Warrior Women

I've been thinking for awhile about the scripture in Ephesians 6 on the Armor of God. I've been applying it to my life; actually, thinking of ways to apply it to my life. Which lead me to thoughts of warriors - being a woman of God necessarily means becoming a warrior woman.

So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to be exploring Ephesians 6:10-20, and how we can apply these verses to our daily lives.  It's not just for women - for any male readers I have, too!

Here's the scripture:  Tomorrow or Monday we'll start digging!


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

What Joy!

Found this verse today and just wanted to share it - what joy it brings me! Hope it brings joy to you, too. Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12

Wait

I gave someone a piece of advice this week.

Are you shocked? That I had an opinion?

I try not to give advice unless it is asked for. But occasionally, I just can't help myself.

So I gave advice. My friend was wondering when their current situation would be over. I know they've been crying out to God to end their suffering, take away their pain, and help them move on to happy, good times.

My advice? Stop trying to get it to end. Start asking God how he can be glorified through it, instead.

Not all periods of suffering are meant to just go away. Sometimes we have to stay there for awhile, to learn what God has us to learn. And if all our energy is spent trying to get away from the bad, we'll never get to the good.

You know that saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window"?

I hate that saying.

Because that's not my experience. In my experience, sometimes God closes the door and locks it. Sometimes He shuts the windows and nails them closed. Sometimes He turns off the lights, closes the drapes, and tells us to sit down, be quiet and wait.

There's a scripture that is much loved: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. That's the modern version of Isaiah 40:31. But look at the older version:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Do you see what I see there? "They that wait."

Hope. Wait. What do those words have in common? I think it's another word: trust. That's the key. The key is trusting that God will take care of us, no matter what happens. Is is trusting that no matter what the circumstances show, God loves us. God is good, even when life is bad.

Do you believe that today?

God is good. All the time. And all the time - He is good.

Oops

Uh oh. I have an oops.

When writing about Mary Magdalene last week, I read that there are scholars who think Mary of Magdala and Mary of Bethany are the same person. But that is not proven anywhere that I can find.

So I just wanted to clarify that point; apparently I am just making things up! ha ha

Hope everyone is having a great day! I'm ready for the warm weather that spoiled us so much to come back!

No Matter Where I Am

I am reading Psalm 139, one of my favorites. Today I am struck in a new way, by verses 7 - 10:

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

No matter where I am, He sees me. He knows me. He knows my thoughts and he know my heart. He knows my strengths and he knows my weaknesses. He knows me.

Verse 13 goes even farther; not only does he know me. He created me. Created these strengths. And these weaknesses. He created the very heart that He allows to turn against him. My heart that is so faulty, fallible, sinful. My heart that is often so full of love and praise, and so full of sin.

At times I can be my own worst enemy. I see the things that I don't like and I magnify them to impossible proportions. I do the same thing with things I do like.

But here's what I know: when my life gets out of balance - when I get out of balance - my God knows. He is there. He is here! He knows my thoughts, hears my prayers, and loves me. No matter what.

That Psalm ends special, too. Here's how the New Living Translation reads:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

When I invite him to search me, to point out anything I need changed, he'll do it. But he doesn't say, fix this, fix that. He says . . . let me.

So today, I let him. And tomorrow, I pray for the strength and wisdom to ask again, and let him again.

Jesus, the Risen Savior

Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it. John 20:30-31, The Message

There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can't imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books. John 21:25

After writing for 25 days on the different people who were part of the Easter story, it almost seems anticlimactic to find the right words that can fully describe the end.

Nothing can really be written that hasn't been written already.

I love what John says. He wrote all these things so that we might believe that Christ is the risen Son of God. But there is so much more!

Wouldn't you love to know the other things Jesus said and did? I suppose someday we will know. We will get to talk to John and the other disciples, and hear every story. We will get to talk to Jesus himself!

So how to conclude these Easter reflections? If you don't mind, I'd like to quote . . . myself! When I did the characters of Christmas, I wrote the following about Jesus. And I think it sums it up pretty well:

There are many names for Jesus in the bible. He is the only begotten son of God. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is Christ. He is Lord, Rabbi, Teacher. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

He is all those things and more. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He is the Lion of Judah. He is Faithful and True. He is our Salvation.

He is all those things and more. He is Worthy. He is the Word of Life, He is the Bread of Life, He is the Light. He is the King of the Jews and the King of the Ages.

He is all those things and more. He is the Way. The Truth. The Life. He is the Savior of the World. He is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

He is all those things and more. He is the Messiah. He is my Messiah.

Jesus left of the splendor of heaven, to be born in a dirty stable. He left His Father, to be born to human, sinful parents. He left His kingdom, to be spat upon, beaten, and killed. Then He left us here to go to heaven, to prepare it for us, to await our time together.

He is risen! Hallelujah!

Thomas, the Doubter

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29

Poor Thomas. In 2,000 years his reputation for unbelief sure hasn't changed. And yet, all of the disciples doubted, for days . . . right? Peter wasn't sure he knew what had happened when he ran to the tomb. In fact, when the women who had seen the empty tomb ran to tell the disciples, only Peter and John had enough inkling of hope to even rush to the tomb to see what was going on!

Interestingly, Jesus does not condemn or even chastise Thomas for his fears. He simply appears to him and tells him to trust. "Stop doubting and believe." What words of hope for us today!

Even Jesus' final words are not a criticism to Thomas. They are simply a statement of fact that hold such promise for us today. We have not seen him. Billions of people have not seen him, and yet believe. Jesus has promised us a special blessing for that!

But what I think is most striking here about Thomas is that we are so quick to judge him, even though Jesus didn't, and despite his earlier reputation. That's right, he has another reputation that most people don't even know about.

Look at John 11. This is the time that Jesus was going to Bethany to see his friends Mary and Martha, who were grieving over the loss of their brother, and Jesus' friend, Lazarus.

The disciples try to talk Jesus out of going, because they know that the Jewish leaders are after him. The Jews had recently tried to stone him, and the disciples felt like it was too dangerous.

They told Jesus that. It's too dangerous. It's not worth it. Don't go.

All of them, that is, except Thomas. Look at verse 16: Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

I've heard people label Thomas as a coward for not believing in the resurrection at first. Does this sound like a coward? He was the only one of the disciples that was ready for war!

We can learn a lot from Thomas. That we must believe despite what we see. That we must be humble, and fall on our knees before him. But we can also learn this: that we must be prepared to do battle with our God.

And . . . that we should not judge someone by one action only, but by a close inspection of all their fruit.

Someday, when we get to heaven, Thomas will not be walking around the streets of that city with an albatross hanging around his neck. In other words, he will not be defined and characterized by his sin any more than any of us will be. His mistakes and issues will shine like those very streets of gold, because the blood of Christ has turned them from shame to glory!

Amen!

The Angels at the Tomb

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:2-7

Don't you wish you knew more about these angels? I've studied angels before, and wrote about them at Christmas time, but I'm talking about these specific angels.

Like the angels who were privileged to tell the shepherds that Jesus was born, and join in chorus, making worship music like never heard before or since - these angels were chosen for the most important task imaginable - to share that Jesus was alive. Again!

Let's go into my imagination again. (It's a scary place to be sometimes, but I like it there!) Let's imagine two angels, sitting in the tomb. Let's pretend they are Gabriel and Michael, since we know their names already. They appear in the tomb, waiting for Mary and the other women.

Can you sense their excitement? They are heavenly creatures, but maybe they are antsy, eagerly anticipating the women. Maybe they are pacing, or if they are sitting, maybe they are bouncing their legs up and down.

I hear them talking to each other. "I want to talk first!" "No, I'm going to. Father already told us what to say, and who was going to say it." The first angel grins. "I know. I'm just excited!"

Maybe their excitement is tempered with the knowledge of all that their Savior had been through in the last few days. They know how he had gone into Hades, preaching to the souls there, how he had seen and heard potentially horrible, blasphemous venom. They know the sin he endured on the cross, the price he paid for this moment.

They also know the glory of the price paid. That now redemption is possible for all. That Jews and Gentiles all over the world can join in this glorious freedom song. That God's plan, now fulfilled, had always been plan A, and was now richly and miraculously fulfilled.

It might seem weird to include angels that we don't know and can't name and can't describe as an important part of Easter. But they are. They delivered the best news. They regenerated the movement of Christianity. They confirmed hope, love and joy.

I can't wait to meet them someday. How about you?

Mary Magdalene

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
 
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).  John 20:15-16

Mary Magdalene is not the woman most people think she is. 

Did you realize that?

She is not the adulterous woman.  She is the one who was healed of seven demons.  She is the sister of Lazarus, the one who anointed Jesus' feet with alabaster oil, using her hair to wipe them.  She is the woman who held fast at the foot of the cross, never fleeing or turning away from the carnage that was before her. 

She is a unique witness to three events:  Jesus' crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection.

Pope Gregory the Great in 591 signified Mary as a prostitute, although she is not portrayed that way in the gospels.  And writers, artists and believers have propagated that myth for centuries, despite its obvious glaring inconsistencies. 

My first reaction was, how sad that she has been wrongly been considered, basically, a whore.  But really, what difference does it make?  Does it matter if she was a prostitute or possessed?  Does it matter what kind of sinner she was?  Why?

You know, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We're all the same at the foot of the cross. 

So it doesn't matter who she was.  It matters who she became.

By the 10th century, she was widely known as the "Apostle to the Apostles."  It makes sense.  The word "apostle" has a different meaning than the word "disciple."  A disciple is one who follows.  An apostle is one who was sent by Jesus to spread the good news.  John 20:17 says, "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

We are also considered apostles, because we take to heart Christ's commission in the Matthew 28:19-20:   "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I say all this because we can easily consider Mary Magdalene as the very first apostle.  Not a prostitute.  Not a sin-filled woman.  Not lesser than a man.  Instead, she was the very first person that Jesus sent with a message.  

And what a message it was!  What an honor and a privilege she was given! 

(By the way, her role as the first apostle, showcases just how valuable Christ saw women.  But that's a discussion for another time and place.)

I wonder if there was a part of Mary that always believed Christ would not stay dead.  After all, if anyone could believe that this man, the Son of God, had power over death, wouldn't it be the sister of Lazarus?  Did a part of Mary go to the tomb to see what was there?  

I can't wait to find out, can you?

The point of Mary's life is that she didn't let anything hold her back.  Not her past, whatever it was.  Not her gender.  Not her helplessness at the cross.  She followed.  She stayed.  She returned.  

As should we.
 

Nicodemus

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."  John 3:9-15

He [Joseph of Arimathea] was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.  Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. John 19:39-40

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, and from his conversations with Jesus we derive a phrase that is still used in our Christian culture today:  being "born again."

The conclusion of this conversation contains arguably the most popular Bible verse in the world:  John 3:16.  Let's read it in context:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.  John 3:16-21

In this passage Jesus concisely sums up God's plan of salvation.  We can thank Nicodemus for his question, for instigating this conversation.  We can thank him for his willingness to stand out among the others as someone unafraid to examine Jesus.  We can thank him for his genuineness in asking Jesus the question, how can one be born again? 

Truly, it didn't make sense in any kind of practical way.  So it is a legitimate question for Nicodemus to ask. 

How can we be born again?

It's simple - it's believing in Him.  That's all.  It's believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and He came to give us life.  Eternal life.

It's fitting that Nicodemus, who asks the question about life, is present at Jesus' death.  He takes Jesus' body along with Joseph, and he brings the burial spices.  He who asked about being born, is working on his loved one's death. 

There's another place in the gospel of John where Nicodemus is mentioned.  It's in chapter 7, when the Jewish leaders meet to discuss what to do about Jesus.  Nicodemus stands up for Jesus:  "Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

Nicodemus showed a beautiful curiosity when he examined Jesus.  Nicodemus showed great courage when he questioned the council.  And Nicodemus showed great tenderness when he prepared Jesus for burial.

The key ingredient here is not Nicodemus.  It's Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea

As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.  Mark 15:43-46 NLT

Joseph, from the city of Arimathea, in Judea, was a member of the Sanhedrin (the high council).   He was risking his status with the Jewish leaders by making such a bold move.  The gospel of John describes him as a "secret" disciple of Jesus (19:38).  

He was also risking the wrath of Pilate.  "According to Roman law, a close family member could come and take away the body of an executed person. But there was no entitlement for a non-relative. There was a risk that a request from a non-relative would be denied and the body dumped, denying it proper burial. Tradition and sentiment also demanded that the body be interred with those of other family members, and not in the tomb of a stranger."  (wikipedia.com)

Joseph was also a prophecy fulfilled.  In Isaiah 53, one of the most interesting descriptions of the coming Messiah, we read:  "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.  He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.  Unjustly condemned, he was led away.  No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.  But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.  He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.  But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.  (7-9)

So what can we learn from Joseph's life, from his presence in our Easter story?  I see three lessons:

1.  We must have convictions.
2.  We must have courage.
3.  We must have compassion.

Joseph had a conviction that Jesus was the Messiah.  Despite his position, the possible damage to his reputation and status, he believed.  He might have had to do it in secret, but he did not waver from his belief.

Joseph had the courage, upon Jesus' death, to defy his peers and Rome by asking for Jesus' body.  He wanted to give something to Jesus, a way to honor him somehow.  He didn't care who knew it.  He didn't count the cost.

Joseph had compassion upon Jesus and his family.  Jesus, who had nothing - not even a place to lay his head - had no place to be buried.  I'm not sure it even mattered to Jesus.  But it mattered to Joseph, and his care for Jesus' body, and the heart of Mary and his family, is evident in his desire to give Jesus' body proper care.

Joseph's desire to house Jesus' body shows that he didn't understand what the end was going to be.  He didn't understand the whole story.  But that's ok.  No one did.  And his lack of understanding does not erase the fact that his conviction, his courage, and his compassion are life lessons for us today.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

And Mary said:
   “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.  From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever."  Luke 1:26-55

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  John 19:25-27

I cannot imagine this moment for Mary.  She who had been so full of hope and promise, so humble yet so rich in spirit, was now in the throes of despair.  Did she understand?  Could she maintain her hope, her promise, because she knew this moment would not last forever? 

Was her soul still glorifying the Lord?

I imagine John ushering her into the upper room, where the other disciples are hiding.  I see her staring at them, eying them with grief, and perhaps disgust.  As the men try to approach her, to console her, to comfort her, she finally explodes:  "Where were you?  My son - my son!! - he needed you!  You who said you would never leave him.  You who proclaimed him as the Messiah not one week ago!  You ABANDONED him.  How could you?  How could you?"  I imagine her crumbling into a heap onto the floor.

And there is nothing that can be said to turn her mourning into joy.  Because everything she said was true. 

Was she a woman grieving because her son, this heaven-child who grew in God-man, had been tortured and killed?  Was she grieving because a piece of her felt betrayed, even lied to?  Was she grieving because everything she had believed had just been torn into bits?

We really don't know, do we?  Not much attention is paid to Mary, and no attention is paid to her grief, her feelings, her thoughts. 

Yet she is a vital piece of this story.  Her mere presence shows her absolute courage in the face of death.  Her presence at the foot of the cross, Jesus' concern for her as he approached death, shows the intimacy of their relationship.  Surely Christ loved her.  Surely she loved him.

Do you think that, when Mary stood before the angel Gabriel, when she submitted her will to God's will, when she hurried to her cousin's side and sang the beautiful song, above - do you think she had any idea what her submission would cost her?  She might have had an inkling that Joseph would be upset, that her parents might not understand, that her community would ostracize her. 

But did she know she would give birth in a cave?  Did she know that she and Joseph would be surrounded by smelly animals and stinky shepherds?  Did she know that Jesus would be tempted by the devil?  That he would be plotted against, sold, beaten, tortured, and crucified? 

I don't know.  I only know that we don't have to have courage to face tomorrow.  We only have to have enough courage to face today.  Day by day.  Every day. 

None of us can know what tomorrow holds, what obstacles we will face or glory we will receive.  We can only know that we serve the God who knows.  And that he will conquer our foes, face down the enemy, trample the terror in our lives.

Before we end today, we - again - can only imagine what three days later looked like for Mary.  We can only imagine how her eyes - puffy from crying for three days - how they widened when she saw a figure coming towards her that looked familiar.  We can only imagine her joy, her hope. 

We can only imagine the moment that her son became her savior. 
Wow.

John, the Beloved Disciple

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  John 19:26-27

John the Disciple is a very interesting character, known by several names:  John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Revelator.  He is known as the beloved disciple, and was one of the three, along with his brother James and Peter, who were in the inner circle of Jesus.

John and his older brother James were the sons of a man named Zebedee, nicknamed by Jesus as the "Sons of Thunder."  Fishermen by trade, they were following the preaching of John the Baptist when they were called by Jesus to follow him. 

John was evidently important to Jesus; as one of the inner circle, he witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was the only one of the disciples who did not run away when Christ was arrested; he stood watch over him, comforting and supporting Mary and the other women.  Some think that he was a relative of the high priest; John 18 refers to John being "known by the high priest" and was therefore allowed in to witness the trial of Jesus, and was able to bring Peter inside the court with him.  Perhaps that is why he was allowed to stand at the foot of the cross, bringing the women with him.  He was the only one of the disciples to live into old age, and the only one who did not die for his faith.

When John writes about himself as "the disciple that Jesus loved," he is not singling himself out as special.  He is simply identifying himself while maintaining some anonymity.  It is interesting that John identifies himself with "love"; in his writings he speaks often of love. 

  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.    This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:7-18

We can therefore easily surmise that John's very life was defined by love.  He showed great love to his Savior.  Great love to his fellow disciples.  Great love to Jesus' mother and the other women.  Love.  
 
But perhaps the most important thing that we know about John is a very simple sentence found in his gospel, chapter 20, verse 8:   "Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."

When Mary Magdalene came running to John and Peter, sobbing that Jesus was no longer in his tomb, the men rushed to the tomb to look at the evidence themselves.  And John believed.

He saw.  He believed.  He loved.  

What can we learn from John's life.  We can learn to not run away.  We can learn to live a life of love.  We can learn to see, and believe.    

The Penitent Thief

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:40-43

Here again we approach this singular, historical moment with recognition that this encounter is the ultimate metaphor for the eternal decision of mankind.

Will you mock God?  Will you turn away from the redemption he offers?
Or will you turn towards him?  Will you recognize him for who he is?  Will you accept his gift?

The great Charles Spurgeon wrote:  "He who is mighty to save was mighty, even during His own death, to pluck others from the grasp of the Destroyer, though they were in the act of expiring."

He who is mighty to save.  What an amazing thought.  The point is, that the same one who is mighty to save us allowed himself to be put to death!  And even more amazing is that two men, seeing the same sight, suffering the same fate, met the same man and had two very different reactions to him.

What caused this thief, known through the apocrypha as Dismas, to repent instead of curse?  What did he see that his companion did not see?

I again refer to Charles Spurgeon, who in a sermon from 1886 wrote: 

 "When he saw the Savior surrounded by the Roman soldiers—saw the executioners bring forth the hammers and the nails and lay Him down upon His back and drive the nails into His hands and feet—this crucified criminal was startled and astonished as he heard Him say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He, himself, had probably met his executioners with a curse, but he heard this Man breathe a prayer to the great Father! And, as a Jew, as he probably was, he understood what was meant by such a prayer. But it did astound him to hear Jesus pray for his murderers.  That was a petition, the like of which he had never heard nor even dreamed of! From whose lips could it come but from the lips of a Divine Being? Such a loving, forgiving, God-like prayer proved Him to be the Messiah! 

How joyous!  How much easier the pain of a crucified death must have been for him!  Jesus promised him not just heaven, but Paradise on this day.   Do you see the depths of that promise?  That his suffering would end.  That eternal life would begin.  That he would receive a reward, not a punishment.

As he died a death of ultimate punishment, of horrible pain and depths of agonizing, he received the promise of life.  Of forgiveness.

It's worth noting that there is no evidence that the penitent thief ever heard a sermon.  No evidence that he was evangelized.  No evidence that he had been witnessed to.

He simply looked at the Savior's face, marked by the cruel acts of evil men.  Just looking at Jesus changed his life - and his death!

One more quote from Spurgeon's sermon:

As the robber looked, he believed. Is it not amazing—the very sight of the Master won him? The sight of the Lord in agony, shame and death! Scarcely a word. Certainly no sermon, no attending worship on the Sabbath. No reading of gracious books; no appeal from mother, or teacher, or friend. The sight of Jesus won him! I put it down as a very singular thing, a thing for you and for me to remember and dwell upon with quite as much vividness as we do upon the lateness of this robber’s conversion!

The lesson from this thief's life is really a question:  What will you do when you look at Jesus?  And boiled down, it becomes this:  What will you do with Jesus?