Recap of 4/21/13 (John 20:19-29):
1. of Jesus’ ten appearances after the resurrection, John records
four of them:
-To Mary Magdalene,
20:11-18
-To 10 Apostles with
Thomas absent, 20:19-25
-To 10 Apostles with
Thomas present, 20:26-29
-To 7 Apostles by the
Sea of Galilee, 21:1-14
2. Jesus appears bodily in a closed and locked
room where the disciples hid for fear of the authorities. He announces peace. In the words of G. Campbell Morgan: “[Jesus
words] had behind them the authority of His death and resurrection. He had faced and defeated all the forces
which destroy the peace of man. He was
making a declaration…bestowing a benediction…imparting a blessing. The things you fear are powerless to harm
you. Death is not the end; … Be at peace,
for whether in life or death you are safe.”
3. Jesus commissioned them again to spread the
gospel, He empowered them with a temporary filling of the Holy Spirit
(anticipating the Day of Pentecost); and gave them authority to announce the
forgiveness of sin. “Jesus was giving
the apostles (and by extension, the church) the privilege of announcing
heaven’s terms on how a person can receive forgiveness. If one believes in Jesus, the a Christian has
the right to announce his forgiveness.
If a person rejects Jesus’ sacrifice, then a Christian can announce that
that person is not forgiven.” (Dr. Edwin Blum)
4. “Have you ever wished
you could actually see Jesus, touch Him, and hear His words? Some people think they could believe in Jesus
if they saw a definite sign or miracle.
But Jesus says we are blessed when we believe without seeing. We have all the proof we need in the words of
the Bible and the testimony of believers.” (The NLT One-Year Study Bible).
