Christ Enlivens His Church

April 19, 2009
The Second Sunday of Easter


John 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)

 Our text takes us to the events of the first Easter evening. The daylight hours had been a rush of excitement and joy for many who were close to Jesus. But when we look at the men and women in the upper room on that first Easter evening, we see something sad. They were hardly a community of faith. In fact, aside from Peter and John, none of the apostles believed that Jesus was alive. The women, on the other hand, knew that he was. Some had actually seen him.1 And some believed the Easter angel’s message that Jesus had risen from the dead.2

   This group of believing women and unbelieving men comprised the very first New Testament congregation. What kind of church was it? Some might say it’s the church at its worst. “First Church” (if we can call it that) had no pastor. Almost all of the elders (apostles) were unbelievers cringing in fear. When some women of their number reported that Jesus was alive, the apostles refused to believe them. Indeed, St. Luke says of these men, “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them as nonsense.”3

   What’s wrong with these guys? Jesus had told his disciples just days before Palm Sunday that he was going to die by crucifixion but that he would rise on the third day.4 Besides this, the Old Testament clearly set forth the theme of the suffering, yet resurrected, Messiah.5 Despite the testimony of the women, these guys believed their Master to be dead. And as we all know, dead men stay dead!

   To be sure, all congregations have problems. But “First Church” had the mother of all problems. Most of its members did not believe that Christ had actually risen. And that meant they were actually unbelievers, for St. Paul said so clearly, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”6 The women were convinced that he was alive. The men, with the exception of Peter and John were convinced that he wasn't.7

   And then, suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Cautiously, they unlocked it. It was two friends from Emmaus. They spoke about how the Lord Jesus revealed himself to them in the breaking of bread.8 And then they said to them all, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”9 More fuel for the fiery debate.

   On this first Easter Sunday, “First Church” had big problems:

   And yet there are congregations and church bodies today that are just as bad: Some outright deny Christ’s resurrection. Others deny cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. For example, in the recently published ELCA study Bible, we discover that it supports the heresy of universalism, the idea that everybody will end up in heaven. In its comments regarding the Great Commission, the footnotes say, “Jesus includes in salvation people who do not believe in him or even know about him.”10 This is a brazen lie, for Jesus says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”11 Moreover, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.”12

   “First Church” had its own doctrinal problems too. Yet it got some unexpected but welcome help. Jesus walked through the walls and showed up in their midst. Locked doors couldn’t keep him out. Neither could hard hearts or stubborn minds. He came to soften their hearts and show them the greatest fact of history, viz., his resurrection.

   Yes, Jesus, in his glorified human body, suddenly stood before them. “Peace be with you,”13 he said. And although he rebuked the apostles for not believing the testimony of the women, he nevertheless offered them his peace, i.e., his forgiveness for their cowardice and unbelief. For when Jesus spoke this shalom, he gave what he spoke, the peace and forgiveness he had earned on Calvary.

   It was exactly what these guilt-ridden souls needed. Here, we see that the apostles are, spiritually-speaking, just as weak and frail as we are--maybe even more so. And, yet, Jesus doesn’t reject them on the spot. Instead, he forgives his penitent sheep. And he does the same for penitent sheep like you and me, absolving us in his Word, and delivering his forgiveness to our very lips through the bread and wine in Holy Communion.

   Behold the gifts of Christ! When faith needed to be rekindled in their hearts, he offered his own body so that they might know with certainty the truth of the resurrection. Yes, the apostles must know, without a doubt, the authenticity of his resurrection if they are to carry the Good News of the crucified-yet-risen Savior to the world. And now they knew. They knew that he had triumphed over the grave!

   But then there’s Thomas. He was the only one of the Eleven who had not seen the Lord that first Easter evening. Refusing to believe the testimony of his fellow-apostles, he remained unconvinced. No, he would not believe unless he saw Jesus--and in person. Thomas wanted proof. And so he issued an ultimatum, saying, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I shall surely not believe.”14 Please note that it is terribly inaccurate to call him “Doubting Thomas.” No, he is “Unbelieving Thomas!”

   Exactly one week later, Jesus showed himself alive again. It was his second appearance to the group, but his first to Thomas. Jesus, his crucifixion wounds being clearly visible, looked squarely at Thomas. Those wounds, the very sight of them must have made Thomas tremble. He surely trembled even more when Christ said to him, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.”15 These words were virtually identical to the words of his ultimatum issued the previous Sunday. And Jesus recited his exact words. This was divine omniscience, and Thomas certainly did not miss the point!

   Thomas now had his proof. And he could no longer deny the truth. So he said to Jesus, “My Lordand my God!”16

   So convinced of the resurrection was Thomas, that he took the message of the Gospel--that sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in the merits of Christ alone--to the people of India. He died a martyr’s death in that land.17

   What was it, I ask you, that transformed “First Church” and turned it into a vibrant community of joy and faith? It was the presence of the living Christ, was it not? And now, some 2000 years later, there are a whole lot of people who are saying, “I wish Jesus would come to me now and take away my doubting heart and breathe new life into my flagging faith.” If you have thoughts like this, please hear these words: Jesus is present here and now. Yes, Jesus dwells in you. But he does not promise to forgive your sins or strengthen your faith by his indwelling. Nor should you look for him to do so.

   No, but he does promise to forgive you and feed you personally through the Word and Sacraments. He comes to you individually in his Word and says to you, “Come unto me ... and I will give you rest.”18 And he comes to you personally in the Sacrament of his body and blood to forgive all your sins.

   If you say, “How can Christ be present in bread and wine?” “How can he be present in the written and spoken Word?” then I say to you, it is so because of Christ’s promise. Does he not say, “This is my body? This is my blood.”19 Does he not say, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins?”20 Does he not say, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God?”21 Christ’s promise makes the Gospel what Paul calls it in Romans 1, viz., the “power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.”22 As to the benefits of the Gospel, he writes, “Our Savior Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.”23

   Christ is present with us personally in the Gospel and in the Sacrament. And through these means he bestows his forgiveness to us. And where there is forgiveness, there is also life and salvation. Jesus says to you, “Fear not ... for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”24 Yes, the heavenly Father wants to give you the kingdom. You need do nothing. Simply rest your hope on God’s promise and the kingdom is yours.

   Faith clings to this precious promise. It is what transforms the Church-Impotent of every age into the Church-Living-and-Forgiving. And Jesus gives us a special promise. To Thomas he said, “Have you believed because you have seen me?” But to us, he says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”25 Dear God, grant to us all the blessedness of such a faith, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

 

 

Endnotes

 

1        Mary Magdalene was the first to see him (John 20:14-18). Then some of the other women saw him. In Matthew’s Gospel, we read, “And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me’” (Matthew 28:9-10, ESV).

2         In Matthew’s Gospel, the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead . . . “ (Matthew 28:5-7, ESV).

3        See Luke 24:11.

4        In John 20:18-19, Jesus says to his disciples, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day he will be raised up.”

5        Psalm 22 predicts his suffering. Psalm 16:10 says that his body will not decay in his death. Isaiah 53:10 prophesies his resurrection in these words: “He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days.” Edward J. Young says of this phrase, “It is of importance also to note that the servant himself will see the seed [offspring]. If he were to die and remain dead, this would be impossible. Hence, this verb makes clear that death will not hold the servant, but rather, after his death he will again come to life and as a living one will see his seed. To prolong days is to live long years. He will prolong days so that they stretch out into many years. The phrase shows that the servant will live eternally.” See Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972), pp. 355-356.

6        See 1 Corinthians 15:17.

7        1 Corinthians 15:4-5 tells of Peter’s seeing Jesus. John 20:4-8 tells us that John saw the arrangement of the burial linens and deduced that Jesus had simply vacated the formerly occupied space. It must have looked to him like a collapsed cocoon.

8        See Luke 24:30-35.

9        See Luke 24:34.

10        See Lutheran Study Bible, Augsburg Fortress Press, 2009, loc. cit.

11        See John 3:36, NKJV.

12        See John 14:6.

13        See John 20:19.

14        See John 20:25b, author’s translation. Grammatically, this is the subjunctive of emphatic denial.

15        See John 20:27. When Jesus says, “Be not faithless [apistos] but believing [pistos],” this is further evidence that Thomas was an unbeliever, not a mere doubter. The NIV errs when it translates this clause as “Stop doubting and believe.” The NRS makes the same error when it says, “Do not doubt but believe.”

16        See John 20:28.

18        See Matthew 11:28.

19        See Matthew 26:26, 26:28 and Mark 14:22, 14:24.

20        See Matthew 26:26, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, passim.

21        See Matthew 4:4.

22        See Romans 1:16.

23        See 2 Timothy 2:10.

24        See Luke 12:32.

25        See John 20:29.

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