The Resurrection Victory

MEMORY VERSE: “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” —John 20:29

JOHN 20:19-29

THE resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the greatest miracle yet performed in the outworking of the divine plan of human redemption and salvation. On the Day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter spoke of this miracle, saying, “This Jesus hath God raised up.” (Acts 2:32) Jesus did not raise himself from the dead. He knew that he would not be able to do this, but in a prophetic prayer he was comforted—a prayer in which Jesus is portrayed as addressing his Heavenly Father, and saying, “Thou will not leave my soul [life] in hell [death], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”—Acts 2:27; Ps. 16:10

During the course of his earthly ministry Jesus performed many outstanding miracles, but he did so by calling upon divine power. But in death he could not do this, so he depended upon the Heavenly Father to fulfill his promises to restore him to life, and he did. Truly this was a great victory over the forces of evil! Satan was the one who plotted the Master’s death, thinking thus to destroy the divine plan centered in him; but he was foiled, for an important feature of God’s plan had been carried out by the death of Jesus; namely, the redemption of the world because Jesus died “the Just for the unjust.”

Following his resurrection Jesus made several appearances to his disciples, and on each occasion he had appeared in a body which in some respects at least was different from the one in which he conducted his earthly ministry. To Mary at the tomb he appeared as a gardener, and she recognized him only when he called her by name. To the two disciples on the way to Emmaus he appeared as a stranger, and conversed with them for a considerable period of time, and they recognized him only by the familiar manner in which he asked the blessing upon the evening meal.

He appeared to all his apostles except Thomas in an upper room, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. These reported to Thomas that Jesus had visited them while he was away, and he promptly replied that he would not believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead unless he could see the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side.

Eight days later Jesus again appeared in the upper room, and this time Thomas was present. The Master showed Thomas the nail prints and the wound, and Thomas expressed his belief by addressing Jesus as “my Lord and my God.” Then “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”—vs. 29

This is a revealing observation. The apostles who saw Jesus eight days previously made no reference to nail prints. None to whom Jesus appeared prior to this had seen nail prints, yet they had seen him, even as Jesus observes. This special appearance to Thomas is referred to in the verse following the lesson as a “sign.” John’s statement is, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples.”—vs. 30

Yes, the showing of the nail prints to Thomas was a sign. It did not mean that Jesus’ resurrected body was a scarred human body which would be his for eternity. The appearance to Mary at the tomb was a sign. Being now a divine being he could appear in any sort of body that might best suit his purpose at the time, and this he did; even as he appeared on the shore of Galilee and cooked a breakfast of fish for his apostles.

Jesus gave his flesh—his humanity—for the life of the world. (John 6:51) He was “put to death in the flesh,” and made alive in the Spirit, the express image of his Heavenly Father’s person. The hope of his faithful followers is to be made like him in the resurrection and like the Heavenly Father, and to sit with him in his throne. This will be the church’s glorious resurrection victory.—Rev. 20:6

While Jesus was with his disciples in the upper room he said to them, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” This doubtless was in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost as a result of Jesus’ appearing in heaven for us, and it is through the merit of his shed blood, his poured-out life, that sins can be remitted.

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