C, Easter 2 - John 20:19-31 "Peace is with you"
John 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week (the day of Jesus’ resurrection), when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
24 Now Thomas (called
Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 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 it.”
26 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!” 27 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.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told
him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have
not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Jesus did many other
miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in
this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Y
On Easter Sunday, Peter and
John left the tomb of Jesus confused and bewildered that Jesus’ body was
gone. Now we hear today on that first
Easter evening the disciples were huddled together hidden away from sight so
the Jews might not find them.
Imagine the speculation which took
place behind those closed doors… What went
down at the tomb? Did the Jews now take
his body too? What has happened to him? Was this now going to happen to them? What was going on? Could this whole thing be a trick?
One thing we know is they
still didn’t understand from Scripture — from the Old Testament, as we know it
— that Jesus had to rise from the dead.
Understanding this in itself would have been confusing enough, but
adding the pressure of being wanted themselves, the disciples’ lives were in
complete turmoil. They were powerless without
any direction or peace.
It’s a completely different
picture to that of the time before Jesus’ crucifixion. Even in the midst of suffering, beatings, and
the piercing pain on his body, Jesus knew who had ultimate power. He believed and trusted his Father in heaven
despite what he was going through. His
humanity cried out for God to take the cup of wrath away, yet he remained obedient
to he who had all authority and power.
Jesus suffered horrendously at
Surprisingly, after Jesus’
death and resurrection from the grave, although he was perfect and without sin,
he still bore the marks of sin and death.
One might think — being the obedient Son of the Father, God the Son, the
Creator of all that lives — these marks would vanish due to his divine
perfection. Yet they don’t, so even in
his complete obedience and perfection, what was still visible, were the marks of
our imperfection and his passivity as a result of our sin.
These nail marks and spear
wound are the source of great joy to the disciples as he appears amongst them
and calls them to peace in his power over sin and death. Right at this moment Jesus re-creates his
disciples and breaths new life into their weak, frail bodies.
This is the day that the Lord
has made! Today is the day of Jesus’
resurrection and he resurrects our lives too, calling us to peace with his word,
breathing new life into us with his breath of the Holy Spirit, and killing the
power sin and death once had over us.
We like Thomas, who is called
Didymus (which means the twin or double), were not there that first day to
witness these things and receive Christ as did the other disciples. We bear in us the double-nature of being Jesus’
followers yet also struggle with doubt and confusion just like Thomas, and the
other disciples too, for that matter.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “I
don’t want to believe unless I see the marks of Jesus too. How do I really know if Jesus is present anyway? Could this whole thing be some sort of cruel trick?
When you and I enter into
thought like this, our peace can be eroded very quickly. Then you feel the weakness of your true self
and see that you’re far from perfect.
One thing I can guarantee with these feelings is this: The father of lies and trickery is pleased
when our old self rises over the Risen Lord of our hearts and causes us this
worry and doubt!
So how do we know it’s God
calling us to abide and remain in him? How
do we know where Jesus Christ is, especially when we can’t see him like the
disciples did? How do we know we’re
receiving all the benefits of Christ and the cross? How do I abide or remain in him according to
his holy and perfect will, so I might rest in assurance and peace?
Firstly we hear the word of
God. Jesus says to you, “Peace be with
you!” We hear him say this in his word, in
fact three times in the Gospel reading today. His word has power, so listen to him and rest
in peace! See how many times God himself
calls you to peace in the liturgy of the Sunday services!
God then tells you in his word
to believe, when the pastor says, “I forgive your sins, in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
It’s by Jesus’ command your sins are truly forgiven for his sake. The pastor is the Lord’s physical mouthpiece announcing
God’s forgiveness and peace with you. The
pastor is authorised to stand in the person of Christ (in persona Christi),
commanded by Jesus himself to declare God’s forgiveness to all who believe and
trust his instruction.
So why does God forgive your
sin? He does so for the same reason you
stand in his presence in peace each week, knowing “the church roof won’t fall
on you”. In fact your life continues in
him each day — as you believe you’re being recreated by his death on the cross
and resurrection from the grave — as you believe you’re daily drowned in your baptism
and raised to new life with him. You
live under the power of God’s forgiveness as you live each day in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, each time you come into his presence, God names his
forgiveness to you, and on receiving it, you know and trust God forgives your
sin, and wants peace with you!
Then you also know God’s peace
rests with you, and you can rest in his peace, when you receive his body and
blood. Mysteriously Jesus Christ is
physically and spiritually present in the bread and the wine, just as he
mysteriously entered the room with the disciples. Likewise you receive him with joy in knowing
he is with us here, right now! So
because of his risen presence, Jesus calls you to rest in his peace and
forgiveness.
All these things you receive
each Sunday in church. Each Sunday is an
Easter celebration of the Lord’s resurrection and yours too. Each Sunday you’re recreated in the work of
Christ at the cross and his resurrection power over your sin and death. In fact, each Sunday you and I receive the
marks of Christ, which are the reassuring marks of the church, and by these marks,
you and I are called to trust we have truly received Christ. The nail and spear marks that scarred Jesus’
perfect body are the very marks by which Jesus is winning your salvation and
healing your wounds.
Just like Thomas, Jesus calls
us all to stop doubting and believe. And
so in chapter twenty verse thirty-one of John’s gospel, hear, “these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
by believing you may have life in his name.”
Each time you come here, know
you receive the risen Lord. Rest in
Jesus, knowing your past is forgiven; that he is your strength and power in the
present; and, in the future he will lead and raise you from death. The peace of the Lord is with you; rest in
his peace too! Amen. Y
