Purpose

Bible Studies for those who love the Word or want to discover more.

Saturday, May 30, 2020

The Peace of the God-Head John 20:19-29


Ripped from the headlines . . .

Government Authorizes Crackdown on Religious Extre
  Capital Punishment Embraced for the Opposition
Riots Suppressed Across the Empire
                 Locusts Plague Regions
                        Troops Deployed to Ease Unrest
             Deaths from Mystery Illness on the Rise 
Jerusalem Swells to Record Visitors During Annual Holy Days

These could very well have been the headlines during the focus Scripture for today. It seems oddly familiar, doesn’t it? Unsettling? The Apostle John remembered and recounted the days after the crucifixion with the same sense of overwhelm that we are experiencing today. The cruel and oppressive Roman government did not blink an eye at crucifying innocents. Some religious leaders targeted the followers of Christ and engaged the political powers of the day to do their worst. Just as in our time, though, the Roman Government and the ruling Jewish Authorities could not contain or suppress plagues of illness or natural disasters.

It would not have been unusual for the disciples of Jesus to be gathered in Jerusalem at this time. It was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover celebration. Being Jews, they were among the throngs of the Jewish population packed into Jerusalem for this holy season. So, it was not unusual that they would be gathered together in a house. It might have appeared to the neighbors that the Airbnb/hotel in their neighborhood was packed with a group of travelers. What their neighbors did not know, however, was that that Airbnb’s doors were locked—and for good reason! The Roman government and some of the Jewish leaders had targeted that group of people as rebels that must be dealt with. The disciples had abandoned their Lord in the garden, watched as he was cruelly tried and crucified, mourned over his grave and sought one another out for support and solidarity afterward. They locked the doors. But doors weren’t necessary for the most important Person in their lives.

Read John 20:19-23.

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.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Granted, the women and two disciples who had been at Jesus’ tomb had already told them that he had been resurrected. But everyone was still afraid, still overwhelmed by circumstances, still unsure of what to do next. Most of them had not been an “enemy of the state” before. And certainly no one had been through a resurrection of the Savior before! We can imagine a room full of somber people, with the urgent words of the eye-witnesses trying to convince them of the truth. At that point it just wasn’t enough.

And then Jesus stood among them speaking the words of peace. “Peace be with you” was a common phrase of greeting and care. Similar to our saying “God bless you”, from one person to the next it demonstrated concern and care. But when it came out of the mouth of the resurrected Lord, it ushered in a new era of peace in that moment and all turbulent times ahead.

Then he showed the proofs that it was indeed him. The profound reality that he still bore his scars was proof enough. And that Airbnb erupted with joy! The neighbors probably grumbled about those rude visitors disturbing their neighborhood. But, even if they did and were overheard in their grumbling, that made no difference to the ones inside. Not one bit of difference. Because, you see, their Savior was alive and speaking peace to them. He was with them as before, but better than before! Oh, what a difference the Prince of Peace makes!

Johns 20: 21-22 are some of the most succinctly Trinitarian verses in the New Testament. Indeed, Jesus had previously described in detail and prayed out loud the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in John 14-17. But here he summarizes who the God-Head is and what the disciples are to do in response to that—all under the eternal, powerful, effective banner of true peace. There was little room for doubt that Jesus was indeed the Messiah promised for ages. Jesus also made it abundantly clear that God the Father was the one who sent him, grounding his personhood in the personhood of God. All authority—the authority of the Creator who breathed into humanity his own breath to make them living beings (Genesis 2:7)—was his to use and to give. His power was not parsed out from the Father, for he and the Father were one (14:10). And then that same breath was breathed on them to impart the Holy Spirit. The Comforter had come! The third person of the Trinity was now directly bestowed on all of those present. All they had to do was receive. This is the same Spirit that hovered over the waters of the earth at creation (Genesis 1:2) and that filled the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2). With the full presence of the God-Head came full and lasting peace. As the Apostle Paul wrote: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10) Now peace was not bound to political, material or physical circumstances!

Then Jesus added another truth. “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This can be a two-fold truth. Firstly, it can have the very personal and individual reality: that of being empowered by the Holy Spirit to forgive. Who did the disciples have to forgive? The government, the religious leaders opposed to them, the soldiers who pounded the nails into the hands of their Savior, themselves for running away while he was suffering and gone! There is so much to forgive. And that forgiveness brings peace, deep and lasting peace, peace that is beyond understanding, peace that frees the offender and oppressor, peace that lifts us above our circumstances, peace, peace, peace.

Secondly, this truth that Jesus delivered came with one of the initial commissions for spreading the Gospel. Already he had taught them so much and pressed them into service, but now he needed to speak the truth into their lives to embolden them to proclaim that people who had confessed their sins were indeed forgiven. This was no false assurance, but a reality that the disciples of Jesus could, in fact, declare with confidence: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary states: “Here the Spirit was the necessary equipment for the task that lay ahead.” (p. 1120)

The story of Thomas informs all of this, as John the beloved disciple described.

Read John 20:24-29.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “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.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

We do not know where Thomas had been. Some have attributed rebellion or despair to this absence. Others, perhaps wiser, concede that we cannot know because John does not tell us. It must be important to recognize here that neither the disciples nor Jesus excommunicated him for this absence. They all were gracious to let him work through his doubt. Oh, what a great testimony of the beauty of the community headed by Christ! Thomas is initially allowed through that locked door, subjected to the enthusiasm and joy of the ones who had already seen Jesus, and allowed to wrestle with his disbelief. Who knows how long this would have gone on if it had not been for Jesus coming with the Holy Spirit conviction and comfort afforded to all non-believers.

Once more Jesus speaks peace to them all, but also directly to Thomas. He offers him also the evidence of who he is. And Thomas, finally, responds to the conviction and comfort of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ from the Father. What did he say? My Lord and my God! He got to experience all the fullness of God—his power, his grace, his completed sacrifice, his confirmed resurrection, his absolute mercy and full pardon. What was the result? Peace!

The final words of Jesus in this account are cause for all of us to reconsider where our faith rests today—blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Is our faith bent more toward the political, medical, law enforcement or personal powers of our time? Or is it solely in the Person and power of our God-Head? It would be important for us to acknowledge that our personal comfort and safety are not necessarily the chief end of God's work. Despite their profound faith and active evangelism, many of our first-century Christian brothers and sisters died as martyrs, suffered in poverty, succumbed to illnesses and struggled as their neighbors did. Yet, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, they were able to live in peace—God’s perfect peace—through it all. May it be as true for us.

John was very deliberate and clear about his purpose for writing this Gospel account. We read this in John 20:30-31. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

So, today we are challenged by the Holy Spirit through John’s account. Where does our faith rest in these difficult times? Can we be as honest as Thomas with our gracious Comforter? Will we receive and believe that no matter what comes our way, we can unlock the doors and step out into the world to share the truth that Jesus Christ is the final solution for peace?

Here are two final words of comfort.

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.
~Zephaniah 3:15b

You can sing out with the music at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/330

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

My faith has found a resting place,
  Not in device nor creed;
I trust the Ever-living One,
  His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument,                                                  
  I need no other plea;
It is enough that Jesus died,
    And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
  This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
  He’ll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,
  The written Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name,
  Salvation through His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick,
  The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
  For me His life He gave.

Written by Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (1851-1920).
This could have been written during the 1918-20 Spanish Flu Pandemic, and if not, then perfectly appropriate for that time and ours.

Amen

Copyright M.R. Hyde 2020

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