The Gospel of John | Peace and Faith – John 20:19-31
In Christ, everyone finds an eternal peace that comes from. the miracle working God who exceeds all expectations and does far more than any of us can fathom.
The disciples had been largely hiding, fearing for their safety. Initially they hid in order to not be associated with the rogue rabbi who had been crucified and publicly shamed before everyone. Now, knowing that His body had been taken from the tomb, they hid fearing repercussions from the Roman authorities who would stop at nothing to maintain the peace in Jerusalem. So, the disciples found themselves locked in a room wondering what would happen next after all they had been through in the past few days. Then, Jesus appeared in their midst. Whether through miracle of entering a locked room, or simply having been let it, the world changed for the disciples as Jesus now stood before them. It was only Thomas, who came later who felt he needed to see the hands in Jesus’ hands and feet. Yet, Jesus still calmed the doubts of Thomas, revealing Himself in the flesh as having defeated and conquered death.
As Jesus comes to the disciples, His blessing is highly significant. From the time of His crucifixion until then, the disciples had been in a significant time of chaos and turmoil. Now, Jesus came to proclaim peace and empower the disciples to follow in His footsteps. Even the doubts of Thomas came to be at peace in the face of the risen Lord. In Christ, everyone finds an eternal peace that comes from. the miracle working God who exceeds all expectations and does far more than any of us can fathom. Even the works of Christ throughout the Gospel is unable to do God the full justice He deserves.
The Peace of Jesus Christ
When Jesus appears to the disciples, He does so with a proclamation and declaration of peace to the disciples. The disciples rejoiced at the arrival of their friend and savior who declared a message of victory, hope, and peace. This peace had been hard fought with the blood of Christ poured out as a propitiation for the sins of His people. Yet, the presence of Christ brings peace. With the resurrection and appearance of Jesus Christ, we know that death has been defeated and mankind has been redeemed and set free from the sin that ensnares us. The presence of God is one that brings peace to the sinner knowing that their sin will no longer condemn those who are in Jesus Christ.
Jesus though, did not just come to bring peace, but with the second proclamation of peace to the people it became more of an exhortation to the disciples. As Jesus breathed out His spirit on the disciples, the God incarnate had been send His Spirit to live within them. God’s indwelling and empowerment within them would fill them with the grace they need as they go into all the world. The same peace that Jesus brings is the same peace that goes with those who abide in Jesus Christ. As people of God, we bring the peace of God to witness to the life of Jesus Christ. He brings peace and we proclaim the peace of God that sinners can find salvation, the lost can be find, and the dead can find life.
- Describe the impact of the peace of Jesus Christ on the disciples and how they are expected to carry it forward?
Christ Soothes Doubts
Not everyone, though, had been present at Jesus’ initial appearance. Thomas had not been present and another eight days for Jesus had gone by. For the rest of the disciples, they had experienced Jesus in the flesh among them, talked about it, share their stories and experiences. While Thomas had no reason to doubt the veracity of the disciples, the doubt gradually crept into His mind that the disciples had just made up this story. Thomas needed evidence that Christ had come back from the dead. He needed to see the wounds of Christ. Jesus though, when He came to Thomas did not come with harsh rebuke but rather with a proclamation of peace. The evidence of Christ’s resurrection had been clear and Jesus soothes the doubts of Thomas. Yet, blessing comes to those who do not require the full evidence to believe. Even for Thomas, Jesus had done the impossible, raising from the dead and declaring a victory over sinful people. While the authentic evidence will never contradict this irrefutable fact, faith is central for the believer to continually walk in and follow Jesus Christ.
When hard pressed the world will testify to the truth of Jesus Christ. Yet the call for the Christian is not one to examine every fact and conclusively prove the existence of God. At some point, a relationship with Jesus Christ will come down to faith. Faith is trusting God and submitting to Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. We trust God without needing to have the fullness of reality poured into our mind but take our steps in faith knowing that God’s ability goes beyond our ability to understand. Following Jesus Christ is an act of faith, but an act of faith that will return exponentially greater than our investment. We know that God is the King of the Universe and our faith trusts Him even when we don’t have all the evidence or all the understanding because we know that God is greater than our comprehension.
- In what way does Jesus encourage Thomas in his faith while also alleviated his doubts?
Not An Exhaustive Account
At the end of this chapter, John makes it clear that the Gospel accounts could not fully convey the extent of the work of Jesus Christ. If the works of Christ has been copied down in their entirety, it would have filled libraries and continued on for ages to come. The works of Christ far exceed our own ability to understand and their impact is continually felt even today. The grace of God is endless. God who is far off and transcendent, sovereign over all creation and all time, manifest His presence through the sending of His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Every moment of Christ on earth had been a miracle and act of grace for all mankind. We cannot forget that the works of the Gospel are not fully exhausted of everything Jesus did and His works profoundly exceed all of our ability to comprehend.
Discussion Questions
- What does the intentional inclusion of the Old Testament allusions reveal to us about the plan of God throughout the scriptures?
- What does it mean that God is sovereign over all creation? How does God reveal His sovereignty in this passage?
- What are some of the barriers we culturally put up that might prevent people from understanding and knowing the Gospel? Why do we put these up?
- Jesus Christ saves mankind from their sins by taking the burden and weight of our sins on Himself. What is your story of where you came from and how Jesus rescued you from sin?
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
