This is the third blog of four that will come from John’s account of the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.
In Last week’s message, we saw how Mary Magdalene was broken, but the Lord would not allow her to remain in this state. Once Mary saw Jesus, everything changed. She was no longer broken and all that she thought was lost, had been resurrected. Before Jesus left Mary, He instructed her to go tell the disciples what happened. This woman, that was lost in her sorrow, blinded by the pain of seeing Jesus crucified; now had peace. This was the peace that only Jesus could give her and it healed her brokenness. She went to where they were assembled and told them- she has seen Jesus Christ resurrected.
This was a hard pill for them to swallow, because just a few hours earlier she announced that Jesus was not in the tomb. These brothers were broken like Mary and it goes even deeper. Why, because Jesus told them what was going to happen once they came to take Him away. They were all going to scatter and they would not have the courage to stand against them. After seeing what happened to Jesus from a distance, the disciples were devastated and it was painful to accept. They saw all the miracles He performed for the sole purpose to get people to reconnect with our Heavenly Father. They saw everyone that came to Jesus always left different once they encountered Him. They were focusing on their shortcomings, and were unable to see the joy and peace that was all over Mary Magdalene. After she left, they were still in a state of disbelief because they could not get out of their own way.
In John 20:19-23, they were together in a house and had locked the doors. They were afraid the Jews would come to lock them up, or have them killed. These disciples were dealing with there brokenness, disappointment, and the fear of what the Jews would do to them. At this point peace was not attainable, and was not a word in their vocabulary. What took place that evening; Jesus showed up in their midst unannounced and said, “peace be with you.” Can you imagine how the disciples felt in seeing Jesus? Their first thought may have been, how did He get in? The house was locked up, and He didn’t knock on the door. This was to let them know nothing can keep Jesus away from those who love Him. It was true then and still true today, nothing can keep Jesus away from those that love Him. Life has sometimes left us feeling like these disciples, broken, disappointed, and fearful. This could have happened to us in various ways, but nothing can keep Jesus from coming to see about us. Why, because we are loved by Him. The purpose He reaches out to us is to remind us we are loved, and He will give us peace. This peace allows us to move forward knowing the Lord will always be there for us.
They were given the responsibility to take this Good
