First Appearance to the Disciples (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23)

This sermon was preached on 13/11/2011

This appearance of Jesus, mentioned by both Luke and John, is the fifth by the risen Saviour on his resurrection day. John was no doubt an eyewitness of this meeting, whereas Luke was reporting what others had told him (Luke 1:1-4). It is therefore not surprising that one mentions some details that the other does not. Luke, for example, does not mention that Jesus breathed on the disciples or that he bestowed on them a special provision of the Spirit; John does not mention that the initial response of the disciples to the appearance of the risen Jesus included fear, nor does he include the information that Jesus ate some fish in their presence. Yet there are sufficient details in both accounts that make it very clear that both refer to the same incident: each of them says that the appearance took place in Jerusalem on the evening of the resurrection day (Luke has already said that it was towards evening when Jesus earlier went into the home in Emmaus), both say that Jesus greeted them with a word of peace, and both say that he showed them his wounds (John mentions the wounds in the hands and side of Jesus, and Peter mentions the wounds in the hands and feet of Jesus).

It is likely that each of the persons to whom he had already appeared was present in that room. Peter, as one of the eleven, would have been there with his report of his personal meeting with Jesus, no doubt telling his friends that Jesus had forgiven him for his denials in the house of the high priest. The two whom Jesus met on the road to Emmaus were there too because Luke tells us Jesus manifested himself in the upper room as they were relating what had happened to them. It is also likely that the women to whom Jesus had appeared were there as well.

Probably the initial reason for their gathering together was connected to keeping the week-long Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread which followed the Passover (Lev. 23:4-8). This has led some commentators, such as T. V. Moore, to suggest that this meeting was the beginning of the Christian Sabbath: ‘As soon as they met for worship, he met with them, thus hallowing the day as a day of worship.’ In itself, this particular occasion may not be a strong argument for authorising the change of day from Saturday to Sunday because the disciples may have met together on each day of the feast, but taken with other arguments it can contribute to the case.

As we read the account of this incident on that evening in Jerusalem, we should remind ourselves that this is the group that Jesus is shortly to use to bring the gospel to the world. They are the church in embryo, the ones who he is going to send out with the gospel in a few weeks’ time. Yet at that moment they seem nowhere near ready for the great task ahead of them. A lot of divine input would be given in the period between this day and the day Jesus would ascend to heaven. And the Holy Spirit, after he had come on the Day of Pentecost, would enable them to understand what Jesus had previously taught them (John 14:26).

As we look in on this group of disciples, some of whom had already seen the risen Saviour, we can see that they are still apprehensive (doors are locked for fear of the Jews) and perplexed. The plural ‘doors’ may refer to the outer door of the house and the inner door of the room. We may find it surprising that they are still afraid now that they have heard that Jesus was alive, but perhaps they recalled the determination of the authorities to kill Lazarus after he had been raised from death by Jesus (John 12:10-11). The disciples may have been still expecting the authorities to come looking for them in a manner similar to how they had pursued after the Saviour before his arrest and death.

What the disciples needed was not merely the news that Jesus was raised from the dead; they also needed an explanation of the consequences of his resurrection, particularly that he could never die again, and what his incapability of dying again would mean for them personally and for the members of the kingdom over which he would reign. But this would not happen until the disciples had received the Holy Spirit in an enlarged manner after he came on the Day of Pentecost. In addition, we can say that appearances of the risen Christ which they had been told about, marvellous though they were, were not enough because he could only be in one place at a time; this is a reminder of how essential it was that the Holy Spirit should be given in the way that he was promised earlier by Jesus in the Upper Room (John 14–16).

Jesus had already done something unusual with his body when he suddenly disappeared from the home of the two disciples in Emmaus. Now he does almost the opposite – he appears in room where he was not present a few seconds before. It is clear that his resurrection body was capable of actions not found in our natural body. R. A. Finlayson comments on this capability:

‘But it became equally manifest that he was in possession of a risen life in which human nature had laid aside some of its ordinary properties and had been lifted to an immeasurably higher level to be a perfect instrument of the spirit within and a fit partner in His divine Person. It had qualities that no human being living under natural law possessed. Though the forms of the risen Lord’s manifestations varied – at times predominantly spiritual and at other times predominantly material – it was nevertheless evident that he conformed to the laws of our present life only as an accommodation to others. It was clear that he now possessed a life transcending physical limitations. He appeared to be, for these forty days, standing between two worlds, the visible and the invisible, and that his closest affinities were with the realm of the unseen and eternal.

‘For one thing, his body seemed no longer subject to the law of matter as commonly understood. Luke mentions, what John states in particular detail, that when the eleven disciples were gathered together behind closed doors, “Jesus himself stood in the midst of them.” This is a new departure in the behaviour of a body – to pass through a closed door, pointing to the fact that it was emancipated from the law of matter. This, too, sheds light on the fact noted by Luke, and stated in greater detail by John, that Peter, on entering the sepulchre, “beheld the linen clothes lying by themselves,” the napkin, we learn from John, in the place where the head had lain, and the shroud where the body had been. This suggests that the body that could pass through closed doors could also pass from its linen wrappings without as much as disturbing the folds. If the question be asked why the body could not also leave the tomb without the stone having been removed, we reply that there is no hint that the stone at the mouth of the grave had been removed to let the body out, but rather to let the witnesses in. There is further evidence that while the body of our Lord is not said to have been seen in two places at the same time, he did appear to have moved from place to place without the passage of time necessary to us.’

It is clear from this incident that locked doors were unable to keep Jesus away from his disciples. This was the case even although the locks were used because they were afraid; but he could still have come into the room in such a supernatural way even if the doors had been locked by their enemies as a form of imprisonment.

1. The greeting of Jesus and the disciples’ response

Up until now Jesus has appeared only to individuals and to small groups of people such as the women and the couple travelling to Emmaus. Now he appears to the larger group, and the first word he says is, ‘Peace.’ This is a statement that conveys the wonderful fact that there was no bitterness in the heart of the Saviour towards those who had denied him when he was arrested and tried. It was a simple greeting that was used by people very day, but yet also so profound and rich because it indicated that the atoning work of the Saviour had been accomplished, that reconciliation with God was a reality for them to realise and enjoy.

I wonder if there is not a lesson here for our church gatherings and as to how we should begin them. We can say that this was a meeting of the church in Jerusalem at that time, and Jesus announces his presence by assuring them that his peace was available for them. Paul usually begins his letters by wishing his readers grace and peace from the Father and from Jesus Christ, a reminder that the passing on of such wishes was part of a New Testament Christian service. It would be good for us spiritually if we were greeted by other believers in each service by the reminder of the peace that comes through the gospel.

In assuring them of his peace, Jesus had come to the disciples with a message from heaven before he would proceed to give them a mission on behalf of heaven. The idea of peace comes from the God of peace, who lives in heaven, and who wants his people to enjoy his heavenly peace in their souls. Yet the response of the disciples was fear, perhaps due to the suddenness of Jesus’ appearance or maybe to the way he now looked. Perhaps they also anticipated some form of judgement because Mark tells us that Jesus upbraided them for not believing what the ladies had told them (Mark 16:14). Yet it seems that the main cause of their new fear was that they imagined that Jesus was a ghost.

This was not the first time that they had thought he was a spirit. On a previous occasion, when Jesus had come walking to them on the sea, when they were in the middle of a storm, they thought it was a spirit (Mark 6:49). How wrong they were on both occasions! On each occasion Jesus had made a miraculous journey in order to bring peace into their souls. The first involved a journey through a natural storm on the Sea of Galilee, but the second required a journey through a spiritual storm on the cross of Calvary. Yet after both, Jesus shared his peace with his disciples.

Such fear on the part of his disciples is inappropriate in the presence of Christ. Of course, there should be elements of true fear such as submission, respect and awe. Yet there is no need for terror because the Saviour is always full of grace and he wants his disciples to enjoy his peace.

2. The gesture of Jesus and the disciples’ reaction

Observing their concern Jesus deals with it and points out he is not a ghost. He does this in two ways: first, by showing his wounds to them and, second, by eating fish and honey. These ways revealed the genuineness of his humanity. It was the case, as we have noticed, that it seems to have increased powers such as walking through locked doors. Nevertheless, it was a recognisable body that he still had.

Jesus expected the disciples to be satisfied regarding his identity once they had considered his wounds. He knew that the sight of his wounds would be sufficient to calm the fears of each disciple. They were a reminder that he had a great love for them, that he had endured great distress in order to deliver them from their spiritual deaths. What lessons are there for us from his wounds? Let me suggest five.

First, the wounds of Jesus are the proof of the pain of Calvary. On the cross, Jesus suffered the unbearable agony of crucifixion as his hands and feet were nailed to the cross. Those wounds were given him at the commencement of his ordeal there. The spear that caused the wound in his side was thrust in there after he had died, in order to ensure that he was dead.

Second, the wounds of Jesus are a pointer to the sufferings of his soul. It was not only physically that Jesus suffered at the cross. Painful as that suffering was, it was not as severe as the suffering of his soul when he endured the wrath of God against sin.

Third, the wounds of Jesus are permanent. In heaven, they were a cause of the angelic praise as they watched the Lamb that was slain ascend to the throne of God (Rev. 5:11-12). And the redeemed will contemplate these wounds for ever.

Fourth, the wounds of Jesus are powerful expressions of the effectiveness of his intercession in heaven. He prayed at the cross for the soldiers as they created the wounds in his hands and side; in a sense these wounds called out to God to show mercy to the soldiers. In a far more dramatic manner, when Jesus lifts his hands to intercede in heaven for his people, the Father sees the wounds, and each prayer is heard.

Fifth, the wounds of Jesus remove all sense of panic. Greater joy came to these disciples when they realised that Christ with his wounds had come into the room than if the most powerful king on earth had come to rescue them from the threat of the Jews. No doubt, the presence of the risen Jesus brought peace to his disciples, but it was confirmed to them by the beholding of his wounds.

Why does the risen Christ retain his wounds? It was possible for him to rise from the dead without them, with no trace of his sufferings. One reason may be that they will let the redeemed of all the ages see something of the suffering he went through. When we see a soldier who has suffered a great deal in a war defending his country, with the consequences of the conflict marked in his body, we can sense something of the price he paid. In a far higher sense this will be true of Jesus.

So we can summarise our comments on the wounds of Christ in this way: first, Christian assurance (peace and joy) comes from viewing the wounds of Christ; second, Christian service comes from viewing the wounds of Christ; third, the hands of Christ outstretched towards sinners today in the gospel sent from heaven are wounded hands; fourth, the hands of the Judge, who at the last day will direct sinners into a lost eternity, will be wounded hands. We should admire the wounds of the Saviour. The response of the disciples was one of glad adoration. This should always be the effect of contemplating the wounds of Christ. After all, there is not a situation of distress into which thinking about his wounds cannot bring peace.

3. The gift of Jesus and the disciples’ role

John records that Jesus repeated his blessing of peace before informing the disciples that he was sending them into the world as his representatives. This, of course, is a reminder of his sovereignty over his disciples.

Jesus then says that there is a similarity between his sending by the Father and his sending of the disciples. In what ways did the Father send Jesus? I would suggest some possibilities.

First, the Father sent the Son because he loved the world of sinners. This is the message of John 3:16. And Jesus sent his disciples with the gospel because he loved the world.

Second, the Father sent the Son to serve his people. Jesus came in a humble manner, to help poor sinners find the way to heaven. He summarised his life when he said that the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). And he has sent out his messengers to serve others by declaring the gospel to them.

Third, the Father sent the Son to suffer on the cross. As the risen Jesus looked at the individuals gathered there in the upper room, he knew that most of them would suffer greatly for his sake. Of the eleven apostles, only John would not be martyred, and even he would suffer in his old age. Their sufferings were not atoning, of course.

Fourth, the Father sent the Son in the power of the Spirit (he descended on the Saviour at his baptism in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 61:1-3). Jesus here bestows on the disciples a foretaste of the experience of the Spirit that they were to have at Pentecost. It is not clear from the Greek if his breathing here was a symbolic act (the words ‘on them’ are not in the original, and the words can be translated, ‘he breathed and said, “Receive you the Spirit”’). They would need this temporary work of the Spirit to enable them to understand the various teachings that Jesus gave to them during the forty days between his resurrection and ascension.

Fifth, the Father sent the Son to declare to sinners a message of forgiveness. And Jesus sent out his disciples to declare the gospel of forgiveness. This is what is meant by remitting and retaining sins. Jesus did not mean that the apostles in themselves had the power to forgive sins. But they could announce through the gospel that all who believed in Jesus would be forgiven, and that all who will not believe will not be forgiven by him.

As we conclude our study of this fifth appearance of the risen Jesus, what lessons come from what he did on that occasion? No doubt, there are many. But here are two important ones. First, Jesus loves to meet with his people and remind them of his sufferings on their behalf on the cross of Calvary. Second, Jesus expects his people to be his witnesses wherever he locates them.