19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, 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.
I was visiting a lady who was convinced that her car was stolen, but she rejoiced the Lord miraculously returned it. She explained there was spiritual warfare going on and when she prayed, the demons were not as powerful as the angels, so God's forces stopped the robbers and caused them to return the car to a different place in the large parking lot.
The facts were- it was a very large parking lot with many entrances. The fact the car was also locked and not damaged with nothing taken didn't make sense.
Personally, I doubted her interpretation of the story. I agreed with the police, she forgot where she parked. Unfortunately, I have heard many stories that seem odd that people claim are from God.
The only basis for knowing truth and revelation is the Scriptures. If it doesn’t match, then I do not believe such experiences.
When Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples some things were already anticipated. Jesus had spoken of the resurrection before He died, which is why the Jews wanted the tomb sealed and guards around it. They suspected, not that He would get up from the dead, but that the disciples would steal the body and say He arose.
Mary saw the tomb empty and assumed someone stole the body. Peter and John raced to the tomb and the evidence was more than they expected. The tomb was not empty. It had no body, but it did have grave clothes. Why would they unwrap the body if they were going to steal it? Wouldn’t it seem reasonable to just take the whole wrapped body? But the clothes were empty and the face cloth neatly folded on the stone. It is unlikely a grave robber would take the time to fold up a face napkin, just like it would be unlikely for a car robber to relock the car before he left. After the disciples saw the empty clothes, they believed. (Vs.8)
The evidence for the resurrection was mounting. At least two disciples already believed. When Mary returned from encountering the risen Lord, she told them her story. Their hopes were high. They were waiting in the upper room wondering what they should do when Jesus suddenly appeared.
“Peace be with you” He said. He is the fulfillment of peace from the fear of death. Certainly, the emotion in that room was joy when He proved to them, by showing the nail prints and scars, that it was indeed Jesus Himself standing there. Their doubts were faced with Christ’s miraculous resurrection, just as the Scriptures predicted.
Application: Always look to God’s Word as your “plumb-line”.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for preparing our hearts to believe this beautiful Resurrection truth. Your Word is Truth. When doubts come, lead me to Your Word.
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