Come, See...Go, Tell

By Malcolm G. Shotwell

"My hope is that the research and thoughts in this book will add to the ongoing message and mission of our Savior and Lord, who said, "I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly". (John 10:10)

During these days of social unrest, the Christian church, and all who claim the name of Christ, face challenging times. We are being asked to rethink our mission, our reasons for being. We need to be challenged to discover creative ways to share the Good News of Jesus and his call for love and justice in today's world. This book will ask penetrating questions surrounding the post-Easter sayings of Jesus.

As you journey with me thorough these sayings (and, perhaps, share in a small group), my prayer is that the meaning of Jesus' resurrection words will speak to you and help you find ways of discovering direction and good in the midst of life's situations." ----Mac Shotwell

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639612598

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Come, See...Go, Tell

Malcolm G. Shotwell

Copyright © 2022 by Malcolm G. Shotwell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Scripture quotations in chapters 1-9 and 11, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible @1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations in chapter 10 are from the Good News Translation. (Today’s English Version, second edition) @1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Sayings on Easter Sunday

A Week Later

A Fishing Trip

The Easter Dawn at Night

The Great Commission

The Unfinished Gospel

The Ascension of Jesus

He Appeared Also to Me

Witnesses to the Resurrection

Go, Tell…Living Our Christianity

Now What?

To the glory of God

and

In honor of Paula R. Shotwell,

My beloved daughter.

Foreword

Out of every bad situation, something good happens.

—Orin Baker

LaVerne (my wife) and I first heard these words when we were students at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York. At that time, we questioned them but have discovered, through life’s ups and downs, that they are true.

This quotation came to mind as I was writing this book. We have been in the midst of the 2020–2022 COVID-19 virus pandemic. Masks, social distancing, and frequent hand washing have become daily norms. Bad situations have emerged.

However, positive, compassionate, caring acts are also happening. My hope is that this book may be among them.

The idea for this writing was born in my alone with God daily devotional time. One morning I felt led to read all the recorded sayings of Jesus between his resurrection and ascension. I entered my findings in a journal and this book began to take shape.

As you journey with me through these sayings and perhaps share in a small group, my prayer is that the meaning of Jesus’s resurrection words will speak to you and help you find ways of discovering direction and good in the midst of life’s situations.

I am indebted to many for help in the completion of this book.

[Names of helpers are listed on page 127.]

My prayer is that you will find something good, something relevant, and something meaningful from Jesus’s sayings for your daily living.

Together let us Come, See…Go, Tell.

—Mac G. Shotwell

Introduction

Many books have been written, and many sermons preached on the Seven Last Sayings of Jesus, words spoken by Jesus as he died on the cross. Every Lenten season, and especially on Good Fridays, we have heard many meditations on these last recorded words. I am not aware of writings on Jesus’s recorded sayings after his resurrection and before his ascension.

My hope is that the research and thoughts in this book will add to the ongoing message and mission of our Savior and Lord who said, I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

The Bible and the Newspaper

Karl Barth, a Swiss Reformed theologian and teacher, advised young theologians to take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.¹

As you read this book, and in your personal reflections and discussions with others, keep in mind what Barth suggests and seek to relate Jesus’s final words to his disciples to what is reported in newspapers, as well as social media. Let Jesus’s sayings inform our thoughts and actions for today.

In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, I found thirty-three recorded sayings of Jesus during the forty days he remained on Earth: Matthew, three; Luke, seven; John, twenty-one; and Acts, two. In the earliest manuscript of Mark, there are no direct quotes. Some of these sayings are only one to three words; others are two or more sentences. A list of the sayings is at the beginning of chapters one to five and seven. After you have pondered the meaning of each saying, select a keyword or phrase for each and write it on the blank line by the saying. The complete list is in Appendix 1.

In-Depth Bible Study

Guidelines for Individual and Group Study

To enable the Bible passages in this book to be relevant, I suggest five foci:

Historical: What were the setting/conditions for writing?

Theological: What does this tell us about God (Jesus/Holy/Spirit) and his message?

Personal: What does it say for us now?

Ecclesiastical: What does it say about the purpose of the church then and now?

Sociological: What does this study say about the world in which we live today, and what we should be doing?

Chapter 1

Sayings on Easter Sunday

John 20:11–23

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? (John 20:15).__________________________________________________

Mary! (John 20:16)______________________________________

Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your God’. (John 20:17)________________________________

Peace be with you. (John 20:19).____________________________

Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.(John 20:21)____________________________

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (John 20: 22b–23)________________________________________________________

These first recorded sayings after the crucifixion, according to the disciple John, were to Mary Magdalene.

Mary is weeping. The tomb is empty. Two angels are sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying. They ask Mary why she is weeping, and she replies, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.

She turns and sees Jesus, but she does not recognize him. Then she hears, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?

Mary still does not recognize Jesus. She assumes him to be the gardener and guesses that he is the one who has removed the body. Then she hears one word, Mary! He called her name! It was personal! The mystery was gone, the tomb was empty, and the question was answered!

"Rabbouni! Mary said, meaning teacher!"

Don’t you like it when people remember your name? Put yourself in the shoes of Mary. Don’t you imagine she was overjoyed when she heard her resurrected Lord speak her name?

Then Jesus says, Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’

Mary had come and seen the risen Lord. Now at Jesus’s command, she goes to tell the disciples the good news. Come, See…Go, Tell! An invitation