Tuesday, April 21, 2015
John 20:19-20 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
POWERFUL PEACE
The disciples were afraid of the Chief Priests. These Jews had recently gotten their master crucified. They had manipulated the Roman governor so that he executed a man already declared innocent. You and I would have been afraid too.
But when Jesus appeared to the disciples in this locked room, the very first thing he told them was not to be afraid. His exact words were, "Peace be with you," but it amounts to the same thing.
Why should they be afraid of persecution or death? Jesus was standing right in front of them--ALIVE. The nail prints in this hands and the mortal wound in his side remained, but he was not suffering in the least. He obviously wasn't subject to death anymore. So why should his followers be afraid of death?
They shouldn't.
We shouldn't.
Jesus gives us peace with God by taking our sins away. He suffered our hell, and died in our place. All who trust in him, have life in His name--life that will not end on the day of our physical death.
A resurrected and ever living Jesus means we don't have to fear death anymore. Our Savior lives, and he promises that we too shall rise--to eternal life at his side.
This is why the disciples, so fearful in this little locked room, later stood boldly before the Chief Priests and refused to stop preaching the message of sins forgiven through Jesus. The apostles of Jesus weren't afraid of death anymore, because their JESUS was stronger than death.
Christ fill us with the same peace, so that we no longer fear death--even the least little bit.
