part 1 of the “after” series
This season of life that we are all in at this time has gotten a lot of people to wonder and ask “when are things going to go back to normal?” “When are things going to go back to the way they were before?” I have to be honest from the start of this series that I do not think things are ever going to go back to normal. We are heading for a new normal whether we like it or not. COVID-19 has drastically changed America and the world. I believe that we are not going to be going back to the old normal. I believe that God is showing us something new and it is something that He has been trying to show us for a while.
But when things change we want them to go back to the old way as soon as possible. Don’t get me wrong, my wife and I (my wife mostly) cannot wait for the kids to return to school in an actual classroom. We can’t wait for the stores to open back up to full capacity and to not have to wear mask in the stores. We can’t wait for the libraries to reopen. We can’t wait to be able to go out with friends and family. We can’t wait to go out on a date night. We can’t wait for things to go back to the way they were. But to be honest here, the stores may reopen. The schools may reopen. The libraries may reopen. The stores may reopen to full capacity. The restaurants may reopen. But I don’t think it’s going to be the old normal. It is going to be a new normal. A new normal that we should be looking forward to - not dreading.
God has always led His people to something better - even though they might kick and scream. In the book of Exodus, God led the nation of Israel out of Egypt because He heard their cries of oppression [1]. He was taking them to the Promised Land. He was taking them to something better and so they could be better. However, they kicked and screamed on numerous occasions about the change [2]. The change that they wanted. They wanted not really what they had - they were slaves after all. They wanted what was normal. But God wanted what came after. Jesus had the same message during His ministry as well.
I want to focus on another, smaller group of people for this post and throughout this series. The disciples were a big part of Jesus’ ministry and Jesus called each one of them not only to a better life, but to be better. What we know of the disciples is that Jesus called Andrew, Peter, James and John from their fishing boat (Matthew 4:18-22 + Luke 5). Matthew was called by Jesus from his tax collector booth (Matthew 9:9-13) and tax collectors we known criminals. Simon was known as a Zealot and as such would engage in activities that tried to overthrow the Roman government (Matthew 10:4 + Mark 3:18). Judas was a thief (John 12:4-6). There is really no information concerning rest of the disciples (Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus or James, the son of Alphaeus). [3]
Now that is quite a group of people. But Jesus handpicked them to spend 3 years with and to help them see how to do life better and to make them better. But as well know, Jesus, their friend and leader, was crucified and buried in a tomb (John 19). But Jesus rose from the dead, just as He told them He would (Luke 24:6). But the disciples were not sure what to do after their leader and friend was no longer around all the time. Jesus appeared to them in John 21 and we see that they had gone back to what they knew - what was normal.
“‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered.” - John 21:3-5 NIV
At this point, Jesus had already appeared to them once (John 20:19-29). But this time it was different. Jesus appeared to them here on the shore of the Sea of Galilee to remind them of something. They He had led them for 3 years to be better - not to be the same 3 years later. So Jesus appoints a leader - Peter - to the group. Jesus tells Peter to go and “feed my sheep” and reminded them that through Peter the church would be built [4].
God is calling us during this time to be better. He is urging us to see the things that we could be doing better. After this is all said and done and we go back to whatever normal might look like, God does not want was returning to the old normal and just fall back in the way things were. God does not want us going back to Egypt or longing for the way things were. He does not want us going back the fishing boat. He wants us to go forward into the Promised Land. He wants us to experience something new that He is stirring up.
After this is all done - God wants things to be better. He wants us to help with that.
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[1] “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.’” – Exodus 3:7 NIV
[2] “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”” - Exodus 14:12 NIV
“The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”” - Exodus 16:3 NIV
[3] What Were the Professions of the Twelve Apostles? Kathryn Rateliff Barr - Updated June 27, 2018
Also more information on the disciples can be found in John 1:37-49
[4] “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” – John 21:15-17 NIV
“Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”” – Matthew 16:17-19 NIV
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