To Touch Divinity
John 19:19-31
19 It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”
24 Thomas, the one called Didymus,[a] one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”
26 After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
28 Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”
30 Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. 31 But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.
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I’ve noticed that many Easter sermons (and even in several Easter messages I’ve delivered) focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus as the defeat of sin, the security of our salvation, the hope of the faithful, the list goes on. From the point of Christian theology, this is right on the money. But we have more than two thousand years of advantage over the disciples who were living the resurrection in real time. This week, I’m imagining what they would have known and felt.
Last week, we left off at John 20:18 when 3 disciples (including Mary) saw the empty tomb and all the disciples heard Mary’s account of the resurrected Jesus appearing to her. Imagine the strained confusion of trying to make meaning out of these accounts. Imagine having heard the teachings of Jesus but still trying to make sense of “what am I even supposed to do with a resurrection anyhow?” The next few weeks, we are going to watch as Jesus slowly reveals his calling to live in light of the resurrection.
This week, Jesus visits on two evenings and offers a calling. Through that calling, our understanding of forgiveness, hope, eternity, and calling have helped us to see the resurrection as the world changing
event that it is and invites us to live that event each day in community.
I’ll look forward to seeing you all next Sunday.
Peace,
Zach