Gen 11:9-12:1, Mt 5: The Means are the Ends

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 17 May 2026, 06 March 2022 and to 614 Toronto Warehouse Mission, July 2016 by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

This is the 2026 Version, to view the 2022 Version click here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2016/07/genesis-119-121-matthew-5-means-are-end.html 

To view the 2016 Toronto Version, click here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2022/03/gen-119-121-mt-5-means-are-ends.html 

We are on the move, as you know, to Burnaby. Now there are lots of challenges – both good and interesting – associated with that. One thing we have to be thankful for is that we are not going that far away. We are still relatively close to family and friends. 

In the books of Genesis and Exodus, when God moves people, He sends them quite far and, of course, they don’t have cars so they have to walk – or ferries, so God has to part the seas.

 

When God moves Terah in Chapter 11 of Genesis, Terah travels 950 km from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran en route to Canaan (Ur to Haran is about the same distance as from the Valley here to Banff). Terah doesn’t exactly take the most direct route; if you look at a map you will notice that Haran really isn’t on a straight line to Canaan. And Terah never quite makes it to Canaan; Terah stops in Haran (present day Turkey).

 

Next, in Chapter 12, God calls Abram to continue his father’s journey to Canaan and God doesn’t take him on the most direct route either.[1] God takes Abram all the way from modern day Iraq, which is to the east of where he is going, through the land He promised to send him to, all the way to Egypt which is to the west of his new appointment, before he comes all the way back east to settle in Canaan, modern day Palestine. This journey is around 2000 km on foot (which is a little further than Moose Jaw where Don just got back from - It is probably actually about the same distance as walking to the community of Indian Head on the other side of Regina).

 

A couple of generations and a few chapters later, after God appoints Abraham to Canaan, God moves Jacob all the way from Canaan to Mesopotamia (Iraq, which is where his grandfather is from) and then moves him all the way to Egypt where Jacob dies.

 

Now, we know the book ‘Exodus’ and the story of Moses: when Moses receives his orders to move, he is supposed to take Jacob’s whole family (the Israelites) with him – and there are a lot of them! – and instead of walking straight from Egypt to Canaan, Moses and Jacob’s family, the Israelites, do laps around the desert. They even get right to the border of the new appointment, the land God promised to send them to, when God and Moses say to them, ‘no you can’t go in’; so they spend the next 40 years doing laps, wandering around the desert.

  

During this journey of many miles and more generations, God is with His people: Terah, Abram, Jacob, Moses and more. It is that time spent with God that we know about so much more than what their destinations looked like because the journey with God is what’s important. Some of these people never did reach their penultimate destination.

 

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. points out that life is not about the destination; it is about the journey.  In much of his writings there is a related point the reverend keeps coming back to that really resonates with me. His opponents accused him of being a communist. Of course, in the USA during the Cold War (where and when he is from) this was often an accusation rich people would make about civil rights activists because Americans were genuinely afraid of communism – every time they turned around it appeared one country after another was throwing off the yoke of imperialism; they were afraid a worldwide revolution might strike America.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. did come in contact with many people who were instrumental in liberating countries from capitalism. He fought for a lot of the communist-embraced values of which the USA of his day was opposed: equal rights for women, equality for ethnic minorities, sweeping economic reform... [3] When people pointed out to MLK that, as far as the USA was concerned, these were communist ideas; MLK would reply that he differs from the communists in one key way. “Lenin” [Vladimir, not John], he said, “believed that the end justified the means.” As a Christian I can never believe that the ends justify the means. God reminds us that the means are the end – your means, what you do reveal who you are in the end. Do the ends justify the means? That is not even possible: the means themselves are the end.

 

For example, if we want to end excessive incarceration and violent oppression by violently throwing off our oppressors and incarcerating them then– intentionally or not- we will naturally find ourselves becoming the violent oppressors.[4] Anyone who has ever seriously studied patterns in world history will note that this is true whenever a remnant survives. This is one reason why the Middle East is in tumult, and this is one reason why the US is in so much turmoil that countries even prior to Trump’s second term were officially warning their citizens not to travel to the USA.[5] Look at the word today. Violence breeds violence. The ends do not justify the means. As Gandhi, whom MLK loved to quote, said, ‘an eye for and eye makes the whole world blind.’ 

Do the ends justify the means? No, the means are the ends [5.5]. If we want the world to see the truth, then we need to help our adversary see! Not pluck out his eye! For if we pluck out his eye; as he is able, he will do the same to us, and then we will be left as a couple of blind bullies. Gandhi, like Tutu and Mandela after him, is a great example of helping our adversary to see. A society at peace with its former oppressors was created in South Africa in a way it never would have been through violence. The means of violence always brings the result of violence. The means of peace is what brings the result of peace. And Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

 

Do the ends justify the means? No, the means are the ends. Oswald Chamber says, ‘God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself.’[6] Returning to one of our examples from the Pentateuch: God was walking miles upon miles with people who never did reach their destination during the Exodus. The people whine and complain to God a lot about their travels. They want a different means to achieve their ends. They want the direct route. Sometimes they get so upset at the means by which God is leading them that they just want to abandon it altogether because His means, they think, are too difficult a way to achieve His ends.

Do we remember Numbers, in Chapter 14, the story of the Israelites on the precipice of the Promised Land: it was theirs for the taking?[7] God had provided the end. God just wanted them to join Him in the means. The Israelites refused the Lord’s means. God responded, therefore, Verse 30: ‘Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua...

 

There is more to this story too. After they reject God’s means to the end of this promised land, the Israelites attempt to obtain that very same end, by their own means, without God.  Numbers 14:41: But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the LORD’s command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.” And they did. 

The end in and of itself, even when it is God-ordained like it was here, is not the important part; what is important is the God-enabled means. Matthew 16:26: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:26, Luke 9:25). Do the ends justify the means? No. The ends are the means.

 

Jesus tells us very much the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. To transliterate through the lens of means and ends the pericope we read earlier, Jesus said,

You all know the goal, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But let me tell you about the means to that end: don’t even walk down that road; anyone who even gets angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

And you all know that, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who even starts to explore those means by so much as looking at a woman lustfully might as well have already committed the end of adultery with her in his heart. 

 

You all know about ‘an eye for eye, and a tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This is the means by which you will rid yourself of your enemy. If you act like an enemy, you are an enemy. If you act like a friend, you are a friend. The ends don’t justify the means. The means are the ends.

You all know the end, ‘Do not break your oath but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But the means here is the important part: you should not even need to swear an oath in the first place.  You should be honest in every part of your life so that whatever you say - whether you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or anything else - it is just as good as an oath even on the Bible or on your mother's grave. Telling the truth makes you an honest person. You cannot lie your way to honesty. The white lie, the harmless lie, the permissible lie does not exist. Do the ends justify the means? No, the means are the ends.

 

If we walk along the path of sin hoping to reach holiness we will be sadly disappointed. Conversely if we never walk towards sin, we will never arrive at sin. Do the ends justify the means? No. The means are the end.  Oswald Chambers again: ‘God is not working toward a particular finish - His purpose is the process itself.’

He who walks in the darkness does not see the light and she who walks in the light does not get lost in the darkness. Do the means justify the ends? No. The means are the ends.

 

This is true in our daily lives with each other, and it is just as true with our relationship with God. Jesus and Salvation aren’t about a destination, an end of going to heaven when we die; Salvation is the means of how we live with God from today unto eternity. Salvation isn’t an end, a destination to arrive at; it is a means, a way of life. So, can we do evil as a way to try to enter heaven? No. Do the ends ever justify the means? No, the means are the end. The means, which are ultimately our very relationship with our neighbour and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is all that matters. He is with us and He wants us to walk with Him and talk with Him both now and forever. And that is the means by which you and I can live the most blessed life both for now and forever.

 

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com 

 

Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31ff, Romans 8, John 3: Who is Jesus?

Presented to Alberni Valley Ministerial Community Men’s Breakfast, 09 May 2026 and TSA AV Ministries, 10 May 2026 by Major Michael Ramsay 

  

As almost everyone is aware now, we will be moving. The Salvation Army has posted us the Burnaby, BC. Our last Sunday here will be June 28th.  I will miss everyone in this community. When I was able to speak at the recent Lenten services, I was chatted about some things that were near and dear to my heart – real social justice issues – so today I thought that I would just speak about who is Jesus? Can I have people just call out some of the titles and roles that we ascribe to Jesus? Today I want to chat about 3 or 4 of these a bit: Lord, Saviour, Son of God, and King (Messiah/Christ). 

 

Jesus is our Lord 

We call Jesus Lord. What does ‘lord’ mean? In today’s language, how do we use the word? We know the House of Lords? That is the senate in the UK. When the UK was a Superpower, the House of Lords had hereditary lords making decisions. Lords typically would be people who owned land. In our language today we still have landlords. When we call Jesus ‘lord’, we are drawing on this image; so, what is a landlord? A landlord owns the building you are in; you are expected to pay him rent and follow the rental agreement or he can evict you. 

 

Jesus is our landlord. He owns the earth and everything in it and He has given us some very specific responsibilities as part of our rental agreements –or, as we call them in the Bible, covenants- that we are bound by. Jesus is our Lord. We need to live up to our rental agreement. 

 

Jesus says, Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, [land]Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

 

I find it interesting that according to Matthew, Jesus tells us that prophesying in Jesus’ Name, driving out demons in His Name, and performing Miracles in His Name is NOT proof of our salvation. People are doing these things today who may not have Jesus as their landlord. Matthew tells us what Jesus says is evidence of salvation later in book. Jesus is our Lord. 

 

Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus is God 

Jesus is God’s son and as part of that is God Himself. I like the way the Bible speaks of us as co-heirs with Christ. Just as Julius Caesar adopted Augustus Caesar and he inherited his kingdom; so, you and I have been adopted as co-heirs with Christ and will inherit the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:17). 

 

Jesus however is the only sired, the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16); therefore he is the only ‘person’ who is actually God. He was born God – and, of course, He was God before He was even born (John 1:1).  

Doctrines 2 and 3 of The Salvation Army affirm that: 

2. ... there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory. 

3. .. in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.  

Jesus is our Saviour 

What does/did/will Jesus save us from? Hell? Eternal separation from God? The eternal consequences of our sins? Anything else? Is being saved about more than simply going to heaven? The New Testament / Covenant / Residential Tenancy Act says, “yes, it is.” Jesus has not merely saved us from the consequences of sin; He has also saved us from the necessity of sin. Just like an alcoholic can be free from the reality of drinking even as the temptation may always be there; so too regarding Christians and sin. In the NT letters believers aren’t referred to as Christians. We are referred to as ‘saints’; The word for ‘saints’ literally means to be holy, to be like God. In a letter from Peter (1 Peter 1:16), we are reminded that God tells us to “be holy as I [God] am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Salvation means that we can be holy. Jesus is our Saviour. He died to save us from sin and that salvation/holiness we can experience this very day, and it will continue forever even into the new heaven and the new earth.  

The Salvation Army, of which I am an Officer, affirms in its 7th through 10th doctrines, that... 

7. repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation. 

8. we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself. 

9. continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ. 

10. it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24)

 

Jesus is King / Christ / Messiah 

 

Matthew, whom we quoted about Jesus as Lord, tells us in Chapter 7 what does not prove that we are Christ’s followers: prophecy, miracles, casting out demons in His Name; in Chapter 25, referring to Jesus as King, he tells us what does prove that we are saved: 

 

25:34ff: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

  40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

 

The people who do this are rewarded but they are also saved; for those who call Jesus King but who do not do this, God says. Verse 41, “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” 

 

Jesus is our king; what is a king? Similar to the Landlord that we spoke about, the King (or the Crown) may own everything. They are responsible. In Canada, when you are charged in court, it is “the Crown versus so-and-so". In Canada, if a service is public (for the benefit of the people), rather than (private) to make money, it may be a ‘crown corporation.’ Kings of old, like some countries’ Presidents now, could even pardon people who were convicted of crimes. How much is that like Jesus? We are all guilty of sin, but Jesus offers us the pardon of salvation. The King historically is the boss; the person in charge; the person who has authority over us and power even over our very lives. The Monarch of Canada used to have a lot of power. Even before we were a country, the King permitted the HBC to manage all the lands flowing out of the Hudson Bay. That is much of the land that grew into our country. The ancestors of the King of Canada used to be absolute monarchs, responsible for our very lives. Now King Charles III is mostly just a figure head... my question for us is: Is Jesus still our absolute monarch or has he just become a figurehead in our lives? I am going to finish with a story about a king... 

James V, the King of Scotland used to go around the country disguised as a common person. That is because he wanted to meet the everyday people of the country not just the rich and powerful. He wanted to see how the normal people lived. 

 

One day he was dressed in very old clothes and was going by a place known as Cramond Brig, when he is attacked by robbers who don’t know who he is. There is a fierce struggle and he is nearly overcome when, at just the right moment, a poor farm worker - Jock Howieson - hears the commotion and comes to the disguised king’s aid. 

 

Now Jock, the poor labourer, who works on this portion of the King’s land, Cramond Brig, unawares takes the undercover king home and gives him a dinner of broth and Jock - as the king is recouping – naturally asks the man who he is. 

 

The King responds ‘I’m a good man of Edinburgh.’ 

 

‘And where do you live in that city and where do you work?’ 

 

‘Well,’ says James, ‘I live at the palace and I work there too.’ 

 

‘The palace, is it? I’d like to see the palace; if I could see the King, I’d tell him a thing or two…’ 

 

‘About what?’ asks the man. 

 

‘I’d tell him that I should own this land that I am on. I work it every day and he never comes here & gets his hands dirty working this land.’ 

 

 ‘You’re right enough’, says the man. ‘You come tomorrow to the palace at Holy Rood and I’ll show you around. Come at two.’ 

 

So the next day at two o’clock, Jock Howieson, is washed, dressed and at the palace to meet his new friend at the back door. The good man, whom Jock had saved the day before, shows him around the kitchen, the dining room, the bedrooms – the whole palace. Then, at last, the two of them come to the great rooms of the State. 

 

‘Do you want to see the King?’ the man asks Jock. 

 

‘Oh yes indeed’, says Jock, ‘I do. I do want to see the King.’ 

So they enter the great hall and as they come in, men bow and ladies curtsey. It is really quite a thing to see.  So Jock whispers to his friend, ‘How will I know who the king is?’ 

 

‘He’s the only one who keeps his hat on’ 

 

Jock says, ‘But… there’s only us two with our hats…’ and Jock immediately takes off his hat as he realises that James is indeed the King of Scotland. 

 

And so it is with us today. Jesus is King (as He is God, Lord and Saviour). He is walking around with each of us showing us His domain here on earth and just waiting for us to take off our hats as we realise that indeed Jesus is King. If there are any of us here today who have not taken off our hats and laid them before the Lord, I invite us to do just that – acknowledge the truth that Jesus Christ is King. And as we realise that may always serve Him as the absolute monarch in our life and never just a figure head. 

 

Let us pray. 

 

 

John 21:13-23: Welcome Back, Feed My Sheep

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 26 April 2026 

Presented to TSA Warehouse Mission and Corps 614, 19 February 2017

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 07 April 2013

Presented to Nipawin Corps, 21 February 2009

Presented to Weston Corps, May 2006

By Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

This is the 2017 version: to view the originally published text click here:  http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2009/02/john-2115-23-were-back.html 

     

  

 I can remember one Friday night when I am sixteen, I need to borrow my parents’ car and I am allowed on one condition – that I bring my along little sister, Lorinda – she is fifteen. If I can be trusted with the car then I can take my sister with me. It is bad enough that I have to bring my little sister with me but what makes this even worse is that she has a curfew, which I don’t, so I have to stop whatever I am doing and bring her home by 10:00.

I take her down to the local hangout where I meet my friends and tell her to just to find something to do and not bother me until it is time to go. This works well because, believe it or not, she didn’t really want to spend all Friday night with her brother either – so this thing might just work out after all. Now as the evening progresses, I am having fun. I meet some new friends. There is a party later that night that the group of us are planning to attend – there is just one problem – I have to get my sister home by 10pm.

As my friends and I are in the middle of planning our night, my sister shows up and says, “it’s time to go” and - she is not alone. She has gone off and found herself a boyfriend! And this boyfriend is actually a friend of mine! I have an idea…

He can bring Lorinda home! There are, however, a couple of details to work out: (1) my sister isn’t really allowed to date just yet and (2) this boy, Tony, will be bringing her home on his motorcycle! (actually I think it was probably more like a moped or motorized scooter). These won’t go over so well with my mom, so I come up with a plan: I tell Tony that he can take her home but to make sure that he parks around the corner from our house so my mom won’t see them when she looks out the window and I tell Lorinda to tell mom that she got a ride home from Melody, a friend from church group, instead of a boy on a motor scooter.

Tony does get her home all right but rather than parking around the corner like I told him to he parks down the street, in plain view, and under a streetlight and he decides to give her a good night kiss. And then Lorinda has a cigarette as she walks the rest of the way home where my mom is watching this whole scene from the window. Lorinda walks in the door and mom asks, “How did you get home?”

“Melody…” up oh…

Fast forward a couple of hours - I come home. All the lights are on and mom is waiting for me at the front door… “How did Lorinda get home? How did Lorinda home? Who took Lorinda home?” I hear her question - I just don’t answer. I am caught. I know it. I can tell. I betrayed my mom’s trust and now I am being asked these questions over and over again .

‘Do you love me?’ is the question the recently resurrected Jesus asks Peter over and over again. John 21:15-23: Peter must feel just about the same way I did. “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?” As recorded in John 18, Jesus trusted him. Peter said he would stand by Jesus and he did not and now he is in need of restoration. He betrayed His confidence.

Peter had a special relationship with Jesus; he was even one of the three Jesus invited up the mountain with him for his last night before Calvary. Jesus told Peter everything that would happen then; Peter still denied even knowing him 3 times in the High Priest’s courtyard… and then they led Jesus out to be crucified.

Now Jesus, who died, is sitting right here; Jesus, who was killed, has appeared to the disciples more than once; Jesus, who was denied by Peter, has just finished eating with them. Jesus, who, initially to Peter’s surprise came back to life, is sitting right in front of him asking him whether or not he actually loves him. No wonder, as it says is verse 17, Peter feels hurt. Who wouldn’t feel a little convicted, a little ashamed, a little embarrassed? You make a promise to stand by someone. He even calls you on it – “Peter, before the rooster crows YOU will deny me three times.”

“No, not me” says Peter “No, not me”…. well, 3 rooster crows later and Jesus is denied, crucified, died and now he is back from the dead staring Peter straight in the face asking, “do you love me?” “Do you love me?”

Can you imagine? You deny someone. He knows it. He’s killed. He comes back from the dead and is staring you right in the face and asking you, “do you love me?”

There is even more to it than this. Remember that Peter is the ‘Rock’ upon which Jesus is going to build His church (Matt. 16:18); he is one of the inner circle of apostles; He is sent out to proclaim the good news; he is supposed to be a leader. Now he has fallen. How can he be even a follower, if he doesn’t follow; led alone a leader, if he doesn’t lead. Peter is in need of restoration.

So with all this probably racing around in Peter’s mind and more, Jesus not only asks him, “Do you love me?” Peter also might hear, in effect, “Prove it – feed my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep;” “Prove it - take care of my followers – prove it, actually feed people - prove it.” Peter hears, “Do you love me? Do you love me?”

Peter, we can imagine, is so saddened that he does not answer, “Yes, I love you and I’ll do it.” Instead Jesus’ ‘Do you love me?’ only elicits, according to some translators, “I like you…” Can you imagine?

  

“Do you love me?”

“I’m fond of you.”

“Do you love me?”

“I like you…I like you a lot.”

“But do you love me? Then feed my sheep…”

  

This is important. In the Greek it is recorded that Jesus is really asking Peter if he (agape) loves him but Peter at first is only answering “I (phillia) love you, which in its range of meanings might mean merely, “I like you,” “or I’m fond of you.” This was probably not Peter saying, ‘I don’t love you’; it is more like him responding, “I’m unworthy of loving you.”[1]

            “Do you love me?” A runaway child asks her mom, in our city today, from her cell phone. She wants to come home. She needs to be restored to her place as a loved and cared for daughter.

            “Do you love me?” the little boy asks his big brother coming back from detention of some sort. He needs his brother back.

            “Do you love me?” a now grown child who suffered abuse in the residential schools, asks the churches? The church needs its family back; it needs to be restored.

            “Do you love me?” a sister asks her brother who left her and their mom to live with his dad years ago. He needs to be restored as big brother.[2]

            “Do you love me?” a six year-old asks her 15 year-old sister who just returned from six months of Drug rehab[3]. The sister needs to be restored as big sister.

            “Do you love me?” an estranged wife asks her recovering alcoholic husband as she returns to him. He needs to be restored as husband.

“Do you love me?” Jesus is asking each of us as we are in need of restoration in our relationships.

            Let me tell you a story: A friend of mine grows up in the church. He is almost always involved something up there. He reads his Bible all the time – everyday for years. He always prays. He never doubts that God has what is best in store for him. When others surrender, he perseveres. Even when his parents don’t want to get up to go to church, he gets himself up, gets dressed and walks all the way there by himself. He rises every morning at 6am just to spend time with God. He always has a Bible tucked away in his pocket somewhere so that he can read it or give it away to someone who might need it. God loves him and he loves God.  Then he meets a girl.

            She is a nice girl. He falls in love but…she is not quite on the same page as he is. As they grow more and more intimate, He drifts farther and farther from God. He slowly stops reading his Bible. First he just misses a day here or there, then a whole week, then –he moves in with her- he stops getting up early and talking to God; he stops listening to God. Then he stops hearing God; it is silent; it is silent. He is in need of restoration. “Do you love me?” Jesus is still asking him.

Any parts of this story strike a chord with us? Is there anything separating us from God? Are we in need of restoration? “Do you love me?” Jesus is still asking us. What have we done to remove ourselves from the will or presence of God? Are we in need of restoration? “Do you love me?” Jesus is still asking us.

Jesus is still asking Peter, ‘do you love me?’– and more. There is an important progression here. It is not only Peter whose answers possibly develop – remember the answers of  ‘I love you’ that can mean, “I’m fond of you” and “I like you” and that it may be only on the third time that Peter actually responds “You KNOW I love you.” Jesus’ questioning also develops. He starts out with, “do you love me then…. feed my lambs.” Next, do you love me, then…. take care of my sheep; then, “feed my sheep.” This is important: it apparently moves from concentrating on a subset of the flock, to overseeing all the flock, to actually feeding the whole flock. Peter’s responsibility grows.[4]

At first Jesus also asks Peter if he loves him more than these – more than the other disciples[5]. This brings one’s mind back to his boast of a couple of chapters earlier - John 13:37 (cf. Matthew 26:33) - where Peter claims that he will never leave Jesus. The threefold questioning recalls the criteria for a legal declaration.[6] This is not about apostolic succession,[7] however, Peter is not forsaken he is forgiven.

Jesus is restoring Peter. He does so in such a way as to leave no doubt. While, as we have looked at, the questions are not exactly the same, he is asked three times to confess Christ at his restoration like he denied Christ three times to put him in need of this restoration and later in Acts 10, when he is told through a dream to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, he is also told three times. The triune God is building on the significance of threes.

This is exciting and Peter gets it. Finally, he understands. Peter is restored. After he confesses, (v. 17) “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus lets him know about what is in store for the future. In verses 18 and 19 “Jesus [says], "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. “Jesus [says] this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he [says] to him, ‘Follow me!’”

The death: Peter gets to die for Jesus. He gets his martyrs’ crown. Now, while this may not necessarily sound so good to us– the person you deny and is killed and comes back from the grave to tell you, you are going to die… (And tradition has it that Peter was actually crucified on a cross, just as Jesus was, except that he was hanged upside down.) To Peter, however, this is good news. It means he is back. He is back! Peter has been restored. His sin is forgiven, Jesus trusts him. He accepts the responsibility to ‘feed his sheep’ and this responsibility is offered to us all.[8] As Peter himself exhorts us in 2 Peter 5:2-4, “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

“Follow me!” He is back. “Follow me”, Jesus says to Peter. He is back and he is excited. So much so that Peter starts asking about others around, such as John, ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ who was right there and also sat next to Jesus at the last supper, Peter asks (v. 21) “what about him?” Jesus answers, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me’ (v. 22). Peter is forgiven. “Follow me.” That’s what is important for Peter now – that he must follow Jesus. Jesus has provided a way for him to be forgiven, reinstated and Peter is restored.

“Follow me,” Jesus says, and “welcome back.” Welcome home. Welcome home, in our world today, to the girl who ran away from her mom. Jesus loves you and you are restored. Welcome home to the big brother who has returned. He is restored. Welcome back to the alienated denominations who ran the residential schools, you can be restored. Welcome back to the big sister who slipped up and went on the binge. You are back. You are clean; you are forgiven and you are restored to your responsibilities of big sister. Welcome back to the repentant, recovering alcoholic dad. Welcome back. You are forgiven. You are sober; you are restored to your position as husband and dad. Welcome back! Jesus has restored you. Welcome back. All of us can be restored.

I, after not being allowed to use the car for a month or so, was eventually restored to being trusted again. My mom trusted me again even though I had denied my responsibilities. She forgave me and I was restored.

My friend, the silence for him must have been as painful as the denial was for the disciple Peter. The girl he was involved with is now a Christian as well and they are married. He is restored to getting up early and spending time with God. Jesus loves them both. God is faithful. They are restored and they are feeding his sheep.

We are invited to accept forgiveness. We are invited to feed Jesus sheep. We are invited to be restored. We are invited to show the way, the truth and the light. We are invited to accept forgiveness as well. Jesus died on that cross for us and he is sitting, in effect, on the beach with you and me like he was with Peter. He knows our hearts. He knows your heart. He knows and forgiveness is offered. So let us accept that forgiveness, that restoration and that reconciliation and ‘feed his sheep.’ Let us feed his sheep. Let us look after the physically hungry. Feed his sheep. Let us look after the spiritually hungry. Feed his sheep. Let us take care of those in real need. Feed his sheep. Let us not lose any of the flock of which he has given us oversight. As we are restored and as we are forgiven, let us forgive others and let us feed his sheep.

Let us pray: “Dear God, we thank you for your example of the restoration of Peter. We thank you that forgiveness and restoration is available to us all. We confess any times we have denied and not followed you. We confess any times that we have not fed your sheep. We love you and we pray that, as you enable, like Peter claimed, we will always follow you. Amen.”

www.sheepspeak.com  

John 20:19-23: Breath of God

Presented to The Salvation Army Corps 614 Regent Park, Toronto; 03 April 2016 and Alberni Valley Ministries, 12 April 2016 by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay 

 

This is the 2026 version. To view the 2026 version, click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2016/03/john-20-breath-of-god.html   

  

Today we will continue from last week, looking at John Chapter 20. Today will be speaking about the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. First today, I have a little quiz for us. Let’s see how we do. [Answers below, before footnotes] 

  

1)      When is the first time the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God shows up in Scripture? 

a.       Genesis 1:2 

b.      Revelation 2:4 

c.       John 1:1 

d.      Acts 2:4 

  

2)      When is the first time the Holy Spirit is specifically mentioned contending with a multitude of people for their salvation? 

a.       Genesis 6:3 

b.      Isaiah 9:6 

c.       Matthew 1:23 

d.      Acts 2:4 

  

3)      When is the first time the Bible openly talks about specific people having an indwelling of the Holy Spirit or a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit? 

a.       Genesis 41:38 

b.      Judges 2:7 

c.       Matthew 1:18 

d.      Acts 2:4 

  

4)      What book in the Bible is an anthology of separate incidents of the Holy Spirit personally empowering people for salvation of themselves and others? 

a.       Exodus 

b.      Judges 

c.       John 

d.      Revelation 

  

5)      When is the first time the Holy Spirit shows up chronologically in the New Testament? 

a.       Matthew 1:18 

b.      Mark 1:8-10 

c.       Luke 1:15 

d.      John 1:32 

  

6)      When is the first time the Holy Spirit is recorded as being poured out to people after the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament? 

a.       Matthew 1:18 

b.      Mark 4:35 

c.       John 20:22 

d.      Acts 2:4 

  

John 20:19-23: This is a really interesting passage. It is mentioned in the liturgy for many Christian churches. It is in the same chapter as the Resurrection, which every Christian church celebrates at Easter, and yet for some reason people in the 21st Century Church often skip over this part of the chapter and thus may think that the Holy Spirit first shows up in Scripture in Acts 2 or that He first enters people's lives personally in Acts 2 or that He first shows up to empower people for salvation in Acts 2 or that He first shows up in the Christian Church in Acts 2.[1] None of this is technically true[2] (unless, of course, Acts 2 is simply Luke account of John 20 here, which it could be).[3] God, the Holy Spirit is part of our life and our world at the creation of the world and God, the Holy Spirit is still a part of our life at the creation of the church and beyond.[4] 

  

Today we are looking at chapter 20 of the book of John, There is only one more chapter left in the book so I thought we should review a little bit about what happened in the rest of the book – specifically relating to the Holy Spirit – so that we have some context for our text today. To recap the book of John... 

  

First, John Chapter 1: John 1 is known as one of the great trinitarian pericopes in the Bible. What does trinitarian/trinity mean? (3-in-1). Right off the top in John’s Gospel, John tells us that Jesus is God and God is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is Jesus. John then goes on in this very same chapter, Chapter 1, to mention the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus as a dove at His baptism (1:33) and from that point on it is really interesting to look at what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit. 

  

I have handed out a few verses for people to read aloud, which I will ask you to do shortly but first I have another question for us. John uses the Greek word ‘Paraclete’ to refer to the Holy Spirit. Does anyone know what ‘Paraclete’ means? (One who is a comforter, an advocate, and/or who comes alongside). Jesus throughout this Gospel – and especially during his farewell discourse –repeatedly promises that the same Spirit of God that descended upon Him, that is within Him, and that has been with God since before the creation of the world, that same Spirit of God that is in everything and that God has poured out at pivotal times in salvation history, will be our Paraclete, our comforter, our advocate. 

  

Today we have given a number of people verses in John about our Paraclete, our comforter, our advocate, the Holy Spirit. If you have one, please read it aloud now for all of us to hear: 

  

·         John 3:5, 'Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the [Holy] Spirit.' 

  

·         John 3:34, 'For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the [Holy] Spirit without limit.' 

  

·         John 7:38-39a: Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this He meant the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. 

  

·         John 14:17: the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and in you. 

  

·         John 14:26: But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

  

·         John 15:26: When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about me. 

  

John has a lot to say about the Holy Spirit that is really important for us to understand today. To recap, John says: 

  

·         The world can’t accept the Holy Spirit (John 14:17), and 

·         Without the Holy Spirit no one can enter God’s Kingdom (John 3:5), but 

·         Those who serve Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit (John 7:38), for 

·         God gives the Holy Spirit without limit (John 3:34), and 

·         The Holy Spirit will empower you to tell people about Jesus (John 15:26); so that they can be saved unto eternal life and be a part of His Kingdom forever. 

  

The word for ‘spirit’ is a homonym in both in Hebrew and in Greek. Do we know what the English word for ‘spirit’ can also be translated as in both Hebrew and Greek the Bible? Wind. The word for ‘wind’ and the word for ‘spirit’ in each Greek and Hebrew, in each the OT and the NT, are homonyms. The Hebrew is ‘Ruach’; The Greek word is ‘pneuma’; we can, and probably should, think of God, the Holy Spirit as the Holy Wind or the very Breath of God.)[5] 

  

This is exciting because in Acts 2 we have the Spirit coming like a wind to empower us to share the gospel;[6] In Genesis 2 (cf. Ezekiel 37) and John 20 we have God breathing His Spirit into, onto or over people. Genesis 2:7, at the creation of mankind, records, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” The psalms (104:29) even tell us that if that Spirit of God is removed from us then we will all die. And John here in our passage today draws on that same imagery as he tells us about the coming of the Paraclete.[7] John 20:21-23, Jesus says to his disciples, probably many more than ten, eleven or even twelve of them; reading Luke into this, possibly even the people who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus are present with this crowd:[8] 

  

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 

  

The Holy Spirit is given here so that we can share the Good News with the World, just as Jesus did. And what is that Good News? That Good News is that, John 3:16-17, ”for God so loved the whole world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life [in His Kingdom to come]; For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

  

I have a short story for us today and then we will conclude our time here. This story is from 10 years ago, when we served in Toronto. My appointment before Toronto was Swift Current, Sk. There, like here, I met many people in the larger community and thus often had the opportunity to share my faith. My Toronto appointments were mostly just in churches so there weren’t as many opportunities to ‘lead people to Christ’. I was starting to wonder how long if it might be before I celebrate with someone as they accept the forgiveness of sins and the eternal life that comes with receiving the Spirit. I even brought up this at one of our staff meetings, asking people when the last time any of us have had the joy to be there when people accepted God’s gift of forgiveness of sins. I was starting to be sad because I know there are people suffering through the struggles of this life alone when they don’t need to; we all can rest in the Spirit and enjoy the comfort of the Paraclete; we can each ask Jesus to come into our life and be saved. This all was in the back of my mind as I was serving in Toronto. People were suffering. I knew God could help them – and I couldn’t find the opportunity to point people to that salvation, that comfort, that help.  

  

In the front of my mind then was the book of John and the Holy Spirit and the fact that the word ‘spirit’ also means ‘wind’ or ‘air’ or ‘breath’ and that as we receive the Holy Breath, we can be saved in everything both now and forever. 

  

And then the phone rang. I was told there was a man in the Toronto General Hospital who had a terminal respiratory illness. (This was before Covid) He was going to die from not being able to breathe the air, the wind. I was told he might not live until tomorrow. I was told he needed a minister; I was told his family wanted a Salvation Army Officer. I was told he might be ready to accept forgiveness for his sins, peace, comfort, and eternal life. I ran downstairs, I told my staff, asked for prayer and one of them drove me to the hospital, he prayed and I headed upstairs to see the man and his family. And to make a long story short, this man who was dying of a lack of breath, accepted the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit and received eternal life; so that even as he dies, yet shall He live. This man accepted eternal life, God’s Holy Spirit, even on his death bed. Praise the Lord! 

  

What about us here? Salvation is important for eternity. It is also important for now. God can help us in the here and now as well as forever. He can get us through anything. He can. So I ask, is there any in this room who have never asked Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit to breathe salvation into our lives? Are there any of us here who, in our post-Covid world, are dying of an eternal respiratory disease? Are there any of us here who are going through all the struggles of life without taping into the comfort God offers? Is there anyone here who hasn’t prayed to receive the Holy Spirit yet? If so, you don’t need to wait until your death bed; you don’t need to wait until your dying breath; you don’t need to live another moment without the very breath of God in your life and lungs; you can accept the real comfort of God, and forgiveness for sins today – and experience it for ever more. 

  

Is there anyone here who has not asked God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus into their lives yet? Would you like us to pray for you? God can get you through anything. 

  

Let us pray. 

www.sheepspeak.com 

  

Answers to Quiz: 

1)  (a) Genesis 1:1-2: Right in the beginning of the Bible: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” 

2)  (a) Genesis 6:3: Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 

3)  (a) Genesis 41:38 mentions the Moses as having the Holy Spirit in him and Exodus 35:30-32 speaks about the Holy Spirit being with Bezalel son of Uri, many more example follow throughout the OT. 

4)  (b) Judges 

5)  (a) Matthew 1:18. Matthew 1:18 records: ‘This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8-10 first mentions the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus at his baptism. Luke 1:15 speaks about the Spirit in terms of John the Baptist "for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born." John 1:32: John 1:1-18 implies the presence of the Holy Spirit at creation but – like Mark – first mentions Him specifically descending on Jesus at His baptism like a dove in 1:32. 

6) (c) John 20:22 

--- 

[1] Cf. Gary M. Burge, ‘John’ in NIVAC Bundle 6: Gospels, Acts. NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2000), 70911-70934 

[2] Cf. Rodney A. Whitacre, John (IVP NT Series: IVP Academic: Downers Grove, Illinois: 1999), 482 

[3] Gary M. Burge, ‘John’ in NIVAC Bundle 6: Gospels, Acts. NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2000), 70952 

[4] Cf. John Kistendahl, ‘2nd Sunday of Easter: John 20:19-31: Exegetical View’ in Feasting on the Word Year C Vol 2:Lent through Eastertide, David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown, ed. (Louisville, Kentucky,  Westminister John Knox Press: 2000), 14135 

[5] Gregory Robbins, ‘2nd Sunday of Easter: John 20:19-31: Exegetical View’ in Feasting on the Word Year C Vol 2:Lent through Eastertide, David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown, ed. (Louisville, Kentucky,  Westminster John Knox Press: 2000), 14176 

[6] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Acts 2: Scene 1. Presented to each the Nipawin and Tisdale Corps 12 August 2007, Swift Current Corps 23 May 2010 and 17 May 2015, and Corps 614 Regent Park Toronto 04 October 2015. On-line:http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2015/05/acts-2-scene-1.html 

[7] Gerard Sloyan, John, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching,  (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988), 225 

[8]Cf. William Hendricksen, John (New Testament Commentary: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2007), 460