Jesus Persistently Provides You Peace

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So 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.”

26 A 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!” 27 Then 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.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus Persistently Provides You Peace

Do you know the nickname that the disciples gave Thomas? It started with a D. We’ve come to call him “Doubting Thomas,” but they called him “Didymus,” which in Greek means “twin.” John doesn’t expand on this. The Bible never tells us who Tom’s twin was, but I think I know. Let’s dive back into our Gospel Lesson and see if we can find any clues as to the identity of Thomas’ twin.

John 20 is still recording the events of Easter Sunday. To recap: the women went to the tomb, met some angels, heard the announcement that Jesus is risen, and even got to see Jesus with their own eyes on their way back to tell the disciples. But the disciples didn’t believe them.

Peter and John ran to the tomb to check on their story, found the tomb empty, but had more questions than answers.

Cleopas and his friend unwittingly spent the afternoon Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It was only after dinner that their eyes were opened, and they realized whom they had been talking to.

So, by my count, by the evening of that first Easter Sunday, we have at least 7 eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, i.e. people who saw with their own eyes indisputable evidence that Jesus was alive! You’d expect them to be buzzing with excitement – singing and dancing and rejoicing at this wonderful news – but remember how John starts our Gospel for today:

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”[1]

They were still afraid. There were still questions and doubts in their minds. They had heard the good news, but they still couldn’t understand, and they definitely weren’t ready to act on it. Does that remind you of anyone? It’s the same way Thomas behaved.

Thomas happened to be away on that first Easter Sunday, and when the rest of the disciples told their story, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas stubbornly replied,

“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.”[2]

Thomas gets a bad rap for doubting, but this is the same kind of thing that the disciples had said when the women came back from the tomb. Every one of them doubted. Every one of them was afraid. And we find out that even after a week’s time, not much had changed:

A 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!”[3]

The doors were still locked. The disciples were still afraid. There were still doubts and questions – not just in Thomas’ mind, but in all their minds. Most of them had seen the risen Jesus with their own eyes, and yet they still could not muster the strength to act on what they had seen and heard. I’ll ask again, does that remind you of anyone?

We read some scary stories in our first two readings today. In Acts 5, when the disciples finally left the locked room and started telling other people about Jesus, they were promptly arrested and thrown in prison. The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while he was in exile on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.[4] All the rest of the disciples were arrested and persecuted and executed for their faith. There were legitimate reasons for them to be afraid and to hide behind locked doors.

That’s what fear does, isn’t it? It puts us in full retreat. It makes us want to withdraw from the world and start our own Christian colony on a secluded island somewhere where we can practice our faith without fear (sometimes we treat church as our secluded Christian colony, i.e. the only place we feel comfortable talking about Jesus).

It can be scary to talk openly about our Christianity. What will other people think about us? Will we be considered alt-right, fundamentalist fanatics? Will we be ostracized by our friends and classmates? Will we be left out of certain groups and activities?

There was a bill that passed unanimously in December in our parliament in Canada that forbids us from counseling people about sexuality and sexual identity based on what the Bible says. Even parents could be prosecuted for telling their children what God has to say about sex and gender. It might be enough to make you want to move, or pull your kids from school, or, at the very least, not talk about it in public.

And then the doubts and the questions set in: Did God really say this about that? Do I know enough to say anything about anything? Why is it so hard – to be a Christian, to be confident, to speak boldly about what I believe? Why can’t I be like one of the disciples in John 20 who got to see Jesus with their own eyes? Then it’d be so much easier to believe.

You are like them! They were afraid too. They had their doubts and questions just like you. They cowered behind locked doors for weeks even after they saw Jesus with their own eyes. In an instant Easter changed their lives forever, but they didn’t become different, stronger people overnight, and, more importantly, they didn’t do it by their own might. Their transformation was only possible by the persistent peace of Jesus.

That was the first thing he said to them,

“Peace be with you!”[5]

Then, after he showed them the holes in his hands and side, he said it again,

“Peace be with you!”[6]

A week later, this time when Thomas was with them, he said it again,

“Peace be with you!”[7]

They didn’t get it right away. They could have that peace so much earlier and at so many different times – at the sight of the empty tomb, at the announcement of the angel, at the 7+ eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection – but they didn’t. They were still afraid. They still had doubts and questions.

And Jesus persistently proclaimed, “Peace be with you!” He showed them his hands and side as proof of that peace. Did they fear what the Jews and the Romans could do to them? They had reason to. They had seen what they did to Jesus. They would be imprisoned and persecuted and even executed, but they still had peace in knowing the power of the resurrection.

The world could do its worst. They could even lose their lives. But because of Jesus and his resurrection, they could also have the confidence that they too would rise from the dead and live with him eternally. Their peace is our peace. Because of Jesus’ resurrection the world can do its worst to us too, but we will live forever in heaven and can have peace now, because we’ve seen the power of the resurrection.

The sight of those holes in Jesus’ hands and side would also remind the disciples of the sacrifice he made for them, the price he paid for their sins and yours – even for the times that you swallow your tongue and are too ashamed or scared to be seen or associated with Jesus. He has forgiven you – your fear, your hesitation, your unwillingness to proclaim his peace to others. You have peace in the promise of forgiveness.

And the persistent appearance of Jesus provided them peace too. He didn’t just give them a moment. He didn’t just give them one eyewitness. He appeared to them several times over the course of 40 days to provide them peace.

And this is maybe where you might say, “That’s not fair! I still want what Thomas got. I want to put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side. If I got to be in the presence of Jesus, then I maybe I could be at peace like them.” But you do:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.[8]

Jesus is still present with you. Jesus still persistently proclaims and provides his peace to you and for you. We don’t get to put our fingers where the nails were like Thomas did, but God has given you something that he never gave to Thomas, or any of the other disciples. We have the Word of God, especially the whole New Testament, faithfully recorded and painstakingly reprinted for you.

As the pastor who organized and incorporated this congregation once said, “When you read John 20:31, put your name where John writes ‘you,’ e.g. ‘These words are written that Pete may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing Pete may have life in his name.’”

Jesus still persistently provides peace to you, in his Word written and read for you and to you week in and week out. You may still have fears and questions and doubt. We all do. The disciples did, even after they saw Jesus raised from the dead. And while Easter does change our lives forever in an instant, we are not transformed into stronger, bolder, more confident Christians overnight or by our own might. That transformation takes place over time through the Word and Sacraments by which Jesus gives you peace by the power of his resurrection, the promise of forgiveness, and the persistence of his presence.

So, have you figured it out yet? Do you know who Thomas’ twin is? It’s me. And it’s you. It’s everyone whose doubts are dispelled and whose hearts are filled with faith in his Word that promises you peace. Peace be with you. Amen.  

[1] John 10:19

[2] John 20:25

[3] John 20:26

[4] Revelation 1:9

[5] John 20:19

[6] John 20:21

[7] John 20:26

[8] John 20:30,31

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Jesus: The Name Above All Names

Philippians 2:5-11

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus: The Name Above All Names

In Greek, it’s just six letters long. In English, five. In Hebrew, only 4. And yet that two-syllable word is the name above all names, the name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus. We’ve heard his name on average once every minute since our worship service began today, and for good reason. He’s our Shepherd, our Saviour, our King. His name should be on our lips, and it should inspire praise, but it hasn’t always been that way. This morning I want to explore what Jesus’ name has meant in the past, what it means today, and what it means for our future.

Jesus. It was a name whispered with hushed excitement by the Passover pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem that year. They were excited because for the last three years Jesus had been building toward celebrity status by his powerful, sometimes controversial, public speaking, by his signs and wonders that defied logical explanation, by his challenge to the status quo and the powers that be.

That’s why their excitement was hushed and whispered. There had even been rumours that if Jesus showed his face in Jerusalem, he’d be arrested or worse, maybe even made to disappear. The Jewish leaders had threatened his life. His own disciples were publicly pleading with him not to attend the Passover. Everyone was wondering if Jesus would show. If there had been such a thing in those days, you’d have to imagine that Jesus’ name and Jesus’ face would have been plastered all over the checkout aisle tabloids, e.g. “Jesus: Messiah or Menace?” “Will Jesus Join Jerusalem Jamboree?”

As silly as those tabloids are, there’s often (sometimes only) the tiniest grain of truth to them. In this case, the rumours were true. Jesus’ name wasn’t only whispered with hushed excitement by the Passover pilgrims, it was muttered in dark corners and behind locked doors by a murderous mob of Jewish leaders. You can even imagine it as an agenda item for one of their covert councils, e.g. “What are we going to do about Jesus?”

The Jewish ruling council didn’t much care for Jesus. In fact, they had been actively searching for a way to kill him for almost 2 years.[1] And as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem this time, they had finally found their answer. Just days before his arrival, they held a furtive meeting with one of Jesus’ own disciples who had agreed to betray him. You can bet that the name Jesus was on the minds and in the mouths of those Jewish leaders.

And then the sun rose on Sunday morning. At first, they must have thought they were hearing things. All of a sudden, the name that had haunted their dreams and that they had been obsessing over for months was in the air; they could hear it with their waking ears. They went out to investigate and there was a proper parade praising that name. People waving palm branches and piling up their pullovers to provide a carpet for Jesus. The Jewish leaders couldn’t believe their ears. To them, it was like nails on a chalkboard. They even reprimanded Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” But Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”[2]

The truth is, Jesus deserved that praise. He had earned every syllable. And although the full significance of their words flew over the heads of most of the people in the crowd that day, the Apostle Paul gives us a short and simple summary of just what Jesus did to deserve every note of every song they sang.

Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage… made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.[3]

Jesus is true God from all eternity. He is almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing. He is everywhere all at once and fills every space. He had all authority and every advantage imaginable as he sat at the right hand of his Father in heaven. But Jesus didn’t view his divinity as a feather in his cap or something he was entitled to enjoy purely for his own benefit. Instead, in love, he was willing to give it all up for you. Paul says, “He made himself nothing.”

Jesus left heaven to become human. He emptied himself of the full use of his divine power and privilege. He was born of a woman and lived in this world limiting himself to the confines of a human body, choosing to suffer things that had been foreign to him, like hunger and thirst and exhaustion.

Even before we get to the next sentence of Paul’s letter, we can see something here in Jesus that is rare in this world and that we seldom see in ourselves: true, honest-to-goodness humility. Jesus had certain rights and privileges and powers, but he chose not to claim them in order that he could be a benefit to you.

It’s tax season. It’s not gaming the system or exploiting loopholes if you claim your deductions and collect your refunds. You have a right to them. But what do we often do with our rightfully earned refunds? We fund our next vacation. We pay off debt. We go out to dinner. How many of you have given away your entire refund to somebody else who needed it more and didn’t keep a cent for yourself?

Even if you have, your tax refund is a fraction of your financial resources throughout the year. Some of us don’t even factor it into our family budget, so it becomes little more than monopoly money that we get to do with whatever we want.

The point is, we might manage momentary humility and selflessness sometimes, but has any one of us ever made ourselves nothing, emptied ourselves, chosen not to use any of our powers, rights and privileges for our own benefit but have dedicated all of them in loving service for someone else? I don’t know a single person who could make that claim.

But Jesus could. Jesus did. And that’s why we praise him on Palm Sunday. He didn’t organize this parade. He didn’t orchestrate his own praise. It was freely given by people who didn’t even grasp the full gravity of their words or actions, and who certainly didn’t know what would happen later that week. But we do.

Paul goes on, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”[4]

Jesus didn’t just give up all his powers and privileges. He gave up his life on a cross for you. For all the times you’ve selfishly claimed your rights and resources and used them solely for your own benefit, Jesus gave up everything had and was for you. For all the times you’ve prioritized service to self over service to God or others, Jesus made himself a servant to God and to you.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross – and there he paid the price for your sins and mine. By giving his life, he was forgiving your sins, freeing you from the eternal consequences of your actions, ridding you of all guilt and shame, and filling you with his selfless, self-sacrificing love.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[5]

The Passover pilgrims on that first Palm Sunday couldn’t have possibly predicted what would happen later that week. But you and I know, and that’s why we continue to praise his name today. We follow traditions that are thousands of years old, but with more information and therefore also more appreciation for what Christ Jesus has done and what his name means for me now and in the future.

Now I can breathlessly mouth that name in silent prayer the moment I first hear the latest piece of news from Ukraine, or from my doctor, or from the family member of a friend who just passed away. “Christ Jesus, you who gave all you are for me and for the world, provide the peace I’m missing, the peace that transcends understanding, the hope that can only come from you, but the confidence of knowing your selfless, self-sacrificing service in love for me and everyone involved.”

Now we can join together in confessing our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was so filled with love for you that he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross![6]

Now we can impress his name on our children, and teach them to love that 5-letter, 2-syllable word that means the world to everyone who believes. Now we can sing his praise, knowing that it may be too often out of tune and too seldomly done, but that one day soon every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[7]

How I look forward to that day, when the praise we give his name on days like today sounds paltry and imperfect compared to the unending hymns of praise we will sing every day and throughout all eternity in the heavenly home of Christ Jesus, the long-promised Saviour of the world, our humble but praiseworthy Lord and King. To him be all glory and honour and praise forever and ever. Amen.

[1] John 5:18

[2] Luke 19:39,40

[3] Philippians 2:6,7

[4] Philippians 2:8

[5] Philippians 2:9-11

[6] Philippians 2:8

[7] Philippians 2:10,11

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