his resurrection power and, as such, they were representatives and ambassadors for the King and his kingdom.

However, I do believe, that in this recommissioning, Jesus had the whole Church in mind. Not just the Church in general, but also every individual in the Church. In other words, his words extend to the global body, the local body, as well as the individual. The key to understanding what he was saying is found in the two prepositions “as” and “also,” or “even so”. “As the Father has sent me,” Jesus said, “even so (or also) I am sending you.” 

This does not mean that the Church in any way, shape, or form, shares in the atoning mission of Jesus, but rather the emphasis lies in the intentional preaching and teaching of every member with the goal of extending the boundaries of the Kingdom throughout the world. As his role had been to reveal the Father regardless of the response, so we too ought to tell others about the Gospel without reference to whether they accept the message or not. Remember, his authority was from God and so is ours. All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Jesus…therefore we have his authority to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Now, there are two parts to this task. The first has to do with our witness of what God has done in and through Jesus for all his people. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, “…this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Again, in Luke 24:47-48 he said, “…repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” 

In Acts 1:8, Jesus repeated himself once again: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Obviously, the fact that we ought to be witnesses must have been quite important for our Lord to repeat himself this often, don’t you think?

But this witness to Jesus must produce an invitation to forsake everything that is contrary to God’s revealed will and to embrace everything that is in accord with God’s revealed will. It is a puting “off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24). 

The New Testament presents us with many examples of those who obeyed the Lord’s commission, but none so great as Paul himself. If ever there was a man who was aware of the eternal weight of his mission, it was him. In Romans 1:14 he said that he regarded himself as a debtor to everyone. To him, Jesus had paid for all his sins and in gratitude he became a debtor to the world. Indeed, how can one ever repay such a great gift as what Jesus gave us? As Jesus had given his all to make salvation available to all, so now, Paul gave his all to make that salvation known to all. As Jesus had been sent, so too Paul believed he was sent.

He felt this so strongly that he said in 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.”

From what we read in this statement it seems that this was no easy task for Paul. As he said in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ controls us…” or “constrains us” or “compels us” to declare the wondrous truth of the Gospel.

These same words of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament Epistles, call us to be witnesses. You have no need for a mysterious call or voice or vision. You have been told. He has told you. He has shown you. Now, go and do likewise.

The second part of this commission has to do with so-called “good works”. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Here too we have the example of Jesus and the early believers. Acts shows us that the Church was highly esteemed by many…even those who did not dare join them because of the hoilness revealed through their works. Would that the modern Church had that problem! People refusing to darken her doors because of her godliness!

These good works make the otherwise non-touchable preaching of the Gospel palpable and tangible. It is the cup of cold water given in his name that often brings others into the Kingdom. But we cannot do works only without a witness. People need to know why we do what we do. Remember Paul and Barnabas were declared gods in Lystra after having healed a crippled man because they were unable to preach in the Lyconian language. Works without an explanation can easilly be misinterpreted! 

Works must be accompanied with the preaching of the gospel if they are to have any eternal and salvific effect.

And then, in an act that must conjure up images of creation, Jesus breathed on his disciples saying, “receive the Holy Spirit”. As God breathed life into the lifeless form of Adam at creation, so now Jesus breathed life into people who, prior to the cross, had been dead in tresspasses and sins. 

And then, at Pentecost, he sealed his commission by pouring out his Holy Spirit on all believers, equipping them with his power and ability to do the work of the ministry. The same Spirit who was present at Creation…the same Spirit who did miracles through Jesus…the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead…now lives in every single believer. Through him we are given gifts and abilities to do whatever he has appointed us to do, and these gifts and abilities are always equal to our duties. 

The coming of the Holy Spirit was not only to apply the salvation purchased for us on the cross, but he also came to give us the power and the ability to fulfil his divine commission. Because of his indwelling presence, every member of Christ’s Church has already been called and equipped to be witnesses to Jesus in both word and deed. There is no need for another mystical call that may or may never come. You are called. You are equipped. 

Ours is a message of peace and reconciliation…a Gospel of forgiveness of sins that must be heard by the world. The chief aim of preaching is reconciliation between an estranged God and his people through the declaration of forgiveness of sins by free grace.

And therefore, Jesus said in verse 23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now, the Church is not given power here to actually forgive the sins of people, but rather to declare, as representatives of the one whose death made forgiveness possible, the actuality of this gracious offer by the acceptance of what is proclaimed. 

Jesus is not bestowing upon us that which is uniquely his to give, but he identifies with us so closely and with our message to such a degree so as to make the declaration and the actual forgiveness one and the same. In other words, when someone comes to faith in Jesus through the preaching of the Gospel, we as members of the Church, can declare that their sins have been forgiven. And likewise, to those who reject this offer of mercy and grace, the Church can safely say that forgiveness has not been received and therefore sins have been retained.

Dearest beloved brethren, every one of us has been called to be witnesses to the one who died for us and who set us free from sin, death, and the devil. There is no need for any voice or any chills or any visions. You are called. You are a witness. Together with the Church throughout the ages you and I are constrained…compelled…by the love of God to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus…a Gospel of peace and reconciliation to all people. It is the will of God that the whole world hear the offer of salvation, and yet, as Paul says, how will they hear without a preacher? 

Woe to us if we do not preach the Gospel as the failure to do so testifies to a gross ingratitude. To do so is to receive an exceedingly great and abundant gift that we are not willing to share. We are called to speak and to live out what we believe. In order to do so, we need to know him, and we need to know his Word so that we may represent him clearly and truthfully as faithful ambassadors of his kingdom.

So, look to the wounds of your Lord Jesus today. Look closely. See the nail prints in his hands and feet and the stab wound in his side. Those scars are what bought you your freedom. Those scars are what purchased your salvation. Those scars are what brought you into God’s eternal kingdom. Those scars are what gave you access to the throne room of God Almighty. 

Could we possibly be so callous as to look at those scars and not be moved to action?

So, let us covenant with God right now…to not let another minute pass without us witnessing ceaselessly to all we encounter each day in both word and deed. We have been called to be missionaries…missionaries of peace and life. May God grant us the strength, the courage, the conviction, the zeal, the ability…but most importantly, the love to fulfil our calling.

Shall we pray? 

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.

Waves of Endless Mercy

Psalm 124: Waves of Endless Mercy

His hands were tightly clasped, and they were closing round my neck,

My world began to swirl and whirl, my eyes saw dots and specks,

A flood began to sweep away my feet from off the floor,

But then the Saviour of my soul came bursting through the door.

He could have killed me there and then, that would have been my end.

His anger was so fierce and sharp, no one could comprehend

The madness of his raging hate that swallowed me alive,

With bitterness and violence that took all by surprise.

But in the major scheme of things, he cannot have his way,

For even if he takes my life, God has the final say.

My symphony of silence ends with thunderous timpani,

As waves of endless mercy all come singing over me.

Dedicated to the Persecuted Church.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.