John 20:19 Meeting Disciples - For The Glory of Jesus

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Meeting Disciples

After the Resurrection Jesus met with His Disciples behind closed doors. Jesus showed His disciples His hands and feet where the nails had been.

John 20:19-31

This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.

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19. “We do not know where these ten frightened men met behind locked doors, but Jesus came to them and reassured them. In His resurrection body, He was able to enter the room without opening the doors! It was a solid body, for He asked them to touch Him—and He even ate some fish (Luke 24:41-42). But it was a different kind of body, one that was not limited by what we call ‘the law of nature.’” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 392)

Peace be with you [NKJV]. Jesus’ greeting complements His ‘It is finished,’ for His work on the Cross accomplished peace between God and His people (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14-17). (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1424)

20. “Even though He has a glorified body, there are the nail prints and the pierced side.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 498)

“He was scarred for us so that you and I might be presented without spot or blemish before Him. He took our sin and this will be the evidence for it throughout eternity.” (McGee, 498)

Peace

21. “The basis for all our peace is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He died for us, He arose from the dead in victory, and now He lives for us. In our fears, we cannot lock Him out! He comes to us in grace and reassures us through His Word. ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend’ (Proverbs 27:6)”. (Wiersbe, 392)

“Furthermore, there is no warrant for assuming that the ‘disciples’ who were given the peace and likewise commissioned in this story are to be limited to ‘ten’ (namely, the twelve less Judas and Thomas). The common words for followers of Jesus, believers and disciples, are not exclusive terms in John (cf. 2:23; 3:22; 4:1; 6:61,66; 12:42; 19:38-39). There is a great possibility that women could also have been present.” (Borchert, Gerald L., The New American Commentary Volume 25B, John 12-21. [Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002], 307)

22. “Since the disciples did not actually receive the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost, some forty days in the future (Acts 1:8; 2:1-3), this statement must be understood as a pledge on Christ’s part that the Holy Spirit would be coming.” (MacArthur, 1424)

23. “The duty of the disciples was to proclaim the forgiveness of sins; the actual forgiving would take place in heaven by the Lord who paid for those sins. Nevertheless, the claims of the gospel are clear—forgiveness only on the basis of Jesus’ death on the cross.” [Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

Thomas

24. Thomas was not with them when Jesus came.

25. Thomas said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Thomas wanted proof.

Aren’t we like Thomas, sometimes? I will not believe unless…

“Throughout this Gospel he has been presented as a realist, a person who evaluated situation on the basis of what he could perceive…He is a paradigm of many Christians who are capable of great possibilities as well as hesitation in faith.” (Borchert, 312)

26. Again in a locked room Jesus appeared! Thomas was there this time.

27. Jesus said to Thomas to touch His hands and His side, which Thomas did!

And, Thomas, be not faithless, but believing.

28. My Lord and my God.

“You will never find a higher testimony to the Lord Jesus than the one given by Thomas. It is one of the great confessions of Scripture. For a Jew to say ‘My Lord and my God’ is the absolute climax. This comes from the lips of that doubter; Thomas.” (McGee, 499)

Believed

29. Today we do not physically see Jesus, but we can believe and receive the Holy Spirit.

McGee tells us “There is a special blessing on us today who believe the evidence for the death and resurrection of Christ.” (500)

30. “The Lord did many things that are not recorded…I think John also means that He did many other things after His resurrection which are not recorded.” (McGee, 500)

31. John “wrote so that you might ‘believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. It is through believing that you receive life and are born again. You become a child of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” (McGee, 500)

Is Jesus asking you to Believe right now!

References

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

Borchert, Gerald L., The New American Commentary Volume 25B, John 12-21. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002
Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004

Empty Tomb Fishing

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