HE IS RISEN! (He is Risen indeed!)
That is the shouted declaration of triumph and its reaffirming response. The fact that Christ is risen is the pinnacle of our Christian faith. Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection. The Apostle Paul stated;
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,…” (1 Cor.15:3)
For Paul, the resurrection was of FIRST importance. He would go on to write why;
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Christianity stands or falls on the person and claims of Christ. If He did not rise as The Old Testament states that God said He would, then God is a liar, and we have no hope.
But not only was he seen alive by many before his ascension, but Paul saw him and encountered him on the road to Damascus after his glorification at the Father’s side.
However, Paul goes on to state the truth;
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”
Christ has become the “firstfruits” from the dead. That means He is the first of the harvest and leads the way to Glory. It is through faith in Christ’s atoning death and resurrection that we have forgiveness of our sins and assurance of our salvation.
The resurrection proves and vindicates every claim Jesus made. Jesus stated, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”(Jn.14:6) His resurrection proved that He is THE TRUTH and that the resurrection wasn’t fake news. The disciples shared their story with the two from Emmaus excitedly saying; “IT IS TRUE! The Lord has risen…”
This is the truth that turned a small group of disillusioned men and women, huddled in fear from the authorities, thinking they would be next to be arrested and crucified, into a bold and valiant army of preachers defying all threats to be silent. The truth of the resurrection was so true that they went to their deaths in some of the most gruesome ways as martyrs. Some people will endure torture and death for something they believe is true, but no one dies for a known lie. They died because they had seen and believed.
He is Risen, but we ask, “What now?” What does it mean for us and how does it impact our lives today? Is it just to be an awesome historical event and left there? The answer is no. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith in three areas: relationship, mission, and message for all believers.
So let’s turn to our text.
“On the evening of that first day of the week,…”
The first day of the week was Sunday, and the resurrection to life is the reason Christians celebrate on Sunday instead of Saturday. The resurrection initiates a “New Creation.” The old, decaying world of death has been conquered by Christ, who is called the Second Adam. By now, it was evening on the first day of the week, and a lot had happened already.
We are told of five appearances of Jesus on the resurrection day.
· To Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18).
· To the other women (Matthew 28:9-10).
· To the two on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32).
· To Peter (Luke 24:33-35, 1 Corinthians 15:5).
· And our text, To ten of the disciples, Thomas being absent (John 20:19-23).
From early morning until evening, Jesus had been appearing to different individuals. A slow walk on the road to Emmaus while talking to the two disciples probably took about two hours as Emmaus was 7 miles from Jerusalem. Of course, once Jesus revealed himself to them He vanished and did not have to walk back but simply appeared back in Jerusalem later as we continue reading;
“when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,…
Now the disciples were in hiding. They were in fear of the Jews. Rome was the hands-on agent in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, but it was some of the Jewish religious leaders and mob that had orchestrated the crucifixion. If they had arrested their leader, arresting the followers seemed the logical next step. It seems there was an effort to arrest them in the Garden as well for we read in Mk.14:50-52;
“Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.”
John alone makes the point they were assembled behind “locked doors” because they thought they were next for crucifixion.
But this sudden, “materialization” is passed over quickly. No doubt it added to the disciple’s amazement but was not their focus. Then we read;
“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.”
Jesus speaks, “Shalom.” Peace be with you.
This speaks to my first point: Relationship
While “Shalom” was the common greeting, ‘Jesus’ Shalom was anything but common. It spoke of a renewed relationship on two levels. Last week I said it first meant peace with God. “Peace with God is, at its core, a spiritual reconciliation between family members. It’s a restored relationship between Heavenly Father and earthly child, made possible simply because Jesus wanted it so, enough that He was willing to suffer, die, and rise from death for it.”
Consider Romans 5:1-2;
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…
And then as explained in V.10;
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Because of Christ's atoning death, we who once stood as enemies of God have been bought and washed by the blood of Christ and adopted as God’s children by grace through faith, saved from the wrath of God! His resurrection proved it. That’s peace!
If you are outside of Christ, not trusting Him as your King and Savior, then the wrath of God still sits upon you, and you should be worried, for there is no peace between you and God, and you are without hope of avoiding judgment.
But what a wonderfully calming peace it is to know that our relationship with God has been restored in Christ, and He now considers us his beloved children. 1 Pet.1:3-4 declares;
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”
But by saying, “Shalom” peace, it also put the disciples at ease in their relationship to Jesus. These disciples had failed Jesus again and again. They failed to understand his message that he had to die and rise again. They argued over position and who would sit next to him in the kingdom. They feel asleep when Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray. They ran away and abandoned him in the garden. And before his death, the last time he saw Peter, we read in Lk.22;
“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
Now I’m sure they thought they were about to be rebuked and chastised by Jesus, deservingly so. But, no, Jesus dissolves their dread by speaking, “Shalom,” peace to you. Oh, there are some fine print details to be addressed later, but no dressing down for their failures, mistakes, and cowardice. Rather than pointing a stern finger, He then shows them his hands and side to further remove any doubt that it is, in fact, Him. And the disciples are overjoyed.
Relationships restored.
The account continues;
“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.”
Again Jesus speaks, “Shalom.” This time it is the context of MISSION. “Peace,” this peace addressed their purpose. I’m sure before Jesus appeared they were huddled together in fear asking, “Now what?” Now the “what” is answered.
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
The story is not over with the resurrection! Jesus came to fulfill The Father’s purpose and succeeded. But now the work is to be carried on by the disciples. As one author wrote;
“Had there been no resurrection, there would have been little motivation for them to undertake a mission in His name.”
The Father sending The Son has been a theme in this gospel. In the cultural context, the Jews had a principle:
“One who is sent is as he who sends him.”
That is why Jesus could say to Philip, in Jn.14:9;
“Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
As being sent from the Father Jesus had all authority of the Father on two levels. First, He himself was God in the flesh, equal to The Father. Secondly, since the first is true, He had all the authority of the Father. So now it is The Son who sends the disciples. That’s why in Matthews gospel, 28:18;
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,…”
Since Jesus sends the disciples, they have the delegated authority of the one sending to preach the gospel. 2 Cor.5:20 reminds us;
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
But having been given this MISSION they would need to be equipped for that Mission. So we read;
“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Now the first thing you probably are asking is, “I thought they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?” Yes, they did. Scholars debate and differ on how to reconcile the two. Was this a partial filling while Pentecost was a complete filling? Was this a special filling as opposed to a more general filling? Was this just for the Apostles and later enlarged to include all at Pentecost? There are dozens of attempts to harmonize the two. But what they all agree upon, and what we should focus on, is the fact that The empowering of the Holy Spirit is needed to carry out Christ’s mission in the world. The words of Jesus emphasize that the Holy Spirit is not given to the church as a decoration but to empower a successful application of the work of Christ to all who are being saved.
After reconciling their relationships and being commissioned for the mission, we come to the third point, the MESSAGE.
“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now this verse always makes Protestants a little nervous. Churches with Priests, such as the Catholic and Orthodox churches, believe this gives them authority to absolve people of their sins. Granted, at first blush, it sounds like Christ is giving the disciples the power to forgive sins or not to forgive. God forbid! Church history is stained with abuses based on this error of giving to men this prerogative of God alone. But the verse is all bark and no bite on the subject. Although to truly unpack this verse would require an extended explanation, and a delving into the Greek to parse the verbs, let me just give you some basics.
Only God can forgive sins, and Christ, being God, has the power to do so as well, and did so, but He never communicated any such power to His disciples, nor did they ever assume any such power to themselves.
Literally, due to the tense of the verbs, the text reads;
“Those whose sins you forgive have already been forgiven; those whose sins you do not forgive have not already been forgiven.”
In other words, the apostles (and others since that time) were only authorized to declare forgiveness consistent with what the Lord had already determined. They are called to state the conditions of forgiveness or lack of forgiveness, but they never say, “I absolve you from your sins.”
On the day of Pentecost, in harmony with the Spirit’s guidance, they did not personally forgive the sins of anyone. Rather, they merely proclaimed the conditions of pardon to which men and women were amenable.
To believers who sincerely inquired: “What shall we do?”, Peter responded,
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:37-38).
Subsequently, the reader is informed that: “They then that received his word were immersed” (Acts 2:41).
“The key to understanding the meaning of John 20:23 lies in the previous two verses: “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” He sent them, as He is sending us, to bring the good news of the way to salvation and heaven to the whole world. Jesus was leaving the earth physically but promised God would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit living in them. As they proclaimed the gospel, they could honestly tell people who believed in that message that their sins were forgiven, and they could honestly tell people that did not believe in the message that their sins were not forgiven and that they stand condemned in God’s eyes as in “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
Near the end of Luke’s gospel we are told;
Lk.24:46-48; “He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”
And Acts 13:38;
“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
Preach and proclaim the forgiveness of sins, not absolve.
Adding to this understanding of the verse is a comprehensive treatment of this passage, by noted Greek scholar J. R. Mantey, arguably the greatest Greek scholar of the 20th century, who pointed out that the Greek “fathers” (Leaders in the church after the Apostles) never quoted this passage in support of the concept of absolution from sins. The Greek fathers obviously knew their Greek!
Now, there are two aspects of forgiveness that comprise the gospel. Both aspects involve relationships.The First to God, the second among His followers. The first aspect is the forgiveness of sins God grants to believers and our restored relationship with Him. Out of His sheer grace and mercy God forgives sins, lifting the just condemnation off us and accepting us as righteous or perfect in Christ through his death and resurrection. In shedding His blood there was forgiveness but it needed to be proven true and we find that truth in the resurrection. As I read previously, Paul stated in 1 Cor.15:17 & 20;
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”Acts 10:43
Have you repented of your sins and called out to Christ to be your Savior? Are you washed in the blood and covered with Christ’s robe of righteousness, of His perfection? Call on Him today! Today can be your day of salvation!
But there is a second aspect to the gospel of forgiveness. By restoring our right relationship to God, Jesus also opened the door for us to live in right relationships with each other. Since believers are Ambassadors of Christ carrying His authority, we also are to practice what we preach. If we preach forgiveness but are not a forgiving people that’s hypocrisy. Paul exhorts us in Col.3:13;
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Here, the “rubber meets the road” in our Christian walk. Having been an Intentional Interim Pastor (which is a bit like being a church doctor) for about 10 years I’ve dealt with a number of churches in conflict. My wife and I tried to defuse the situations and make the churches a stable and healthy place before the next pastor signed on. It both amazed and saddened me to see the hardheartedness, anger, and refusal to forgive one another in some situations. Situations that were not doctrinal, no heresy was involved. I’ve had people literally jump up and down screaming at a business meeting; I’ve had my car’s gas line sliced in the church parking lot; another individual shouting at a meeting, “If I had a gun I’d shoot you all” Others simply left in bitterness because they didn’t get their way. Others called me the “Devil.” None of them would follow Christ and do the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation. Those churches talked a good talk but didn’t walk the walk when tested. But, in other churches, when they did forgive and reconcile, the Lord blessed, and the church rebounded, grew, and was better than before.
Jesus preached a crucial message about forgiving our brothers, as God forgave us. We stand in grace, and He expects us to keep our hearts pure toward others, not holding grudges or harboring a spirit of unforgiveness, especially after He gave us such undeserved love and forgiveness at such a high personal cost to Himself! Jesus said those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). He expects us to forgive others 70 times 7 times. In Lk.17: 3-4 it reads;
“ So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
That was the point of the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. You remember, that servant could not repay the huge debt to the king who was going to throw him in jail. The servant begged for mercy and the king canceled his whole debt. But then that servant turns around and finds another servant who owed him a small debt. He was not able to pay it but the servant did not show mercy and had him thrown into prison. When the Master found out, he called that first servant back. Then, in Matthew 18:32-35 we read;
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
We are also told that if we are praying but hold something against anyone, we are to forgive that person so our relationship with God is right and righteous! Forgiveness is a key to showing we indeed have eternal life inside us, according to these passages. If we say we love God but hate our brother, we are liars and no truth is in us. So, our forgiveness of others is a major indicator of true fellowship with God. God looks at the heart and actions, not mere words. Jesus stated while on earth, “These people come near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” So, it’s important we have a living, genuine faith: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers” (1 John 3:14).
Have you ever been criticized?
Have you ever been offended by harsh words?
Has someone ever sinned against you?
Have other people, even other Christians, let you down or betrayed your trust?
Have you experienced frustration and anger at the failure of church leaders?
Have you been critical of someone?
Have you Offended someone?
Sinned against someone?
Betrayed someone’s trust?
Have you ever failed someone?
You need forgiveness.
Welcome! You are a sinner living in a sinful, fallen world. These are just a few questions addressing realities you and I face on a daily basis, and with every question, a response will manifest from your life. Even in church amongst Christians, you will get hurt. Church is like a colony of porcupines. Most of the time, they live in harmony until one backs up! We might experience a slight prick or, if forceful, the quill might drive into the skin painfully deep.
But what kind of response will it be? We have a choice to respond out of our old sinful nature or out of our new identity in the resurrected Christ.
You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ not only as your Savior but as your Lord because ‘He is Risen!’ Right? So now let me ask you this question again: ‘Now What?’ Will you show the world your love for Christ by loving and forgiving and living in peace with others who have sinned against you? Will you show others who your Christ is and the power of his blood!!! Spurgeon wrote: “We are all the most unworthy of his blood.”
Spurgeon wrote:
“Our Master came to his cowardly, faithless disciples, and stood in the midst of them, uttering the cheering salutation, ‘Peace be unto you!’ My soul, why should he not come to thee, though you be the most unworthy of all whom he has bought with his blood?Let us go to Calvary to learn how we may be forgiven. And then let us linger there to learn how to forgive.”
The answer to the question, “He is Risen! Now What?” is to live as He lived and to forgive as He has forgiven while proclaiming the gospel of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit in us can empower our will to forgive in a manner that shocks the world as Christ’s resurrection shocked their world. Paul exhorts us in his final words of 2 Cor.13:11;
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”
He is Risen!
