Peace of Resurrection
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” - John 20:19
Three teenage children were making all kinds of noise. They were yelling, throwing things, and running around the car in front of their house. The father of these children told his neighbor we just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to do, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
This similarly illustrates the disciples from Friday afternoon all the way up to Sunday morning. They were at a complete loss. Everything they had bet their lives on for over the last three years. They had put all their hopes on Jesus, but, through their human eyes, they saw Jesus defeated. But then the morning came, and the morning brought the light of a new day. Ans ever since that morning, nothing has ever been the same.
On this Resurrected Sunday morning -- behold the man who took the victory.
All Jesus of Nazareth was, all he said, all he represented, all he came to do was focused toward this moment of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus is His defining moment. More than anything else he said, or did, or accomplished, the resurrection made Him who He is in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of His enemies, in the eyes of His followers, and in the eyes of millions of untold people across 21 centuries. This was His defining moment.
"When the final history of mankind has been written, its proudest glory would be that there once walked into ancient Jerusalem and into the hearts of mankind a simple peasant named Jesus of Nazareth." - Dr. Charles Allen. (Historian, and United Methodist Minister).
Because of God and because of what happened early in the morning that spring day in old Jerusalem, the entire world and the history of humankind has never been the same.
We all remember the story well. It was early that morning that the women went out to the garden tomb. They intended to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. But when they arrived, no one was there. As they wondered about what this meant, the angel of the Lord said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen."
The women went immediately to tell the disciples. The disciples came running out to the tomb, and they also found it was empty. They all began to realize the things Jesus had told them were true.
We are not sure how they spent that day, but Luke and John both tell us that late in the evening, when they were all together in the upper room, Jesus came into the room. He said to them, "Peace to you." Sensing that they were afraid, He said, "Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold, look in my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." Then He shared a meal with them.
Nothing will ever be the same. In the midst of defeat, Jesus took the victory. He had been defeated, but He became victorious. He had been put to death, but He won victory over death. They had put him in a tomb, but He walked out of the tomb. In the face of death, defeat, and despair, Jesus took the victory.
And because Jesus took the victory, there have been several things added unto us.
I. There is a marvelous peace greater than despair.
On that first Resurrection day, when Jesus came into the room to see His disciples. He found them wanting to believe. They had been out to the tomb that morning. They saw that it was empty. Mary and the other women had told them what the angel of the Lord had said to them.
John, in his gospel, tells us that Jesus even appeared to Mary in the garden. John 20:15-16.
Still the disciples were unsure, still hoping, still caught up in sorrow and despair. Yet they had a glimmer of hope. Then Jesus came into the room and said to them, "Peace to you." It was the same word they had heard from him before in the calming of the storm, "Peace, be still." On their last night together he said, "My peace I leave with you." Now he assures them, "Peace to you."
That is part of the good news of Easter for us today. There is a marvelous peace greater than despair. It is "the peace of God which passes all understanding." - Phil. 4:7.
We need peace which is greater than despair. This peace is never something we can create on our own. It is the gift of God. It comes to us through faith in a resurrected Lord. Easter Sunday teaches us that a loving God who has created us in his own image will not leave us empty. He will not forsake us and allow death to forever conquer us and those we love. The peace of God in the face of death is greater than despair.
There’s a movie called Cocoon. It is the story of some people who are going to leave the earth and live on a distant planet. It is a place far different than this world. One boy learns about this and asks his grandfather, "Why are you leaving us?" The man replies, "I'm going to a place where you never get sick, you never grow old and you never die."
Dear children of God, there is also a place for us that is fairer than day and by faith we can see it afar; for the Father waits over the way, to prepare us a dwelling place there. The resurrection day has a great message for us about a marvelous peace greater than despair.
II. There is a living proof greater than doubt.
That is another great thing about Resurrection. When the disciples heard the voice of Jesus, they reacted at first. We all expect that the disciples to be filled with faith and confidence in Jesus’ appearance as their risen Lord. But instead, Luke tells us, "They were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." Luke 24:34. Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." And he showed them His hands and feet. Luke 24:38-40.
The living proof of his resurrection was greater than any doubt they had; greater than any fear they had. He could not be denied. He was living proof of all He had preached to them before. He was living proof greater than doubt.
All of us may have some doubts sometimes. It does not mean that we are being disloyal or unfaithful to God. Understand and notice that Jesus did not scold the disciples. He simply said, "Why do you doubt? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself."
We doubt only the things which are important to us, only those things we care about deeply, the ultimate concerns we care about greatly. Whenever we have doubts I have a feeling God smiles and seeks to show us more.
Frederick Buechner, a Christian writer and Presbyterian minister, wrote, "A God who leaves no room for doubt leaves no room for me."
In times of doubt God reaches out to us.
A preacher was stopped for speeding. He apologized to the police officer and said, "You wouldn't give me a ticket, would you? I'm a messenger of the Lord." The police officer said, "I'm a messenger of the Lord, also, and I was sent here to save your life."
Easter has a message for us here. It is living proof of the love, goodness, mercy, care and concern of God. It is living proof of the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection. And this living proof is greater than our doubt.
There was once a doctor who always took his dog with him in his carriage. One day, he went out to see a very sick person, so he left his dog outside. This man asked the doctor about his condition. The doctor told him, it did not look good. They sat quietly for a while, and then the man asked, "What's it like to die, doctor?" The doctor heard his dog come up the stairs and scratch at the door. He said, "You hear that? That's my dog. He has never been in this house before. He doesn't know what's on this side of the door, but he knows his master is in here. And so he knows everything is alright. Now, death is like that. We have never been there, and we don't know what's on the other side. But, we know our Master is there. And, because of that we know everything is alright."
Easter has a great message for us today about a living proof greater than doubt.
Conclusion
That is the great message of Easter. Jesus took the victory, and because he did the victory is yours as well.
There is marvelous peace greater than despair. Peace cannot be created on your own, but it is given to us through the grace of God. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have been given peace that is greater than all your despair. Whether it is financial despair, family despair, or emotional despair, God has marvelous peace for you. Call upon Him, and He will answer you.
There is greater living proof that transcends greater than doubt. The blood He shed, the empty tomb, and the everlasting life are all proof of the salvation God has given to you. During times of doubt, when you meditate on the word of God and pray, you will feel the living proof of God and the joy and salvation He has established for you. His living proof is greater than all your doubts.
There is victory in the name of Jesus, for He has defeated death. Easter is the celebration of the victory of God, which He has freely given to you, me, and many many generations to come. Amen.
