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!

68. CHAPTER 2

1. "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

2. I know your works, your labor, and your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

3. and you have endured and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

4. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first charity.

5. Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place, if you do not repent.

6. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.'

8. "And to the angel of the church of the people of Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive:

9. I know your works, and tribulation, and poverty, and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'

12. "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:

13. I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith, even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

15. Thus you have also those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

17. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it.'

18. "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:

19. I know your works, and charity and ministry, and faith, and your patience, and your works, and the last more than the first.

20. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, that you allow the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

21. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

22. Behold, I am casting her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless she repents of her deeds.

23. I will kill her sons with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to his works.

24. Yet to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.

25. Still, hold fast what you have till I come.

26. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.

27. He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels, as I also have received from My Father;

28. and I will give him the morning star.

29. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING

The Contents of the Whole Chapter

To the churches in the Christian world: to people there who regard primarily doctrinal truths and not goods of life, those meant by the church of Ephesus, nos. 73-90.

To those there who are engaged in good endeavors as regards life, and caught up in falsities as regards doctrine, those meant by the church of the people of Smyrna, nos. 91-106.

To those there who place everything of the church in good works and not anything in truths, those meant by the church in Pergamum, nos. 107-123.

And to those there who possess a faith springing from charity, as well as to those who possess a faith divorced from charity, those meant by the church in Thyatira, nos. 124-152.

These are all called to the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem.

The Contents of the Individual Verses