JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES
Rev. Larry Peters
April 7, 2013
Psalm 118:14-17
Acts 5:27-32
John 20:19-31
What kind of a day is the Sunday after Easter? The mood and the events of Holy Week have both a depth and an excitement. There is a flurry of activities, and a wide range of emotions. We go from the tragedy of the Crucifixion to the triumph of the Resurrection. And then what? A lot of people seem to be at a loss as to what to do after Easter. The palm branches are gone. The lilies are gone. Some of the people who were with us last Sunday have gone. What is the significance of Easter, and how does it affect us as the church? We should want to find out.
I think that Jesus wanted to find out what was going on in the church when he came to visit the disciples. The Bible tells us that it was evening on that day. The scripture reading today is a continuation of the events that happened on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection and leads to today, the Sunday after Easter. Therefore, I would like to continue following the message we received last Sunday including some important points presented by Rev. Jensen. First of all, do we genuinely believe in the Resurrection? How has it changed us? How has it impacted and shaped our faith? All this is important to us because, as we heard last week, “faith in the Resurrection is what distinguishes Christianity from everything else. The essence of the Christian faith is faith in the Resurrection.”
We need to begin to understand just how great the importance of the Lord’s Resurrection is to us! We need to understand the difference this makes; what the Resurrection means. It means that everything is different now! Everything has changed! What kind of day is today? It is a new day, different from days previous. The events of this week are a change from what happened last week. But we need to see how those events have changed us, shaped us, made a difference in who we are and what we are to become as we move forward to live each new day.
What are the great events that have happened that distinguish the Christian faith from everything else? Death has been conquered! Jesus is alive! Jesus has been given all authority! Jesus is in charge! How does this make a difference to us? What does this mean? It means that we are to rejoice in the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We give thanks that we have new life in Christ’s name! This new life and promise enables us to live differently than before! We have a great work to do! We have a great story to tell! And we need not live in fear anymore!
But when the Risen Lord Jesus came to visit the disciples he found them behind closed, locked doors because they were afraid. The moment Jesus was arrested, they fled. They once were disciples of Jesus, bound together by a common leader and a common mission. It was Jesus who called them together, Jesus who bound them together, Jesus who taught them, ate with them, walked mile after mile with them – together. But now that Jesus was gone, the only common thing among them was fear. Fear dominated them.
There was much to be afraid of. They had seen Jesus arrested, beaten, nailed to the cross and there he died. They were afraid that the ones who did that to Jesus could do it to them as well. Crucifixion was a particularly cruel way to put someone to death, and the point of hanging someone on the cross wasn’t just to kill the person, but to do so in a way that would intimidate everyone. It was meant to send a signal, loud and clear. The primary purpose of crucifixion wasn’t just to put someone to death, it was to produce fear. The disciples got the message.
So there they were, gathered together behind closed and locked doors. Nothing was getting in. Nothing was getting out. I want you to get this point. This was the early church. They were without hope, and therefore unable to offer hope to anyone else. The disciples didn’t know it yet, but they were about to get a new message. This is the joyful, life-giving, life-changing message of the Resurrection!
The strange thing is that the disciples had heard this message before. When Mary Magdalene and the other women first returned from the empty tomb with the good news of the Lord’s Resurrection; “The disciples thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). And later, a report came from two disciples who said they had seen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The other disciples “would not believe it” (Mark 16:13). And in Matthew’s Gospel, at the moment just before Jesus ascends into heaven, “those who gathered around Jesus saw him and worshiped him; but still some doubted” (28:17).
The point here is that Thomas was not the first, nor will he be the last to express some doubt or unreadiness to believe in the Resurrection. For these disciples, hand chosen by Jesus himself, it took the very real presence of the Risen Lord in their midst for them to believe. This is why Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe” (John 20:29).
In the days after Easter, when our Lord Jesus Christ has risen and ascended, it is now our job as the church to make him known to others. For them to come to believe, we must be real in our witness to the very real and Risen Lord Jesus Christ! In other words, unless we, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in and through us, are able to convince others of the reality of Jesus Christ – they will not believe.
It is an awesome responsibility. And it may seem, at times, a task too much for us. But it is for this purpose that our Lord calls us and commissions us – to be the church. It is why he died, and why he is Risen – to cleanse us of our impurities and to make us righteous in God’s sight. By the work of God on our behalf, we have what it takes to witness to the Risen Lord and to share this Good News with others. And we can live in the peace of knowing that when we follow Christ, we are making a difference.
Jesus comes to offer that peace. Jesus came and stood among the disciples and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). I can imagine that those disciples were very startled, can’t you? Jesus will sometimes enter our lives at a time, or a place, or in a way that we least expect. We may have in our minds a picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking; but in this case he comes in unannounced. Jesus will certainly welcome our invitation to come in, but he is not dependent upon it. Therefore, be ready at all times. The Risen Lord has the authority to come as he chooses. Even if one is unwilling to receive him, a friend or a family member may be praying for that person. Be ready for Christ to enter in. As death cannot hold him, neither can a lock in any door. It is interesting to note here that when Jesus appears again to the disciples the following week (today) the doors were closed, but no mention of them being locked. The proof of the Resurrection is that something changed, and evidence of all things that will be changed. As we pointed out to us last week, “the Resurrection gives light in order for us to see who we are and what we can become.”
The disciples who gathered together in fear were about to be changed. Where they may have seen themselves as a poor example of the church, our Lord God saw in them what they could become. Rev. Jensen said last week that “we tend to be so afraid of what is outside of us that we lose our inner selves.” Jesus comes to show us that we are no longer to be held captive by fear; we are free to be all that God intends for us to be.
Those first disciples knew what they feared most. We also know what we fear. Some are announced in the headlines: a faltering economy, crime and violence, wars and rumors of wars. Other fears are more personal, more private: a bad medical report, a broken marriage, a career that crashes. We feel fear when there’s no money to pay on the mortgage, or when our child is having trouble at school, or with some other issue. These are but a few of our fears.
These fears are with us. It is not that fear is simply swept away; rather we are released from fear when something more powerful overrides it. For example, when a soldier faces enemy fire to save another who is wounded, it is not because he does not fear for his own life – but a stronger love for his friend takes over. Our Lord God so loves us that he willingly gave his life to save us from our sins. Yes, the fear is there; but it no longer dominates because there is a greater work to be done. As Rev. Jensen said last week; “Jesus was not afraid to do what needed to be done; and so we can now be unafraid to go out and do that good that we know needs to be done.”
The birthday of the church wasn’t just at Pentecost according to John’s Gospel. We see it also at this moment when Jesus enters in. He calms fears. He gives his peace. Jesus gives proof that he is real by showing them the wounds in his hands and side. The disciples are changed in an instant. They believe, and they rejoice! Once more Jesus calls them together, binds them together with a common purpose. He sends them forth with a mission. At this moment his followers are transformed from disciples (ones who are taught) into apostles (ones who are sent). Jesus breathes on them the Holy Spirit. They receive new life! They are commissioned and empowered to go out into the world bearing the Good News of peace and forgiveness to all people. No more closed and locked doors. People have to come in. Good news has to get out. A church is born!
Now, in light of all this, is it possible that there can be any complacency or indifference with us the church in these days following Easter? Really, just thing about it:
We are blessed!
We are empowered!
We are convinced, motivated, inspired, and equipped!
We go! And we tell others about the very real way that we have come to know the very real, Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And because we believe, our witness will be real! Amen!
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