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!

181. CHAPTER 3.

1. AND unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

2. Be wakeful, and strengthen the things that remain which are about to die: for I have not found thy works full before God.

3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed and repent. If therefore thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.

5. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth.

8. I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door, and no one is able to shut it; because thou hast some power, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

9. Behold, I will give them of a synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold I will make them to come and worship at thy feet and to know that I have loved thee.

10. Because thou hast kept the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

11. Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that thou hast, that no one take thy crown.

12. He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.

13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:

15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot.

16. So, then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,

18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.

19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent.

20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21. To him that overcometh, I will give to sit with me in my throne, as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

EXPLANATION.

VERSES 1-6. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be wakeful, and strengthen the things that remain, which are about to die; for I have not found thy works full before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write," signifies those whose life is moral, and not spiritual, because they make light of the knowledges (cognitiones) of spiritual things, and thence of intelligence and wisdom. "These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God," signifies the Lord, from whom are all the truths of heaven and the church; "and the seven stars," signifies, from whom are all the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good: "I know thy works," signifies, the things of their life that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead," signifies, the quality of their thought, in that they suppose themselves to be alive, because their life is moral, when, yet, they are dead.

"Be wakeful" signifies, that they should procure for themselves life: "and strengthen the things that remain which are ready to die," signifies, that the things of moral life should be quickened: "for I have not found thy works full before God," signifies, that otherwise the Divine is not in moral life.

"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and take heed," signifies, remembrance of what the Lord teaches in the Word, and attention to it: "and repent," signifies, thus spiritual life. "If therefore thou shalt not be wakeful," signifies, if thou dost not procure spiritual life: "I will, come upon thee as a thief," signifies, an unexpected time, when all knowledges procured from the Word which have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away: "and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee," signifies, ignorance of that time and their state then.

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments," signifies those whose life is moral from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good to the uses of their life: "and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy," signifies, their spiritual life, which they have by means of the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the Word.

"He that overcometh," signifies, who perseveres even until death: "shall be clothed in white garments," signifies, intelligence and wisdom according to truths and their reception: "and I will not blot his name out of the book of life," signifies, that they will be in heaven, because they are fitted for it: "and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels," signifies, that they shall be in Divine good and thence in Divine truth. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" signifies, that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who belong to His church.