First Appearance to the Disciples (John 20:19-23)

This appearance of Jesus, which is also mentioned by Luke, is the fifth by the risen Saviour on his resurrection day. John was no doubt an eyewitness of this meeting. We are not told why they gathered in the room where they were. Perhaps they wanted to keep the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread that immediately followed the Passover (Lev.23:4-8). They would have known that Jesus had risen from the dead because of the testimony of the women sent by Jesus, although the only one of the apostles who had already seen Jesus was Peter, and we are not told a great deal about that meeting.

We read this account with the knowledge of what these disciples had been like before Jesus was crucified and what they became like after his ascension to heaven and once the Holy Spirit had been sent by him. Although they had failed Jesus he would turn them into effective servants. And while they did not look like it on this occasion, what happened at it was a crucial part of the process of changing them into such servants.

John informs us that the disciples were in a state of fear, worried that they would be arrested by the Jewish authorities. We may find it strange that they did not try and escape from the city among all the numerous worshippers who would have been coming and going. Yet we can see in them brotherly love at work, a love that compelled them to be together.

Jesus appears in this room suddenly without any need to open the locked doors. His resurrection body was capable of actions not found in our natural body. The locked doors were unable to keep Jesus away from his disciples. This is an encouraging reminder that he can always get to where his needy people are.

The greeting of Jesus and the disciples’ response

The first word that Jesus says to them is, ‘Peace.’ It tells us 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 a profound and rich term 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.

There is a lesson here for our church gatherings and how we begin them. This was a meeting of the believers 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.

The gesture of Jesus and the disciples’ reaction

Observing their concern Jesus deals with it by showing his wounds to them. They could see the genuineness of his humanity as they recognised the body that he still had. Although he could come through locked doors, a sign that he now possessed new abilities, he was still the same Jesus that they had been with previously. The disciples would have been satisfied regarding his identity once they had considered his wounds. 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. So we can say that his wounds cover the cross from its beginning to the close.

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 and adore him enthusiastically.

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 – we serve him because we are grateful; third, the hands of Christ outstretched towards sinners today in the gospel sent from heaven are wounded hands; and fourth, the hands of the Judge, who at the last day will direct sinners into a lost eternity, will be wounded hands. 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.

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, but they were the consequences of being sent by him.

Fourth, the Father sent the Son in the power of the Spirit (he descended on the Saviour at his baptism in fulfilment of several 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.

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.

As we conclude our study of this 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.