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April 2 Daily Devotional

Christ Appeared to His Disciples

Frans Bakker

After that he appeared in another form unto two of them. —Mark 16:12

Bible Reading

Mark 16:9–13

Devotional

Did it ever occur to you that the exalted Christ only appeared to His followers? He did not appear to Caiaphas, or to Pilate, or to the Pharisees or scribes. Just imagine if the risen Christ had done so. How terrified the enemies would have been! If Jesus, as living proof, stood before them, they would have been compelled to believe that He was the Christ. But Christ does not need to prove who He is. True faith is not forced on man; it is a matter of the heart. And those who did not love Him in His state of humiliation will never be able to share in His exaltation. That secret of salvation is not shown to His enemies, but only to His people according to His counsel of peace.

Certainly, the enemies will one day see Him. Every eye shall see Him, and they also, which pierced Him. But for those who do not know this King in His humiliation, it will be terrible to meet Him in His exaltation, for Scripture also speaks about the wrath of the Lamb when He returns on the clouds. Then the enemies shall see Him and they will tremble.

In order to live with Jesus, we first must die with Him —die to ourselves, die to our honor, die to our opinion, die to our sin, and even die to our righteousnesses. We must die a spiritual death. It is a dying to one’s self. Only then will we see Jesus. The enemies had no room for the Prince of Life. They did not die a spiritual death; how then can they live with Him?

The friends of Jesus, in themselves, were not more worthy than His enemies. In fact, when Christ arose, those who followed Jesus had fallen so low that they no longer dared to reckon themselves as friends of Jesus. They are not friends because they are better than the enemies, but because the risen Christ revealed Himself to them. They are friends because Jesus showed them His love. In spite of their unfaithfulness and guilt, room is made in their hearts for the risen King. By grace they can sing of His friendship offered to them. That is always how sinners are led into communion with Him. By grace alone they have fellowship with the risen King!

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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