And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Church For All Nations
The final commission of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ before He ascended into heaven
Reaching every Nation with the Love of Christ Jesus
Image of
Jesus Christ
Jesus Appears to the disciples
Peace be with you!
John 20:19-29
The undeniable proof of Christ resurrection was showing Himself alive to His disciples.
After the two disciples walked with new vigour all the way from Emmaus to Jerusalem, and reported to the disciples that they had seen Jesus, He had walked with them along the dusty and rocky road to Emmus, how they were unable to recognise Him until the breaking of the bread, and how He had disappeared from their sight. Where He had disappeared to, they didn’t know.
Jesus sent news of His resurrection by His trusted messengers, but to show his love to them, and confirm their faith in him, he came himself, and gave them all the assurances they could desire of the truth of it, that they might not have it by hearsay only, and at second hand, but might themselves be eye-witnesses of his being alive, because they must attest it to the world, and to build the church upon that testimony.
The church has been built on the truthful testimony of the Apostles and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We are witnesses to His death and resurrection, having seen Jesus nailed to a cross and died, three days later God had raised Jesus from the dead and we are witnesses that He has appeared to us and more than five hundred of His followers.
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:6
V19 It was on in the first day, in the evening when Jesus appeared to the ten disciples, not forgetting that Thomas and Judas Iscariot (the betrayer who out of guilt hanged himself) were both missing from the first appearance of Jesus to the Disciples.
The two disciples who had returned from Emmaus, expected to find all those in the upper room frightened of the Jews, they were all very sad, not knowing what they should do next, sheep without a Shepherd, but in reality, they found those in upper room ecstatic.
Before they could finish telling at their account of meeting Jesus, the disciples were quick to say that Jesus had also appeared to Simon Peter.
Jesus appearing to His disciples on the 1st day.
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good
cheer; it is I; be not afraid. Matthew 14:22-27
v20 Jesus quickly showed His disciples both His hands and side, the sadness quickly turned to joy as they rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
v21 Jesus once again gives to His disciples a second greeting but finishes the blessing with a command of sending them into the world to continue His work. “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
V22-23 When Jesus had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained”
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Acts 1:3
V26 After eight days as the disciples were gathered together in the upper room, this time Thomas was also present with the disciples. Jesus came to them all again when the doors had been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
V27 Jesus’ words were directed to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; be not unbelieving, but believing.
It is so easy to follow the world in all their ways but harder to stand up for Jesus, not counting the cost.
We all make mistakes, mis opportunities about telling others about our Lord, we can always come to the throne of Grace in heartfelt repentance and learn by our mistakes. I am not saying that we will never make mistakes, we probably will, that is our human part of learning and don’t forget that we are in a spiritual battle against forces of evil but we have Jesus in our lives.
If God is for us, who can be against us. Romans 8:31.
V28-29 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believe.
Jesus is with each one of us every minute of every day, let us all reach out to Him in faith, and in humility proclaiming as Thomas proclaimed, my Lord and my God.
In faith go out everyday in the power of the Holy Spirit reaching out to the lost souls of this world and showing the love of Jesus in everything that we say or do.
May our Lord God be with you all. Amen
They were still talking, although all the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood in the midst of them, and said, “Peace be with you,” This was a Hebrew blessing, a special blessing that we should use today, can you imagine how the attitude of the people that we meet would change, if we exchanged a daily greeting of “Peace be with you.”
I have often wondered if they were overjoyed or very frightened as they once were when they had seen Jesus’ walking on the water.
esus appearing to His disciples on the 1st day.
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of goodcheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Matthew 14:22-27
Jesus appearing to His disciples on the 1st day.
V24-25 Thomas, was from Galilee, a Roman Province surrounding Lake Tiberias (The Sea of Galilee.) Thomas’ who was also called Didymus Aramaic name means twin, which he was often called throughout the New Testament. Thomas was one of the 12 disciples that had been chosen by Jesus,
and was very loyal to Jesus and bravely spoke out to the other disciples, suggesting that they should go with Jesus to Judea, even if they had to die with him.
We shouldn’t judge Thomas for his unbelief as he was only human, it was only hours before that the other disciples hadn’t believed when Mary Magdalene had run to the disciples, to tell them that she had seen Jesus and the words that He had spoken to her.
Peter and John had to run to the Tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid to see if it was really empty as they had been told.
Jesus appearing to the disciples especially to Thomas
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he 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. John 20:25
Jesus appearing to the disciples especially to Thomas