John 20:20 “And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
And so will we! There is a day and a time when we who believe and trust in Jesus will see the Lord in His body. What a day that will be! The author of Hebrews wrote of this moment. Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
The last time some of the disciples saw Jesus He was bloodied from head to toe with gashes and nail and spear wounds. Imagine their joy at seeing Jesus alive and well within 3 days. What do you think they saw when He showed them His hands and side that made them rejoice?
Seeing Jesus’ wounds, most of them to a great degree healed, in His resurrected body meant He had been to the Father and had returned as He promised with the Holy Spirit. I wonder if any of them recalled His words from the previous Thursday.
John 16:19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, "Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me'?
John 16:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
John 16:21 Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:22 Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Today as we live to love with Jesus, let us rejoice and be filled with joy. Jesus who appeared to them lives in us.
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
