Toto, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore
Well, I guess Easter is over for another year. The Easter dresses and suits aren’t new anymore
and the candy’s gone. Things are pretty much back to whatever passes for normal these days,
back to the old, pre-Easter routine.
And in churches all across America today, pulpits are being filled by substitute preachers.
Denominational leaders and other “experts” advise preachers to take some time off the week
after Easter to relax.
The reason we’re supposed to do this is that the week before Easter is the busiest week in the life
of the church and the preacher. There are additional worship services to prepare for, the Lenten
Bible Study, the Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service, the Good Friday service, the Easter sunrise
service. All of these come in addition to the normal duties, and all require a certain extra amount
of time and energy.
And then comes the main event: the Easter Sunday worship service. Do you know what the
Easter service is for the preacher? It’s the Super Bowl, the seventh game of the World Series,
and the NCAA finals all rolled into one! Easter is special. Easter is the holiest day of the year for
the church.
The joy of Easter is so great, the victory so decisive, that Easter Sunday alone can’t cover all that
the resurrection of Jesus did for us. That’s why Easter is not just one Sunday, but a full seven
Sundays. Eastertide. A week of weeks to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death.
In our first scripture reading today we read about the evening of Easter Sunday. Rumors are
flying around Jerusalem that something has happened to the body of Jesus. Different individuals
or groups have already claimed to have seen Jesus risen from the dead: First Mary Magdalene.
Returning from telling Peter and John that the body was gone, she met Jesus outside the tomb.
Other women had seen him. Two people traveling down the road to Emmaus tell of Jesus
appearing to them and walking with them. So the disciples gathered together in the Upper Room
to think about these things.
It was evening. And they hadn’t seen Jesus. They were scared - maybe the Jewish leaders would
also have them killed. Maybe they were scared of Jesus. What would He say to them? They had
deserted Him in His hour of need. What would Peter do when he had to face the one he had
denied three times. The door was locked. Maybe to the Jewish leaders, maybe to Christ.
It is dark when Jesus comes to them.
And what does He say? “Peace be with you.” No words of reproach. No, “what’s with you
leaving me when I needed you most?” No, “Thanks for your support.” Again Jesus said, “Peace
be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.” If he was upset with them or disappointed with their actions, he didn’t
show it.
In fact, Jesus appears eleven times in the forty days between his resurrection and ascension.
While these last 40 days are important, there is relatively little said about them in Scripture.
Only 142 verses and many if not most of them have to do with resurrection itself. It seems that
Jesus just appeared to the disciples once in awhile - we are not told where he was the rest of the
time. He appeared to Mary Magdelene and the disciples, he walked with two disciples on the
road to Emmaeus.
It seems that Jesus didn’t do much in the way of ministry during this time. We are not told of
any continued ministry or healings or teachings. He only spent time with his followers - and that
time was limited - that was precious time.
It is interesting how this time was spent and why Jesus spent this time as he did. It shows that
the work of ministry had now been transferred to the disciples, the very ones who had deserted
him. This time was spent to prepare them. Instead of being with Jesus and watching him
minister, the torch had been passed. When we think of what Jesus said to them we can also hear
him say the same things to us since we, as his disciples, are to continue the ministry, too.
First, I notice that Jesus wanted to make sure the disciples, not others, knew that he had risen -
early disciples would greet each other with the words "He is risen" with the response "He is risen
indeed". He wanted them to know that He would continue to guide them. He lets them know
what side of the boat to catch the fish from.
In all these ways Jesus was preparing them for the hard work of the gospel that lay ahead. They
would be His hands and feet and mouth.
Wizard of Oz illustration - Dorothy & friends head to Oz for different reasons. Tin Man for a
heart, scarecrow a brain, & the lion courage.
The disciples are in jail for preaching Jesus. During the night they are released from jail. In a
short period of time, these disciples, once scattered like dust in the wind, have become
fearless preachers of the word. In this passage we read from Acts, this was the 2nd time they
were arrested for preaching Jesus. They Have Courage! They had already been arrested for
this and yet they continue to do so. The accusation of the high priest is a wonderful testimony
to the effectiveness of the message preached by the apostles; they have filled Jerusalem with
[their] doctrine; and they wish to God that they could bring this Man’s blood on the Jewish
rulers! The phrase, used by the High Priest, This Man: is an obvious attempt to avoid saying
the name "Jesus" because he has no courage.
The disciples are drug in before the court once again. They want to kill them. But a wise man
persuades them differently. Instead, they call the disciples in and have them flogged. They
order them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then they let them go. The disciples leave
the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they are counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and
proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.
Peter refers to the cross as a tree. Why? Because it says in Deut. 21:22-23 that a person who is
hanged from a tree is cursed by God. Peter is bringing attention to the magnitude of their
rejection of Jesus, pointing out that they killed him in the worst way possible, both from a
Roman (the cross) and a Jewish (the "tree" association) perspective. Peter pulls no punches,
practically daring them to retaliate.
And Peter and John weren’t the only ones to have this newfound courage and pay dearly for it.
Let me tell you what some others suffered because of their courage.
James , son of Zebedee, was beheaded in Jerusalem by the sword.
John was banished to the Isle of Patmos, 96 A.D.
Philip was crucified in 52 A.D.
Bartholomew was beaten, crucified, then beheaded by the command of a king, 52 A.D.
Thomas was run through by a lance in 52 A.D.
Matthew was slain by the sword in about 60 A.D.
James son of Alphaeus, was thrown from a pinnacle, then beaten to death, 60 A.D.
ALL FOR PREACHING THE WORD!
THE DISCIPLES WENT FROM COWARDS TO CONQUERORS . . . FEARFUL
TO FEARLESS . . .SAVING THEIR SKIN TO SAVING THE WORLD . . .
HOW DID THE COWARDLY DOZEN BECOME THE CONQUERING ARMY OF THE
LORD?
Acts 1:3-8
3After His death He showed Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was
alive. During a period of forty days they say him, and He spoke with them about the Kingdom of
God.
4 At one of these gatherings, He instructed them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for “what the
Father promised, which you heard about from me.”
* * *
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; you will be my witnesses
both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, indeed to the ends of the earth!
The great and powerful Oz was not really great and powerful and he couldn’t give the yellow
brick road gang what they wanted because they already had it. They just didn’t realize it. And Oz
was certainly no Jesus. Jesus can and did give the disciples what they needed, just as he gives us
exactly what we need. We get the Holy Spirit.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
TAKES THE FEARFUL AND MAKES THEM FRUITFUL!
TAKES THE COWARDLY AND MAKES THEM COURAGEOUS!
TAKES THE SHY AND MAKES THEM SHOUT!
TOOK THE DISCIPLES AND MADE THEM TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!
CAN TAKE YOU AND TURN YOU INTO A POWERFUL WITNESS FOR JESUS!
The disciples took their courage and Jesus’ teachings and therein lies the birth of the church. We
must take the courage we have been given and continue the work of disciples, because, this isn’t
Oz, and we’re not in Kansas anymore.
