2. Demonstrations from Passages and Expressions after His Resurrection

Demonstrations from Passages and Expressions after His Resurrection

II. These examples have been drawn from his conduct and sermon before his death, even when he first revealed his thoughts to his disciples regarding his departure from them. Now let us observe our Saviour’s behaviour after his resurrection, from which we can gather further evidence of his heart and how it would be towards sinners when he ascends to heaven. His resurrection marked the initial step towards his glory and indeed an entry into it. When he laid down his body, he relinquished all earthly weakness and the limitations of flesh and blood. "It was sown," just like ours, "in weakness," but upon being raised, he assumed the attributes and qualities of an immortal and glorious body, "it was raised in power." "The days of his flesh," or frail state, as the author of Hebrews distinguishes it, were over and done with at his resurrection. The garment of his body was renewed and imbued with new properties, making it suitable to bear and sustain the glory of heaven. Therefore, the disposition of his heart towards us upon his initial rising is a definite indication of what it will continue to be in heaven. To further illustrate this, consider that if there was ever a test to determine whether his love for sinners would endure, it was during his resurrection. During that time, all of his disciples (especially Peter) had behaved most unworthily towards him. This occurred precisely when he was demonstrating the greatest act of love towards them, namely, dying for them, an act unparalleled in its display of love. By the way, this is often how God orchestrates things: when he is in the process of bestowing the greatest mercies upon us and bringing about our greatest good, that is when we commit the gravest sins against him. He does this to magnify his love even more. You know how they all abandoned him, and even in the midst of his agony in the garden, where he sought their company as a source of solace for his troubled spirit, they slept and remained completely oblivious to his sorrows, which they could never have done if they had any genuine empathy. "Could you not watch with me for one hour?" Furthermore, you are aware of how Peter shamefully denied him with oaths and curses. And after his burial, they lost all faith in him, saying, "We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel." They doubted whether he was the Messiah or not (Luk 24:21).

Now when Christ first emerged from the realm of the dead, clothed with the heart and body he would wear in heaven, what message did he send to them first? One would think that just as they did not recognize him in his suffering, he would now be as unfamiliar to them in his glory. Or at the very least, his first words would be to rebuke them for their lack of faith and their betrayals. But that is not the case here. In John 20:17, his initial words concerning them are, "Go tell my brethren." Elsewhere, you read about how it is considered a great display of love and humility for Christ to address them as brethren (Heb 2:11), for surely his brethren had been ashamed of him. Yet, for him to still call them brethren as he entered into his glory indicates even greater love within him towards them. He handles it in a manner similar to Joseph when he revealed himself to his brothers amidst his exalted status. "I am Joseph, your brother," he said (Gen 45:4). Likewise, Christ says here, ’Tell them that you have seen Jesus, their brother; I still acknowledge them as brethren.’ This was his first form of address. But what was the message that he wanted to convey to them first? "I ascend to my Father and your Father," he says. It is a much more amicable statement, signifying infinite love compared to Joseph’s words (although Joseph’s were filled with compassion), for after Joseph revealed himself as their brother, he added, "whom you sold into Egypt," reminding them of their unkindness. Yet, Christ does not utter a word about what they had done to him. Poor sinners, plagued by thoughts of their own sins, do not know how they will be able to face Christ when they first encounter him on the last day. But they can find solace in the way Christ now treats his disciples, who had sinned so grievously against him. Do not be afraid, "your sins will he remember no more." Furthermore, you may observe that he does not emphasize what he had done for them. He does not say, ’Tell them I have been dying for them,’ or ’They have no idea the suffering I endured for them.’ Not a word of that either. Instead, his heart and concern are focused on doing more. He does not dwell on the past, but rather forgets his sufferings, like a woman forgetting her labour pains because of the joy of giving birth to a child. Having now completed that monumental task on earth for them, he hastens to heaven as quickly as he can to undertake another. Although he knew he still had business to attend to on earth, which would keep him there for another forty days, he speaks in the present tense to demonstrate his longing and eagerness to work for them in heaven. He tells them, "I ascend," and expresses his joy not only in going to "my Father," but also in going to "your Father," to act as their advocate before him, as I mentioned earlier. Is Jesus, our brother, truly alive? Does he call us brethren? And does he speak of us with such affection? Whose heart would not be overwhelmed by this? But that was merely a message sent to his disciples before he met them. Let us now observe his behavior and words when he gathered with them. When he first came among them, his greeting was, "Peace be to you" (John 20:19), which he repeats in John 20:21. It is in line with his previous statement in his farewell sermon, "My peace I leave with you." After this, he "breathes on them" and imparts the Holy Spirit to them to a greater extent, providing evidence of what he would do more abundantly in heaven. The act of breathing on them symbolized that this was the utmost expression of his heart—to give them the Spirit—and that it emanated from the very core of his being, just as a person’s breath does. It also signifies that the Holy Spirit proceeds from him as well as from the Father. The purpose of giving them the Spirit is not solely for their own benefit, but so that they, through the gift and assistance of the Spirit, may forgive men’s sins by leading them to conversion. "Whose sins you remit"—through your ministry—"are remitted to them." As you can see, his focus is still on sinners and his concern for the conversion of their souls. In another Gospel, specifically Mark, his last recorded words are: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; he who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:15). In Luk 24:46-47, his final words on earth that are recorded there are: "Thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise...that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations," and he adds, "beginning at Jerusalem," where he had been crucified just a few days earlier. One would have thought that he would have excluded Jerusalem and instructed them to bypass it, but he tells them to begin there. Let those who participated in my death be the first to partake of the first fruits and benefits resulting from it. Furthermore, he says, "Behold, I send the Promise of my Father" (Luk 24:49). On another occasion, he appears to two of them, and indeed he rebukes them, saying, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart!" but why? Only because they did not believe in him. It was not for any other sin or for having abandoned him. Therefore, he continues, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe" (Luk 24:25), because he rejoices when we believe, as seen in John 11:16. After that, he appears to all eleven disciples and reproaches them, according to the text, but with what? It is with their "unbelief and hardness of heart," still because they did not believe (Mark 16:14). No other sin troubled him except their unbelief, which reveals how his heart is inclined towards desiring that men believe in him, even now that he is glorified. Later, he encounters Thomas and barely scolds him for his blatant unbelief, only remarking that it was good that "having seen, he believed." Yet, he pronounces those "blessed who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29), and Thomas is gently reproved. Another time, he reveals himself to his disciples and specifically engages with Peter, but he does not utter a word about Peter’s sins or his act of denying him. Instead, he seeks to draw from Peter a declaration of his love for himself. "Peter," he says, "do you love me?" Christ loves to hear those words. They sound pleasing to his ears when you tell him that you love him, even though he already knows it. Just as Peter says, "You know all things, you know that I love you" (John 21:15), and Christ repeats this question three times. What was Christ’s intention in drawing this declaration of love from Peter? It was that if Peter truly loved him, as he professed, and would always demonstrate it, then he should "feed his lambs." This is the greatest testimony of love that he would have Peter display when he [Christ] would be in heaven, and it is the final charge he gives to Peter. This testimony reveals the profound effect on his own heart and his utmost concern. His heart is wholly devoted to his lambs, to souls in need of conversion. He had previously said, "I have other sheep which are not of this fold; them also I must bring" (John 10:16), leaving the task to his apostles. But this expression here is more moving and affectionate, for sheep can fend for themselves, whereas helpless little lambs cannot. Therefore, Christ says to Peter, "Feed my lambs," just as John expresses greater love to those he writes to and calls them "my little children." Why does the evangelist record these events after his resurrection? One of the evangelists who recorded them informs us. In John 20:30, it is stated that "Jesus did many other signs" after his resurrection. These events, not all of which are documented in this book, are partly recorded by other evangelists and partly concealed. However, "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ," so that you may approach him as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Therefore, most of the recorded incidents serve to demonstrate Christ’s heart and conduct towards sinners, that we may believe in him and "by believing, have life in his name."