Christ in a time of lock-down

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 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!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”  John 20 NIV

This was our reading set for Easter Tuesday, and it seemed more than usually appropriate in a time of lock-down. The disciples were fearful for their lives, they had all deserted Jesus in His hour of need, all the teaching that Jesus had given them about His resurrection had been forgotten, and their faith had evaporated. However, Jesus' love for them was the same as ever, death could not hold Him, and the most amazing event in history had happened. All the mighty power of the Godhead flowed back into the dead body of Jesus, and He was wonderfully brought back to life. The disciples' fear was turned into joy as they saw their beloved friend alive again. 

  

I wonder what the conversation was in that upper room before Jesus appeared. There would have been fear, anguish, recrimination,regrets, circular arguments of what could have been done, self-guilt and doubt; or perhaps just a gloomy silence as minutes and hours passed. I wonder how that compares with how you are feeling during lock-down.

Everything was changed in that room with the appearance of Jesus. Fear and gloom were dispelled by the return of their friend, and lives were instantly transformed as Jesus breathed back into them the breath of His spirit. 

Slowly, Jesus restored the little band of disciples, with Peter now as their spokesperson after his recommissioning by Jesus, after that miraculous catch of fish by the lake. Finally, when all had been achieved, Jesus ascended into heaven, watched by His friends. However, yet more patience was required, as they again waited in that upper room. Not now in fear but in obedient expectation, awaiting the promised power that was going to fall upon them. Constantly in patient prayer. Then a whole forty days later, during the feast of Pentecost, harvest came with a rushing mighty wind and tongues of fire. The gospel of Jesus broke out of lock-down in a mighty tidal wave of love, healing and evangelism which within a few years engulfed the whole known world, and a flame was lit which will never be extinguished. 

So let us wait patiently in our little rooms and houses, expectant that the risen Jesus will appear to us; let us pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us anew so that once this period of exclusion has finished, we can go out into a new wave of revival that will flow throughout the whole world.