The Nail Scared Hands

Good afternoon. As we study John's account of the resurrection the infallible proof of Christ Jesus' bodily resurrection was His showing Himself alive, The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3.

In John 20:19-31, we have an account of Christ Jesus' first appearance to the disciples, on the same day on which He arose. He had sent the disciples the tidings of His resurrection by Mary Magdalene. Then to show His love for them, and confirm their faith in Him, Christ Jesus came Himself, and gave them all the assurances they could desire of the truth of His resurrection. This way they did not have to count on hearsay only, or a second hand report. As eye-witnesses to Christ Jesus being alive themselves, they could and would testify of it to the world, and build the church upon this testimony.

Gary R. Habermas & J.P. Moreland, in their book Immortality - The Other Side of Death write, Well over three hundred verses are concerned with the subject of Jesus' resurrection in the New Testament. We are told that this event is a sign for unbelievers (Matthew 12:38-40); cf. John 20:24-29) as well as the answer for the believer's doubt (Luke 24:38-43). It serves as the guarantee that Jesus' teachings are true (Acts 2:22-24; 1 Corrinthians 15:12-20) and is the center of the gospel itself (Romans 4:24-25, 10:9; 1 Corrinthians 15:1-4). Further, the resurrection is the thrust for evangelism (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 10:39-43), the key indication of the believer's daily power to live the Christian life (Rom. 6:4-14, 8:9-11; Phil. 3:10) and the reason for the total commitment of our lives (Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 15:57-58). The resurrection even addresses the fear of death (John 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:54-58; cf. Hebrews 2:14-15) and is related to the second coming of Jesus (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7). Lastly, this event is a model of the Christian's resurrection from the dead (Acts 4:2; 1 Cor. 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and provides a foretaste of heaven for the believer (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 1:3-5) - Gary R. Habermas & J.P. Moreland, Immortality - The Other Side of Death, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992, p. 245.

John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." 

 

Lets face it things were not looking so good for the followers of Christ Jesus that Sunday morning.

1. Things Look Bleak for the Disciples (vs. 19)

The disciples had shut the doors for fear of the Jewish religious leaders. Peter and John had seen the empty tomb, but it still did not register what had happened. And so these men were gathered in fear behind closed doors. They were certain that sooner or later the enemies of Jesus would seek them out and kill them as well. 

Christ Jesus had told the disciples repeatedly that they would know the hatred of the world just as He had experienced it. "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you...Remember the word that I said to you, "A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18; 20 and John 17:14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The servant is not greater than his master, even in persecution. 

There they were in that upper room hiding out with the door closed and maybe locked, the master dead and His body missing; could things looked any bleaker for them? How often do contemporary churches finds themselves behind closed doors, fearful and ineffectual, living on the wrong side of the resurrection? The problems seem so vast and the enemy so overwhelming and all the talk about Christ Jesus seems fruitless. “What can be done against such overwhelming odds, I mean really? Let's just hide in the church building, wring our hands and discuss how desperate the situation is or how good it used to be?” The only problem is we are not called to act like this. 2 Tim 1:7 -“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Another word for timidity is fear. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power. 

I guess the question is what are you doing with that power today?

Now in the darkness of night and in the darkness of despair there was a light.

2. Christ Jesus Visits the Disciples (vs. 19-20)

Mary was commanded by Christ Jesus to go and tell the disciples that He was alive. That was early in the morning, now it was the evening on that same day. But apparently they did not believe her (Mark 16:11), because it seemed they had no expectation of Christ Jesus' return. And then there He was standing in their midst, having miraculously appeared. 

Did Christ Jesus just silently, opened the door and walk in? Several commentaries point out that we are not told that the door was fastened or locked, just closed. They also note that Christ Jesus never did a miracle when it was not needed. So they say just “His walking in” in His resurrected body was what startled the disciples and those in the upper room. Other commentaries say that Christ Jesus just appeared, one nanosecond He is not there, and the next He is. Listen to Luke 24:36 - While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 

Does it really matter? I guess not, just the fact that the resurrected Lord was there is all that really matters. It was and is a comfort to Christ Jesus' disciples, when their assemblies can only be held in private; that no doors can shut out Christ Jesus' presence. A glimpse of Christ Jesus will gladden the heart of any disciple at any time; and the more you see of Him, the more you will rejoice. When He manifests His love to you by the comfort of His Spirit, He assures you that because He lives, you will live also.

Also the fact that this was no meager visit matters. This planed visit was an assurance to the disciples and to you and me that Christ Jesus will be with us forever. His first word, “Peace be with you” (v. 19), was far more than a familiar greeting. This gift of peace is the fruit of the salvation He has won on the Cross for you and all humanity. When Christ Jesus showed the disciples and those in the upper room the nail prints in His hands and the wound in His side, from which water and blood came, they were “glad” (v. 20). Here is the visible evidence of the victory He shared with them in His peace. This is not another Jesus who had come. Those scars are the marks that prove the crucified Jesus is the risen Christ. Those wounds are also His credentials in ministering to all suffering humanity. They are scars that the church, His body on earth, must bear if it is to continue the authentic ministry of Christ Jesus. Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” 

Will you invite the risen Saviour, Christ Jesus in today.

Christ Jesus' visit was a great comfort to the disciple and to all Christians . But His visit was more.

3. Christ Jesus Commissioned the Disciples (vs. 20-23)

These men were given the authority to continue Christ Jesus’ “priestly” work, to carry forward His ministry of forgiveness. Nothing had been changed in the plan of the Master for them. And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4:19 This was the design and the extent of the commission of the disciples. Christ Jesus was their model; and they would be successful only as they study His character and imitate His example. This authority to speak the Word is not given to a spiritually elite group or to specialized clergy, but to all the people who live under the authority of the risen Christ.

The disciples could not begin this mission of healing and peace without the power and energy of the risen Christ Jesus. So Christ Jesus breathed on these men (v. 22). It is interesting that Christ Jesus breathed on them. This was not just like going up to someone and randomly breathing on them. This was special and there was great significance to it. The word rendered "spirit" in the Scriptures denotes wind, air, breath, as well as Spirit. Hence, the operations of the Holy Spirit are compared to the wind in John 3:8 and Acts 2:2. (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft) 

The disciples were to be made new men, in order to be properly qualified for the work to which Christ Jesus had called them. This breathing on them Christ Jesus seemed to alluded to the first creation of man, when God breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living soul. As Christ Jesus breathed on these men He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was a gift to be accepted now, a foretaste of the Person of the Holy Spirit who was yet to come and remain in them permanently after Christ Jesus has returned to the Father. 
 

Conclusion: Christ Jesus is the only one who can forgive your sins; it is His blood that cleanses the sinner and sets them free! But you who have been saved now have the Spirit in you and you are called to be a forgiving, healing people. You are given the right to speak a discerning word in Christ Jesus’ name that will release the burden of sin. Wherever the breath of the risen Lord is, there is forgiveness. Christ Jesus gives all His people the boldness to speak this word in His behalf. If you do not know the risen Christ Jesus as Saviour, you can call on Him right now and He will respond. You can call on Jesus the risen Christ and He will save you and fill you with the Holy Spirit now.