The Daily Devotional Podcast

Risen - 8 | John 20: 19-23

• Waypoint Church

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This reflection shows that Jesus meets His followers in the middle of their fear, offering peace through His presence rather than waiting for them to overcome it. It invites us to trust that His nearness can transform our fear into joy and lead us forward in purpose.

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“May the Lord bless you and keep you — and may His presence guide you this week.”


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Today I'll be reading John twenty, verses nineteen through twenty three. That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly Jesus was standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said, and as he spoke he showed them the wounds in his hands and on his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. Again he said, Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven.

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If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Fear can touch every aspect of our lives.

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It closes doors, it limits movement, it keeps us contained even when something has already changed outside. This is the state of the disciples in John twenty. The tomb is empty, Mary has seen Jesus, but the disciples are still inside, behind locked doors, trying to make sense of everything. John tells us they're gathered together for fear of the Jewish leaders. The resurrection has happened, but they're still afraid. Then without warning Jesus stands among them, without build up, without explanation of how he entered, just presence. And his first words are simple peace be with you. He doesn't begin with correction, he doesn't ask why they're hiding. He doesn't rehash their failure from the night he was arrested. He speaks peace into the room they've closed off. Then he shows them his hands and his side, the wounds are still there. The resurrection has not erased the cross, it's transformed it. What once represented suffering now becomes a testimony of victory. The disciples' response begins to shift. John tells us they're filled with joy when they see the Lord. Fear doesn't disappear because the circumstances have changed. It begins to loosen because Jesus is present. He speaks again, peace be with you, as the Father sent me, I am sending you. The same disciples who were just hiding are now being sent, not because they have everything figured out, but because Jesus is alive and standing with them. He breathes on them and says, Receive the Holy Spirit. Life where there was fear and calling where there was uncertainty. The risen Jesus does not wait for his followers to overcome fear before he meets them.

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He steps into it, and from there everything begins to change. Before I close in prayer, here's a question to wrestle with.

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Step into those spaces and speak your peace. Help me to trust your presence more than what I'm afraid of.