Pentecost Sunday 2019
June 9, 2019
John 20:19-23
“Pentecost Power”
Ireneaus, a second century bishop, repeats words from the Apostle John that he received from the elders, possibly Polycarp, who told Ireneaus about conversations he had with John.
According to Ireneaus, John said, “The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having 10.000 brances, and each branch, 10.000 twigs, and each twig, 10,000 shoots, and in each one of the shoots, 10,000 clusters, and on every one of the clusters, 10,000 grapes, and every grape, when pressed will give 5 and 20 metretes of wine.”
“A metretes was an ancient Greek unit of liquid measurement equivalent to 37.4 liters,” according to Wikipedia.
Can you imagine such fecundity and abundance?
This is a picture of the Kingdom of God. This is what will be when the shalom of God, the peace of God, reigns in the new heaven and the new earth that God promises His people. The first sign of this promise after the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ comes in four words that Jesus speaks to His closest first followers.
Please open your Bible or a Pew Bible to John chapter 20. We’ll begin at verse 19.
v. 19 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.”
It was the evening of Easter Sunday, and the disciples were still in Jerusalem. They were hidden behind locked doors because they feared the Jewish authorities. Jesus came to them and said four words: “Peace be with you.”
Peace. Shalom. The universal flourishing of all things. The risen Christ gives this blessing to His first followers.
v. 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
“Let us not mock God with metaphor, analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable,
a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier ages;
let us walk through the door.”
“Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our convenience,
for our own sense of beauty,
“lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour,
we are embarrassed by the mirace,
and crushed by remonstrance.”
These words of John Updike from his poem, “Seven Stanzas at Easter” speak to the influences of our time that would make Christ’s resurrection a metaphor, an analogy, or a parable. A remonstrance is a complaint or protest, and there are plenty of those hurled at Christians and the Christian faith.
John writes simply that Jesus showed his disciples “his hands and his side.” The risen Jesus was no metaphor, analogy, or parable. He was a flesh and blood human being who was crucified, dead, buried, and was risen from the dead. Jesus showed his followers his hands that were pierced by nails. He showed them his side where he had been pierced by a sword.
“Then his disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”
These disciples had heard the testimony of Mary Magdalene: “I have seen the Lord” (v. 18).
Now, they have seen Jesus with their own eyes and they are glad. They rejoiced. They were full of joy.
v. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Jesus again offers them a blessing of peace, which he follows with a commission. This is the great commission in the Gospel of John: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Over forty times in this gospel, Jesus is the one sent by God. Now, He commissions His followers as the sent ones.
v. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus not only sends His followers into the world; He empowers them to do the work that He’s commissioned them to do.
v. 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
The disciples are commissioned by Christ to take the gospel to the world. They are given the Holy Spirit so that they can bring the presence of Christ to the world. They and us are to carry out Christ’s work of making disciples. Those who repent and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord receive forgiveness; those who don’t, do not receive forgiveness.
As commentators Rod Whitacre and Raymond Brown say, “The ancient church understood this forgiveness and nonforgiveness as referring to admission to baptism” (Rod Whitacre, The Gospel of John, p. 483).
This verse has been also been seen as applying to church discipline. The disciplinary rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer speak of the church’s response to those “living a notoriously evil life.” (1979 Book of Common Prayer, p. 409).
They also speak about those “who have done wrong to their neighbors and are a scandal to the other members of the congregation” (ibid.). The disciplinary rubrics also mention “hatred between members of the congregation” (ibid.).
In each case, “clear proof of repentance and amendment of life” is required in order to be receive holy communion.
Is church discipline the best interpretation of v. 23? Or is the power of personal evangelism the best interpretation? Or is it admission to baptism? Is this power given to all Christians or is it reserved to priests and bishops?
The Church is not of one mind on this. In the immediate context of John, chapter 20, we see Jesus sending out His disciples, as Christ’s divine Father send Him.
John chapter 1 tells us that Jesus is “the true light” who came into the world so that all who believe in Him can become children of God (vv. 9, 12). In John chapter 3, we read about a Pharisee named Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night, and in chapter 4, a Samaritan woman whom Jesus meets at Jacob’s Well. Jesus offered Nicodemus, and the woman at the well the message of salvation.
Jesus told Nicodemus that whoever believes that Jesus is the One sent from heaven will be given eternal life (3:13,15). Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that He could give her water that wells up to eternal life (4:13-14).
As Peter recognized, Jesus offered the world “words of eternal life” (6:68). And now, Jesus says to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you,” and He breathes on them the Holy Spirit” (vv. 21-22).
John 20:22 has been understood in so many different ways. It is John’s Pentecost, but there are no tongues of fire and there is no speaking in different languages. Plus, it happened Easter Sunday evening, 50 days before Pentecost.
Some understand v. 22 as referring to a precursor to Pentecost since it’s limited to 10 apostles (Judas Iscariot is dead, and Thomas wasn’t there).
Some posit that v. 22 is purely symbolic. They believe that it didn’t really happen. This view was condemned in 553 by the fifth great council of the church.
Isn’t it clear that the Gospel of John and Luke in the Book of Acts are describing two different events? In the Gospel of John, the church has not yet been sent out to the world in mission. In Acts 2, we see the first stage of the church’s mission to the world.
Just as Jesus ministered to Jews of many stripes, on the day of Pentecost, Jews from many places who had gathered in Jerusalem for the great feast of Pentecost, hear the gospel in their own language. After this, the Apostle Peter preaches the gospel to them.
Did you know that in the United States today, there are at least 176 different languages spoken? With immigrants from every continent, 13% of households in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. 31 ethnicities in America have a population of over 1 million.
The ranks of the new religions and no religion at all are swelling at a rate that surpasses church membership growth by wide margins.
What do we need?
I’ll use one word that is not often spoken in North American Anglican churches. Revival.
There’s a reason that charismatic and pentecostal churches are growing at five times and double respectfully the rate of churches overall in the U.S. They believe and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. They expect great things from the Holy Spirit.
We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the words of Donald McGavran, the “Apostle of church growth,” “The growth of the church is always brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit” [quoted in Gary McIntosh, Biblical Church Growth, p. 78]
Three years ago, revival broke out in southwestern West Virginia where the Hatfields and McCoys once feuded. Today, poverty and drug addiction are major problems in that area.
For decades, Christians from two counties have been praying for revival. 63,000 people live in Logan and Mingo counties. Beginning in mid-May, 2016, 3,000 people responded in faith to the gospel in what has been called the Appalachian Awakening and the Coalfield Revival.
Evangelist Matt Hartley originally planned to be in the area for three night services. Those meetings began in a church that seats 400. When 700 showed up one night, they quickly realized that they needed a bigger venue. They moved the meetings to the Field House in Williamson, and crowds of up to 2,000 were showing up.
The next week, Matt was invited back to speak to the Prayer Club at a local high school. That group meets during activity time and usually had 30 participants. The day Matt visited there were 400, and 150 prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.
People were coming to the night meetings from Texas, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Florida. For one more event, they moved to the Logan High School football stadium. Casey Doss, a pastor from Alabama was called in, and 2,000 people came out. Hundreds more responded to the gospel message.
More stadium events were planned for the summer, and one of them had 3,000 in attendance.
At one high school, it’s been reported that “prayer has replaced profanity in the hallways.” Can you imagine that happening at Union-Endicott, or Vestal, or Maine-Endwell?
A woman in her 40s recounts that she was “awakened at 4 a.m. one morning… and the Holy Ghost spoke to her and said you give your life to Jesus right now and she did. She hadn’t been to church in 13 years.” [Decision magazine, “Share Your Story: West Virginia Revival,” retrieved 6/7/19]
“A fireman gave his life to Christ at the Field House one evening. Then he invited Williamson City Clerk Larry Brown. ‘I wasn’t a church-goer,’ says Larry, ‘but I went with when my fireman friend, I got saved.” [ibid.] He became a member of the church were the revival began.
Billy Carrico, a youth pastor said, “We walk into a restaurant and people are talking about God. People who aren’t necessarily going to church are talking about it.” [ibid.] He believes that “We’re moving into a time when [Jesus] is going to pour out His Spirit on all people.” Billy says, “God’s coming to show His power.” [ibid.]
Do you believe that?
3,000 lives were changed during the Appalachian Awakening out of a population of 63,000. According to the 2010 census, 15,000 people in the two counties already identified as Christians before the revival. Out of the remaining 48,000, 3,000 were added to the Church in a short period of time.
In Endicott, there are about 12,800 residents, with a total of nearly 55,000 in the Town of Union. There are another 28,000+ across the river in Vestal. There are another 45,000 in Binghamton. Together, Broome and Tioga counties have over 242,000 residents.
What could God to here?
What could God do in this neighborhood? What could God do in all our neighborhoods?
In Broome and Tioga counties?
What are the marks of true revival?
First, the Spirit-inspired preaching of God’s Word. We see this in Acts 2 in Peter’s Pentecost sermon (vv.14-36). After his preaching, 3,000 are baptized. We see this also in Nehemiah 9 when Ezra, a scribe, preaches to Israel (vv. 1-38).
Second, true revival includes conviction and confession of sin with genuine repentance. We see this on Pentecost Day in Acts 2 and in Nehemiah 9.
Third, true revival changes lives. It’s not about praying a prayer - I’ve seen people pray a prayer and never return to church. True revival is about genuine conversion and life change.
There’s a group of pastors who have been praying for many years for revival in our area. I prayed with them in 2006 before the Franklin Graham Festival. We thought that that might bring revival to our area, but it didn’t. It helped, but it wasn’t a catalyst for true revival.
Prayer is the catalyst for true revival. Let us pray for a mighty movement of God’s Spirit today.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, our loving Father. Enlighten everyone here to the riches of the glorious inheritance that your children receive through your Son Jesus Christ. Enable us to shine your light into our communities so that others may see what you offer every man, woman, and child.
We pray that our world will abandon its idols and worship you, the one, true God.
Come, Holy Spirit, and change us and those around us. Reveal to us anything in us that is not right or pleasing to you. Turn us from our sins and transform us.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform our communities. Bring lasting change to us and through us to those you’ve placed around us. Give us a burden for our families, friends, and neighbors, especially those who do not yet know you as Savior and Lord. We pray that the Gospel will lead them out of darkness and into your most glorious light.
We pray all this in the most precious Name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
