41. Jesus Came

Jesus Came

Read John 20.19-23

“Jesus came.” These words, which are so meaningful in their simplicity, are from the first Easter text. The ten timid disciples had locked themselves in a room “for fear of the Jews,” when suddenly Jesus appeared. It was a transforming moment in their lives. It did something for them that gave them a new lease on life. What Jesus did for them He desires to do for us.

When “Jesus came,” He spoke the needed word. He knew exactly what to say. He broke the silence of that tense moment by His greeting, “Peace be unto you.” Jesus knew these men needed peace more than anything else, therefore He came to meet that need. This is typical of our Saviour. He always meets our needs through His Word. Had He seen that these men needed material or physical blessings more than anything else He could easily have supplied that. However, He saw they needed a spiritual blessing first, therefore He spoke words of peace. When Jesus comes He always gives a troubled soul peace. That is one way of knowing that Jesus has come to an individual. He who does not have peace with God has not met the resurrected Saviour. Jesus said to His followers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you” (John 14. 27). Notice, when Jesus said “Peace,” He added “be unto you.” These men were to know that what Christ came to give was for them. “Unto you” are words that can not be twisted or misunderstood. They mean exactly what they say. Today these same words are for us.

When “Jesus came,” He showed His disciples the most important thing there was to see, namely Himself. He drew special attention to “his hands and his side” (v. 20). He could easily have showed them a number of other things. For example, He could have showed them their faults and chided them for their cowardly behavior of the past few days. He could also have rehearsed the bravery of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who carried His body to the tomb. But Jesus was kind and merciful and wanted to show His disciples something of eternal value. Therefore He drew their attention to the nail holes in His hands and the spear hole in His side. This was the evidence that redemption’s price was paid in full. Christ wanted to impress upon them the importance of these marks. They must have been very important, since that was all He showed them. What thoughts do you suppose entered their minds as they silently looked at Him? It would not have been amiss if some of them had thought of Isaiah 53. 5: “He was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities.” Jesus is anxious to show every one of His followers the same thing. He would have us linger until the full significance of these wounds begins to dawn upon us. The disciples, we read, “were glad when they saw the Lord.” Once an individual begins to realize the importance of Christ’s wounds he, too, will be glad and satisfied. This will be another evidence that Jesus has revealed Himself.

When “Jesus came,” He commissioned His disciples for a specific task. Little did they realize as they awakened that day that this would be their commissioning day. In fact, that did not enter their minds. They were ready to part company and forget all about the high hopes they had cherished about Jesus Christ. However, they had no sooner met the resurrected Christ than He said to them, “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (v. 21). No one ever meets the living Christ without receiving some commission. Many missionaries and pastors are commissioned at formal church services. But their first and real commissioning took place at some earlier date. Jesus wanted His disciples to know as He commissioned them that the same relationship would exist between Him and them as existed between Him and the Father. Could any disciple ask for more? When a Christian is tempted to be discouraged it would be well for him to remember the words of Christ, “Even so send I you.” If anyone reading these lines has been waiting for a commission from Christ, he can find his answer by prayerfully considering this commission. The words still have the same power. If you have felt free to take to yourself the promises of God, why can you not feel just as free about making your own commission?

When “Jesus came,” He empowered His followers. He did so in the words, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). He knew they could never do the work to which He commissioned them without the power that He Himself would supply. In fact, it was never His plan that they should do a single act in their own strength. He therefore told them of the power to be given them. Note that the disciples were still on the receiving end. Christ is always seeking those who are willing to receive what He has to give. It is His greatest joy to give. The disciples had already received gifts beyond number, but now Christ asks them to receive the greatest of all His gifts, namely, the Holy Spirit. He had spoken before about this gift and had described Him as the Teacher, Revealer, and Comforter. This same gift is here today to empower every one of Christ’s followers. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in their lives is another evidence that they have met the living Saviour.

When “Jesus came,” He told His followers how to deal with the sin problem. He said to them: “Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (v. 23). Some sinners were to hear words of forgiveness, while others should be retained in their sins. In either case the disciples were to preach about sin. Truly Christ gave them a responsible work. They could easily become careless and begin to preach about more attractive subjects. They could also forget to divide the Word aright, preach wholesale forgiveness, and forget about “retaining” the unrepentant sinner. Jesus even promised that if they carried out His work right, heaven’s records would resemble theirs. What they loosed or bound on earth would be likewise loosed or bound in heaven. How important then that every one who claims to be a follower of Christ should carry out His instructions in the minutest detail. This, then, is the spirit of all those to whom Jesus has revealed Himself. They are dealing with the sin problem.

When “Jesus came,” He did so much in such a short time. His appearance that first Easter evening lasted only a few minutes and yet in those moments He did something for the disciples that had eternal results. Sorrow, gloom, doubt, and fear, which were so overpowering before, suddenly vanished. Instead, their hearts were filled with joy—eternal joy. Jesus can do the same for you. He does not now reveal Himself to the physical eye, for He has said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20.29). Nevertheless, “the eyes of your heart” (Ephesians 1.18) can behold Him, so that you, too, can be “glad.” No thrill was accorded the disciples that you may not, in a spiritual sense, enjoy.