This morning, we pick up right where we left off last week. You recall, on the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early in the morning. She discovered Jesus was no longer in the tomb, and after altering the others, Mary found herself talking to Jesus. But, Mary was distraught, and did not initially recognize Jesus….when Jesus called Mary by name, her eyes were opened and she realized she had been talking to Jesus all along. After their conversation, Mary rushed back to the place where the other disciples were gathered and told them the good news, but they had trouble understanding the truth of the resurrection.
We pick up right where we left off, reading about what happened on the first Easter Sunday…
Scripture Reading 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!”
After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
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.”
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!”
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.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
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[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
O God, by your Spirit tell us what we need to hear, and show us what we ought to do, to obey Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Message Resurrection Witness
Many churches celebrate “Holy Humor Sunday” on the Sunday after Easter. Their worship services take on a festive tone with practical jokes and puns. Early Greek Christians observed “days of joy and laughter” in the week following Easter. They had parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Ancient theologians like Augustine suggested that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Theologians called this “Risus paschalis” – the Easter laugh.
We all could use a little laughter as we gradually move out of our time of pandemic. These two plus years of Covid-19 have been stressful, scary, and bewildering…not very funny. Not very joyful.
Even when Jesus’ friends started to hear about Jesus’ resurrection, they had trouble believing. Jesus’ friends were still in Jerusalem. They were together, holed up in a house, and locked in a room together. They were worried about their own fate: would they be next? The authorities killed Jesus, would they start going after his followers. They were afraid, they were embarrassed, and they were ashamed.
Even though the doors were locked, on the first Easter evening, Jesus appeared to his friends in the middle of that locked room and told them, “Peace be with you!” Jesus didn’t say he was disappointed with his friends. He didn’t say he was angry. Instead, his words of peace were a kindness, a reminder to his friends that Jesus loved them and understood them. Jesus forgave them for being afraid and bewildered.
Jesus gave his friends the gift of peace. In the midst of their grief, they needed comfort. They needed grace. They needed peace. And, Jesus gave them peace.
The other gift Jesus gave his friends was the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus was transferring a portion of the Spirit of God to his friends. They were insecure about their place in the world. Jesus wasn’t going to be with them full-time. They were going to be on their own. Soon, after the first Christian Pentecost, they would be tasked with bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. When Jesus shared the Holy Spirit with his friends, he was giving them an extra dose of confidence and holiness….he was giving a portion of the Spirit of God they would carry around in their hearts to guide them and reassure them. The broken and sad friends of Jesus needed to become filed with the Holy Spirit of God.
Even though Jesus was only with his friends for a short while, he also gave them a task. They were told to forgive others as God had forgiven them. I don’t know about you, but if I had just watched my favorite person be brutally killed, it would be difficult for me to forgive others. It would be difficult for me to forgive the people who killed him. It would be difficult for me to forgive the people who stood by and watched his death. It would be difficult for me to forgive myself for not doing enough to stop it, even if stopping it was impossible. But, Jesus told his friends to forgive others. Don’t hold onto grudges. Don’t hold on to hate. Don’t dream of retribution. We are to forgive one another as God has forgiven us.
Apparently, the Thomas wasn’t with the others when Jesus come to them. And, despite the others telling him Jesus had appeared, Thomas had trouble believing. Some of us need concrete evidence. Some of our brains work like this – some of us need to see things for ourselves to believe…some of us need to touch things….some of us need to smell things. Thomas needed to see evidence for himself.
So, when Jesus appeared again, it was probably a great comfort for Thomas.
The Disciples and the friends of Jesus needed comfort after the crucifixion and resurrection. And, twenty centuries later, the follower of Jesus now need comfort as we reel from our season of Covid. We have lived through a strange and scary time. Our lives have changed. We have lost people we loved. We have had our former “normal” lives turned up-side down.
When Jesus appeared to his friends, he wanted them to feel support and peace in the midst of their grief. We must remember that God’s Holy Spirit is here in our midst to support us in the midst of our time of grief. God is here in our midst. God is here to give us peace, to share the Holy Spirit with us to strengthen and encourage us, and to also encourage us to forgive. Forgive the mistakes and mishaps made during this time of loss and fear.
We are not alone in our grief. We are not alone in our struggles. We are not alone in our pain. God is with us. As the New Creed says: “In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.” Just as Jesus’ wouldn’t leave his friends totally alone and bereft in their grief, God doesn’t leave us alone in our time of grief and fear.
We are in this together. God is our rod and our staff, our rock and our comfort. God is with us all the days of our lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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