Ripped from the headlines . . .
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.
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
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
