Jesus Comes to Us

The Second Sunday of Easter, April 11, 2021


Gospel Lesson: John 20:19–31 [Jesus appears to The Disciples and to Thomas.]
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

When I read a novel, I often enter into the story myself. I become the hero or one of the bystanders in the story. What happens in the story happens also to me, and so I become happy or sad or even scared; I may laugh or even shed a tear. When I read the Bible, it is the same. I enter into the story. I may go up the mountain with Moses, or I might be one of those at the foot of the mountain worshiping the golden calf! I can feel the hunger of Jesus when he was in the wilderness. I can be one of the disciples, or one of the crowd listening to the Sermon on the Mount. And today I am one of the disciples in the locked room on the evening of the Resurection and I am also Thomas a week later.

Today, join me as we join the disciples.

The doors are locked. We fear that the Jews will come looking for us and arrest us, maybe even put us to death by a mob stoning. The fear is real, we know what they did to Jesus. But there is confusion. Had Jesus really been raised from the dead? Just like Thomas, we too want to see the marks in his hands and feet and side that prove that Jesus had been killed and raised again. The gash in his side from the spear would really show that. And Jesus comes and shows us those marks, those signs which show not only his death but also that he was alive again. We can see and hear and touch Jesus. He is no ghost. He is a living human being. And more than that, he is the living God.

And when Jesus says “Shalom,” it is not a mere “Hello,” it is the blessing of God that gives complete peace to take away our fear and doubt and sin. That Shalom-Peace gives us the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit gives us the forgiveness of sin. This gives complete peace, because we no longer fear God, either. In reality, what killed Jesus on the cross was not the Jews or the Romans. What killed Jesus was sin. His death was the punishment of sin which he took upon himself. Jesus paid the punishment with his precious life blood. And now he gives the power to forgive sin to us. He says, “If you forgive the sins of people, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We love the story of Thomas because it is our story. We too want to see proof that Jesus rose from the dead. We want proof that he can forgive our sin. We want our doubt removed. We want to believe. And our confession becomes the same as Thomas’, “My Lord and my God. Amen.” And Jesus says a special word of blessing to us. “How happy are those who believe without seeing me.”

When I read a novel, I enter into the story and life of the hero. When I read the Bible, Jesus comes into my story and into my life. When that happens, there is Gospel.

Today, like the disciples, we have gathered in our upper room of a chapel. Our doors are not locked today, but there are many churches in some countries that do lock their doors. Some places it is illegal to be a Christian or to gather as a church. The police might come and arrest those people. Some churches lock the doors because they are afraid that someone might enter with a gun and start shooting or throw in a bomb. Some churches have locked their doors because no one can come to church because of the Coronus Virus. This too is something to fear. Today our church doors are not locked, but perhaps our hearts are. Perhaps there are some sorts of people that we do not want to come to our church. We fear that they might make us uncomfortable with their presence or actions or ideas. But locked doors and locked hearts do not keep Jesus out. Jesus comes to us today.

He comes with the words of Shalom-Peace. He comes with words of forgiveness and love. He breathes on us and gives us the Holy Spirit. Today it is not the wind and fire of Pentecost. Today it is the word of forgiveness. It is also the word of mission, because as we have been forgiven we are to forgive others. “If you forgive the sins of people, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” We forgive others when we preach the Gospel of forgiveness. We tell that Jesus died and rose to forgive sin. That is the evangelism-mission of our church.

Jesus came to Thomas peronally, and so he comes to us, too. He came to Thomas individually, and so he comes to each and every one of us. And that is necessary because we all have ourown doubts and questions and fears and worries and prayers and needs. And we see that Jesus comes to each one of us in love and concern. Thomas had to make hisown confession, and so must we also. Yes, we belong to the the church that confesses the true faith, but we must confess it, too. Jesus died for each one of us and Jesus loves each one of us. And so, even as we say the Apostles Creed all together as a group, we make it our personal confession as we say, “I, I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

And “I, I believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God.”

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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