GLIMPSES OF THE RISEN ONE

John 20:19 ¶ Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith. Without Christ being raised from the dead, he would have been quickly forgotten. The testimony of the eye witnesses of His resurrection have changed our world permanently. These men and women obviously had an experience with Christ after His death and burial. This experience is their testimony, the testimony of the risen Lord.
Mary Magdalene had been one of Jesus’ closest followers. She had been delivered from a life of darkness and oppression and had loved Christ and His message deeply. His death had been the greatest catastrophe in her life, she was fearful of returning to those dark years before Christ. As she wept outside the tomb that first Easter morning all her dreams had been crushed, she was sinking in to that cavern of despondency once again. Suddenly Jesus was there with her in the garden. He wasn’t dead at all, He was alive. He had conquered death itself. Mary found herself at her familiar place, weeping at His feet, her tears of sorrow had given way to tears of joy.
Peter also was struggling that Easter morning. Some of the women said they had seen Him, he had seen the empty tomb for himself, but for Peter, even if He was alive it could never be the same. After all, Peter had denied Him, not once but three times. How could he look into the face of The Lord? But then came the words from one of the women who saw the angels. “Go tell the disciples and Peter”. The angel specifically said “Peter”. “Maybe there was still hope”, Peter thought to himself. And then it happened, The Lord actually met with Peter (1 COR. 15:5). He had been forgiven. Christ had died for him. This resurrected Savior had forgiven Peter. Peter would never be afraid again, he was a witness of the resurrection.
That evening The Lord appeared to the twelve disciples. They were all shocked, they had wanted to believe, but now they saw Him for themselves. He reminded them of their call to the nations and then it happened, He breathed on them. They received the Holy Spirit into their lives. He had been with them, now He was inside of them. This is why He had come. He had come to bring us to God. His death and resurrection had made that possible.
Maybe you feel like those disciples. You want to believe its all true but it is more like a belief than a reality. For the disciples, that all changed when He walked into the room and breathed on them. Today, Jesus is still walking into rooms. He does this through the person of the Holy Spirit. Be still, wait on The Lord, I think He just stepped into your room.