John 20 - Every Man's Bible

20:11-18  Once healed of seven demons (Mark 16:9), Mary had supported the ministry of Jesus financially (Luke 8:2-3) and was a faithful follower from early in his ministry. Her faithfulness was honored when the risen Christ appeared and spoke to her before he spoke to anyone else! After seeing him, she went immediately and told the disciples the Good News. When we finally begin to realize the power of the risen Christ, we can pay our debt of gratitude by doing as Mary did, sharing the Good News with others.

20:22-23  The risen Christ did as he had promised (see 14:16-20; 15:26; 16:7) and breathed his Spirit into his disciples. This life-giving, truth-revealing, sin-convicting, comfort-giving Spirit is also a Spirit of forgiveness. Just as we receive God’s forgiveness for our sins, so we are exhorted and empowered to forgive those who sin against us. If we refuse to forgive others, we will miss the blessed freedom that God offers. He wants us to experience the emotional healing that comes only from working through our anger and hurt to the point of releasing it to God. Then God can redirect our course and redeem our lives.

20:24-29  This is where doubting Thomas earned his reputation. He refused to believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he saw and felt the risen Christ with his own eyes and hands. Some of us may have a hard time believing God is at work in our lives when we don’t see immediate changes or miraculous results. Sometimes the evidence of God’s power is not immediate; when we persevere in faith, we will experience the peace that comes from trusting God with our present problems and our unknown future.