April 20th: He is Risen!
John 20:19On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
We have walked with Jesus on His road to Calvary, and we have listened once again to His words from the cross during His brutal execution. Other than John, Jesus’s followers abandoned him somewhere along that road, and after His death went into hiding behind locked doors, fearing they might face the same fate as their Master.
When the resurrected Christ entered that room, the men and women who had spent more time with Him than anyone other than His family didn’t even recognize Him, possibly because they didn’t truly believe they would ever see Him again. Then He spoke a common greeting, “Peace be with you,” but those words now had a new and fuller meaning. Can you imagine how they felt as they realized Jesus was alive and was standing before them in real flesh?
When He voiced those words, He wasn’t just speaking a courtesy or a throwaway line, as we say, “how are you doing” or “great to see you.” Jesus spoke as the Victor over death – the Conqueror of sin, evil, and hell. His message was transactional: one of eternal, complete, settled peace, and His resurrection was evidence of His victory for our sin-bound souls.
His nail-scarred hands are reaching to you, and He offers his peace this very day. Will you receive it?
Romans 10:13, For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
We have walked with Jesus on His road to Calvary, and we have listened once again to His words from the cross during His brutal execution. Other than John, Jesus’s followers abandoned him somewhere along that road, and after His death went into hiding behind locked doors, fearing they might face the same fate as their Master.
When the resurrected Christ entered that room, the men and women who had spent more time with Him than anyone other than His family didn’t even recognize Him, possibly because they didn’t truly believe they would ever see Him again. Then He spoke a common greeting, “Peace be with you,” but those words now had a new and fuller meaning. Can you imagine how they felt as they realized Jesus was alive and was standing before them in real flesh?
When He voiced those words, He wasn’t just speaking a courtesy or a throwaway line, as we say, “how are you doing” or “great to see you.” Jesus spoke as the Victor over death – the Conqueror of sin, evil, and hell. His message was transactional: one of eternal, complete, settled peace, and His resurrection was evidence of His victory for our sin-bound souls.
His nail-scarred hands are reaching to you, and He offers his peace this very day. Will you receive it?
Romans 10:13, For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
REFLECTION
How do you define peace, and why do you need it? Even if the whole world lived in perfect harmony, our fallen souls would still be at war with God, in need of armistice, forgiveness, and repentance. Let’s do a heart exam: have you yielded your entire being to Jesus Christ, accepting His blood-bought gift of salvation? Buried with Him in his death, we may now rise with Him in the newness of life eternal.* Hallelujah!
PRAY
Father, our praises and thanksgiving can never rise to the magnitude of your gift of love in granting us salvation. Help us to live fully for you in demonstration of your resurrection power and in gratitude for your grace. Thank you that Christ is risen indeed! Amen.
*If you have committed your life to Christ for the first time or have questions, please let us know!
*If you have committed your life to Christ for the first time or have questions, please let us know!