CONFUSION..... LOVE.....PEACE..... FAITH......
Over the years, my heart has been callous. I had Confusion, what I did not have was Love, Peace, and Faith. Maybe you have shared this kind of lifestyle with me. Maybe you had a similar experience. I do not feel that differently from other people. This is a world of hurt. And surly the disciples and followers of Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah) must have felt the same. Consider the reading of John 20:19-31. The disciples moved through each of the emotions and feelings I described as their lives came out of darkness. Yeshua made them new, and together they had one desire; to have more of God's love in their lives.
Consider the various emotions and feelings that can fill the Easter Celebration. For the followers of Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah) There was Confusion, Love, Peace, and Faith. Is it any different in our lives when God comes knocking on our door. We need God to allow our spiritual healing removing our Confusion. The focus needs to change from pysical world to spiritual world so we can grow into Love, Peace, and Faith.
When your time here is done, the only remembrance others will be about your life, what you did with Love, Peace, and Faith.
In the battle between physical life vs spiritual life, a seeker can find as much Confusion as the followers of Yeshua felt after the Passover dinner. They witnessed His arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and then His tomb being empty. All of these actions at work would have drained even the strongest of his followers. Can you imagine how the disciple's heart became emotionally hardened, calloused? Hardened hearts can have strong walls. How could Yeshua enter into hardened hearts?
Didn't Yeshua want his disciples to be strong in Love, Peace, and Faith instead if having callous hearts? Why then all of this broken stuff in their lives?
Only the proof of Evidence can overcome spiritual confusion. God wanted these disciples to share what they knew. His tomb is empty? So gently Yeshua entered into where they were hiding, behind secured doors.
The followers must have felt quite empty as they witnessed the evil torture done to Yeshua. Is it any wonder they were hiding from the leaders of the Jews?
When a person's life feel empty and alone; God can still comes into that person's heart. It is then God offers to fill us with the spiritual resources we need to live in life. Becoming filled by God changes our focus it gives us options in life. We can use our free will to either share God's love or chose to be self serving. When we use our free will cjhoice to serve God we find God using us to share what others truly need God's Love, Peace, and Faith.
With God's true love working we become a better person, co-worker, neighbor, friend and spouse in this physical life. People after ur days here are done will recall seeing the evidence of God's love being in our life. God comes to us offering His True Love and His Reward; life everlasting.
The Holy Spirit guides our lives in a way that points us to our navigation. Broken, empty our wounds in this life are healed, our one desire and focus needs to be on Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah).
Yeshua needed disciples and followers whom could be spiritually strong. By coming to His followers while they were empty hearted and hiding, they would be healed. With their own evidence their hearts would not be calloused and they would have Good News to share. Yeshua made his disciples new and right.
Can you feel the confusion the followers must have felt. They saw the signs of His being the long awaited HaMashiach (the Messiah). Nobody has ever performed the signs he performed. His miracles defied the laws of nature. Yet the leaders had him arrested and put to death. After such torture and death by crucifixion nobody had ever rose from the grave.
All along confusion existed among the followers regarding the negative involvement of the Leaders of the Jews. How could the religious leaders have him put to death by the hands of the gentile invaders? With His death the followers had become empty. The reports of His Tomb being emptied, the disciple's hurt and confusion moved to to a deeper level.
John 20:19 In the evening that same day, the first day of the week, when the talmidim were gathered together behind locked doors out of fear of the Judeans, Yeshua came, stood in the middle and said, “Shalom aleikhem!”
God created us in the image of God. Since God is love, Love is our spiritual language. God loves us, so he sent His Son through the physical walls of protection offered the disciples and His followers hiding in that room.
Some people prefer to believe that Yeshua came in by silently opening the door. I admit that Yeshua is courteous however since every miracle he worked was not restricted by the laws of nature I do not have a problem believing his body passed through the matter of the door or walls. When my heart was calloused and hardened one day Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah) came into my heart. He came to me in a very gentle and courteous way, even though I had a strong wall guarding my heart. I did not want to be hurt ever again. But Yeshua made my heart new and right. God's love cannot be shared by a hard heart.
To combat the Confusion of His followers; the living Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah) came into the room to show God's love. His love included the Father's calling. His loves moves his chosen from the depressed mourners of death to becoming His missionaries sharing God's Love.
John 20:21 “Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.”
The greatest gift God gives is the forgiveness of our sins. Forgiveness proves we have Peace with God. This action by the power of the Holy Spirit is what Yeshua (Jesus) HaMashiach (the Messiah) told his followers to share.
John 20:22-23 Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh! If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”
Living life by hiding from the leaders of the Jews or trembling in fear does not strengthen the soul. The disciples were given the resources of God's Love, Peace and God's power to lift and remove the burden of sin.
With Yeshua's encouragement by breathing the Holy Spirit upon the disciples; increased their FAITH in the Word of God. Yeshua proved to his disciples that he was the same one crucified; he showed them the evidence of crucifixion. After showing his hands and his side the disciples rejoiced. It was the Lord standing in their presence.
John 20:24-28 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
A Question to consider is who told Yeshua about Thomas's doubts? The only answer I am aware of and comfortable with; Yeshua knows each of us personally. He hears our hearts. Yeshua knowing the Confusion Tomas was going through wanted to give Thomas the evidence he needed so he could also experience LOVE.....PEACE..... FAITH......
Confusion over the reports about the resurrection of Yeshua. And yet he was given the Love of God despite his not believing. Keep in mind Thomas did come and attend church despite his confusion. Yeshua came in and provided the evidence Thomas needed to have Peace with God and grow in Faith.
Yeshua said be Blessed, that means to possess God's favor. Yeshua promised this action to all people who would believe and yet did not see and touch his wounds. Are you a kind of person who must see the wounds before you believe His Grave was empty?
Do you have a callous heart? I pray evidence will be given to you because more importantly; Yeshua is the Son of God. He has revealed himself to us. His mission was to do this and make a new relationship between humankind and God because Yeshua is "The Word of Life".
