When Kentucky freshman Aaron Harrison caught the ball with a few seconds remaining in the semi-final game of the NCAA basketball tournament, his team was down by two points. But Harrison had been in this situation before, twice before in fact and had delivered the game-winning shot both times. And so now, in this semi-final game, he calmly caught the ball, squared up to the basket and drilled a three-pointer to give his team the victory...again. His Kentucky teammates were ecstatic. How could they lose the upcoming championship game with a player like Harrison? Just put the ball in his hands and he would do the rest!
Do you have an Aaron Harrison in your life, someone you can count on when the going gets tough? Overwhelmed by parenting? Just flip the ball to the grandparents and let them work it up the court a few times. Can’t figure out your math homework? Mom can get you through that without any more effort than it takes a 7-footer to dunk a basketball. But what do you do when those you normally count on let you down? Like when your doctor accidently gives your 10-year-old double the dose of sedative needed for a routine operation so that your son ends up in a coma with possible brain damage? (That happened last week to a boy from St. Albert.) What do you do when your spouse of many years says, “I don’t love you anymore?” or when the company HR guy emails: “We won’t need your services beyond June”? Who do you turn to then? Our Gospel Lesson has the answer: put it all in Jesus’ hands. Let him deal with your fears and your doubts because he has already dealt with death and with your sins.
Our text describes the events of that first Easter Sunday evening. Like a family crammed into the panic room while a burglar prowls the house, most of the disciples were hiding out in a locked room because they were afraid that they might be the next target for Jesus’ enemies. Adding to their consternation was the rumor that Jesus was alive. Now you’d think that would be cause for celebration. But how would you feel if the manager you failed to stand up for and so was unjustly fired was now returning to work having cleared her name? Wouldn’t you want to avoid her - ashamed at how you had been less than supportive? Wouldn’t you even be afraid that she might now make life difficult for you? Likewise the disciples certainly had a lot to be ashamed of. They had promised to stand with Jesus but had quickly abandoned him after his arrest. How would he treat them now?
But you can’t hide from Jesus. He knew where the disciples were hanging out in Jerusalem so he went to them. What many miss is that this appearance was “unscheduled.” What I mean is that Jesus had said before he died that he would meet the disciples in Galilee after his resurrection. That’s about 100 km to the north of Jerusalem. That directive was repeated by the angels at the tomb and then again by Jesus himself to the women who had gone to the tomb on Easter morning. But like someone who can’t wait to give another a present and so doesn’t bother to even wrap it, Jesus couldn’t wait to see his disciples. Plus he knew they needed immediate strengthening so he didn’t delay until the Galilean rendezvous. He went to them in Jerusalem. And no, Jesus wasn’t eager to meet up with his disciples so he could rub in the fact that he had risen just as he said he would. We know this because the very first thing that Jesus said to them was “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19b), not “Curse you, you doubters!”
The startled disciples, however, were slow to believe what they were seeing. “Jesus? Could it really be?” Luke tells us that Jesus had to eat a meal in their presence proving that he wasn’t a ghost or an apparition (Luke 24:42). Jesus then gave them a Bible lesson, reviewing the Old Testament prophesies which had clearly stated that the Messiah would have to die and then be raised to life again. Like you, I wish I could have been there that Easter night to see the resurrected Jesus. What we can do is study his Word, both the Old and New Testament, through which God promises to strengthen our confidence that Jesus is really alive even if we can’t see him.
After Jesus overcame his disciples’ doubt, they were overjoyed to see him. But there was one disciple in addition to Judas who was not there to rejoice with them: Thomas. Where was he? We’re not told, but his absence hurt his faith. Isn’t that a warning for us, fellow disciples of Jesus? Whenever we pull away from the fellowship of believers, no matter what the reason, our faith can’t help but suffer even if that faith was once strong. Thomas had not been a lukewarm believer. Just days before the crucifixion he had said that he would rather die with Jesus than live without him (John 11:16). That sounds a lot like the vow we made when we were confirmed, doesn’t it?
But this Thomas now refused to believe the testimony of his fellow disciples. “They had seen the Lord? Well he wasn’t going to believe it unless he could see Jesus with his own eyes.” Such a statement betrayed more than doubt; it revealed stubborn unbelief. Why would Thomas’s two eyes be more reliable than the twenty eyes that had already seen Jesus? And why would these men, with whom he had spent three years following Jesus, lie to him about this? Thomas went as far as saying that unless he could put his own finger into Jesus’ nail marks he would never believe.
Yes, Thomas was just being stubborn. But stubbornness is a sin that can lead to unbelief and therefore eternal judgment. And what’s scary is that stubbornness is a sin that we all struggle with. We even joke about it when we say things like: “Of course I’m stubborn; I’m German! I’m Ukrainian! I’m Dutch! I’m Norwegian!” (Have you ever met a nationality that hasn’t identified stubbornness as an ethnic trait?) But we dare not excuse our sinful stubbornness this way. When Mom and Dad ask me to clean up after myself but I keep refusing by making lame excuses, it’s not so much because I’m lazy but because I want to assert my will and let others know that I am the boss. But the thing is Jesus has called you to be a servant. How many marriages, how many business partnerships, and how many friendships has stubbornness ruined? Don’t let it ruin the most important relationship you have: your faith in Jesus.
But stubbornness can be used for good. The other disciples showed a righteous stubbornness when they kept telling Thomas that they had seen the Lord. They weren’t about to abandon Thomas and let him flounder in his unbelief. And of course Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas either. A week later when the disciples were crowded in that locked room again, this time with Thomas, Jesus appeared to them and again greeted them with peace. Yes, this greeting was also meant for the unbelieving Thomas. In fact Jesus directed his next words specifically to that disciple. He invited Thomas to put his fingers in his hands and side. By encouraging the very thing Thomas had demanded, Jesus showed that he had known all about Thomas’s doubts. But now he was inviting that wayward disciple to place all his doubts in his Lord’s hands. Thomas did so when he confessed: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
Whatever your doubts and your fears you can place them in Jesus’ hands too. He is after all your Lord and God. There is no problem too heavy for him to handle. After all he handled death didn’t he? There is no situation so prickly that he doesn’t want to touch it. He’s already handled your sins hasn’t he? Look at the nail marks. They testify to the horrid nature of our sin. Sin tears and kills! But at the same time those holes in Jesus’ hands speak to the depth of his love for you and me. He could have pulled his hands away from the cross, but he refused. He let himself be pierced, like a man taking a bullet for another. So keep bringing him your deepest darkest secrets – the sins that you are too embarrassed to confess to anyone else. Put them in Jesus’ nail-hole marked hands, for they will keep disappearing there like dirty mop water down a drain – and this drain will never clog!
I started this sermon by telling you about Aaron Harrison, the sharp-shooting guard for Kentucky who hit three buzzer-beater shots to get his team into the championship game. Kentucky fans felt good going into that game because, well, they had Harrison. Just put the ball in his hands! Only it didn’t work this time. Harrison didn’t hit a buzzer-beater. In fact he only ended up with seven points in Kentucky’s loss.
Do you feel that way about Jesus sometimes? Sure he hit the buzzer-beater when he came back from the dead on Easter Sunday, but what has he done lately? Perhaps the reason Jesus doesn’t seem to be a force in your life is because you are not putting the ball in his hands. Instead you keep stubbornly trying to do things your way. But why unnecessarily endure such frustration? Put it all in Jesus’ hands and be at peace! Let him deal with your fears and your doubts because he has already dealt with death, and he has already dealt with your sins. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Why had the disciples been so afraid on that first Easter evening? (Give two reasons.)
How did our sermon text demonstrate that Jesus often gives more than he promises? Now think of an example from your life when Jesus gave you more than he’s promised.
What two things did Jesus do that Easter evening to convince his disciples that he was really alive?
How could you use the sermon text with someone who says, “I don’t need to be in church. I can worship Jesus on my own”?
Thomas’s unbelief stemmed from his stubbornness. In what areas of your life do you often find yourself being stubborn? How can you use your stubbornness for good instead?
We learned today that we can put our fears and doubts in Jesus’ hands because he has dealt with death and sin. Take a moment now to ask God to help you put everything in Jesus’ hands. Be specific as you speak to him about the areas of your life you are tempted to handle on your own.
