Jesus Standing in Our Midst Jesus
John 20:19-23

He is Risen! Part 2

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. It proves that Jesus Christ is GOD manifest in the flesh, Romans 1:4.

The resurrection promises that we too may live as we live IN HIM, and it promises that we may be justified through Jesus Christ, Rom.4:24 and that he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Finally, the resurrection proves that Jesus is the JUDGE who is Coming again. Yes, we can be assured that because Jesus is risen, JUDGMENT is coming. We can be assured of this: you will face Him someday in the final judgment.

When Jesus was risen, he made five separate appearances to his followers on that first resurrection day:

1. To Mary, John 20:11-18

2. To the other women, Matthew 28:9,10

3. To the repentant Peter, Luke 24:34

4. To the Depressed Duo on the Emmaus Road, Luke 24:18- 35

5. To the disciples at this first Sunday evening service, John 20:19-23

Here is the Sunday night of the day Jesus rose again from the dead. From the first resurrection day until now, the church has seen fit to worship on the first day of the week. Why? Because Jesus Himself appeared in the midst of the disciples and led them in a worship service! The first day of the week is a memorial of the resurrection! What a special day it was where events were happening fast and furious. Sunday worship is not a Roman Catholic invention. Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 give clear evidence that the church met on the first day of the week to commemorate RESURRECTION.

On this resurrection day major events that would shape the world were rapidly unfolding. First Jesus appeared to Mary and then to the other women. The disciples heard those things and thought they were idle tales. Then Jesus appeared to Peter and to that depressed duo on the Emmaus Road. On this first Sunday night the disciples were gathered together. Peter tells them that Jesus appeared to him. As they pondered Peter’s pronouncement, another knock pounds the door. It is Cleopas and his friend who were on their way back home to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them. As their burning hearts unleashed the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them.

Jesus appeared SUDDENLY in their midst. He appeared all at once, out of the thin air.

Luke 24:36, And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them.

His sudden appearance startled them, like when you leave your house and look up and the UPS man is suddenly there at the same moment you open the door.

We may wonder how Jesus appeared in the midst. Did He open the door and enter as a mere man? It seems that although He indisputably arose BODILY from the grave, His resurrection body was different than His pre-resurrection body. John tells us that His graveclothes were lying as if He passed right through them. Luke tells us that Jesus “vanished out of their sight,” that is, of the two on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:31).

Luke then indicates that as these two on the Emmaus Road rehearsed their meeting with Jesus, He stood MIRACULOUSLY in the midst of them.

There is a miraculous aspect to His standing in the midst. John tells us that the doors were shut out of a fear of the Jews when Jesus came and stood in the midst in a sudden fashion, implying that the doors were not opened. Luke tells us that the disciples were affrighted, supposing that they saw a spirit. Although Jesus did possess flesh in His resurrection body, He also possessed material properties very different from His former condition. His body was of a physical nature, but it was also a spiritual body that was fit for heaven and eternity in glory. After His resurrection, he is said to have “appeared,” “to have showed himself,” as if visibility and the ordinary properties of a body were assumed by him at will.

I quote from T.V. Moore in The Last Days of Jesus (p.69-70), “These facts seem to indicate that the resurrection-body of our Lord possessed material properties very different from its former condition, that it was naturally invisible and intangible, though material, and became visible and tangible as before, only by a positive volition.”

I find that quote true and also highly interesting, for we, too will have a glorified, resurrected body some day and it is fascinating to contemplate the kind of body that we too shall possess. Paul tells us it is a spiritual body for it will be made for eternity, but there will be a visible and tangible quality about it.

He stood CENTRALLY in their midst.

This word “midst” is an interesting word. When Jesus was crucified, he was in the midst of the thieves. His death was central. In Rev.1, as John sees a vision of the glorified Jesus, He is “in the midst of the seven candlesticks” which are the seven churches. Jesus is central in His glory among the churches. (Rev.1:13, 2:1) Again in Revelation 5:6 is a picture of the throne, and Jesus is seen as a Lamb as it had been slain standing in the midst of the throne, and in the midst of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders. Jesus is central in heaven! See also Revelation 7:17. This central position points to the DEITY of our Savior, for God alone is in the midst of His people. Go to Zephaniah 3:5, 14-17. Now, in the church, Jesus is in our midst. He said, where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them, Matt.18:20. You see, we are in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, (Phil. 2:15) and we are sent forth into this world as sheep in the midst of wolves. We are centrally located in the world by God to stand for Him and point others to Him. Thank God that while we are in the midst of darkness and wolves Jesus is in our midst! While we stand in the midst of wickedness, Jesus is in our midst. So it was in Jerusalem the weekend Jesus was crucified.

Jesus in the Midst,

1. Gives PEACE to Overcome Fear, v.19

The disciples were just like us: they had fears. Why? Because the One they followed was just put to death in a violent manner. They were in the midst of a city that had crucified their Lord. They were in the midst of religious leaders that had REJECTED their Savior. They were in the midst of a world ruled by a government that had a STATE RELIGION. What would keep them from this same fate? Who doesn’t struggle with fear? This is the most basic emotion of man that we must deal with. The key to fear is the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus is in the midst of your life, you can have peace.

Have you ever been afraid? I was afraid when my tires were slashed. To be with God’s people and in God’s presence in the local church was a great comfort to my soul, however.

Jesus came so that we might have peace WITH God and the peace of God,

John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

**Jesus’ peace is not a peace that the world gives. It is an unworldly peace.

John 16:33, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

What is the peace that Jesus gives? It is first of all the peace of SINS FORGIVEN. Peace comes through pardon of sin. The robber of peace is SIN, which leads to GUILT. The answer to real guilt is real forgiveness from sin that comes through Christ. Jesus says PEACE because He offers PARDON. Jesus has completed suffering for sin. The veil of the temple has been rent IN THE MIDST. Direct access to God is available.

PEACE be unto you! It is the peace of resurrection. Resurrection promises JUSTIFICATION through Jesus.

Romans 4:25, Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what you face, you can have the assurance that you can face God and be accepted in Him! Ultimate peace is knowing that God will let me into His heavenly kingdom. You cannot have real peace unless you have been born again and are assured a place in God’s heaven. Now if you would really deal with the root of fear, Jesus must be in the midst. That is, Jesus must be central in your soul. Is Jesus in the midst of your thoughts? Is Jesus in the midst of your life?

Jesus in the midst;

2. Gives JOY to Overcome their Doubt

Jesus’ real PRESENCE gave the disciples real joy, v.20a

A. Jesus ASSURED them of His resurrection:

Jesus appealed to the senses of the disciples: they saw him, heard him, and they touched him, and they saw him eat. The disciples did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Luke 24:38,39; Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Mark 16:10,11, And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. Verse 11 says they “believed not.” Jesus meets them and “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen” (Mark 16:14).

After his trial, they all forsook Him and fled. Only John was at the cross. After his death, they were heartbroken. When they first heard that Jesus was alive, their words seemed to them as idle tales. Jesus called the two on the Emmaus road, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”

Jesus showed them his hands and his side. One look at the wounds in his hands and His side encouraged their faith.

Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Their gladness was a result of their faith. If Jesus is not risen there is no Spirit! Even though the doors were SHUT, Jesus was not shut out.

This world assaults our faith every day. The world, the flesh, and the devil attack our faith and seeks to bring doubt.

B. Jesus REBUKED them for their Unbelief, Mark 16:14

Do you know what brings joy? A strong, yet, loving rebuke from the King of Kings. Who does the Lord rebuke? Those He loves. The Lord Jesus sternly rebuked those two disciples, calling them fools and slow of heart to believe. Then the Lord rebukes the apostles and “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” This word means to taunt, to reproach, and to revile. It is a strong word, but Jesus upbraids them in love.

C. Jesus OPENED their Understanding, Luke 24:44-46.

Jesus himself opened their mind and their thoughts that they might understand that He fulfills the Scripture. He is IN THE MIDST of all Scripture. The Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets, the Torah, Nebhiim, the Kethubiim, (Tenach) all center in HIM. Only Jesus can open up a person’s understanding to the fact that He is the theme of all scripture. When you believe that Jesus indeed is alive, then you are at a place where you can understand that all thing must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Him.

What joy when Jesus Himself assures us that He is alive, when He rebukes us for our hard hearts, and when He opens up our minds to understand His word.

3. Gives a COMMISSION to Overcome their Lack of Purpose

A. His Sending:

Jesus commissions his disciples on this first resurrection night. He will repeat His commission to them just before He is taken to heaven, but Jesus tells them in this first resurrection appearance that just as the Father sent him, so Jesus is sending His disciples. Jesus is commissioning the disciples with authority equal to the Father. When we miss fellowship, we lose a grip on our Great Commission.

B. His Breathing:

Jesus breathed on the disciples. This is an amazing phrase that has a cross reference back to the creation in Genesis 2:7. At creation, God breathed into Adam physical life, now in the New Covenant Christ Jesus breathes spiritual power into the lives of these apostles. Ezekiel 37 tells us of God breathing on the dry bones and they come to life into a mighty army. The Lord Jesus in a sense breathes on these dry boned apostles so they might be sent forth with power into a hostile world. He breathes on these doubting apostles and said to them, RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST. Breath is seen as the source of life and strength, so that just as breath is to our physical being, we cannot live without breathing, so the Holy Spirit is the very strength and vitality of our spiritual being. This shows that the disciples were indwelled with the Spirit, but this was not the enduing of the Spirit from on high (Luke 24:49). They were commanded to still wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Ghost which would come upon them on the Day of Pentecost.

C. His Forgiving:

This verse does not give us the authority to FORGIVE sins, but we have the authority to PROCLAIM forgiveness of sins. This does not limit the forgiveness of sins to a secret priestly class of individuals.

We know that God is the one who forgives sins. Psalm 103:2,3 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities. Psalm 130:3,4 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Even the scribes got it right when they said, Who can forgive sins but God only?, Mark 2:7 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. (*Mark 2:7,10,11)

This verse does not mean that Jesus is giving the disciples POWER to forgive sins. It does mean that Jesus is giving all who follow Him the power to preach the forgiveness of sins through His name.

The Roman Catholic system develops their priestly confessional from this passage and the Matthew 16 passage. This is a very important doctrine in Romanism, for the priestly power of the confessional is a cornerstone of their power. Why? Without confession, the Roman Catholic worshiper cannot take the Mass. And according to them, without the Mass, the Roman Catholic cannot receive Christ and thereby not be saved. The only way to receive Christ for the Roman Catholic is to first confess your sins to a priest! Do you see how this HUMAN INVENTION is a CORRUPTION that EMPOWERS the Priesthood and ENSLAVES the people? Let the people desert the confessional and Romanism will fall.

I read the story of a dying woman who had been raised in the Roman Catholic system but had been saved through grace by Jesus Christ. She had long stopped going to confessional, taking the mass. Instead she read her Bible, prayed, and attended a church such as Heritage. When she was on her death bed, some well-meaning relatives sent the local priest to see her and he offered to hear her confession and grant her forgiveness. The dear woman said to the priest, “Show me your hands.” The priest extended his hands and the woman examined them. Then she turned to the priest and said, “You are an imposter, sir. The One who forgives my sins has nail prints in his hands.”

The Scripture does not teach that special and secret classes of religious people decide who will be forgiven. This passage does not mean that a special group has the power to forgive sins. This passage applies to the church as a whole and to all who serve the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not limited to just the apostles, since Cleopas and his friend were also there.

It is not that the apostles or those who follow Jesus Christ decide whom they shall forgive. No! The Lord is giving the disciples the power to go out and preach and PROCLAIM forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in Him and repents of their sins, the disciples are giving the responsibility to determine who is legitimately saved. Ultimately, deciding who will be baptized or allowed to join the church, we are recognizing and proclaiming that that person’s sins are forgiven. The church, however, does not PROVIDE that forgiveness, but rather PROCLAIMS that forgiveness.

The disciples did not have the power to acquit or condemn, as JUDGES, but to declare, as AMBASSADORS. It is a power to declare the way of justification. God does the WORK of forgiveness, we PREACH the WAY of forgiveness, and when faith and repentance is demonstrated, we recognize that by baptizing and then admitting the one who repents into the fellowship of the church.

On the authority of the work of Jesus Christ, on the basis of His death for sins and His bodily resurrection for our justification, your sins can be forgiven if you believe in Him.

Let me say it again: The function of the church in this world is to be the instrument through which the Holy Spirit deals with people about their Sin, the Savior, Jesus Christ, heaven, and hell. It is through us, all of us equally, all of us who are the members of Jesus Christ, that He works THROUGH in bringing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You are commissioned to go with the Gospel and offer forgiveness of sins. This is not a job for the pastor, or the deacon, or for some elected religious official. This is the job of every Christian to go into the world and preach the Gospel. As people respond tot he Gospel and put their faith in Christ while repenting of their sin, we can point them to the Word of God and assure them that their sins are forgiven. When someone comes in faith to Jesus we have the power to proclaim and assure them that their sins are forgiven! When a person refuses the Gospel, we also have the authority and commission to tell them that they are yet in their sins and under the condemnation of God.