Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Luke 24:45 (NIV)

After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to all of the apostles at once, except for Thomas. Thomas told the other apostles, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 NIV). When Jesus did appear to Thomas he believed. Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29 NIV). If you’re like me you might marvel about the disciple’s unbelief.

God has done a lot in my life. He’s cured me of a sleep disorder, IBS, depression, and a plethora of other issues. In addition, my life has been full of so much that I can only point to God and say, “He did it!” However, the best thing He’s ever done for me was to save my eternal soul. I daily talk to God and hear from Him all the time, but the one thing I can say for sure is I’ve never seen Him. Nope, no divine vision of Him or anything like that. I suppose that’s why I get so flabbergasted by the disciples.

During the three years Jesus spent with His disciples, He performed at least 40 miracles. From turning water to wine, walking on water, healing the blind, casting out demons, putting coins into the mouth of fish, and raising the dead; Jesus did all of this, and His disciples witnessed most of it. However, what does Peter do when he’s told Jesus isn’t in the tomb? “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened” (Luke 24:12 NIV). Come on! Peter, James, and John were with Jesus when He was transfigured and talked to Moses and Elijah. Peter was the one who told Jesus, “‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God'” (Matthew 16:16 NIV). Finally, the only other person than Jesus to walk on water, walked away wondering about the meaning of Jesus’ empty tomb, and the bandages left behind. If it wasn’t in the Bible, I’d not believe it.

If all of that weren’t enough, what really boggles the mind is they still don’t understand what happened when Jesus appears to all of them (except Thomas). They think He’s a ghost! I’ve never really believed much in ghosts until I read this passage in the Bible. Jesus doesn’t tell them, “Ghosts aren’t real.” No, Jesus tells them, “‘Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have'” (Luke 24:39 NIV). I suppose ghosts are real then… Sorry, I digress. So, Jesus appears to them, asks for something to eat, and then opens “their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45 NIV).

If you’re like me you might be wondering, “What does that mean, ‘opened their minds’?” Well, in John 20:22, we’re told Jesus, after appearing to the disciples, breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. That’s what I think “opened their minds” means. They received the Holy Spirit that gave them the ability to understand the Scriptures and everything else they had witnessed while being with Jesus.

What this tells me is we can’t understand the things of God without the Holy Spirit. Sure, we might be able to acknowledge the things of God, but true understanding is absent, without the Holy Spirit bringing enlightenment. Therefore, if we really want to be able to understand what we read, when we read the Bible, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us. One could say, the difference between having the Holy Spirit reveal something, and leaning on our own understanding, would be reading, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35) and only see a man crying, instead of God expressing compassion, and love, over the effects of sin in this dark world.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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