Witness

Third Sunday of Easter

Luke 24: 36-49

"Witness!"

36 ¶ As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them.

37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.

38 And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts?

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."

40

41 And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

43 and he took it and ate before them.

44 Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled."

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,

46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things.RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Do you remember the television show Archie Bunker? There was an episode where Archie saw a mugging in an ally. His son-in-law whom he called meat head, urged Archie to be a witness hen the case when to court.

Not Archie!

He said: "Do you know what you gotta go through it your are a witness? I’m a working man. I don’t get paid if I show up absent.To go to court, you gotta put on a shirt and tie, drag yourself downtown and hang around till the case comes up. You forget what you was gonna say, and the other lawyer can make a monkey outta you."

Witnessing it can be a terrifying event. Witnessing in court. Witnessing for your faith. Witnessing, telling about the life and work of Jesus Christ can be a terrifying thing.

Jesus in our gospel lesson tells the disciples that they are witnesses to all the thing concerning Jesus.

The scripture says: "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things"

The disciples were told they were witnesses to all these things. They were witnesses to Jesus suffering on the cross, the resurrection, the repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in Jesus name. As the disciples are witnesses to these things so are we as modern day disciples.

I would like to look at just aspect of this forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness of sins should be preached in Jesus name. At the beginning of our worship service, we have the confession of sins. We confess our sins and then in the name of Jesus, I pronounce your sins are forgiven. We speak about repenting, or turning away from our sins as we accept this forgiveness from Jesus.

Forgiveness and repenting are difficult things to understand. Sometimes we are more interested in the sins of others than in our own sins.

This story tells of that condition;

"An old man walked daily through his village wearing a patched and tattered coat of many colors. A visitor to the village stopped and asked, "Why do you parade through the streets wearing such a garment? What does it mean?"

The old man replied, "Each colored patch represents the sins of my neighbors. I don’t want them to forget them.

Then the visitor asked, ’What is the white patch between your should blades?’

Reluctantly the old man answered,’That is my own sin. I put it where I cannot see it."

Repentance and forgiveness in Christ means that I am more concerned about my own sin than my neighbors. Remember the conversation Jesus had about the log and the eye.

It says in Matthew 7

3* Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

5* You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

We should be more concerned about our own sins, our own repenting. We should look to Jesus about forgiving our sins.