4.29.25 ~ 40 days after His resurrection (Pt. 5)

Good morning!

There's a lot going on during these 40 days of counting the omer. What Yeshua did during His 40 days on the earth, during the first 40 days of counting the omer is the same work that the Holy Spirit is doing today in His disciples: communicating individually to reassure them that He is the Messiah and to strengthen them for the commission ahead...Welcome to the 17th day of counting the omer.           

Yeshua has now turned his attention to a locked room in Jerusalem. A room thick with fear. A room where 10 grown men, one who had walked on water hide because their fear of what men think is greater than their love for their Messiah.
These grown men, walked on water, cast out demons, saw the dead raised, learned Torah, in Spirit and Truth, from the Master's lips. Now these chosen men are hiding behind walls. Why? The same reason that I do! Was it because they didn’t believe in Yeshua anymore? Nope. It was because they didn’t know what to believe anymore. 

Trauma has a way of making even the boldest towards the Kingdom of God tremble. Add to that the trauma screams that followed when they would hear the rumors of an empty tomb and the accusations that the disciples took the body. But the women said He was alive. The Emmaus disciples swore they had seen them, but these 10 had not. And for them, all they had was fear until Yeshua came and stood among them. And when He came, there was no knocking, no entrance, just His sudden and supernatural presence. And what were His first words? Not I told you so! Not, where were you when I needed you? No condemnation. No shaming. Just peace/shalom be with you (Jn. 20:19). 

Peace is much more than a greeting, it's a gift. The kind that settles storms not just on Galileans seas, but in human hearts!!! It’s the kind of peace Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:7 that surpasses all understanding. Not the kind of peace you reason your way into, but only receive. It comes when He presents His validation. For them it was when He showed them His scars that He wasn't ashamed to hide; still open enough to be touched. Why? Because Yeshua didn’t hide what he endured. He didn't hide, what the boys could have said was their fault. Nope. He didn't hide it, He revealed it. Proof of death and proof of life. All in one breath. 

But perhaps the most powerful moment came right after that, the gospel of John says Yeshua breathed on them, and said, "receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn. 20:22). Does that word 'breathe' take your mind back to Genesis 2:7 where God would breathe into Adam and he became a living soul? It’s not just ordinary breath. It’s life. It’s creation. It’s commissioning. This wasn’t just comfort. It was calling. His men were not only being calmed, they were being sent! From cowards in the locked room to courageous men who would proclaim the truth of the risen Lord (Rak Chazak Amats); Boldly proclaiming the resurrected word of life; the living Torah. 

Just a few verses later Jesus says as the father has sent me I am sending you (Jn. 20:21). That room wasn’t meant to be their sanctuary. It was their launching point. and let’s not forget Thomas...we won't. He's tomorrow!

Keep an eye open, He still appears in locked rooms. Happy 17th day of counting the omer!  

Shalom,
Alan

Last night's zoom call: Motzi shem Ra: Biblical leprosy caused by the way I feel, think and speak about those around me. Do you ever wonder why you feel isolated? 2 Kings 4 gives us 21st century insights.

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