Daily Devotional for Thursday, May 28

The Appearance to the Apostles

“And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them,
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you,” Luke 24:36.

Reading this verse, my mind immediately hears a famous singer singing, “The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down.” My parents bought the soundtrack, and I belted it out with her. “Suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume” always gave me goosebumps. For fear of the same hatred-filled, bloodthirsty Jewish leaders who killed Jesus, His followers secretly met behind locked doors. Their minds were reeling with news from the women who went to the tomb that morning to anoint Jesus’ body. Angels had delivered the great news that Jesus was alive. Mary even saw him! Then Cleopas and his friend had just arrived with the same kind of news. They, too, had just seen Him and talked with Him! I can imagine the chatter as they tried to sort the news. Suddenly, Jesus stood in their midst. If they thought He was a ghost walking on the water, imagine their reaction to this! Jesus gave them the blessed Jewish greeting of shalom. As He said, “Peace be unto you!”
perhaps they recalled how He talked about His peace in the upper room after the last supper they had with Him. Jesus bequeathed His peace to them in those last hours. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). His peace would accompany them and secure them for the rest of their lives, but at that moment, His resurrected presence was too much for them. They could not believe what they were seeing. Could it really be?

THOUGHT
“The king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee” (Zephaniah 3:15).

Kelli Reynolds