December 5, 2023
Peace In Person
“Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her. Jesus among His Disciples So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” John 20:18-20 (NASB)
In the Army, we had guard duty once in a while. A password had to be given to allow another access to a location. If the person could not produce a password, something only known by the two was validated before entry was allowed. It took Jesus validating Himself to the disciples. When He arrived in the upper room they cowered in fear. He had to convince them He was Jesus. After all this time, they still had trouble believing…
“Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’” When Mary returned to the disciples with “Jesus’ words, I am returning to My Father indicate His unique sonship. Mary and the other women told the news to the disciples, but according to Luke, they did not believe her or the other women ‘because their words seemed to them like nonsense’ (Luke 24:11; cf. Luke 24:23).”[1] Lange shares some interesting thoughts too, “The first Easter-message addressed by Christ to the apostolic circle itself, was discharged by a woman, a female disciple, who, without doubt, was formerly the great sinner. The first manifestation of Christ was apportioned to Magdalene, as was the first manifestation of the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament to the Egyptian maid Hagar—doubtless for the reason that both, being in a condition most sorely needing consolation, first had need of the manifestation, and were moreover mentally disposed to receive it. [Hagar the bondmaid of Sarah, Magdalene once the bondmaid of sin.] ‘Wenn wir in höchsten Nöthen sein.’ (‘When in the hour of utmost need.’).”[2] “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” It was the evening of the first day of the week, the day Jesus arose from the dead. This new day began at nightfall. When the two disciples arrived to share the news, they had come from seven miles away as “it was evening” where the other eight disciples were. Judas was dead (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1). Thomas was absent (John 20:24). The doors were locked for fear of anyone entering and finding them. They feared they might be next. Then suddenly, Jesus appeared in their midst. Knowing the disciples were all in fear, Jesus said what was already missing in their hearts, “Peace be with you.” Luke mentions the disciples' apprehension of Jesus’ appearance “While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’” (Luke 24:41). Surely this would be enough to convince the disciples Jesus was who He said He was. He even showed His scars.
Jesus’s validation of Himself went all the way to the scars He had as a result of the crucifixion. Surely one could see Jesus as His true Self. It took Jesus to show them the scars from His body for them to believe. We today have the Holy Spirit to show us the way to salvation.
[1] Blum, E. A. (1985). In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 343). Victor Books.
[2] Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). (p. 612). Logos Bible Software.