{"id":734,"date":"2009-04-15T04:01:37","date_gmt":"2009-04-15T04:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/easter-reflections.html"},"modified":"2009-04-15T04:01:37","modified_gmt":"2009-04-15T04:01:37","slug":"easter-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/easter-reflections.html","title":{"rendered":"Easter Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"benRecently Ben Witherington III spoke at a Laity Lodge retreat. Ben, as you may know, is a leading New Testament scholar<\/a> with impressive credentials. (When I printed his list of publications from his website, it took ten pages!) Ben also has one of the most informative and delightful blogs<\/a> in the blogosphere. You’ll never know whether he’ll put up a weighty piece of biblical scholarship<\/a> or some silly pictures of animals<\/a>. (Photo: Ben Witherington holding forth at Laity Lodge.)
\nBen is also an engaging speakers. He’s one of those unusual scholars who is able to communicate warmly (and often hilariously) with a lay audience. At Laity Lodge he did a four-part series on the Johannine literature, focusing on some of the major themes found in the the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John.
\nOne of Ben’s messages focused on the resurrection appearance of Jesus to Peter and the other disciples in John 21. In a nutshell, the disciples go fishing on the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee) after Jesus was raised. They fish all night, but catch nothing. In early morning, Jesus appears on shore and tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat. Promptly they have so many fish in their net that they can’t even bring it into the boat. Realizing who’s on the beach, Peter swims to meet Jesus. There he and Jesus have a conversation as they are warmed by a “charcoal fire” (21:9). Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter professes his love for Jesus. By the third time he is grieved, no doubt because it seems as if Jesus hasn’t believed his earlier professions.
\nBen Witherington pointed out a strong connection between this story and the one we find in 18:15-27. There, in fulfillment of Jesus’ earlier prophecy, Peter denied Jesus three times. These rejections of Jesus happened, according to John, as Peter warmed himself by a “charcoal fire” (18:18). The Greek word anthrakia<\/em>, which means “charcoal fire,” appears only this verse and in John 21:9 in the whole New Testament. Thus, John clearly means to connect the dots between Peter’s denial of Jesus in John 18 and his encounter with Jesus in John 21. In both texts we have a conversation next to a “charcoal fire.” In one passage, Peter is asked three times about his relatioship to Jesus, and three times he denies a connection. In the other passage, Peter is asked three times about his relationship to Jesus, and three times he professes his love for Jesus.
\nBen Witherington shows that John 21 is a story of Peter’s redemption. Jesus seeks out Pete, places him by a charcoal fire, and asks him three questions in order to redeem what was lost in Peter’s earlier denial. Implicit in this scene is the awesome mercy of Jesus, who offers forgiveness and restoration. Moreover, Jesus authorizes Peter to take care of his “sheep.” Not only is Peter restored in his relationship with Jesus, but also he is given authority in the soon-to-be-formed church.
\nThis story of Peter speaks pointedly to any of us who have denied Jesus. And which of us has not denied Jesus in some way? Perhaps we’ve never been quite so blunt as Peter. But we have denied Jesus in a variety of ways. Maybe you’ve been in a conversation where people have been speaking poorly of him, but you chose to remain silent. Or maybe you’ve spoken clearly of your faith in him, but turned around to deny him by your actions. The good news for us in John 21 is that Jesus forgives, restores, and uses even people like Peter . . . and me . . . and you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently Ben Witherington III spoke at a Laity Lodge retreat. Ben, as you may know, is a leading New Testament scholar with impressive credentials. (When I printed his list of publications from his website, it took ten pages!) Ben also has one of the most informative and delightful blogs in the blogosphere. You’ll never know…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nEaster Reflections - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/easter-reflections.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Easter Reflections - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently Ben Witherington III spoke at a Laity Lodge retreat. Ben, as you may know, is a leading New Testament scholar with impressive credentials. (When I printed his list of publications from his website, it took ten pages!) Ben also has one of the most informative and delightful blogs in the blogosphere. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}