Christ ascended to the heavens with a resurrected body, and now, in John 20, He comes back to the disciples also with a resurrected body (Luke 24:37-40; 1 Cor. 15:44). With a resurrected body, the Lord came into the room where the disciples were with “the doors shut” (20:19). Since the doors were shut, how could He enter with a body of bones and flesh? Our limited mentality cannot comprehend it, but it is a fact, and we must receive it according to the divine revelation. According to Luke 24:37-40, the Lord showed His disciples His physical body, and according to 1 Corinthians 15:44, this body was a resurrected body. Consider the illustration of a carnation seed. A carnation seed has a tiny, round body. But when it has been planted and has grown out of the ground, it has a stem and a blossom. Is this not also a body? Before the carnation seed was sown into the ground, it had a little body. After growing out of the ground, it had a different body. This is exactly what Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:44: “It is sown a soulish body, it is raised a spiritual body.” The body is sown in one form and raised up from the ground in another form. The one sown is the original, natural body, and the one grown up is the resurrected body. After His resurrection, Christ had a resurrected body; yet it was physical and could still be touched. Even though the doors were shut, Christ entered into the room with this body.
Although the Lord had a resurrected body, the prints of the nails were still in His hands and feet (20:20, 27; Luke 24:40). Why did the resurrection not heal the prints, and why was His side still open? We do not understand it, but we know that it is so. Do not try to know so many things by your mentality. Do not trust in your limited ability to know, for there are a great many mysteries in this universe. Even we ourselves are a mystery. Tell me, where are your conscience and your soul? Are you able to locate your spirit? Many scientists refuse to believe in anything which they cannot see or understand. This is nonsense. I would ask those scientists if they have ever seen their conscience or their physical life. Although we have a physical life, we have never seen it. If we cannot understand ourselves, then how about the Triune God, the Divine Being?
After the Lord showed them both His hands and His side, the disciples “rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (20:20). This was a fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in 16:19 and 22, where He said, “You therefore now indeed have sorrow; but I shall see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Now the disciples saw the newborn “child” (16:21), who was the resurrected Lord born in His resurrection as the Son of God (Acts 13:33). As we shall now see, this fulfillment by His coming back to His disciples brought them five blessings: His presence, His peace, His commission, the Holy Spirit, and the authority to represent Him (v. 23).
In both 20:19 and 21 the Lord said to His disciples, “Peace be to you.” This took place in the first meeting of the Lord with His disciples after His resurrection. Peace is something which is often brought to us in the meetings. Many times we need to come to the meetings before we can have peace. The Lord brought peace to the church. Hence, we must attend the meetings, for it is in the meetings that we enjoy peace.