Preacher : Robert Gilland
Date : April 12th 2026
Last weekend we celebrated Easter. We are in a season where we as the church celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have just finished the 40 day period of Lent which is ended by Resurrection Sunday. We are now in the 40 days between the resurrection of Christ and the Ascension of Christ. Today I will examine in detail what happened to the disciples after the resurrection of Christ by looking in depth at today’s gospel reading in John 20.
John 20:19-31
– Late Sunday Evening, what happened from Sunday morning to Sunday evening.
John 20 verse 1 tells us that it was still dark when Mary went to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away. Then she raced to tell Peter and John who talks about himself as the other disciple. Therefore Jesus rose from the dead before light on Sunday morning. But it was not until late in the evening that Jesus visited the disciples. What did Jesus do that whole day? We do know from Luke’s gospel that Jesus walked with two of his followers along the road to Emmaus on resurrection day. Jesus spent the most significant day in history walking with two unnamed disciples. Jesus always prioritises those the world would not prioritise. We should never think that we are not important enough for Jesus.
– Disciples afraid of Jewish Authorities.
The next thing we read is that the disciples had locked themselves in a room and were afraid of the Jewish authorities. The Jewish authorities had just crucified their leader, so they probably thought they were coming after the disciples next.
– Jesus came and stood amongst them.
Jesus came and then stood amongst them. Jesus who had only a few days earlier been crucified and placed in a tomb with a huge rock covering it’s entrance as well as a squad of Roman soldiers placed at it’s entrance to guard the tomb, made his way into a locked room. How did He get in, we may ask? The answer is that Jesus is God and He can do anything it likes.
– Peace be with you, the disciples were not feeling peaceful.
Jesus’ first words to the disciples were “Peace be with you”. Jesus was thinking about his disciples. He knew they were not in any way feeling peaceful. Jesus knew that the disciples needed to have peace in their souls if they were going to be able to do the tasks that Jesus wanted them to. It is the same with us, if we want to perform a task with any success, we need to have peace in our souls.
– Showed his hands and feet. Is this real?
Jesus then showed the disciples his hands and his feet. Why did he do this? Most likely because the disciples were thinking He was a ghost. How else could they see someone who they thought was dead, and how else could that person enter a locked room? Jesus showed his hands and his feet to prove to the disciples that he was real and not an apparition or a ghost. The resurrection of Jesus changes our understanding of everything we are taught about life. We are taught that life ends at death and life has no eternal state. Jesus’ resurrection proves that this life is not the end and we are eternal beings. A consequence of this is that life on this earth matters. That people matter, that every human on earth’s life is important and eternal. That you are important and eternal.
– Disciples were filled with Joy.
An immediate change came upon the disciples. The disciples who were just moments ago trembling with fear for their lives, now were filled with joy. Their master is alive and there now is hope. The last few years of following Jesus had not been a waste of time, it was not an imaginary period of their lives, it was not just a shared dream. It was and is reality.
– As the father sent me, so I send you. Scary, unless you have peace and joy given by Christ.
Jesus’ next words are stunning to me. Jesus revealed what his purpose for his disciples was the whole time: “As the Father sent me, so I send you”. Jesus was not wasting any time. He gave his disciples direct instructions as to what they were to do. Their job, was the same as his job, to go into the world and to tell everyone about the Kingdom of Heaven and indeed the end would be their death. Even so the world must know that they are not worthless beings but loved and desired by their Creator. This was the disciples’ commission.
– He breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus then breathed on them with his breath the same Spirit that gives the disciples the power to under take the commission that Jesus had given them. These disciples in the decades to come were the foundation of the change of society in many regions across the world. The foundation of the church was laid right there and then amongst this group of disciples.
– Ability to forgive sins.
Jesus then gave the disciples the ability to forgive sins. This most likely was a special commission to forgive sins to the disciples present. This is also the reason the main criteria for a book to be accepted as valid Scripture in the New Testament is that the book was written with the blessings of one of the disciples in the room.
– After this event Thomas story was told about the event. He was not with them.
Then we move onto Thomas who was not with the disciples at Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples. Had Thomas completely given up on the mission of Jesus? Maybe, but it is clear Jesus had not given up on Thomas. Thomas did say that “Unless he sees the nail scars in his hands and scars on Jesus’ side he would not believe”.
– Second appearance a week later Thomas is there.
Just like the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus came back for Thomas. Note again that there is a break in time of an entire week between appearances of Jesus to his disciples. Jesus did much in the time after his resurrection but we only have received what the gospel writers determined to be highlights.
– Thomas exclaims My Lord and my God.
Thomas who is often named “The Doubter” was the first to exclaim that Jesus is God. The significance of this statement can not be understated. Did Jesus rebuke Thomas for calling him God? No, and why not, because Jesus is God. It is like something that Jesus was revealing the whole time, but finally someone actually understood it. Jesus is the Creator of the universe! The Creator of the universe humbled himself to become a human. This fact alone itself shows the value that every human being is to the Creator. That is why murder is such a treachery. That is why children are so important.
– The commitment of Thomas.
Thomas went on to become one of the greatest missionaries in recorded history. Much of south India has the name of Apostle Thomas everywhere. if you go to South India, you will see how much cleaner and livable it is as opposed to north India. When people who are truly affected by the gospel live in a society, the society is transformed just like the parable of the yeast in the bread which raises the loaf of bread so are the people of God to a society.
– How blessed are those who believe
Jesus then speaks to Thomas about those who believe without seeing Jesus. That is us, we are the ones who believe without seeing Jesus. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit as well, in order that we will constantly be drawn towards Jesus.
– Jesus did so much more.
The chapter ends by declaring that many more miracles were performed and were not written down. “In his disciples’ presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in Him you may have life.” It is this revelation to us that accounts for the missing information about what Jesus did during the time after His resurrection.
Acts 2:14a,22-32
– Peter stood up with a loud voice
Moving on to the reading in Acts 2. There is much that can be talked about, but I want to focus on the transformation of Peter, from a cowering figure hiding away from the Jewish Authorities to a figure standing up and speaking with a loud voice to the very people who were responsible for the death of Christ. Peter became the epitome of what it means to meet Christ and be transformed. Jesus charged Peter with the task of speaking about him and Peter did not hold back.
– Declared the resurrection of Jesus.
Peter declared that Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter then goes onto say that David was only a prophet and his grave is still around, where in contrast Jesus was raised from the dead. Peter shows his newfound boldness by closing with “All the people of Israel, then are to know for sure that this Jesus whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah”.
1 Peter 1:3-9
– Declaring the resurrection again.
Moving on to the first chapter of 1 Peter. Peter starts with resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life that Christ gave us through this. That is right: new life. After the resurrection everything changed. As an ex atheist I can say, nothing makes sense if we are just animals that by chance came into existence. If we all came here by chance than every thought is nothing but a random chance event.
– Looking forward to heaven kept safe for the salvation yet to be revealed.
Everything in this life is temporary and fragile. The resurrection tells us that life actually is permanent, and material things are not permanent. What we take into heaven is the character we build here on earth. This character is permanent and stays with us in heaven. What we are doing in reality is preparing for heaven, as this life is short, but eternity is forever. It is this faith and character that is refined by this life in the same way as gold is refined.
Conclusion
To finish up, we are in the season of celebration of the resurrection. The resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith, it is the only thing that makes sense of life, and tells us that God loves humanity and us. The resurrection turned a group of followers who were cowering in a locked room to people who confronted murderers directly and went on to change the world. It is the resurrection that tells us that God loves humans so much that he was willing to become a man and go through the pain of crucifixion. Those who hide the fact of the resurrection are the real enemies of humanity. Just like the disciples in the room with Jesus our job is to tell everyone about the resurrection, and that they are important people who are of great value.
