1 MAY 2024 · This story is found in John 20—21.  Mary Magdalen goes to the tomb, finds the stone rolled away, and dashes off to tell Simon Peter and another disciple.  The two disciples run to the tomb themselves.  They both notice graveclothes, but no corpse.  The other disciple believed, but what he believed is unspecified.  They then go home.  Mary stays around and enters the tomb, whereupon she sees two angels.  They want to know why she is crying.  Right then Jesus appears, but is not recognized by Mary.  Eventually, they speak and she recognizes him.  She reports this to the other disciples.  Later that day Jesus appears to the other disciples, showing them his hands and feet.  They are pleased, but say nothing.  Thomas is there later but doubt their report that Jesus is alive.  He wants evidence.  More than a week later, Jesus is with the disciples again, this time Thomas is present.  Though invited to touch Jesus’ wounds, Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God.”  In the last scene, Jesus prepares a breakfast of fish and bread for the disciples.  Jesus’ offering of breakfast imitates Jesus previously feeding the multitude with fish and bread.  The scene concludes when Jesus asks three times whether Peter loves him.  Jesus says as much three times in response.   Keep in mind that Peter had once betrayed Jesus by denying that he knew him three times.

1 MAY 2024 ·   This story derives from chapter 24.  It begins with several women going to Jesus’ tomb with spices.  When they arrive, the stone to the entrance has been removed.  The women look it, but see no body.  Instead, they encounter two men who want to know why the women are looking for the dead among the living.  Astounded, the women go to the disciples and other followers of Jesus to tell them what happened.  But they are not believed.  On that same day, two from Jesus’ inner circle encounter Jesus on the Road to Emmaus.  However, they do not recognize him until he eats with them.  When they are telling the other followers what had happened, Jesus appears.  He ensures that they know that his resurrection was a bodily resurrection.  He also teaches the group what the Scripture says about him.  The chapter ends with Jesus’ commissioning the group, followed by his ascension.

1 MAY 2024 ·  In this Gospel, the accent is on disbelief and doubt.  The women who first went to the tomb were afraid to tell anyone what they had encountered, even though the young man in a white robe had told them that Jesus was risen.  In the longer version of the chapter (Mark 16), the details are markedly different but the outcome is the same.  Mary Magdalene did report what she saw but no one believed her.  Then, Jesus appeared to a couple of people who subsequently told his disciples and other followers.  But they were disbelieved, too.  Finally, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples but had to scold them for being hard-hearted and lacking belief.  Jesus then admonished them to preach the gospel, which would be accompanied by a number of dubious signs.

9 APR 2024 · This is the first of a four-part series in which I deal with the various resurrection stories of the four canonical gospels.  Matthew’s version is recounted in Matthew 28.  Unique to this gospel, however, is the two earthquakes, one happening at the point of Jesus’ death (in Matthew 27) and a second one caused by a descending angel who rolled back the stone covering the tomb.  Also unique is the incredible story that at the moment Jesus dies the tombs of many saints opened, whereupon these saints went into the city and appeared to many.  With Jesus’ resurrection, the angel who rolled away the stone told Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to go to tell the disciples that Jesus was no longer at the tomb.  They were to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.  On the way, they encounter Jesus, who repeats the instruction.  The account includes the episode in which soldiers are bribed to tell people that Jesus’ disciples came to steal his body.  When the disciples finally see Jesus in Galilee, they worshipped him.  But some doubted.

7 APR 2024 · In this presentation, Jesus explains what it means that he is the living bread that results in eternal life.  There are overtones of eucharistic activities, revelatory ideas, and ways of relating to Jesus by means of this bread.  Believing Jesus and eating his flesh and drinking his blood are part of this.  Of course, the crowd does not get this teaching.  Jesus is an ordinary man—everyone knows him, and everyone knows his father and mother.  How can someone so ordinary be living bread.  It turns out that even disciples have difficulty with what Jesus is saying.  Many of them abandon Jesus.  Only the twelve stick around.  However, Jesus points out that, though he has chosen the twelve, one of them is a devil!

7 APR 2024 · This account is found in John 6.  Even though a story in which Jesus feeds a large crowd with meager sources occurs in all four Gospels, the account John is unique.  For example, in this story Jesus distributes the bread and fish himself.  In the other Gospels, Jesus has his disciples do this.  Plus, in this story the crowd seems more interested in a miracle that involves a free lunch than a sign indicative of Jesus’ ultimate mission.   John 6 is parallel to John 4.  In John 4, Jesus offers “living water” that will quench religious thirst for good.  In John 6, Jesus offers “true bread” that will satisfy religious hunger for good.

7 APR 2024 · In this episode, Elijah’s deity shows up and consumes the sacrifice with fire.  As though this were not startling enough, the sacrifice and the wood had been drenched.  This demonstration had the intended effect, namely, the Israelites acknowledged their God was indeed God.  Afterwards, Elijah slaughters the prophets of Baal!  Then, the prophet outruns King Ahab to Jezreel, even though the king is in a chariot and Elijah is on foot!  I point out why this story should not be seen as a historical description.  

7 APR 2024 ·   This episode is narrated in 1 Kings 18.  It is the famous contest on Mt. Carmel.  This story also features Obadiah, a man who serves both Ahab and Israel’s God.  Obadiah was the one who told King Ahab that Elijah wanted to meet him.  Of course, Obadiah was worried that Elijah might get cold feet and not appear.  Elijah convinced Obadiah otherwise.  When Ahab and Elijah met, they traded insults.  Then Elijah proposed a contest.  The prophets of Baal were to prepare a bull offering, but were not to apply fire.  Elijah would do the same.  Then, both would call on their respective deities to supply the fire.  The prophets of Baal did just that, but there was no answer.  This is part 1—the story concludes next week.

7 APR 2024 ·   In this story, Elijah denounces King Ahab of Israel, threatening that God is about to induce a drought.  This forces the prophet to flee the king’s wrath.  God directs the prophet to go to a place where there is enough water.  Ravens would supply food!  Soon, though, that area is depleted by the drought.  So, God orders the prophet to go into Canaanite territory.  God had commanded a widow to take care of Elijah.  But when he found the woman, she was in the process of making her final meal for herself and her son.  Nevertheless, Elijah had her cook something for him first, then promised that henceforth she would have an unending supply of flour and cooking oil.  That happened!  Subsequently, the widow’s son fell ill—he was either at death’s door or dead already.  She was irate, of course, at Elijah.  Elijah was not too happy himself, all but accusing God of putting him in an impossible situation.  Eventually the prophet prayed for the lad and he was soon restored, either being raised from the dead or recovering of some sort of coma.  Upon witnessing this last miracle, the woman declare that Elijah was indeed a prophet and that the Israelite God spoke through him.

6 FEB 2024 · In this episode, Joseph’s ten brothers arrive in Egypt to buy food. He immediately recognizes them, but they do not recognize him. Immediately, he accuses them of being spies. They insist that they are honest men, ten of twelve brothers, one of whom is dead and the youngest of whom is still with their father, Jacob. Joseph demands that one of the brothers return to Canaan and fetch the other brother. He puts them in jail to think about this. Afterwards, Joseph comes up with another plan. Nine of the brothers can return home, with the provisions they came to buy, fetch the other brother, and return to Egypt. In the meantime, Simeon will stay in a cell in Egypt. Having no choice, the brothers buy food and return. When they get home they tell Jacob what has happened. Of course, he is upset. He has no intention of letting Benjamin out of his sight which also means that he will never see Simeon again. Making matters worse, the money for the food was in the sacks carrying the provisions. On the way home, only one brother had found the money; now, every brother would be implicated. Eventually, again having no choice, Jacob sends his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin in tow.