"fear"

“Fear”

John 20:19-31

Our Gospel Lesson this morning begins on the evening of Easter.

The doors are shut; they are “locked for fear of the Jewish leaders.”

And this is understandable.

The disciples were, after-all, followers of this Man who the Jewish leaders hated—hated enough for them to talk the Roman authorities into killing in the most horrible of ways

The disciples were guilty by association.

Jesus was a radical leader Who had been challenging the status quo and reinterpreting everything that people believed.

He had been a major threat.

And if He was a threat, what about His followers who, it now seemed, had somehow stolen His body.

The religious leaders had placed guards at the tomb and sealed the tomb up real tight, so that this exact kind of thing wouldn’t happen.

But it did happen!!!

And now, the disciples would be to blame for the missing corpse.

They may, very well, at this point, have become the MOST WANTED in Jerusalem—the next ones in line for Roman Crosses.

Can you imagine the fear?

Fear is one of our most powerful emotions.

Fear shuts all sorts of doors in our lives.

Think of the things people miss out on due to fear.

As youngsters we may fear joining sports teams because we are afraid of failure or performing in front of others.

We may avoid parties and social gatherings due to social anxiety.

Think of all the possible friendships people miss out on due to fear.

Or the successes career-wise…

…or in making a positive difference in this world.

Or what about the fear of public speaking?

What doors do we sometimes allow fear to close?

Fear of flying is a common fear and fear of heights.

What fears do you have?

Do you have any fears that stunt your ability to live your best life?

Fear shuts all kinds of doors in our lives.

It can shut the door to anyone who is “other” because it sees them as a threat more than a friend.

Fear can cause us to live in a mode of fight or flight rather than the deeper experiences of faith, hope and love.

Fear can also cause us to react to what we fear rather than reflect the One we worship.

At its most basic level fear is being turned inward on self.

It comes from our survival instinct.

Our self-preservation mode.

When we are afraid, we are usually worried about me, myself and I.

And when we live in a state of constant fear, our brains can actually become re-wired so that everything looks like a threat.

Fear had the disciples behind locked doors, and fear can keep us behind locked doors as well.

But that’s not living—not really.

Despite the locked doors the disciples were hiding behind, despite the walls Jesus came and stood among them.

And He said to them, “Peace be with you!”

“Peace be with you”???

What does Jesus mean by this?

He has already shown that He has no intention of blasting the disciples’ enemies off the face of the earth.

So, where’s the peace?

He even shows them His hands—where He was nailed to the Cross and His side—where the soldiers cut a hole with a spear.

But maybe that is the point.

Think about it: The scariest possible things anyone could ever dream up have happened to Jesus.

He was humiliated.

He was rejected.

He was sentenced to death.

He was beaten up.

He was laughed at.

He was talked about.

He was called a criminal.

He was arrested.

He was stripped and nailed to a Cross for all to see.

And He died the most painful and agonizing death possible.

And you know what?

In showing His wounds to the disciples Jesus is showing them that the worst that the world can do to someone…

…All the things we fear the most—cannot overcome and defeat Him.

Jesus has beat them all.

And so, what remains to be feared?

We are told that after Jesus said, “Peace be with you!”, and after He “showed them his hands and side…The disciples were overjoyed.”

And then, He said again, “Peace be with you.”

But this time, He added something else: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Wait a minute!

That doesn’t sound like a peaceful command to me?

He is telling the disciples that He is sending them on the same mission that got Him killed!

Where is the peace in this?

And so, we find that the peace Jesus is talking about has little or nothing to do with the absence of conflict…

…with the absence of the things we humans fear the most.

Jesus isn’t telling them they are going to be rich or that they will now be living a life of ease.