Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23

Mark 16:14 14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Luke 24:36-43 36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them.

John 20:19-23 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

Resurrection Sunday has been a busy day and a troubling day.  As the travelers from Emmaus are giving their report, Jesus comes into the locked room and shows Himself to the disciples.  Up until this point, Jesus had only shown Himself to individuals or very small groups.  Reports from these people were met with skepticism.  This left them feeling fear and doubt.  Jesus wants to make sure they focus on the mission He has called them to accomplish.  It has only been one day, but Jesus wants to waste no time in getting the disciples to take their eyes off of themselves and to look to the needs of others.  God calls us to walk by faith and but the fears and doubts in the past so we can move forward on mission.

JESUS COMFORTS THE DISCIPLES: The disciples are locked in a room and fearing the Jews as they discuss the various events of the day and the news from the Emmaus travelers.  Jesus “crashes” the “party” by appearing, apparently without opening any doors or windows.  The resurrection body of Jesus seems to have this ability to “teleport.”  I think it is significant to note that His first words to the disciples were: “peace be to you.”  In the midst of fear, doubt and distress, Jesus blesses them with peace.  That is His desire in all our lives.  The disciples are still doubting if this is really Jesus and think that it may be a spirit.  However, Jesus shows them His scars and points out the fact that He has a body.  He even asks for food.  Finally, they start to believe that He truly has risen.  Faith and peace will always be proportionate to one another; just as doubt and fear will be.  May the blessing of the peace of God fill our hearts as we believe Him and the promises of His Word.

JESUS CONFRONTS THE DISCIPLES: Jesus asks the disciples two important questions that seem to answer one another.  Why are you troubled?  Why do doubts arise in your hearts?  The reason they are troubled is the doubt in their heart.  To an extent, the reason they doubt is because of troubles.  Problems in our lives can create doubt in our hearts.  Satan’s goal in difficulty is to fill our hearts with doubt.  The disciples had seen Jesus hauled away in the middle of the night, unjustly tried and then brutally crucified.  This is troubling to say the least.  They feared that they might face the same plight.  The Jewish leaders were paying Soldier to testify that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus from the grave.  These troubles contributed to the doubts they had about the power and the promises of Jesus.  However, these doubts only serve to magnify the trouble in their heart.  Not only do they face the danger of the circumstances, but because of their doubts, they have no confidence in the Lord and are so slow to believe the good news of the resurrection.  We all face difficulties in our lives, but a lack of trust in the Lord will always multiply those difficulties.  Jesus wants us to know that we can always trust Him in every circumstance.  Doubt multiplies trouble while faith diminishes trouble.  God calls us to face the difficulties of this fallen world with confidence in Him and His promises.

JESUS COMMISSIONS THE DISCIPLES: Now that Jesus has personally appeared to the disciples and confronted their unbelief; He sends them as He was sent.  The reason Jesus came was to forgive sins.  He commission that He gives His disciples is also for them to forgive sins.  The means by which they can forgive sins is by proclaiming the death and resurrection of Christ.  Followers of Christ do not have the authority to absolve people of sin unilaterally.  We do know the truth of the Gospel and have the authority to proclaim it to everyone everywhere.  Those who hear and believe are eternally forgiven, those who reject the Gospel have their sins retained against them and will be eternally condemned by their sin.  The means by which the disciples of Christ have the power to proclaim the Gospel is through the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer and equips them to bear witness to the death and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.  God has declared war on sin.  The wages of sin is death.  Jesus waged war on sin by dying on the cross.  Victory over sin was declared by the resurrection.  All men everywhere are invited to participate in Christ’s victory over sin and death through forgiveness by faith in Christ Jesus.

APPLICATION: Be comforted by the truth of the resurrection and the hope of the return of Christ.  Trust in the Lord and His promises.  Don’t allow doubt and fear to discourage especially in the face of difficulty.  No matter what our circumstances we can rest in the assurance that He cares for us.  Go and tell other’s everywhere of Jesus, His resurrection and return in dependence on the Holy Spirit.  No matter how dangerous the task may be, we can boldly proclaim the Gospel in dependence on His power.