SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/29/2017
11:21 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Christ Appearance to Ten of the
Disciples”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
20:19-23
Message of the
verses: “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."”
As we look at this section we see that John makes sure to
tell his readers which day it was as he says, “that day,” meaning the same day
that Mary spoke to the resurrected Jesus, and then even goes on to say “the
first day of the week.” I have to say
that this reminds me of what John wrote in the first chapter of
Revelation: “I was in the Spirit on the
Lord’s day Rev. 1:10a).” We know from
our study of the book of Revelation that John was speaking of Sunday.
We also see in this section that the disciples had the
doors locked or closed for fear of the Jews, and so this means that the only
way Jesus could have gotten into the building was to go through it which is how
He got there.
Jesus says to them “Peace be with
you.” Let us look at John 14:27 which
Jesus actually spoke just three days earlier to them, but I am sure it seemed
like much longer than that: “"Peace
I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” The word “peace” here and in our verse for
today is the same Greek word.
“1) a state of
national tranquillity
1a) exemption
from the rage and havoc of war
2) peace between
individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
3) security,
safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things
safe and prosperous)
4) of the
Messiah’s peace
4a) the way that
leads to peace (salvation)
5) of
Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through
Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of
whatsoever sort that is
6) the blessed state of
devout and upright men after death (From the Greek/English dictionary).”
How did the disciples
receive this peace, and how did we, if we are believers receive this peace that
Jesus speaks of here? “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).” “14 For He Himself is our peace, who made
both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by
abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained
in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus
establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through
the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO
WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both
have our access in one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:14-18).” In speaking about this section of Ephesians I
learned that there was so much hostility between Jews and Gentiles that the
only way peace could be made for them was through what Jesus did on the cross.
Jesus identifies Himself by showing His disciples His
hands and sides, similar to what we read in Luke 24:39 “"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."”
Now once the disciples found out it was truly Jesus we read “the
disciples then rejoiced when they say the Lord,” but as MacArthur writes “not
before He offered a conclusive proof that He was not a spirit by eating a piece
of broiled fish (Luke 24:41-43).” “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.”
If you are an unbeliever you can have a similar
experience, not by seeing the Lord Jesus Christ as the disciples did, but by
understanding that you are a sinner as the Bible tells us “All have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God,” and then agree with God that you are a
sinner in need of forgiveness, and then invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your
heart to be your savior.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “All men are equal before God”
(Romans 2:11).
Today’s Bible
question: “What OT prophet did some
people say Jesus was?”
Answer in our next SD.
5/29/2017 12:14 PM
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