Focus: Resurrection Encounter!

Text: Jh.20:28

"My Lord and my God."

The incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events in history. The three of them are eternally tied together, because one could not happen without the others. The addition to the three pivotal events of history is Pentecost, which announced the arrival of the Holy Spirit to pilot the affairs of the Church till the return of Christ to the earth for the second time.

Now let us focus on a few resurrection encounters as recorded in the Gospel of John.

First encounter is Mary's encounter with Jesus Christ after His resurrection from the dead. John writes, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre" (Jh.20:11). Mary was in tears as she came to the tomb of Christ and discovered that He was not there anymore. In her tears she encountered the resurrected Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to her and commissioned her to go tell His disciples that He had risen from the dead. Her life was never the same again.

In tears for your loss, in tears for your pain, and in tears for all your troubles, you can encounter the risen Jesus Christ.

The second encounter is that of Thomas with Christ after His resurrection. In the first appearance of Jesus Christ, Thomas was absent, and so, when told that Christ had risen from the dead could not believe it. In the appearance of Christ to His disciples a week after, Thomas was present, and the Lord Jesus Christ called on him to check Him out and see that He was still the same Christ.

As soon as Thomas discovered to his greatest amazement that Christ had truly returned from the dead, he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God." It was a powerful encounter that dissolved his doubts. In his doubts he encountered the resurrected Christ, and he believed. Then Jesus Christ told him to stop doubting and to start believing.

Christ says to him, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing" (Jh.20:27). In the face of this encounter, Thomas' doubts bowed to faith through investigation and verification.

The third and final encounter is Peter's. John writes, "As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread" (Jh.21:9). The Lord Jesus Christ prepared a fire place for Peter's encounter with Him. Peter experienced Christ afresh after His resurrection from the dead through his personal denials or failures. Remember that it was by a fire place that Peter denied his Master three times. John writes, "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself" (Jh.18:18). Now Jesus Christ put together a fire place, not just to make a breakfast for His disciples, but also to recover and restore Peter from his moral flops. John says, "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs" (Jh.21:15). Three times Peter denied his Master, and three times Christ asked him, 'Do you love me?'

Peter came out of this encounter fully restored and recommissioned to shepherd Christ's sheep.

I pray that you encounter the resurrected Christ for yourself. You can see the risen Christ through your tears. You can experience Him through your doubts, and you can encounter Him through your fears and failures. 

Once you can see Him for yourself, I am certain that your tears of sorrow will turn to tears of joy, your doubts will give way to belief in and worship of Christ as your Lord and your God, and your moral failures and disloyalty will be dealt with and set aside.

Mary's joy knew no bounds, and received the commission to go and tell others that the Christ had risen from the dead. Thomas stooped to worship the Lord, and he was instructed to have faith. Peter received a fresh touch of Christ's love, and he was given a fresh assignment to feed Christ's sheep. 

Let the resurrection of Christ go beyond mere celebration; let there be an encounter between you and the resurrected Christ! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter