Second Sunday in Easter 4/11/2010 John 20:19-31 That you may believe
Second Sunday of Easter
04/11/10
Text: John 20:19-31
Title: "That You May Believe"
Last Sunday we celebrated Resurrection Sunday. And at that time I talked about how belief in the resurrection, not just knowledge of the resurrection, is the key to our faith. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we are not only assured of new life with Jesus in the new heaven and earth when he comes back in all his glory, but also a new life here, on this earth.
Today's gospel lesson from John tells us about the first appearances of Jesus to his disciples after his death and resurrection. It tells us how Jesus appeared in their midst on the first evening of that first Sunday when they were huddled together in fear and greeted them with words of peace and then showed to them the wounds in his hands and his side so that they might believe what their eyes were seeing and their ears hearing, as they experienced the resurrection.
At that time, that first resurrection night, Jesus gave his disciples his Spirit and the authority to go and forgive the sins of those repentant people around them, and in doing so the authority to bring them out of their tombs of guilt that prevent them from living a whole and fruitful life.
The disciple Thomas was not there that first night, but the scripture records that the other 10 told him about how Jesus had come to them and how they had seen him and heard him. The scriptures also recorded his reaction to this news. "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe." I don’t think this was unreasonable, for the other disciples earlier had basically said the same thing. It was just a normal reaction for a normal person. Give me proof. Give me something I can touch and see and then I will believe. I hear that still today.
And the scripture goes on to record that Thomas' demand for proof was satisfied. Jesus appeared again, a week later, to the disciples in the upper room and Thomas was there, and Jesus after greeting them all with words of peace called to Thomas and told him to look at him and touch him and to believe and Thomas did so. He believed what he saw and said to Jesus when he believed, "My Lord and my God". This is the first time anyone had said that, even the other disciples did not see in Jesus what Thomas did that night. Maybe the better name for Thomas should be believing Thomas.
Sometimes I think that the disciples had it easier than we did. How easy it is to believe when you can see and touch as did they all in one way or the other. What an advantage that is! But then I think about Jesus' words to those disciples and to Thomas in particular: "Do you believe because you see me? Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." (Pause) Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. Why is that? Why is it blessed to believe without seeing, or without touching, or without hearing first from the Messiah's mouth as it were, for ourselves?
I think that the answer lies in the nature of seeing and in the nature of faith. Many people say that seeing is believing, but that is far from true, in fact the opposite is more often the case. Believing is seeing. Believing something opens up to us the possibility of experiencing it, of seeing it come to pass in our lives, and of having that which we believe in produce in us blessings.
We have lots of examples throughout history of someone believing in something before seeing it, especially in the area of science where scientists believe something is there, but have no proof of it until they develop the tools so that they can conduct experiments to see if what they believed to exist exists. Many a person has a dream of social justice like Martin Luther King Jr. who had a dream of racial equality. His dream was so real that he fought and died for it. Then there are the artists, and sculptures who believe that what they are putting on canvas or hewing out of rock will be what they have believed it to be. All of our modern computers, and other helps in our homes started out when someone believed that it could be done.
There are thousands, if not millions of examples of believing in something before seeing it throughout history that we just take for granted today. People today, as I am speaking believe in the unseen. Their belief will not be proven until they actually see it.
I do envy, in a good way of course, the disciples being able to see Jesus after the resurrection, of being able to touch him and hear him say, "Peace be with you". What an incredible experience to have.
But while I envy them that particular experience I do not require that experience and neither do any of you require that experience, to have faith in Christ and his resurrection and to receive from him the blessings of the power that God has given him.
All we are required to do is to believe their eyewitness reports that were put down for us and then commit our lives to Jesus as our Lord and our God, and all the rest will come out of that. Paul writes: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your hearts that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." He also writes, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Think of all the people who have believed in Jesus, without ever having seen him as the disciples saw him, and who, after believing have felt Christ's presence in their lives, seen their prayers and the prayers of others answered, and been helped through hard times because of their faith in God's promises.
Happy are those who believe without seeing. Happy are those who have made a decision to assert that goodness is stronger than evil, and that love is stronger than hate, despite all that they have seen that might suggest the opposite.
They are happy because when they have come to believe in the Lord of life, the Lord of goodness, and the Lord of love, they see and experience all that they believe in and they experience goodness from God, a goodness that always conquers the evils that they may face in their daily lives.
Paul says that, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith has healed many a sick person and overcome many an obstacle.
As the book of the Acts of the Apostles shows, when the disciples finally believed in Jesus, when they were convinced that he truly rose from the dead, that they went from being people who hid in fear, fear of the authorities who had crucified their teacher, to being people who like that teacher not only healed the sick and did many mighty works, but who actually, despite being imprisoned by the authorities, were able to stand up before them and proclaim the name of Jesus.
As Peter says to the authorities in the book of Acts, it gave them the Spirit of God which is given to all who believe in and do God's word.
I have never sat down with a person who I felt truly believed in God and then got up with any other feeling than one of hope, and renewed courage and faith. The gospel message is very simple. Jesus died that you might live. Believe that and then spiritual sight will is given and when spiritual sight is given you will become as God designed his human creatures to be, that is in relationship with him, and then you will truly live. That is how it works in the kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN
04/11/10
Text: John 20:19-31
Title: "That You May Believe"
Last Sunday we celebrated Resurrection Sunday. And at that time I talked about how belief in the resurrection, not just knowledge of the resurrection, is the key to our faith. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we are not only assured of new life with Jesus in the new heaven and earth when he comes back in all his glory, but also a new life here, on this earth.
Today's gospel lesson from John tells us about the first appearances of Jesus to his disciples after his death and resurrection. It tells us how Jesus appeared in their midst on the first evening of that first Sunday when they were huddled together in fear and greeted them with words of peace and then showed to them the wounds in his hands and his side so that they might believe what their eyes were seeing and their ears hearing, as they experienced the resurrection.
At that time, that first resurrection night, Jesus gave his disciples his Spirit and the authority to go and forgive the sins of those repentant people around them, and in doing so the authority to bring them out of their tombs of guilt that prevent them from living a whole and fruitful life.
The disciple Thomas was not there that first night, but the scripture records that the other 10 told him about how Jesus had come to them and how they had seen him and heard him. The scriptures also recorded his reaction to this news. "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe." I don’t think this was unreasonable, for the other disciples earlier had basically said the same thing. It was just a normal reaction for a normal person. Give me proof. Give me something I can touch and see and then I will believe. I hear that still today.
And the scripture goes on to record that Thomas' demand for proof was satisfied. Jesus appeared again, a week later, to the disciples in the upper room and Thomas was there, and Jesus after greeting them all with words of peace called to Thomas and told him to look at him and touch him and to believe and Thomas did so. He believed what he saw and said to Jesus when he believed, "My Lord and my God". This is the first time anyone had said that, even the other disciples did not see in Jesus what Thomas did that night. Maybe the better name for Thomas should be believing Thomas.
Sometimes I think that the disciples had it easier than we did. How easy it is to believe when you can see and touch as did they all in one way or the other. What an advantage that is! But then I think about Jesus' words to those disciples and to Thomas in particular: "Do you believe because you see me? Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." (Pause) Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. Why is that? Why is it blessed to believe without seeing, or without touching, or without hearing first from the Messiah's mouth as it were, for ourselves?
I think that the answer lies in the nature of seeing and in the nature of faith. Many people say that seeing is believing, but that is far from true, in fact the opposite is more often the case. Believing is seeing. Believing something opens up to us the possibility of experiencing it, of seeing it come to pass in our lives, and of having that which we believe in produce in us blessings.
We have lots of examples throughout history of someone believing in something before seeing it, especially in the area of science where scientists believe something is there, but have no proof of it until they develop the tools so that they can conduct experiments to see if what they believed to exist exists. Many a person has a dream of social justice like Martin Luther King Jr. who had a dream of racial equality. His dream was so real that he fought and died for it. Then there are the artists, and sculptures who believe that what they are putting on canvas or hewing out of rock will be what they have believed it to be. All of our modern computers, and other helps in our homes started out when someone believed that it could be done.
There are thousands, if not millions of examples of believing in something before seeing it throughout history that we just take for granted today. People today, as I am speaking believe in the unseen. Their belief will not be proven until they actually see it.
I do envy, in a good way of course, the disciples being able to see Jesus after the resurrection, of being able to touch him and hear him say, "Peace be with you". What an incredible experience to have.
But while I envy them that particular experience I do not require that experience and neither do any of you require that experience, to have faith in Christ and his resurrection and to receive from him the blessings of the power that God has given him.
All we are required to do is to believe their eyewitness reports that were put down for us and then commit our lives to Jesus as our Lord and our God, and all the rest will come out of that. Paul writes: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your hearts that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." He also writes, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Think of all the people who have believed in Jesus, without ever having seen him as the disciples saw him, and who, after believing have felt Christ's presence in their lives, seen their prayers and the prayers of others answered, and been helped through hard times because of their faith in God's promises.
Happy are those who believe without seeing. Happy are those who have made a decision to assert that goodness is stronger than evil, and that love is stronger than hate, despite all that they have seen that might suggest the opposite.
They are happy because when they have come to believe in the Lord of life, the Lord of goodness, and the Lord of love, they see and experience all that they believe in and they experience goodness from God, a goodness that always conquers the evils that they may face in their daily lives.
Paul says that, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith has healed many a sick person and overcome many an obstacle.
As the book of the Acts of the Apostles shows, when the disciples finally believed in Jesus, when they were convinced that he truly rose from the dead, that they went from being people who hid in fear, fear of the authorities who had crucified their teacher, to being people who like that teacher not only healed the sick and did many mighty works, but who actually, despite being imprisoned by the authorities, were able to stand up before them and proclaim the name of Jesus.
As Peter says to the authorities in the book of Acts, it gave them the Spirit of God which is given to all who believe in and do God's word.
I have never sat down with a person who I felt truly believed in God and then got up with any other feeling than one of hope, and renewed courage and faith. The gospel message is very simple. Jesus died that you might live. Believe that and then spiritual sight will is given and when spiritual sight is given you will become as God designed his human creatures to be, that is in relationship with him, and then you will truly live. That is how it works in the kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 7:54 PM
|
0 comments
