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John 21:20-25


Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him,  "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

 

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

 

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (ESV)


Christmas Tells Us Who Dies

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

27 December 2010

On Christmas Eve an editorial entitled: "Do Christians Overemphasize Christmas?" appeared in the pages of the Wall Street Journal. The author, John Wilson, pointed out that even those who call themselves Christian are saying that the church has overemphasized Christmas at the expense of the events of Easter, that is, the death and resurrection of Christ. Those critics of Christmas point out that the story of the four Gospels climaxes in holy week not at Christmas, which is the beginning, not the end of the Christian story. But these critics forget that Christmas tells us who it is that is dying for the sins of the world and rising again to reconcile us sinners to our heavenly Father. The incarnate God is taking our place! He who is born comes for the express purpose that He who could not die, should die for us, who must die.

 

Christianity stands and falls on the bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth on Easter Sunday. His death and resurrection was not experienced by Him for His benefit. It wasn't as though He needed to understand personally what death and life were. All that He does, He does for our benefit. And so both His death and His resurrection were public events, open to our human sense and sight. His resurrection provided the corporeal evidence to five hundred brothers at the same time that death had been swallowed up in life (1Co 15). There is nothing secret about either His death or His resurrection that we might know Him as the One who restores life to us again.

 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us that He might be liable to death and defeat, through His death, our sin and our death. In His death, death does not defeat life, for death cannot hold Him nor contain His life. He is mightier than death. From the resurrection He becomes the first-fruits unto life, so that we who follow after may be partakers of His life. The editorialist is right when he says, "Easter is implicit in Christmas and Christmas is implicit in Easter. When we celebrate the one, we celebrate the other, looking forward to the restoration of all things" (John Wilson, "Do Christians Overemphasize Christmas?"WSJ 24 December 2010).
Athanasius of Alexandria

"Even if, without any disease and without any pain, He had hidden His body away secretly and by Himself 'in a corner,' or in a desert place, or in a house, or anywhere, and afterwards suddenly appeared and said that He had been raised from the dead, He would have seemed on all hands to be telling idle tales, and what He said about the Resurrection would have been all the more discredited, as there was no one at all to witness to His death. Now, death must precede resurrection, as it would be no resurrection had not death preceded; so that if the death of His body had taken place anywhere in secret, the death not being apparent nor taking place before witnesses, His Resurrection too would have been hidden and without evidence."

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word of God, 20

Collect for St. John

Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed in the doctrine of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may come to the light of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.


For all those who have come to the services of the Word and Sacrament over Christmas that they might be built up in the most holy faith

 

For those who are experiencing inclement weather, that they might be kept safe, especially if they are forced to travel

 

For those who are suffering grief and loss in the season so full of joy, that the Lord Jesus would turn their tears into joy, through the power of His resurrection

Art: BASSANO Nativity 15th century

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