John 20

Posted on May 3, 2017 in Bible (NT) in a Year |

Wednesday

So today is my anniversary.

Just had to mention how blessed I am to have such a good man sharing my life all these years.

John 20  – Today Reading.

There is a lot going on here in this chapter so I just want to focus today on verses 19-22. The disciples are mourning the loss of their leader, the one they loved, the one they left everything behind for. They are stunned, and they are afraid. I imagine they have been asking themselves “are we next? Will the Romans come after us? What should we do? Where should we go?

Have you ever felt like that? Having the rug pulled out from under you. Not knowing what you should do or where you should turn and then… guess what? Jesus shows up.

It happened to the disciples. They were so happy, so excited… can you imagine the feeling you would have if someone you thought had died showed up at your doorstep? You thought you would never see them again. And yet here they are. Alive and well.

This was the way the disciples must have felt. Thrilled, elated, excited. They thought Jesus was dead  – they though it was over and now, there is new life. He’s alive.

I think when Jesus first spoke and said, “Peace be with you” he understood that they needed to have their fears calmed. But next when he spoke those words, I think he was giving them the calm assurance and the power that comes with knowing God will be with them.

Their lives have been renewed, their purpose was given back to them. They had not been defeated and Jesus is standing there giving them authority.

Thomas was not there for that encounter, and so Jesus makes a point of also assuring him. I love verse 29 because that speaks directly to us, as if we too were in that room with Thomas and the other disciples. Jesus is giving us the same assurance and even more so, because we don’t have the benefit of seeing, and yet we still believe. That friends is faith.

Believing

Pastor Kathy