Two Meetings in Jerusalem after the Resurrection
Par Joe David
Late on the first Easter Sunday, after the Lord had risen from the sepulcher, ten of the disciples gathered for the evening in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem (John 20). They were afraid and probably confused. Since their leader had been crucified by the Roman power, as organized by their own Jewish leaders, they feared that now his followers might also be hunted down and punished. They closed and locked the doors. Were any of the women there? The story does not say, but Peter and John were, who saw and talked with the angels that morning, and the stories of the women were known. Some time must have been spent wondering and perhaps arguing - was He really alive? How could they know it was really Him? This kind of thing, coming back to life after you’re dead, this doesn’t happen in this real world, there must be some mistake!
Then two of the followers, not of the twelve, but the two that had gone to the village of Emmaus, came in, excited and bursting with their news. They had seen Him! They had walked with Him for seven miles and He had told them wondrous things! They had only recognized Him when He broke bread and ate with them. "Don’t doubt us, it really was Jesus!"
And then as they all talked and argued, there He was, standing with them in the room. "Peace be unto you," He said, and He showed them His hands and feet and His side, where he was wounded. He calmed them, and told them that just as he had come down to mankind, so they must go out and teach to all people all the true things that He had taught in the years He was with them.
It was these truths about how to live one’s life that were saving, not the disciples themselves. These saving truths have the power to remit or retain sins, because they were from the Lord, the disciples only transmitted them from the Lord to those who would listen and take them to heart. Then He breathed on them - representing His holy spirit - so that they would not only want to pass these truths on to people, but would also be given the words to say whenever the times came. And then He was gone again.
Thomas was not there that night. We don’t know why. And Thomas, when he heard the story, just could not swallow it. "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe", he said. (John 20:25.)
The next verse tells us that the next Sunday they gathered again, and that Thomas was present this time. As before, the Lord was suddenly there, saying again, "Peace be unto you", and then directly to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger… and reach hither thy hand… and be not faithless but believing". Now Thomas's response was, "my Lord and my God". It seems as if the Lord came this time just to convince Thomas, because it was Thomas who needed Him.
I think He does work this way. I am reminded of another story, from the gospel of Mark (Mark 9:17-27) where a father comes to Jesus with a young son who is possessed by a devil, and asks Jesus to cure him, and is asked in turn: "Do you believe I can do this?" In Mark 9:24 the father responds. Crying out, he said with tears, "I believe, help thou my unbelief."
I think many people have this conflict between lingering doubts and a desire to have the doubts taken away. If we carry on and make our decisions in life as if the doubts were indeed gone, then indeed they will lose their strength and actually will be gone.
These are the only details given of these two meetings in Jerusalem. Chronologically the next post-Easter stories are the ones that take place in Galilee.
John does go on to say at the end of his gospel "...many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God...." (John 20:30-31). Perhaps there were more post-Easter stories that weren't written down, but the ones we do have are strong. For the disciples who were involved, there was an unstoppable impact from the life and teachings of the Lord, and His crucifixion, and physical death, and now - in these stories - His resurrection. Hearing the Lord's charges to them, these Galilean fishermen and their colleagues launch out into the wide world, and work to achieve the Great Commission, enduring hardships and persecution, and succeeding - probably beyond their wildest dreams!
John 10
1
"Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn't enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2
But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
4
Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5
They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don't know the voice of strangers."
6
Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them.
7
Jesus therefore said to them again, "Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep's door.
8
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them.
9
I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
10
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12
He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.
13
The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't care for the sheep.
14
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own;
15
even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
16
I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
17
Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.
18
No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."
19
Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.
20
Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?"
21
Others said, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn't possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?"
22
It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem.
23
It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon's porch.
24
The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me.
26
But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.
27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28
I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand.
30
I and the Father are one."
31
Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?"
33
The Jews answered him, "We don't stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God."
34
Jesus answered them, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said, you are gods?'
35
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can't be broken),
36
do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You blaspheme,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God?'
37
If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe me.
38
But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
39
They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.
40
He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed.
41
Many came to him. They said, "John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true."
