A sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter. Delivered by Pastor Caleb Strutz.
One strong proof for the resurrection of Christ is the dramatic change that happens in the disciples. They go from hiding behind locked doors to proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. They go from cowering in fear of the Jews to boldly testifying about Christ before princes and kings. They go from being worried about being killed to facing their deaths willingly for Jesus’ sake. What happened? What was able to effect such a dramatic change? We see the turning point or, at least, beginning of this shift, in our Gospel lesson for today. It is Jesus and His proclamation, “Peace to you!” that changes everything.
I. No Peace without Christ
This text is perfect for today because it straddles Easter Sunday and the following Sunday, last week and this week. Easter is too big to be contained to one day, so we get part of what happened on Easter evening, but, just like we lived out Holy Week in real time, so too, in the second part, eight days later, we’re at today.
Now, in the first scene, a lot else has happened on Easter Day that we haven’t been able to cover. Easter is so big it would take several days to cover everything. The women found the empty tomb and the angel and then Jesus appeared to them and to Mary Magdalene. Peter and John run to check it out for themselves and verify that the tomb is empty. At some point, Jesus appears to Peter also and the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
After all of that and all of the reports and running around and craziness, the previously scattered disciples have gathered together again. They’re heard the reports and the testimony of others but they’re not sure what to make of it. They’re afraid. And rightfully so.
If Jesus was dead, like they all thought, they would have every reason to be afraid. Their Master was put to death! Are they going to be next? The tomb is empty but they didn’t have anything to do with that, are they going to be accused of a crime they didn’t commit? If Jesus is dead, they have every right to be afraid, there is danger around every corner, they have no peace.
We know that Jesus is not dead. He rose! He lives! But so often we still live our lives in that same fear. How often do we act as though Jesus were dead?
If Jesus was dead, the disciples were right to live in fear of persecution. He isn’t. But how often are we afraid of sharing Christ with others? Of causing a scene when someone we love needs to be confronted with the truth of God’s Word? Of being ostracized or labeled “weird” by being too religious or taking religion too seriously?
If Jesus lives, that has some pretty serious consequences for how you should live your life. If Jesus lives, that means we should do everything He tells us to. So every time we sin, we act as if Jesus was dead. As if He doesn’t have a say in our lives. As if His word isn’t true.
The disciples were afraid because they thought Jesus was dead. Imagine how afraid they would have been if they thought He was alive. They abandoned Him. Rejected Him. Forsook Him. They could just as well have been cowering in fear of punishment. We know He isn’t dead, but that, too, can be terrifying. We know that we haven’t listened to Him, you know the ways that you have failed Him. What awaits us? When our Savior appears, does He come bringing wrath and punishment?
II. Jesus Conveys Peace
No. He appears to His disciples and His very first word is “Peace.” Peace! Not hello. Not, “It is I.” But peace. “Peace be with you.” More than a greeting. A declaration, a proclamation, a word of comfort.
The last few days have been anything but peaceful for the disciples. So Jesus comes and He brings peace. Not punishment because they have failed Him, not a rebuke that they haven’t believed, but peace. And what He does next shows how that is possible.
“He showed them His hands and His side.” Here is the foundation of that peace. This is how peace is possible amidst great fear. Because Jesus died. By His death, He forgave all of your sins. Because of the cross, you have peace with God. Jesus proclaims peace and then backs it up with the proof. Because of the death of Christ, you have peace with God.
That’s why it’s such good news that Jesus lives. Jesus lives is only good news because Jesus died. If Jesus hadn’t died, all of their fears would have been justified. If Jesus was alive because He had somehow escaped death or hadn’t really died, that’s not good news, they’d still be after Him. But no, Jesus died. That’s why Him being alive again is such good news. It’s proof that everything He said was true, proof that your sins are forgiven, proof that you have peace with God.
And this peace isn’t something that Jesus’ disciples are to keep to themselves. Jesus gives them the commission, the power, and the authority to spread and share that peace.
“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” The work of the Church is a continuation of the work of Christ. He has accomplished redemption and now we, His disciples, spread this peace, are sent out, just as He was. Jesus’ peace drives us outwards, compels us to share it with others.
And He enables those He sends. Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” We do this, not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the power that Christ gives His Church to spread His peace. Not the power of persuasion, or the power of our own effort. This peace is spread by the Holy Spirit, by the power of God.
And with this power comes authority. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Jesus gives to His Church the authority to forgive sins. Now someone might say, “Well, only God can forgive sins,” and that’s true. But we don’t forgive by our own power or authority, but by the power of the Holy Spirit by the authority that Christ has given.
When I say in the absolution, “I forgive you all your sins,” that actually works. It does something. You really receive forgiveness. Not because I’m so special or because I myself have any power, but only “by virtue of my office,” as someone to whom the public use of this power and authority has been delegated, only as a servant exercising the authority that Christ gave to His Church.
And when I say in the communion liturgy, “The peace of the Lord be with you always,” this is that same declaration of peace. That same absolution, that same forgiveness, looking forward to the peace and forgiveness that we receive as Christ shows us His body and His blood just as He showed His disciples His hands and His side.
This proclamation of peace is accompanied with this outward impulse to share this peace and spread the forgiveness Jesus offers. And indeed, that is exactly what the disciples do. They turn first to Thomas and share this good news with him. And then Jesus’ apostles were His witnesses starting in Jerusalem and reaching the ends of the earth, propelled by His peace.
And we can learn from this approach and this pattern. Maybe sharing Jesus’ peace means starting with the person who went to church last week but didn’t today, just like how Thomas was conspicuously absent. We start with those closest to us, even within our families and church family, and spread outward, sharing the peace Jesus gives us to those in every ring of our lives. This is too good to keep to ourselves.
Jesus died. And Jesus lives. He has taken away all of your sins, removed every reason for fear, and promises that you will live with Him forever. Peace to you! Amen.
