QT Sharing (13 Apr)

Scripture Reading: JOHN 20:19-23

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19On 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!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Just before this gathering, Mary Magdalene had announced her witness of Jesus, not the dead one but a walking one. The disciples might thought that Mary was so sad that she had disillusioned seeing Jesus. They simply brushed off her statement. And in the midst of such a 'chaotic' 3 days, the disciples were still in fear of being arrested by the Jewish leaders. Their best way to minimise their problem was to........ lock the door. Haven't they heard off knocking down the door!!! Well! The locked door did not hinder Jesus from entering. Nope! He did not break the door and neither did He meticulously pick the lock. Nothing was mentioned and how He entered. But guess what! He is God! A wooden, locked door is not going to stop Him.
The first thing the Lord said was "Peace be with you." That was His 1st words to them. He could have said alot of things. "Peter, 3 times! 3 times you strike me out of the pitch!" or "While I was 'hanging around', where were you all?" or "If I had know it, I should have dragged all of you along to the cross!" Haha! I know these are far too comical but then, Jesus 1st words were Peace to them. He knew how they felt. Deep in the disciples heart, they were sad, worried, anxious, complicated, unsettled........... the list goes on. There was no peace in them. They needed someone to relieve them of their pain. And that someone could only be Jesus. They were overjoyed when they had seen Jesus alive.

In our lives, when we are faced with certain tough issues or difficulties, do we just simply take the easy way out? Do we just think that by 'locking the door', it will solve the problem? Yes! We do need to plan, take actions, review, blah blah... (management terms), but where is Jesus? Is He not in the 'committee'? Is He not the chairman of the 'committee'? A 'locked door' cannot stop Jesus but we can. What do I mean by that? Jesus does not force on us. He is a gentleman. He offers His help but it is up to us to choose to accept that He is able to help us. Just like the above story, Jesus showed His wounds to the disciples as evidence but if the disciples had not believed, they would have rejected Him. So do we believe that Jesus can help us? As Jesus is in us, we will be filled with His peace. The storm may rage, the wind may tear but the peace of the Lord keeps us at bay. And as the Father had send Jesus, now Jesus sends us out. Will we accept this challenge?

Lord! In all things that I do, may Your peace fills me!