Jesus Stands Among Us - Truth For Life - April 3
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, they were cowering behind locked doors, fearing what the authorities who had crucified their leader would do next. But locked doors couldn’t stop Jesus! Nothing stopped Him from entering the house and re-entering their lives, proving Himself to be their Savior and their living hope. He was able to be seen, heard, touched, known—and He approaches our lives in the same manner. No matter where we are or what we have done, Christ can enter our lives—our sadness, our darkness, our fear, our doubts—and make Himself seen and known, declaring, “Peace be with you.”
Maybe you’re a “doubting Thomas,” quick to question matters of faith. To some degree, questions are good and healthy. Thomas was straightforward with Jesus, essentially saying, I’m not going to believe in You unless I can actually put my finger in Your scars. Jesus replied to Thomas, All right, if that’s what it takes for you, here you are (John 20:24-29). Jesus can meet us in our doubts. Or maybe you’re a denying Peter, quick to renounce your identity in Christ and quick to feel condemnation for how you’ve messed up. Jesus took Peter, who had questioned Him countless times but crumbled before the question of a servant girl, and made him the rock on which His church was built (Matthew 16:18). Jesus accepts us despite our shortcomings and uses our lives in transformative ways. Or perhaps you’re a disgraced Mary Magdalene, whose past haunts you, making you feel unworthy of Jesus’ love and acceptance. Yet God did not ordain Jesus’ first recorded encounter after His resurrection to be with a Sunday-school teacher but with a woman who had a sordid past riddled with sin and had even suffered demon possession. It was no haphazard coincidence that the first embrace, as it were, from the resurrected Christ was with such a person. He offers this same redemptive embrace to us.
Jesus can get past locked doors; He can get through to hardened hearts. Through His death and resurrection, He was able to bridge the gap that sin had opened between rebellious humanity and a righteous God. We must receive the salvation He freely offers. It must be fresh in our minds each day.
Have you done this? Have you received Jesus unconditionally and unreservedly? Do you embrace Him daily? Do you rehearse His gospel to yourself each morning? To trust in this way means we give ourselves to God in service. We submit ourselves to His lordship as our Savior. We take God’s promises to heart, and we take the salvation He freely offers. With this belief, you will see that He stands beside you, offering you an eternal, intimate peace that triumphs over and transforms your sadness, your darkness, your fear, your doubts. Hear the risen Christ say to you, “Peace be with you.”
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Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, The Good Book Company.
