On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
John 20:19-20, NIV

Some of my favorite episodes from the bible are right after Jesus rises from the dead. He seems to spend the first days blowing people's minds by appearing in unusual ways and often in His resurrection disguise. Each encounter we see Him appearing to be someone else like a gardener to Mary and an uninformed traveler to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. I am sure He enjoyed not letting on right away to see if they would notice.

Beyond being humorous, I think these appearances of Jesus are instructive in two ways. The first is that often we do not recognize Jesus is right there with us. We spend a lot of emotional energy calling out to Him, worrying that He won't be there, or looking for Him while He is right there with us. This reminds us that all the time Jesus was teaching us about trust, He was also teaching us to relax.

The second way this is instructive to us is that when Jesus shows up it reveals our humanity. As we see in the verse above, after Jesus had told the disciples He would rise again, and after Mary had told them that she had seen Him alive, they were still hanging out behind closed doors in fear. This reminds me of how easy it is to be human no matter how long I walk with Jesus. I still fear and lack courage, even though I know that Jesus is already working on my behalf and is so near to me. How long do I have to walk with Him to understand He is taking care of my every need?

Jesus had the cure for their fear. He appeared in their midst. He never knocked. He didn't wait for them to unlock the door. He simply showed up. I am sure that didn't make them feel any safer about their locks, but it is the way Jesus likes to arrive. We cannot lock Him out.

Wherever you are hiding in fear, Jesus is still able to reach you. When He does, He will declare His peace and show you more of Himself than you knew before. Jesus always supersedes our humanity. Use this day to trust/relax in Him.

Love, Pastor Stuart