The Gospel Of John Chapter 20 Pt. 4 Our Risen Lord Is Seen By Disciples

We took time in our last post to study Luke 24:13-35 and his account of two disciples seeing the resurrected Lord on the road to Emmaus. 

Luke tells us what was going on, right before Jesus appeared to the disciples in the next paragraph we read from John's gospel. This gives us some valuable context for John's record. 

On the same day that others saw Him, Jesus appeared to His disciples. 

John 20:19  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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 

The words "the same day", connect this post resurrection appearance of Jesus, to the women who came from the tomb and saw Him (Matthew 28:9). It also connects with His appearance to the two disciples going to Emmaus (Luke 24).

At this point the doors were kept shut in the place where the disciples met. John tells us that they were afraid of the Jews. 

The faith of Jesus' disciples had not yet matured. They still had vivid memories of the traumatic events leading up to Jesus' suffering, death and burial. 

It was reasonable for them to think that they might be attacked like Jesus was. They needed reassurance from the Lord, and He was going to give it to them.

Even though the doors were secured and shut, Jesus came to them. The word "came" means to come from one place to another. Doors that were shut and locked were no hindrance for the resurrected Son of God. 

He stood in their midst and greeted them with words of blessing. He said "Peace be unto you" because He is the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6). 

Jesus Christ's redemptive work on the cross, means repentant sinners can be at peace with God. 

Jesus gave them infallible proof that He had risen from the dead.

John 20:20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 

After Jesus spoke comforting words of greeting, He showed them the nail prints in His hands and the spear wound in His side. 

They knew without doubt that it was the Lord Jesus Christ, who died, but was risen from the dead, just as He said He would!

They were glad which means their hearts were filled with exceedingly great joy. 

Jesus sent His disciples into the world to preach the gospel. 

John 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 

Matthew's gospel records the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). He said "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost". 

John 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 

Jesus said as the Father had sent the Son into the world, to save us from our sins, so He was sending them to preach the gospel to the whole world, that men might be saved. 

This connects back to Jesus' high priestly prayer where our Lord looks to the future, and the sending out His disciples as an accomplished fact. 

Jesus gave a preview of the Holy Spirit's coming.

John 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 

In order to rightly understand this text, we must remember that the Spirit of God did not come until the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. 

Jesus said repeatedly that He had to leave them and return to His Father, in order for the Comforter, the Spirit of God, to come and indwell them (See John 14:15-27; 16:4-15).

Thus, the act of Jesus breathing on them and connecting this with receiving the Holy Spirit of God, is meant to give them a picture of what is going to happen.

Jesus teaches that they were to be made new men, in order to be properly qualified for the work to which He had called them.

Paul calls this heart work, the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:4-6).

By breathing on them, Jesus alluded to the first creation of man, when God breathed into him the breath of life, and Adam became a living soul.  

The power of the gospel to save those who believe. 

John 20:23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 

Jesus spoke about the ministry of the Spirit of God living in the hearts of those whom He converted to Christ. The apostles, would be infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost to see through any deception. 

Acts 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Acts 5:9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.  

A great example of this, is in Acts 5 and the deception of Ananias and Saphira. This husband and wife agreed to sell some land in order to give the money to the apostles for the work of the ministry.

However, they conspired to keep back a certain amount for themselves. When Ananias brought the money to Peter, the Spirit guided apostle saw right through his deception. He told Ananias that "You have not lied to men but unto God." 

God took Ananias' life. Shortly, his wife came in and Peter questioned her. She tried to say that they gave the full amount, when they had kept some back for their own use. 

Peter said she had lied to the Spirit of the Lord, and she was struck down.

This is what Jesus meant when He said that if the Spirit guided apostles remitted sins or retained them. 

Regarding individuals like Ananias and Saphira, when Peter pronounced their judgment, it was both just and right. 

In the broader sense, when the apostles preached the word, those who heard it would respond with belief and be saved. Or they would respond with unbelief and remain under the condemnation of God. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We see Jesus appearing to His disciples. Their lives had been turned upside down by the events leading up to Jesus' sufferings, death and burial.

Then, their lives were upended by reports that Jesus has risen, even though most of them had not yet seen the Lord. 

Thus, Jesus appeared to them, to give them hope, to show the the object of their faith, the risen Lord and Savior. 

He showed them about the coming of the Holy Spirit and gave an example of what His ministry would be like. 

The apostles received from the Lord the doctrine of reconciliation, and the doctrine of condemnation. 

All who believed on the Son of God, in consequence of their preaching, had their sins remitted. 

Those who would not believe were declared to be under the condemnation of God. 

I hope we all rejoice over the words and actions of our risen Lord. Jesus is setting the stage for the coming of the Comforter, and the birth of the New Testament church. 

The Spirit of God oversaw all these things, and He used the apostles to write inerrant, infallible, inspired scriptures, that we read.

We have sure words, communicated to us from God through these men. 

Let us find great joy and much comfort in these truths.

May the Lord Jesus Christ revive us if we are weary in well doing. 

May He call us back to the Father if we have strayed away from Him.

 May He pour fresh zeal and passion into our soul for the things of God.

Bob