Acts 2: Proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah

Jerusalem was the center of the 3 Jewish feasts, one of them was the Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover. Acts 2 says that 10 days after the ascension of Jesus, foreign Jews from many places are in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. In this occasion, the Holy Spirit came over the disciples and made them talk in other languages, attracting the attention of the foreigner Jews. Peter explained that they were in a very special moment in history - when prophecies are being fulfilled. He uses Psalm 16 as a prophecy to the resurrection of the Messiah, and Joel 2 to explain the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter explained that Jesus is at the right or the Lord waiting for his enemies to under His feet as in Psalm 110. Peter said:

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Most of the listeners should have been 50 days before in the Passover when Jesus was crucified by their approval. Thus, given that everything Peter was saying were true, they became the enemies of the Lord. The logical question they made was: what can we do? Peter said:

8 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Let this gift of the Holy Spirit be with me, changing my life so that I become more and more like Jesus.

Acts 1: How can evil be so powerful if Jesus is alive?

 In Acts 1:6, the disciples are with Jesus after resurrection. However, Rome is still in power. We read:

  

6 So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Somehow that is the question that we do sometimes: "if Jesus is with me, how can evil still hurt me? how can evil hurt your people?". The answer was:

7 But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

 The Holy Spirit will give power to me and to the church so that I and the church will witness that Jesus is alive.

How can evil be so powerful if Jesus is alive?

The answer must be that the evil will be subjected by the powerful kindness of the church. Certainly that I don't have power in me to witness Jesus alive. This power comes through the Holy Spirit.

John 21: Jesus restores Peter

Peter has denied Jesus for three times. 
Even though Peter had believed that Jesus is the Messiah, he thought that the Messiah wouldn't die. How could the Messiah that would reign over nations be humiliated by the Romans? Impossible! However, now Jesus is resurrected, alive. No doubt Jesus is the Messiah, the King. Peter is very glad to meet Jesus after resurrection but would he be forgiven?
Yes, indeed. Jesus came to Peter, offered him fish as breakfast. Is he in the sea of Galilee after resurrection? It seems so. Thus, the gospel of John agrees with the gospel of Matthew - the disciples went to Galilee after resurrection.
Jesus asks three times if Peter loves him:

17-19 Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”

Peter was restored. He fed Jesus's sheep (he led the church). Peter was crucified too and glorified the Lord by his death. 
Jesus is the healer of our souls. Glory to him.

John 20: Mary Magdalene witnesses Jesus resurrected

 In Luke 8:2 we read: "Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out". 

She must have been a tormented woman, seeking her auto destruction, yelling obscenities with no control. However, Jesus transformed her life. She was certain that Jesus was much stronger than her demons, thus she followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem with the disciples.

Mary Magdalene went to tomb where Jesus was buried and saw that the the stone (as a door) was removed from the entrance. Due to the Sabbath, Jesus body was not properly handled for burial. She (with others) went there to prepare his body.
In John gospel, Mary Magdalene is the first one to see Jesus resurrected. We read:

13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Jesus is the Logos that came from heaven. After resurrection Jesus is returning to the Lord, the Father. Imagine if Jesus hadn't risen from the death. Would we believe in Jesus as the Messiah? The resurrection is the great miracle that testifies that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the lamb of God that takes away our sins. Not only that, but the the power that resurrected Jesus is the power that will resurrect me after my death. Through the resurrection of Jesus we can rest in peace. 

John 19: the King is risen on the cross

In John 17:1 we read:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ... 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

In John 19, we read:

13-14 When Pilate heard those words, he led Jesus outside. He sat down at the judgment seat in the area designated Stone Court (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was the preparation day for Passover. The hour was noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.”
15 They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”
Pilate said, “I am to crucify your king?”
The high priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”
16-19 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified.

Some hours after this prayer Jesus is risen on the cross with a crown of thorns. In a man made story, the mankind is much better because a good protagonist would never be killed and glorified in such way. However, the reality is that mankind is bad. In a way, we are prone to reject the King because we can't glorify no one, except ourselves. We are prone to believe that we are gods: we say what is right and wrong, we judge and we condemn. Thus, we reject the Lord and his Son because the Lord turned to be our enemies. What tragedy! 
May the Lord touch our evil hearts and may we be prone to honor the King, obeying his will.
May we surrender to Jesus because he is the King indeed. 

John 18: Is Jesus king?

Jesus is delivered to Pilates. The accusation for the Romans was that Jesus entitled himself "king". In doing so, he was leading a rebellion against Rome. We read:

37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

Jesus divides people. Some claim "Jesus is king" , others claim "Jesus was a good man" or something like that but never the King. Jesus said that he was the king of everyone who belongs to the truth. In other passage, Jesus said that he himself is the Truth. The world (the kingdoms of this world) doesn't belong to the truth. Whoever is in power makes use of lies to stay in power. The one who lies gets near and near to a mental confusion and to self destruction. The one who is of the Truth gets near and near to peace of mind and life.

John 17: glorify the Son

Jesus is about to be crucified. He asks the Lord to show the splendor of his son:

1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.

How Jesus is to be glorified?
Is it about crucifixion or resurrection? Is it about both?
Jesus completed his mission, what he had to do. Now, he will be fully in the Lord's hand.
In his last words, he prays for his disciples:

13 But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.
20 “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

I was born alone and I lived alone most of my life. Through Jesus, I have joy because now I live with the Lord. I give glory to the Son who purchased with his blood.