The Messiah’s Secret – Pentecost

Evening Lectionary: John 16: 4-15. Exodus 33: 7-20. Revised Standard Version Bible
Human beings can step into the fishes environment and swim with the fish. We can climb on board a space craft that is propelled into space by a rocket and step out of our air environment into space.

In both instants we cannot live in them permanently in our natural state, we need the air contained in cylinders and wet and space suits to protect our bodies.
Through the Holy Spirit being sent into the world at Pentecost, God has made it possible to enter into His eternal dimension through his indwelling presence within the Christian.

Visual Aid.  A play dough fish in a bowl of water.
At home we have a gold fish and it lives its life in the
water.

We live in a band of air that covers the globe.

In the Exodus reading  God met with man in a tent. 

Moses and the people of Israel were travelling through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. They lived gathered together within the camp area, but in order to meet with God they were told to go from the camp to the Tent of Meeting which Moses had pitched some distance away. In this designated place Moses and any person from the camp met with God on a one to one basis. Exodus 33: 7-11.                                                                                           

God our Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world to reveal Jesus to us in a personal way by dwelling within a person, on a one to one basis.

God’s love reaching out, our meeting place with God is at the cross of Jesus while we are still in our sin. Scripture says: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we rejoice in God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through whom we have received our reconciliation.” Romans 5: 8-10. 

The Holy Spirit was sent into the world at Pentecost and he reveals Jesus to us.

“The Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness and judgement." John 16: 8. Dis - ease  or ill at ease . The TV Soaps are meant to portray ordinary people’s lives and the drama of it all is being worked out in each episode. In the stories we see the sins of the flesh causing pain and distress and were God is at a distance almost out of sight for many people.  The TV soaps only occasionally portray the way of life that brings love, joy and peace the Christian way. 

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God."                                                           

Visual Aid.

A bowl with clean water, a few drops of red dye and a small quantity of bleach

Add a drop of red dye into the water, the red dye represents impurities in the water. (fallen nature and sin in our blood)

I then pour the bleach into the water and the red dye disappears. Representing  the cleansing of the impurities. (Our sin cancelled out) 

The blood of Jesus going into action when we turn to Jesus recognising our sin against God. It is also a picture of repentance and forgiveness. 

The Bible teaches us that life is in the blood, however, in our blood we carry the hereditary fallen nature of Adam and Eve. The application of Jesus’ blood blots out the hereditary sin of Adam and our sin of the past and present. Repentance on our part brings about forgiveness and reconciliation with God. “Repent therefore and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out  . . . . and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus." Acts 3: 19, 20.  

Moody’s Stories   

"In Ireland some time ago a teacher asked a little boy if there was anything that God could not do. The little fellow said, “He can not see my sins through the blood of Christ.”                                            From the mouths of babes such profound words. 

As a result of us having faith in Jesus’ blood  we receive his promise. 

Jesus said, “If a man/women/child loves me, he will keep my word, and the Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14: 23

The promise of eternal life entering into the Lord our God’s kingdom. 

(Some Christians say you are not a Christian until you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit or until you speak in tongues. Paul's letter to the Romans 10:9 does not say that, he wrote: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. . . no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame." A person will only confess that Jesus is Lord by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12: 3.)

Having received both God our Father and Jesus the Son of God  the Holy Spirit puts substance to our faith, through a variety of ways. 

Through someone praying for us. Paul praying for the members of the church at Ephesus, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1: 16.

The words of the Bible drop from our mind down into our heart. Continuing with the letter to the Ephesians, ”That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1: 17, 18. The enlightening of the eyes of our heart is were our head knowledge about Jesus, becomes heart knowledge. 

"All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said he (Holy Spirit) will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16: 15.
The words of Jesus expresses God’s love for us and his words become alive, living words as they are acted upon by God’s Holy Spirit.                                                                                                                      

Move from being under law to being under grace. Paul’s letter to the Galatians he reminds them that he is justified by faith and not by the works of the law. Salvation is received as a free gift, we can not earn the gift by our own merit, we can only accept what Jesus has achieved for us by faith.  “ I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; the life I now live in my flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2: 20.   

When we understand we move forward in faith, receiving what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We depend upon God for his love and forgiveness. 

Laying on of hands. The people at Samaria had accepted Jesus as their Saviour and were baptised but they had not received the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8: 14,15. 

What I have heard about Jesus, now I know it is true. I remember Miriam saying to me, “It was like scales falling from my eyes.” Hours before she told me she was going to see Rev Ron Freeman our Vicar (now with the Lord) she had some questions to ask him. I knew that after their discussion he would pray with her and using the gift that the Lord had given him which was for people to receive of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Miriam received the precious gift.  

It was my own experience too through Ronald’s gift, the Lord has put substance to my faith, I know that Jesus is God made visible in the flesh and the Holy Spirit is still at work in the world. (Approx two years before I had been healed of a sickness through the laying on of hands at a Bible Study.)

Baptism My sister at her children's Baptism, (Anglican Church) the Lord added substance to her faith when she received the the Holy Spirit in power. Many people at their Baptism receive the Holy Spirit.

Humility.  For a number of Christians who have been brought up in the faith who have never had a 'Damascus Road' experience, but have received substance to their faith by the receiving of the Holy Spirit in a very unassuming way. 

Living in the Spirit of God’s Righteousness and Judgement.

It is like us, entering into the gold fish’s environment, we give the fish its food to sustain its life.  In order to sustain our life in God’s kingdom we need the spiritual food.
Jesus said, “My words are Spirit and life.” John 6: 63.

Christian Crackers by Phil Mason. "A lady was very nervous about her appointment with the dentist. Before leaving home she sought courage by reading the text for the day from her calendar. It was Psalm 81: 10:  "Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it."
                 

The word of God guides us to share what we have with others, “And let our people learn themselves to apply good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.” Titus 3: 14
Quite often the Lord calls us to response to the practical needs of people, who through no fault of their own find themselves unable to feed their family so that they can pay their bills. As a result they need short term help to get through the crisis. Collectively we can help by providing food stuffs for the Food Banks or through networking or sign posting we can enlist the help of the appropriate organisations to suit their need.  

Every so often the Goldfish bowl needs to be cleaned out. There is debris on the surface of the pebbles and algae on the glass.  

We look to the Word to remind us of the things that pertain to a life of godliness. 

In 2 Peter 1 verses 3 -8 Peter confirms this equal standing that we have with the disciples in our faith in Christ. We do not need to the look to the world to live a fulfilled life, we have the Lord’s precious and very great promises and his divine nature that enables us to live a godly life.  

"For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and with self-control with steadfastness, and with steadfastness godliness, and with godliness brotherly and sisterly affection, and with brotherly and sisterly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  2 Peter 1: 1-8                                        

The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus continually as we are built up in through the study of the Bible.
The Holy Spirit will build us up in our faith through the study of the Bible, not through memorising scripture, although that is useful, but it's as he reveals through the study, understandings about Jesus, that he is God made visible in the flesh,  Jesus is the living Word and in our relationship with Jesus, we have been crucified with Jesus and that we are raised up with him in his resurrection etc.
For example: through the study of Matthew Chapters 5,6,7. The Sermon on the Mount. The Holy Spirit revealed to me in the Spirit that Jesus taught the perfect law of God as he was God himself.
Through the study of 1 John that Jesus is the living Word, he is the Word of God clothed in the flesh etc.

We are built up and strengthened in our faith, as the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us in the study of the word of God. The choice of the translation of the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek is very important to me because of the Holy Spirit's ministry in revealing Jesus through the study of both the Hebrew and the New Testaments.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The Messiah’s Secret – Early Christians and the Essenes.

This blog is based on the study of Carsten Peter Theide’s book “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish origins of Christianity” Carsten was one of the world’s leading papyrologists on the history and texts of the first century. He was Professor of early Christian history at STH Basel Switzerland and a board member of the History Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer- Sheva Israel.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found contained in Jars, they were following Jeremiah’s words; ”Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take the deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.” Jeremiah 32: 14. 

The Scrolls help us understand Judaism and its development during the centuries between the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Christianity.

Long before the Dead Sea Scrolls were re-discovered in caves in 1947 by three Bedouins the Ta’amireh tribe  A Jewish group called ‘Essenes’ settled near the Dead Sea. The settlement's ancient name is thought to be Secacah, situated on the ancient road which links Jericho with Mazda, En Gedi, Sodom and Eilat. It was not an isolated settlement; there was an oasis near bye. The modern Arabic name Qumran was given to it as late as 1953-56, during the Jordanian occupation of the region.

Pliny the elder documented the existence of the Essenes and he wrote about them after the destruction of Qumran in AD68.  

Pliny the Roman statesman and natural historian documented the region with its settlements mentioning the Essenes. He died during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. 

Philo the Jewish philosopher and diplomat died in AD 50. He knew some of the Essenes’ teachings and knew of more than one settlement.   

Josephus a former Pharisee and priest, a Jewish general in the revolt against the Romans and finally an advisor and historian at the court of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, he knew the Essenes personally and their teachings. Josephus having spent time living with the Essenes, he records that there were 4,000 male Essenes dwelling in places all over the country. They had links with other communities; a fragment 4Q159 refers to the Essene link with the Therapeute movement active mainly in Egypt. 

Questions frequently asked:  

a) How much did the first Christians know about the Essene movement and visa versa how much did the Essenes know about Jesus and his disciples? 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene? 

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  

Archaeological Evidence of the First Century.  

Josephus recorded a Jerusalem city gate named ‘Gate of the Essenes’ it was situated on the south- west hill. The disciples and Jesus would know of it and about the Essenes. In the late 1990’s a team of Archaeologists excavated near the gate and found Essene purifying baths and nearby latrines. Josephus having spent time living with them gave details of the rules that had to be observed by the Essene community. 

James and the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, like so many other Jews, knew about the writings and teachings of the Essenes, as they also knew about other groups of the time. And they not only knew the teachings, they probably knew the people themselves. They could have met them almost anywhere.  The Christians closer to the Pharisees than to the Essenes.  

Two Isaiah Scrolls were found in Cave 1 with varying style and vocabulary without interfering with the content of the Hebrew originals.
Cave 4. Carsten Theide writes that finding fragments of the Greek Bible (translation of the Hebrew Bible) the Septuagint at Qumran was a breakthrough. Greek the common language all over the Roman Empire and beyond, at least since the first century BC. Page 126/7 
The Greek Bible, which was the one almost exclusively used by the Christian Jews outside the Holy Land in New Testament times  -  and by the authors of the New Testament themselves.

Christian Hippolytus of the third century AD wrote of the Essene belief in the resurrection: “The doctrine of the resurrection has also derived support among them, for they acknowledge both that the flesh will rise again, and that it will be immortal, in the same manner as the soul is already imperishable. They maintain that when the soul has been separated from the body, it is now borne into one place, which is well ventilated and full of light, and there it rests until judgement.” 

Hippolytus was the first Christian to regard them explicitly as kindred spirits at least in some of the central areas of the Jewish heritage which Christians and Essenes had in common. Qumran fragment found in Cave 4 and numbered 4Q 521does deal with the question of the bodily resurrection, proving Hippolytus to be a trustworthy late classical source. It was one of those fascinating cases where similarities between Essene theology and the teaching of Jesus are visible, going back to the same Old Testament passages, against the tenets of the priestly Sadducees who rejected it. Mark 12: 18-27. 

Since the editing of these New Testament fragments in 1962 there has been great debate as to the likelihood of Christian scrolls being found at Qumran. In Cave 7 fragments 7Q5 and 7Q4: 1 Timothy 3: 16- 4: 1,3.  and Mark 6: 52, 53   

Carsten Theide writes, ”Between the first public proclamation of the Christian message at Shavuot/Pentecost in AD 30, and the ‘closure’ of Qumran in AD 68, some thirty eight years or almost one and a half generations went by. It goes without saying that the Qumran Essenes heard about the new, personified messianic message during those decades. After all, they even had an outpost in Jerusalem, on the south-west hill which today is called Mount Zion, not far from the local community centre of the followers of Jesus. To put it bluntly, if there is any place where we must expect to find the first writings of these Jesus people, it is the study library of that other vibrant messianic and eschatological movement, the Essenes.” Page 149   

The Essenes Scrolls reveal that they believed in two or even three Messiahs, a Messiah from the line of David and another from the priestly line of Aaron who was regarded in the Damascus Document as the eschatological one, “He will teach righteousness at the end of the days’ (Dead Sea Scrolls scholars are not unanimous) If a third Messiah can be identified, he is the so-called ‘Prophet.’ The Community Rule mentions him once. And specifies that he will come together with the Messiah Aaron. The Davidic Messiah was triumphant, he was victorious. He was the Messiah of Isaiah 11, of 4Q 161, 4Q 285, and perhaps even of the famous War Scroll 1QM. 

Carsten Theide does not mention that any of the fragments that have been looked at indicate of the second Messiah raising the first Messiah from the dead. (See blog Isaiah 53) 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene?  

Carsten Theide is of the opinion that John the Baptist cannot be directly associated with the Qumran, his desert abode was five miles west of Hebron at a place called Ain el-Ma’ mudiyyeh (Spring of Baptism) John’s baptism a complete purification through an immersion by another person and does not bear resemblance to the Essene daily practice the ritual of self-purification. 1QS 3:9. CD 10: 11) The only connection was the use of water in its cleansing effect.  John was the first person in Jewish history that immersed fellow Jews in an act of repentance and purification. 

Also the Baptism formula proclaimed by Peter at Pentecost was quite unprecedented. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2: 38.

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  

 In AD 937 The Karaite historian Qirqisanic wrote: a certain David Merwan, had written about the sect the ‘cavemen’, so called because their writings were found in caves. The ‘cavemen’ and their texts are mentioned after the Sadducees and before Jesus and his followers – that new Jewish movement of the first century. 

The New Testament Gospels and letters that were written in the early stages of Christianity were circulated from one congregation to another.   

The disciples believed in the resurrection after they had witnessed seeing Jesus crucified and die on the cross and there were those who witnessed him being embalmed and sealed in the tomb. Within three days they saw Jesus in his risen body and had conversation with him in the house at Jerusalem where they touched his resurrected body and watched him eat the same food as they were eating. Afterwards he left them without going through a door or window; he disappeared in a moment from where he had been with them in the house. Paul records in his letter to the Corinthian Church that over 500 people witnessed to seeing Jesus risen from the dead.  

The Essene belief in two or three Messiah’s is contrary to the beliefs of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus taught and demonstrated that he was the Messiah fulfilling the Hebrew prophesies in his suffering and death, resurrection and ascension. He spoke of his return with the angels of God and that there were some standing listening to him say this would see the kingdom come in power. Mark 8:38 9:1.   

The Messiah’s Secret proves that the disciples fulfilled scripture in observing the requirements of Jewish law to form a community. 

The disciples and the followers of Jesus were Jews and they shared the same Hebrew Bible and it’s prophesies with the Essenes and other Jewish groups, the Pharisees, the Zealots and the Sadducees. 

The formation of a Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem has a similarity with the Essene community, but under the rules of the Mishnah in order to set up a community the number of officers required was twelve, one tenth of the whole community.  At that time there were eleven disciples, and there were one hundred and twenty gathered at the house in Jerusalem. Therefore they brought their number up to twelve to comply with the rules. More importantly, it was in response to the fulfillment of scripture, ‘His office let another take,’ Matthias became the twelfth disciple.   Acts 1: 15, 20, 23. Peakes Commentary page 778 Cf. Mishnah (Sanh.1 with a small six)

The disciples expected Jesus to return soon after Pentecost. Acts 3: 17 end. 
Jesus himself hoped to return within their life time. Mark 8 : 38. 9: 1. John 21: 21. Acts 1: 11.                                                          

The disciples were to be about their master’s until he returned. Mark 13: 32-37.  

Essenes and Christians were called sects by the Jewish authorities. The high priest and Jews at the trial of Paul before Felix referred to Paul as a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Paul's response, "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers."   Acts 24: 5, 14. 28: 22.

The Jewish Christian Community proclaimed Jesus to the members of the Jewish ruling council that Jesus was the nation’s Messiah and he that would return. Acts 3: 17 end. 4: 8-12. 5: 29-32. 
The disciples and followers broke bread in their homes whilst the temple sacrifices continued. The baptism spoken of by Peter continued and the Holy Spirit was received by thousands of people. The healing ministry of the disciples and followers continued as all still continues today.  

The delay in Jesus’ return 

The prophet Daniel prophesied that “And after sixty two weeks (of years) ‘the anointed one’ (the Messiah) would be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people and the prince who is to come shall come and destroy the city.” Daniel 9: 26 
Jesus hoped to return soon after his ascension, but the response from Israel's leaders after Pentecost did not allow this to happen. But Jesus also knew that only God his Father knew of the day and of the hour of his return. Mark 13: 32  

Discovered in the 3^rd Century   

Origen in his writings mentioned that he used a scroll that came from a jar in a cave near Jericho. 
Ninth century a Nestrum bishop referred to such scrolls as a matter of course. This evidence of the existence of ancient scrolls was never acted upon by Archaeologists. 

Carsten Theide wrote that someday in the future some of the fragments found will be looked at again and the hundreds that had still to be analyzed will reveal their secrets.   

Answered Prayer
After the sermon/blog 'Isaiah 53' I asked the Lord to know more about the Essene period. On Thursday 2nd May my prayer was answered, my husband and I we visited Howarth (Bronte Sisters home town in Yorkshire) We go once every year and I like to look in the secondhand bookshops. There is one in particular that has a good Christian selection and  I was delighted when I found and bought Carsten Theides book. I humbly thank you, Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The Messiah’s Secret – A Stone Rolled Away

Evening Lectionary   Matthew 28: 1-10, 16-20. Zephaniah 3: 14-end. Revised Standard Bible. Picture - A typical tomb with a huge stone to cover the entrance.                                                                                                          

Seeking Jesus. 

Matthew wrote that the women wanted to see the sepulchre, they were grieving and probably wanted to be near Jesus. When Mary Magdalene and Mary arrived at that tomb, an earthquake occurred and at the same time an angel rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. Matthew 28: 1-10, 16-20

Stony Hearts. 

We can have a stone covering our heart, until it is removed by the operation of God.   John Wesley heard a reading of Martin Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans, and penned the now famous lines "I felt my heart strangely warmed".   His heart of stone had become a heart of flesh. John Wesley had made the connection were his head knowledge became heart knowledge.  His heart, his soul transformed by the operation of God.  Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin.                                                                                  

Paul made the connection with Ezekiel’s prophecy in his letter to the Corinthians and his own experience, “And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11: 17-20.   How he must have rejoiced in realizing that this prophecy was being fulfilled when he wrote to the Corinthian church.  

“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 

2 Corinthians 3: 1-3.           

The letter contains the life in the Holy Spirit taught by Paul and each Christian evangelizing the personal knowledge of the resurrection in Christ. 

Paul knew that Ezekiel’s word was referring to a person coming out from under the law to being under grace. From being motivated by doing things by a set of rules, to the rules becoming part of us, the law written in the heart. The law encourages us to be self righteous by looking to ourselves to fulfill God’s laws, but we fail we can’t keep the law, the system breaks down and we are convicted of our sin by our conscious bearing witness of our creator's laws.

Smith Wigglesworth in his book “Ever Increasing Faith” wrote, “There is a great difference between a pump and a spring. The law is the pump, the Baptism is the spring. The old pump gets out of order, the parts perish, and the well runs dry. But the spring is ever bubbling up and there is a ceaseless flow direct from the throne of God. There is life.”  

The cross is where Jesus changed us from working like a pump unable to keep God’s law, to being able to keep God’s law through the nature of God being at the centre of our being. 
God’s love for us payed the cost, the price for our sin in Jesus’ death, and changed us from being under law to being under grace in his resurrection. The new order of life in Jesus’ resurrection; we are constantly being filled with the spring of eternal living water straight from God’s throne.

Jesus’ Baptism of the Holy Spirit pointed to in the Hebrew Scriptures.   

 “Then Moses led Israel onwards from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur; they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah, because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” Exodus 15: 22-25. 

 Baptism 

The desert with its desolation of life it is like having a knowledge of God but not knowing him. The dryness that seeks to quench its thirst is like a person that is seeking Jesus.
The bitter water represents the sin that weighs us down, like a stone. 

The tree represents the cross were Jesus'  death on the cross pardons us from all our sin against God. 

The sweet water representing forgiveness and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. 

From having a distant coldness between ourselves and God, to having a loving heart for God, with his nature, his way of doing things in our hearts. The Lord’s concerns being ours, we will to do the will of God. 
The new life in the Spirit that Paul taught and from the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, we love to do the things that are right, pure and holy and we shudder at the things that are wrong. The devil will tempt us and we may fall, but he that is in us is greater. In falling we learn how to stand against the principalities and powers.

Faith and Grace in receiving the Good News about Jesus.
The angel was a messenger of good news telling the women that Jesus was risen from the dead. And he asked the women to tell the disciples “Go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them at Galilee.”  

The women became the messengers 

The disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where he had directed them. When they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 

Today we are messengers of the Good News, God can change the hearts of the doubters. 

Moody’s Stories.  
“On his visit to Scotland Moody met a man who wanted the people who he employed to be reached with the Gospel, so he invited them to go and listen to Moody.  One of his employees who he invited declined, as he did not like what he had heard about Rev Moody.  

Moody wrote: “Several times this man was asked by his employer but every time he refused, until after we left town and went away up to Inverness, the employer had some business up there, and he sent this employee to attend to it, in the hope that he would attend some of our meetings. One night I was preaching on the bank of a river, I happened to take for my text the words of Naaman, I was trying to show the difference between men’s thoughts and God’s thoughts. 
This man happened to be walking along the bank of the river he saw a great crowd, and heard someone talking, and he wondered to himself what the man was talking about. He did not know who was there, so he drew up to the crowd, and listened. He heard the sermon, and became convicted and converted right there. Then he inquired who was the preacher, and he found out it was the very man, that he said he would not hear - the man he disliked. The very man he had been talking against was the very man God used to convert him." 

Moody was trying to show through the true story about Naaman the difference between men’s thoughts and God’s thoughts. God used someone who was his enemy to be the means of his healing of his leprosy.
Israel under Assyrian occupation were enemies of Syria.      ( Syria had recently rebelled against Assyrian rule and had gained their independence.)  Naaman the Syrian Commander had captured an Israeli girl on one of his raids into Israel, and she became his servant and was one of the messengers to Naaman, from her he heard of great healing taking place at the hands of Elisha. 2 Kings 5: 1-16. 

 God acted on Naaman’s faith and by grace he would be healed through the prophet Elisha’s ministry to him.
 In faith Naaman sought permission from his King to make contact with Elisha. The Syrian King could have pointed out that they were enemies with Israel, but that stone was removed by grace. 
The King sent Naaman bearing great gifts of gold, silver and festal garments along with a letter to the King of Israel asking him to heal Naaman of his leprosy. Even though the King of Israel was affronted by this request, by grace Elisha hearing about it, stepped in, convincing his King that it would be good to let the Syrians know that there was a prophet in Israel. 
In faith Naaman went to Elisha's home he expected to speak directly to him, but instead Elisha sent his servant to him with a message. (another messenger to Naaman.) He was instructed to go and bathe in the river Jordan seven times and his flesh would be made clean. Naaman was angry and at first and refused to do as Elisha suggested. However, he relented persuaded by a servant and he went down to the Jordan and dipped seven times. To his amazement he was healed. Naaman offered a gift to Elisha but he refused to accept it. By grace Naaman was blessed by his enemy, who wanted nothing in return.

I knew a man who had a wonderful Jesus -like gift of healing, I thought of him as a walking Bible, he used to say often to me,"The power's in the Word Dorothy." I used to ring him up when I wasn't well and he would pray for me over the phone and it always worked, as I had faith in his ministry, just like the girl who told Naaman about Elisha.                               
 Mr Oldham died in the late 1990's, then I had to look to the cross for my healing as I didn't know anyone with the gift of healing. I take the words that Matthew recorded from Isaiah 53, "He took our infirmitives and bore our diseases"and also he bore the sin of humanity that nailed him to the cross and more importantly Jesus winning the victory over them by God raising him up from the dead. By my faith I expect, my healing through the operation of the Holy Spirit working with the Word, as God my Father loves me and wants to restores my well being. 

A month ago at our evening Communion service I brought a problem that I had to the Lord. I waited until the receiving of the tokens, the bread and the wine I visualized Jesus bearing my problem on the cross and as I handed it over I thanked the Lord for my healing through the victory in Jesus' resurrection and it worked problem resolved.Matthew 8: 17

This reminds us of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Zephaniah 3: 14 end
“The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you in gladness, he will renew you in his love.  . . . “At that time I will bring you home, at that time I will gather you together; yea, I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord."

Zephaniah prophesied that God would gather together the Jews under the King, the Messiah. Their king having such love for them. It was expressed in his ministry, in being mighty to save.
At the time of Jesus Jews from every nation where dwelling in Jerusalem. Those who came to faith and joined the community in Jerusalem, after the dispersion of the Christians Peter wrote to the exiled Jews of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, encouraging them in their suffering as they looked forward to Jesus’ return. 
 Acts 2: 5, 8-10. 8:1.    1 Peter 1 :1.  Zephaniah 3: 14-end.  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
Zephaniah had prophesied that their King would be praised among the nations. For the last 2,000 years the message of the good news about Jesus has been received among the Gentile nations. Every generation witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus. He is risen indeed.