He entered the room
…the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
John 20:26 (NIV)
Have you ever locked yourself out of your house or out of your car? I must admit I have many times. I have begun to get paranoid about it and always carry two keys with me. There is nothing like being locked out of what is yours; it is an uneasy feeling for me, as I am sure it is for all. Trying to get back in I feel like a criminal. One time our grandson, who was very small at the time, locked us out of the car while he was inside. What a panic we had knowing that though he was safe for the moment, the car would heat up quickly. We called a locksmith, but the child was convinced to open the door before he got there. What a relief.
At the fall of mankind, Adam and Eve locked the door to God; maybe not literally but the result was the same. They rejected God’s wisdom and hid from God, covering themselves up with fig leaves and hiding in the foliage. God of course was not deterred by their lock-out. They could not hide from God; none of us can. It is like playing hide and seek with a two-year-old whose feet are sticking out from under the curtain and is giggling because he or she thinks no one can find them. Of course, hiding from God is not a game. I for one am very grateful that I cannot be out of God’s sight or protection.
The disciples of Jesus, and the world at that time, were convinced that death had shut the door to Jesus. I am sure the disciples mourned throughout Saturday, and the Romans and the Pharisees celebrated the fact that the thorn in their side had been removed. They were all mistaken because nothing could keep Jesus from entering their lives; not walls, not locked doors, not death on the cross, not a stone rolled over the entrance to a tomb can bar the way.
He entered
No walls could keep him out
Nothing on earth
Could bar the way
Though we shut and locked the door
He entered in
His love for us was too strong
In he came
Forever to hold us near
Nothing Satan could do
Would keep him out
He entered in
And here he will stay
He is risen! You are forever changed! Forever blessed!
Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, we come before you humble and blessed. You have done for us what we could not do for ourselves. Your love is stronger than anything that can come between us. Your love is beyond our understanding. We are so grateful that you entered our lives. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Anne Gillam
About the writer:
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
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