Again
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:26
For a deeper reflection on today’s devotion, begin by reading John 20:19-28.
Jesus is the Lord of Again. Again and again He comes to us, speaks to us, invites us to see. Again He sends us. Again He equips us to go.
This is the beauty of following Him. In His continual grace and mercy we keep growing and going, #again and again over our lifetime, if we will. Share on XHe comes and stands with us in our locked places.
John’s witness account begins on the evening of the first day of the week, inside a locked room where the disciples gathered in hiding for fear of the Jews. They had seen what the religious leaders’ power could do, and they had reason to be afraid.
Jesus comes right through those locked doors and stands among them.
Sometimes our fears are founded on terrible reality. Like the disciples, we lock ourselves away from danger, behind doors like avoidance, control, or anger. The disciples may have felt all of those after what they had been through.
None of that can stop Jesus.
He speaks peace to us.
Peace be with you.
A greater power stands before them now, and His first word to them is the most powerful of all.
Peace.
Isn’t that what we really long for? Something, someone to make it all calm down? Someone to stop the dying, the groaning, the screams echoing off the chamber of the world today?
Peace is a person, and His name is Jesus, and He is God.
He shows us He understands our pain.
People have real skin, and it wounds. Scars tell the tale.
Jesus, Son of God, Messiah, was wounded, and healed. In the mystery of God, He allowed Himself to take on that most mundane, fundamental element of being human: woundable, healable flesh.
What must the disciples have thought as the Resurrected Lord showed them His scars?
Jesus knows our pain, and He is the scarred Healer.
He sends us out.
The Peace-giving, wounded, healed, scarred, resurrected Lord Jesus then sends the disciples again.
There is a profoundly different feeling in the room today compared to the first time they were sent (see Luke 9:1-10). That day, they went with power over demons. Luke tells us Jesus sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
Right now in this stunning moment the wounded, healed Healer stands before them offering a new kind of power.
As we remain with Jesus, He invites us to deeper power and freedom. The disciples reveled in the freedom He gave that first sending. But that was just the beginning. He would give again, and send again.
He gives us a Helper, the Holy Spirit.
The promised Helper would counsel, comfort, and advocate. The Holy Spirit would help the disciples forgive.
Think about that a moment. All the disciples must have had to forgive.
Think about what you might need to forgive.
We who believe in Jesus have a Helper, who helps us forgive. And forgiveness is a mighty weapon to bring down strongholds between neighbors, family members, nations.
He invites us to believe.
Sometimes the trauma jades us. Becoming cynical is easier than becoming tender again. Tender means fragile, and feels unsafe to the traumatized.
Thomas needed to touch Jesus’ closed wounds in order to believe. We judge him for that.
But healing of human skin and human hearts takes time, especially when wounds are so deep they bring death. Death to dreams, hopes, people we love.
Thomas’ doubt didn’t stop Jesus from coming behind locked doors again. Speaking peace again. Showing His healed wounds again. Letting the doubter touch their bumpy, ugly, beautiful truth.
Jesus is passionately patient with us. Again, and again.
Rest in that today, dear one. He is coming, again.
Lord of Again, thank You. That is all I can manage to utter in light of Your tender kindness and mercy. Thank You. Amen.
Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann
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