Our Response to the Risen Lord

MEMORY VERSE: “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” —John 20:21

John 20:11-21; 21:15-19

JESUS gave his flesh, his humanity, in death, as a substitute for Adam. This is described by Paul as a “ransom,” meaning a corresponding price. (I Tim. 2:3-6) Paul indicated the result of this when he wrote, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:22

Jesus was raised from the dead not as a human, but as a divine being. Paul wrote that he was “put to death indeed in flesh, but made alive in spirit.” (I Pet. 3:18, Rotherham translation) Because Jesus was raised in Spirit, Paul wrote that now we do not know Jesus “after the flesh.” (II Cor. 5:16) Jesus is now the “image of the invisible God.”—Col. 1:15

In his resurrection Jesus was “born of the Spirit” He had explained to Nicodemus that those who are thus “born of the Spirit” are like the wind, in the sense that they are both powerful and invisible. (John 3:7,8) This was true of Jesus after his resurrection, for he could then, come and go as the wind, invisible to the disciples except as he miraculously revealed himself to them.

It is one of these special manifestations that is recounted in our lesson. The disciples were assembled on the first day of the week, with the doors to the assembly room closed, and probably locked, for fear of the Jews. Suddenly Jesus stood in their midst. He had entered the room with the doors closed—something a human could not have done. He appeared in a body similar to the one which was crucified.

Referring to this later, John wrote, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples.” (John 20:30) This appearance was a “sign” and did not prove that Jesus had been raised from the dead in the flesh. When Mary saw Jesus she supposed “him to be the gardener.” (John 20:15) To the two disciples on the way to Emmaus he appeared as a stranger. (Luke 24:18) It is evident that the resurrected Jesus was able to appear in any way that suited the occasion. Thomas had said that he would not believe unless he could see the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and feet, so Jesus gave him the proof he demanded. This was just one of the “infallible proofs” of his resurrection.—Acts 1:3

After assuring his disciples of his resurrection, Jesus commissioned them to go forth into the world to be his ambassadors. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you,” he said. What a truly wonderful partnership this suggests between the Father and the Son, and the disciples!

When Jesus stood on the shore of Galilee and greeted his disciples following a night of unsuccessful fishing, they again did not recognize him. But when he revealed his identity by a miracle similar to the one he had performed when some of them were first called to be his apostles, they recognized him. Then they assembled on the shore to partake of breakfast with him. After they ate, Jesus addressed Peter and asked, “Lovest thou me more than these?” Jesus asked Peter essentially this same question twice more. Peter became grieved over this repetition, and said to Jesus, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.”

An important point in this narrative is the commission given to Peter to feed the Lord’s sheep. This commission belongs to all the Lord’s people. Not only are we to make a public proclamation of the truth, but we are also to serve our brethren by helping to build them up in the most holy faith. We are to bear witness to the truth, and those who respond are to be given special consideration. These are to be encouraged to faithfulness and zeal in laying down their lives following in the Master’s footsteps. We are to do as Jesus did, because we are “sent” by him even as he was “sent” by the Father.

QUESTIONS

Was Jesus raised from the dead as a human?

Were any of the bodies in which Jesus appeared to his disciples his resurrection body?

What are the two aspects of service to which all consecrated believers are commissioned?

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