“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:19-21).

If you’ve been in church long enough, you’ve probably heard the maxim: there’s a difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Jesus. It is possible to know all about Jesus without ever spending time with him or  cultivating a real relationship. True.

However, for the disciples this was not really an issue. They had spent the better part of three years with The Master, and it’s likely that each of them knew him intimately. After his death they were sheltered in place, because they were terrified of the Jewish leaders who had plotted his death. Shades drawn, doors locked, everyone on high alert. Sheltered. 

And then Jesus, fresh-off of being resurrected from the dead, showed up in the shelter.

For the disciples his presence in the shelter served a very specific purpose: their personal history with Jesus hadn’t evaporated with his death. They still knew him intimately as a leader and friend. But you can be sure that his death caused them to question who he was. Was our friend really the Messiah?

Jesus’ appearance in the shelter answered that question. 

For many of us, sheltering in place offers us an opportunity like the one the disciples were given. Do you have questions about who Jesus is? Do you have questions about him you’ve long sought answers to? Are you convinced that he is the Son of God, and that he was raised from the dead? 

Now might be the perfect opportunity to spend time getting answers to those questions. For you, sheltering with Jesus could mean listening to sermons, studying the scriptures, reading books, or taking an apologetics course. All of these are things you could do to seek an answer to life’s biggest question, the one we all must answer for ourselves: who is Jesus? 

For others, sheltering with Jesus may look very different. You may already be convinced about who Jesus is, and for you, sheltering is less an opportunity to know about Jesus as it is to know him. 

The question is, will you shelter with Jesus, or not? Will you go about life as usual, or will you take the time to invite him into your locked room? To sit with him daily, to worship him, to spend this time practicing the art of hearing his voice and following his lead? 

Regardless of where we’re at, this season of sheltering is a unique opportunity for each of us. The question is, will we see the opportunity for what it is? Will we invite Jesus into our shelter?

For those uncertain about Jesus: What can you do during this time to help yourself answer life’s biggest question – who is Jesus? If you’re looking for resources, please reach out to one of our pastors or a trusted Jesus follower.

For the Jesus followers: What can you do during this time to cultivate a deeper personal relationship with the Lord? A daily prayer schedule? A new Bible reading plan?