Easter is the revelation of Who God is!
The disciples, based on all four Gospels in the New Testament, would see Jesus as God only after the resurrection.
Throughout the three years, they had spent with Him before His crucifixion, they referred to Him primarily as Rabbi (Teacher).
It was after His resurrection, Thomas would say: “My Lord and God” (John 20:28).
Before getting to that part of the story, you need to understand the state of mind all these disciples were in. And, to do that, you need to read the following scripture:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:19-23).
I’d encourage you to read the entire chapter whenever you have some time, which I use in the following lines as our foundation. But, for the sake of our reflection, we will only take a look at the above verses.
First, it’s the first day of the week (see verse 1), and, according to John, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb. When she realizes that the stone was removed from the entrance, she goes back to tell Peter and the others about it.
The other Gospels talk about other women going with Mary Magdalene. For example, Matthew talks about the other Mary (Matthew 28:1-10) while Mark’s account says it was Mary the mother of James and Salome who were with Mary Magdalene at the tomb (Mark 16:1-8). Luke, on the other hand, doesn’t name the women who went to the tomb (Luke 24:1-3).
Easter is a reminder that Jesus Christ can reach us from wherever we may be hiding
You should understand that on this first day of the week, based on John 20, the disciples are in hiding because of the fear of the Jewish leaders.
These are the people who made it possible for Christ to die on the cross, just a couple of days prior to this first day of the week.
Fear is a human experience we all have when we face danger or an unknown future!
The disciples, after losing Jesus Christ, had no idea about what to do next. They all relied on Peter’s leadership. But, Peter did not know what to do either.
As a result, they had all the doors locked, wherever they were in hiding.
That’s another human response to fear. When we deal with fear or any major crisis in life, one of the responses is flight, which can be in the form of withdrawal from the community, moving out, hiding, and so forth.
In other words, we build walls around us and lock all the doors so that we don’t allow anyone in. Don’t we?
Read this:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20.
[bctt tweet=”Nothing or No One can stop Jesus Christ from touching your life. If death couldn’t do it, who can? ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
God has revealed Himself to the world through Christ’s death and resurrection
[bctt tweet=”He has risen. And, because He defeated death and sin, He has become God’s only revelation of Who God truly is to all humankind. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
As a result, we have free access to God through faith in the Risen Lord, which I can describe in three ways.
First, we have access to God’s grace and mercy
Through the Risen Lord, we have access to God’s grace and mercy. We can now experience salvation from sin, no matter how deep we may feel we are into a sinful lifestyle.
We now are children of God. We claim the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as our Heavenly Father.
We are now delivered from the power of sin and death through faith in the Risen Lord.
Second, we have access to God’s faithfulness
Jesus says to the disciples, “Peace be with you!” (Read verses 19 and 21).
Through the Risen Lord, we have God on our side, every single day of our lives. His presence in us and among us (every time we gather as a community of believers), gives us the kind of peace no government, no humans, nothing can give us.
This Peace surpasses all human understanding. It is the Peace that will guard your heart and mind in Jesus (Philippians 4:6).
Last, we have access to God’s power
Read verses 22 and 23 (John 20),
And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus first breathed on the disciples and said “receive the Holy Spirit.”
[bctt tweet=”Understand that the Holy Spirit in us is the tangible presence of God living in us through faith in the Risen Lord. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
It’s Ok when you have doubts. But, make sure you bring all of them to Christ. He is alive and present in whatever room you’re hiding in!
Because you have believed in the Risen Lord and have let Him into your life, God has given you the power and right to become His daughter or son (See John 1:12).
Say this Easter prayer with me
I am not afraid, for God has redeemed me. God has called me by my name, and I am HIS. When I go through deep waters and life’s challenges, God will be with me. When I go through things I can’t handle, God’s peace will be with me. When I face any form of oppression, God covers me under HIS wings of protection. HE is my Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and my Savior, through the Risen Christ. Amen!
