And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
Luke 24:38-40

The Lord appeared to His frightened disciples (Luke 24:36). He spoke the words, “Peace to you” (v.36). They were still afraid (v.37). Does this mean the peace of the Lord that comes to us from Him through His Word is not true or lasting? No, it only reminds us that we are are often weak in faith and given to fear.

Don’t miss the significance of what Jesus said and did next:

(1) He questioned their fears. He did not do this because He did not know. Of course He did. He wanted them to consider the reason behind their fears. We do well when we are fearful or troubled by a lack of faith, to ask ourselves why we are afraid. We need to think about that.

(2) He showed them evidence that He really was Jesus and that He really had risen from the dead. When we understand that our troubles are a lack of faith, we need to look to Christ. The crucified and risen Christ. When our faith is shaky, we need to remember what the Son of God did to save us and be reminded that He who gave us life and rose from the dead to save our souls will also take care of us in every other circumstance through which we must pass.

Peace comes from the Lord through His Word. Sustained peace is ours as we look to Christ, His finished work on the cross, and to His glorious resurrection; remembering that if He did that for us, we can trust Him with any and everything else.

What did they see when they looked at Jesus? Be sure to read the next blog post.