Joy Restored to the Disciples

Christ's resurrection proves that His sacrifice on Calvary's tree was accepted by God the Father as a full satisfaction for the crimes of all His people whom He would redeem. Thus, the resurrection is a great comfort and joy to all believers!

Jesus told His disciples, the night before He was crucified, that they were about to undergo great sorrow and lamentation, because of His death. Meanwhile, the wicked world would rejoice over it all.

Christ's death meant the dashing of all the hopes of the poor disciples, because they sought a physical kingdom, but Christ was about the more important matter of redeeming them from their sins.

Their grief was due to their ignorance and unbelief, because Christ had already promised He would rise again the third day.

That night, Jesus promised that their joy would be restored, and that no man would ever be able to take their rejoicing away again!

The reason Jesus gives is profound: because He would see them again! Here was His very last promise to them that He would rise from the grave.

The saints' greatest joy is to see Jesus! It is our greatest hope in death, that we will soon be with Jesus! For the disciples, Jesus assured them that the cure for their sorrow and mourning was that He would see them again!

Then nobody could take away that joy from them!

Indeed, four days later, Christ's promise was fulfilled, when He appeared before them in the locked room after He rose again.

Luke reports that when they saw the wounds of the cross in His glorified body, they believed not for joy! What they saw was impossible, and yet there their beloved Savior stood!

The sight of Jesus is always the great restorer of joy.