Messages from our Resurrected Lord
Fortifying the Foundation # 45
John 20:19-31[1]
8-29-04
Come with me this morning to a small house in the city of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. The sun is setting as the first Easter day is coming to a close[2]. Some of Jesus’ closest followers have huddled together in this place trying to make sense of all that has been going on—afraid of what may happen next. They have securely locked[3] the doors out of fear for what the Jewish leaders may do. The news of the empty tomb has already reached the temple priests. The response of those Jewish leaders was predictable. They have hatched a lie that served their purposes and bribed the guards to say that the disciples have stolen Jesus’ body (Matt. 28:11-15). It is a fearful time. But it is also a time filled with unexpected, exciting news. Mary Magdalene and other women have reported seeing Jesus alive. Even Peter has seen him. Everyone has an opinion as to what it all means. Suddenly there is a knock at the door. I think every heart pounded a little faster when they heard that knock. Was it the authorities coming to arrest them? What would happen next? Everyone is relieved as Cleopas and another disciple enter the room. They seem excited and begin sharing what had just happened to them in Emmaus. As they were walking to that village a stranger had joined them and began to ask questions. They told him about the events surrounding Jesus’ death. They told him about strange reports coming from women who had seen him alive. For the rest of the journey this stranger explained all kinds of scriptures concerning the suffering and glory that the Messiah would experience. By the time they got to Emmaus a friendship had developed so they invited the man to join them for supper. It was there at the supper table as the stranger began breaking the bread and blessing the meal that they suddenly realized that this was Jesus himself. They are still telling their story when suddenly right there with them is Jesus![4]
What will Jesus say to them?
1st he says to them, “Peace be with you”.
That was a common greeting and probably one he had spoken to them many times. But in this situation it was more than a greeting. It was a message!
Luke tells us that when Jesus appeared they thought he was a ghost and were terrified—freaked out by someone suddenly appearing in the room when all the doors were locked. They had already been plenty jumpy over what the Jewish leaders might do to them. That’s why the doors were locked in the first place. Suddenly Jesus appears and they are scared out of their wits.[5]
What does Jesus do? He calms their fears. “Peace be with you.” That was certainly something they needed. “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind.”[6] Fear has torment and these disciples were being tormented by thoughts and vain imaginations. Have you ever been fearful of what might happen next in your life? In recent months I have had times when I would suddenly feel my gut tighten with fear. I couldn’t even associate it with an event. But I did know where it was coming from. “God has not given us the spirit of fear...” That’s what the devil wants to give us. And it is a spirit we are authorized to resist.
What a strange thing is happening in that room. The Prince of Peace has come to them and they are afraid. He is the very one who can calm all their fears. He is the one who had told them before his death, (John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. But here they are very afraid. He proves to them that he is not a spirit, not a ghost. He shows them his hands and side. They see clearly that this is indeed the resurrected Christ.
At that moment of revelation their fears are gone. Their sorrow is turned to joy. Their hopes are revived. Isn’t it amazing how the presence of Jesus can turn our world around? Maybe I shouldn’t put it that way exactly. Since Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” maybe I should say it this way. Their awakening to his presence is what turned their world around. Are you aware of his presence in your life today? Are you mindful of him as you go through your daily duties at work? We may discover more peace in our lives if we learn to nurture our awareness of his presence. The more we partner with him during the day, the more we commune with him in our spirit, the more we depend upon him for guidance and strength, the more conscious we become of his presence with us.
Jesus says to his followers, “Peace be with you.” That is a powerful revelation of his heart toward us. Think about the way these disciples have been behaving. One had betrayed Jesus. He is really in an altogether different category than the others. His was not a failure but a willful act of treason. But what would you say to the people gathered in this room in the light of what has recently happened? Suppose you had served twelve people for three years. You had cared for them and taught them. When they found themselves perishing on an angry sea you came and rescued them. They had told you how much they loved you and would even die for you. But then when the pressure got on they wouldn’t even pray with you. You asked them to pray but instead they slept. When the authorities came to arrest you, you made sure they were safe and not arrested. You are about to be brutally beaten and crucified. One has betrayed you. One openly denies even knowing you. All of them have run away and left you to deal with the problem alone. How would you feel about friends like that? After your victory over the enemy would your first words to these people be, “Peace be with you”? I think I would probably say something like this, “A fine bunch of friends you people are. With friends like you, who needs enemies? I’ve had it with all of you and doubt I will ever be able to trust any of you again. I hope you know how deeply you have hurt me? Do you have anything to say for yourselves?”
Isn’t it wonderful what Jesus does not say to these people? He does not say to them “Shame on you. I’m really disappointed in all of you.”[7] Quite the opposite, he says, “Peace be with you”.
As I was pondering all this yesterday I was reminded of an event that occurred last Sunday. My oldest daughter, Karol, and her family had come down from Kansas City to celebrate my birthday. After church we all went to our house and had lunch together. When we finished our meal Karol brought out a cake with lots of candles on it. When you get my age you either buy those candles that spell out the numbers (56) or you have a lot of candles. My 3-year old grandson, Kaden, was sitting beside me and I said to him, “Kaden, that’s a lot of candles, I need you to help me blow them out.” With great enthusiasm he prepared to join me in blowing out those candles. He took a big breath and began to blow with everything he had. But in the process he was blowing saliva all over the cake. It was the best birthday present he could have given me. We all cracked up. Every time I think about it I chuckle. We prayed over the cake and ate it anyway. How do you think I responded to his mistake? I didn’t look at him and say, “Shame on you.” He loved me and did the best he could. My words to him were something like, “Peace be with you”. I thanked him for helping PawPaw blow out the candles. Although I probably should have said drown out the candles. Jesus looked upon the failures of his disciples with a level of understanding that resulted in this greeting, “Peace be with you.”
There are people here this morning like Kaden. You tried hard to blow out the candles but in the process you spit all over the cake. You may even think Jesus is going to say to you, “Shame, Shame”. But listen carefully and hear him speak to you this morning, “Peace, Peace”. “Peace be with you”, that is his first message to us today.
Then in verse 21 he adds a
2nd message: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
With his peace ruling in our hearts we are commissioned to serve. I have found that an intimate encounter with the resurrected Christ is often the preparation for ministry. The first message was one of comfort, “Peace be with you”. This second message is one of commission. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
In what way did the Father send Jesus? He sent him with a mission to accomplish. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." The mission will continue through his church. This is Jesus authorizing his follower to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”[8] He is not just speaking to the apostles in our text for there were other disciples there as well. He is placing a mantle of responsibility on the church.[9] The theme of being sent, runs all the way through this gospel. There are only four chapters in John’s gospel in which Jesus does not make reference to being sent by the Father.[10] Now that Jesus has completed his mission, he becomes the sender and the church becomes his representative and agent.
Tied very closely with this commission are two significant statements that immediately follow.[11]
John 20:22 “And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He blew upon them.[12] What do you think happened when he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”? I think they received the Holy Spirit! I cannot imagine the glorious, resurrected Christ blowing on his disciples here and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” and then nothing happening. At that moment their inner man was quickened with resurrection life. Just as God had breathed life in Adam in Gen. 2:7[13], Christ (the Head of a new creation) breathes life in his church. It is the life of God in them that will make their mission successful.
Alfred Edersheim says this was “the birthday of the Church even as Pentecost was her baptismal day”.[14] People commonly refer to the Day of Pentecost as the birthday of the church. But Edersheim is right; this is the birthday of the church. To understand that we must understand the difference in emphasis between John’s theology of the Holy Spirit[15] and Luke’s theology of the Holy Spirit. John emphasizes the theme of life and truth when he talks about the Holy Spirit. Luke, the author of Acts, emphasizes the theme of power.[16] Here in John 20:22 the church receives the life of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 the church is endued with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have you received spiritual life? Have you been born of the spirit? You must be born again. John deals extensively with that issue. Have you been filled with the Spirit? Have you been endued with power from on high? Luke deals extensively with that issue. It’s not either or. God wants us to experience both.
John 20:23 “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” To grasp the full implications of that statement is no small matter. What is Jesus saying to his church in verse 23?
The safest interpretation is to simply say, “We preach a message of forgiveness and if people receive our message they receive forgiveness. If they reject our message they are not forgiven.” That is certainly a part of what Jesus is saying here. In this context of being sent Luke 24:46-47 is helpful. “...This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” We are indeed entrusted with the message of forgiveness in Jesus name. The result of preaching that message is that people would repent and receive forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. I have prayed with people who humbly asked God to forgive them of their sins and committed their lives to Christ and then on the basis of God’s promises said to them, “Your sins which are many, are forgiven in the name of Jesus. I have witnessed to others who refused to repent and turn to God and have had to say to them, “Your sins are not forgiven; they are retained, they remain with you.”[17] Surely this is a large part of what Jesus is saying. How can they believe; how can they receive forgiveness without a preacher.[18] But I don’t think that explanation exhausts the full meaning of Jesus’ words here.
Jesus is giving his church an assignment but he is also giving her authority for accomplishing that assignment. Look at the authority of the church as Peter deals with Ananias and Sapphaira in Acts 5. Look at the way Paul deals with the man in open, flagrant sin in I Corinthians 5. Frankly, I am awed at that level of authority being exercised by the church in those two examples. Certainly, if the church is to function in that kind of authority she had better be submitted to the Holy Spirit. To remit and retain sins in the power of one’s own strength and intellect would be the height of presumption. Only God can forgive sins. Even the Jews understood that (Mark 2:7). Listen carefully to 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness of sins God’s prerogative not to be usurped by the institutions of man.
The authority conferred on the church in John 20:23 must be understood in the context of the previous two verses. “As the Father has sent me...”—Jesus was sent to do the will of the Father, not his own will.[19] The church is sent to do the will of Christ, not her own will. “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The church must collectively submit to the Holy Spirit in the exercise of her authority. To implement verse 23 as a religious ritual of confession and forgiveness (without the supernatural involvement and leadership of the Holy Spirit) would be a disaster. I do not claim a full understanding of all that Jesus is saying to us in John 20:23. But I do know that it can only be fulfilled in the wisdom and insight of the Holy Spirit and in full submission to the one who is sending us.
Jesus finished the mission the Father gave him to do. The church, you and I and other believers, have not finished our mission. We are still to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We are still to be about our Father’s and Lord’s business of seeking that, which is lost. “As the Father sent me, I am sending you.” Do you hear his call on your life today?[20]
The other message I want to talk about this morning was spoken to Thomas but could be applied to all of us as some time or another in our lives.
3. That message is “Stop Doubting and Believe”[21]
Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to these disciples on the evening of the first Easter. We do not know why he was not there but we know all the disciples were radically shaken by Jesus’ death.
After Jesus appeared to the others they went to Thomas and told him what had happened. Have you ever been excited about an experience with the Lord, but when you told somebody about it they rained on your parade. I’m glad these disciples cared enough about Thomas to want to include him. But Thomas’ response was not encouraging at all. John 20:25 But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." In the Greek there is a double negative, which means I absolutely will not believe it.
Here is a disciple being an absolute stinker. Why is he behaving this way? Some of his response might be accounted for by his personality. He is an analytical person by nature. He doesn’t just go along. We saw that in the upper room when Jesus was talking about his departure and none of the disciples were really understanding it. It was Thomas, who was forthright enough to speak up and say, John 14:5 "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Thomas is not that kind of person who will pretend to go along just to be congenial.
But I think mostly what we’re seeing in his answer is the expression of emotional pain. The use of the double negative in the Greek is a strong hint in that direction. When you talk about the Lord to people who are in pain like Thomas was, don’t be surprised if they snap back with some double negative. Obviously the trauma of Jesus death has hurt him deeply. Notice his preoccupation with the scars Jesus received at his crucifixion. Thomas had invested himself wholeheartedly in following Jesus.[22] At this point that had only led to heartache and disappointment. Have you ever been so hurt or disappointed that it got hard to believe anything? Thomas was not just being obstinate and cynical. He didn’t want to get hurt again. He didn’t want to believe something and not see it come to pass. He’s giving these guys a real honest answer.[23]
But still he is in unbelief and it’s not a good place to get stuck. What will Jesus do with this sticker—this doubting Thomas? How will Jesus deal with him? He will deal with him in much the same way he has graciously dealt with us.
It is exactly one week later. The disciples are together once again. It is almost precisely the same scenario except this time Thomas is with the group. Just as before, Jesus appears in their midst. Just as before, he begins with those precious words, “Peace be with you.” But watch how he turns away from the ninety-nine and gives his attention to the one who needs him most. He invites Thomas to do exactly what he said he must do in order to believe. “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger her; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side.”[24] What an awesome display of grace that was.
Then came the message to Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe.” The evidence is more than enough to support your faith. Now you must make a moral choice. Will you choose to continue in your unbelief? Or will you now choose to stop doubting and believe? Doesn’t the Lord have to say something like that to us at times? I think there is a little of Doubting Thomas in all of us. The Lord understands our struggles and is gracious. But there comes that moment when we must decide to embrace the truth and believe. There comes that moment when it is no longer acceptable to allow pain from the past to dominate the future. “Stop doubting and believe.” Anybody here need to make a decision like that? Anybody here need to decide to take the Lord at his word and move forward? “Stop doubting and believe.”
I love Thomas’ response. Regardless of his failings in the past this is his finest hour. Hear the awe in his voice as Thomas addresses Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” The doubter has become the worshipper.[25] He has surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. He has acknowledged the divinity of Christ with absolute clarity. What a powerful poof of the divinity of Jesus this scene is. There can be no mistake about it. Thomas is declaring Jesus to be his God and Jesus is receiving that.[26] This is where we all must be in our commitment to the Lord. Until he is my Lord and my God I cannot fully enter into his purposes for my life.
Jesus gives Thomas one word of instruction. “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” How can we believe if we have not seen the resurrected Christ the way Thomas did? John gives us the answer in verse 31, “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.” That is John’s intention behind writing this gospel. It is not just a story to entertain. It is a message of truth that is to be embraced—embraced with the same kind of personal commitment Thomas made when he addressed Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
Is Jesus your Lord and your God? Have you bowed your heart to him with that confession on your lips? Just as surely as he called Thomas to believe him, he calls everyone here this morning to believe him. The invitation is extended to you this morning from Rom 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Now is your opportunity to do that.
Invitation
TEXT: John 20:19-31
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." 24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." 26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But 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. NIV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text was presented earlier in the service using DVD from Visual Bible International (www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com). Text is provided at the end of this message for easy reference. All quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
[2] Probably between 6 and 9 PM according to Robertson’s New Testament Word Pictures.
[3] According to Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon “kleioo” means “to prevent passage at an opening, shut, lock, bar. This would certainly be the case since John uses the perfect tense.
[4] Luke 24:13-36
[5] Luke 24:37-43
[6] 2 Tim. 1:7
[7] Author Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John Vol. III ( Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975) p.275, 282
[8] Matthew 28:19-20f
[9] Luke 24:33 Jesus is speaking to them corporately as representative of his church.
[10] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to John (Los Angeles: Fleming Revell Co.) p. 319
[11] They are in fact so closely tied together that I have included them as part of the message, “I am sending you.”
[12] NT:1720 emphusaoo (Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.). Also see Tyndale translation.
[13] Arthur Pink (p. 286) points out that the Greek word employed by John (emphusaoo) is the very one used by the Septugint translators of Gen. 2:7. The first century church would certainly not miss the parallel.
[14] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. II (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1884) p. 646. Morris acknowledges two distinct workings of the Spirit (p. 710). Pink insists, “What happened at pentecost was the baptism of power, not the coming of the Spirit to indwell them!” (p. 287)
[15] Pneumatology
[16] Roger Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984) provides a scholarly discussion of this issue.
[17] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to John (Los Angeles: Fleming Revell Co.) p. 321.
[18] Romans 10:14
[19] John 6:38
[20] In our first service we concluded at this point with a video clip from the movie, “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness”. Begin with Scene 3 (06:55 to 09:31). Skip scene 4 and go immediately to Scene 5 (12:55 to 15:27). Gladys Aylward is an outstanding example of one who heard Jesus’ message, “I am sending you.” You will find a quick internet search of her history as a missionary quite inspiring. The movie, published by Twentieth Century Fox in 1958, is based on the book “The Small Woman” by Alan Burgess.
[21] Recommend using verses 19-23 as a pericope and discussing the interrelationship of the four statements: (1) Peace be with you! (2) As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (3) Receive the Holy Spirit (4) If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Then another pericope of verses 24-29 dealing with Thomas.
[22] John 11:16
[23] Although these conclusions are admittedly not specifically stated in scripture, there is circumstantial evidence that this was the case. Even the way Jesus dealt with Thomas would tend to reinforce these conclusions.
[24] The size of the wound in his side must have been large enough to accommodate this (Pink p. 298).
[25] Pink p.298.
[26] Author Pink (p. 299-301) points out that Thomas is clearly addressing Jesus as God and that Jesus accepts that response. Jesus even confirms it when he says to Thomas, “Because you have seen me you have believed”. Also not Thomas’s personal surrender to Jesus as Lord as he uses the pronoun “my” in his confession
