Swayfield 20-04-2025
Sermon
Before I was a Vicar, I was a patent lawyer.
So I am keen on evidence.
And I do believe we have a reasonable faith
And the more I think about it, the most reasonable explanation for my Christian faith is that Jesus died and rose from the dead.
For that reason Easter is more important than Christmas, because you cannot divorce Christmas from Easter if you are going to have a reasoned faith.
Indeed if Jesus wasn’t a special person, why bother with Christmas - why celebrate the birth of a child born 2,000 years ago?
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The Russian Orthodox Church has a wonderful tradition at Easter
On Easter Sunday the Priest says: “He is risen”
And the congregation reply:
“He is risen, indeed”
But how do we know it true?
A former English House of Lords’ judge, Lord Darling said speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ said this
” In its favour as living truth, there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true “ (p. 40 of Nicky Gumbel’s Questions of Life)
Most Sundays many of us profess our faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead when we say the words of the Creed:
“ I believe ..….in Jesus Christ,
his only Son our Lord who was
Conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead and buried
He descended into Hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead”
(The Apostles Prayer - BCP)
But do we know why we believe it
I believe it first and foremost because of the impact the Christian Church has had in the world.
When Jesus was crucified on the Cross, his band of followers were scattered.
After all, Galilee was a hotbed of unrest and false Messiahs sprang up everywhere.
And once they were killed, their movements died with them.
Gamaliel the famous Jewish rabbi once said this about such leaders:
“Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led band of people in revolt.
He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
Therefore, in the present case I advise you:
Leave these men alone! Let them go!
For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”(Acts 5:34-39)
Professor Charlie Moule, the famous NT theologian once said:
"the birth and rapid rise of the Christian Church ... remains an unsolved enigma for any historian who refuses to take seriously the only explanation offered by the church itself - the resurrection." (C.F.D. Moule, The Phenomenon of the New Testament).
The Resurrection is a major pillar of our faith
St. Paul put it like this:
“..if Christ has not been raised from the dead, your faith is futile” (I Cor. 15: 17)
St. Paul, a first Century witness, records the importance of the Easter story.
He wrote this in 1 Corinthians
”For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:
i) that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
ii) that he was buried,
iii) that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and
iv) that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (1 Cor. 15:3-8).
Paul records 513 (five hundred and thirteen) men as having seen the risen Lord.
And 514 if you count Mary Magdalene.
She has been described as the Apostle to the Apostles as she was the first person to see the Risen Jesus
Story: In April 2004 whilst over in Pfarrwangen in Switzerland - I went for a walk with a good friend of Maddy and mine, Pfr Philipp Nanz.
Philipp was at the time the Swiss Reformed pastor of that village – and while Maddy and Philip’s late wife Suzy went horse riding, we went for a walk.
And we started discussing Islam, and got onto the subject of what makes Christianity distinctive?
How does Christianity differ from other religions?
And we came to the conclusion that the answer lies in the Easter story.
No other religion has ever claimed that its leader rose from the dead
So if the Resurrection is so important, have you ever therefore wondered why John mentions only four post Resurrection appearances of the Risen Jesus.
In John 20 we read of three of these.
He appeared
i) to Mary Magdalene
ii) to all the apostles except Thomas and finally
iii) to Thomas
And in the following Chapter, John 21 we read of Jesus appearing to seven disciples including Peter, James and John, Thomas, Nathaniel and two unnamed disciples and his having breakfast with them.
Surely if the resurrection is such a big deal, why didn’t John add many more of the stories of these encounters?
At the very least – why didn’t he simply catalogue when, where and who had seen the risen Christ.
Surely that would make interesting reading.
1. I would love to know what reaction of James - Jesus’ brother was when the risen Jesus appeared to him.
And what did he say?
2. Did Jesus appear to Nicodemus - the Jewish Rabbi who had sought Jesus out that night as recorded in Jn 3 when Jesus told him he needed to be born again?
Only Jesus and Nicodemus were at that meeting in Jn 3 and I don’t think Jesus betrayed confidences.
I think the meeting in Jn 3 was part of Nicodemus’ conversion story
I think Nicodemus did see the resurrected Jesus
It was the same Nicodemus who had helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus
I think the reason John doesn’t record more post Resurrection encounters is because it didn’t fit in with the aim of his book.
What do I mean ?
John summed up the aim of his Gospel as follows:
"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name." (Jn 20.30-31)
In other words, John is not writing a history book as we know history books but a book to awaken faith.
And so the three post resurrection stories of John 20 and the Resurrection encounter of Jesus with Peter have been recorded to awake faith in us.
For John, I believe, is saying: “You are either going to believe or you are not going to believe – and I have given you enough evidence to believe."
Further stories, however interesting, aren’t going to bring you to convince you, if these stories - that I record - don’t.”
So what is so special about these four stories?
I would like to suggest that each story shows a barrier to faith – which can be overcome by the presence of Jesus.
And they are all barriers that we as Christians will experience at some time in our lives.
1. The first of these barriers to faith, covered by John’s four Resurrection accounts was GRIEF
Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene to overcome her grief.
Mary Magdalene couldn’t see Jesus for her grief.
It was only when she heard him call her name that she realises that He was risen.
Jesus spoke to her – and by speaking released her from her grief.
There are going to be times when we suffer from grief. We may grieve for the loss of loved ones.
And it is at times like this that we need to listen for Jesus’ voice calling us.
2. The second barrier to faith covered by John’s four Resurrection accounts was FEAR.
The disciples were gathered BEHIND locked doors
Jesus had been crucified – were they next on the list.
It is only when Jesus comes to them that they overcome their fear.
St. John records:
“The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (Jn 20:20)
Fear can cripple us at times.
It can make us irrational.
And at those times, we need to seek Jesus’ presence in our lives – and it is only His Presence that will bring us peace.
When I get stressed out with worry and fear – I find wonderful comfort in the words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel
"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Mt 11:28-30)
3. The third barrier to faith covered by John’s four Resurrection accounts was DOUBT
And Thomas’ doubts are overcome when he encounters the risen Jesus
Thomas seems rather unfairly to have had a bad press for the last 2000 years.
His name has even entered into the English language. (You might call someone who doesn’t believe something a “Doubting Thomas”)
But you have to remember that Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples when they saw Jesus.
He didn’t have the benefit of what they had seen.
He couldn’t believe that Jesus was risen – it was something outside his experience.
Our faith is not an unreasonable faith.
God has given us minds and wants us to use them.
Thomas in rather flowery language says:
“I’m not going to believe until I can stuff my hand actually into his side.”
That’s the force of what he is saying.
Our faith has to be based on a firm foundation – and Jesus realised that Thomas needed that confirmation.
Once Thomas got the evidence, he needed he simply said: “My Lord and my God”
What Thomas asked for was very reasonable and so Jesus gave him what he needed for his faith.
There are times when we need a special touch from God.
It is not a sin to be sceptical.
What is sin is to go on disbelieving when you are given the evidence.
4. The final barrier to faith, covered in the four Post Resurrection accounts in John’s Gospel is Remorse
John in his final post resurrection story in John 21 relates how Jesus forgives Peter and reinstates him
Peter is the one, you may recall, who had denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed twice - when Jesus was arrested before his crucifixion.
Peter had genuine remorse at letting Jesus down in his final hour.
When the cock had crowed the second time, he went out and wept bitterly
Now Peter needed restoration.
Remorse can be crippling
But there is no one too bad for the grace of God.
We just need to come to Jesus
Conclusion
Jesus deals with each person’s needs differently.
He treats us as individuals.
1. Mary simply needed to hear Jesus’ voice and her grief was healed.
2. The disciples needed to receive the peace of Jesus into their lives to release them from their fear.
3. Thomas needed to see the Risen Christ to cure his Unbelief.
4. Peter needed to hear words of forgiveness and reinstatement
Each of us has different needs – we all ask different questions - but there is only one solution – a touch from the risen Lord.
May this Easter Sunday morning be a time when we look for and receive a touch from the risen Jesus – a touch that will transform us into his true loving disciples.
It did, in AD 33 on that first Easter Sunday morning and it can still do – if we are willing to come to him
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father , we all come this morning to Church with different needs, with our different agendas.
We ask that we can deposit this all at the foot of the Cross and receive a touch from you today so that we can take up your Agenda for the world around us
Give us a love for one another through which our town will be attracted to you.
We ask this in Jesus Christ’s name Amen
