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. John20:19-20
Throughout his gospel John talks about "the Jews." He does not mean the Jewish people as a whole, but a group I like to call the "Religious Mafia" - a group of ruthless and influential characters who benefited from being in control of the religious experience of the masses.
The disciples were hidden behind locked doors.
They'd experienced betrayal by one of their own, they'd seen the desperate jealousy of "the Jews" and they'd witnessed the callous disinterest of Rome in the actions of Pontius Pilate. They'd seen the cruelty of the Roman Soldiers and the finality of the cross. They'd come very close to being arrested themselves...
And then cruel, harsh Death had blindsided them and stolen their Teacher and vanquished their hope.
Now, gathered together, because all they had was each other, each of them was wondering: "When will they come for us?"
So the door was locked and they were afraid.
But Jesus appears behind these locked doors.
His body is resurrected, and, although He bears the scars of His suffering, His new body is able to appear and disappear over great distances. He is no longer limited by space and time.
And He offers them peace: A calm within the storm. Not merely the absence of trouble, but peace that transcends circumstances. It fills the disciples with great joy. (John uses the same word that the describes the Magi's joy when the star settles over Bethlehem.)
These once-frightened disciples go from their locked-doors to proclaim the gospel all over the world, fearlessly facing the same Religious Mafia and even death.
They are no longer afraid - Christ is Risen!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
