Theologian Peter Gomes says that fear, not sin, is the curse on human life. Fear that the plane will crash keeps some people from flying. Fear of loneliness prompts some people to latch onto a member of the opposite sex, no matter how unhealthy the relationship may be. Fear of failure prevents some people from venturing out into new territory and trying something they have never attempted. Fear of admitting how bad things really are keep some people from picking up the telephone and calling a counselor.
Fear can immobilize us. It can bring our lives to a grinding halt and stop us from moving along to the next stage. You may remember a time in your life when you were paralyzed by fear. Such a situation is depicted for us in this morning's text from the Gospel of John. The disciples have gathered in a house somewhere in Jerusalem and they have locked the doors because they are afraid. They are afraid that the religious leaders who had Jesus put to death, might come searching for them. They are afraid of what comes next in their lives, because their leader is gone and they are facing an uncertain future.
Last Sunday, we read the first half of the twentieth chapter of John. This morning we read the second half of the chapter. The first part of the story tells of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb of Jesus and finding it empty. Shocked and confused, she runs to tell two of the disciples, who dash off to the place of burial to take a look for themselves. Mary returns to the tomb where she first mistakes the risen Jesus for the gardener, and then realizes it is indeed her risen Lord. She proceeds to tell the disciples that Jesus has appeared to her, but from what we read in the second part of the story, the disciples must have received her announcement with a great deal of skepticism. The author of John's gospel tells us that it is now the evening of Easter day and the disciples are hovering together behind locked doors.
But then the story takes a sudden turn. We are told that Jesus appears to them, and says, "Peace be with you." The disciples are ecstatic and they rejoice that Jesus is with them. And then the gospel writer tells us that Jesus commissions the disciples to carry on the work he has begun by infusing them with God's Spirit.
However, this is not the conclusion of the story. The narrator informs us that one of the disciples, Thomas, was not present at this event. And some time either later that evening or in the next few days, when the disciples tell Thomas what occurred, he does not believe them. He makes his well-known speech that unless he views for himself the marks of the nails in the hands and feet of Jesus, he will not believe that he has risen.
Now the story leaps forward to the Sunday following Easter and we find that the disciples are again gathered in this house. Jesus appears to them again, only this time Thomas is present. Jesus is quoted as speaking words directed to Thomas, but in reality his words are intended for future generations, when he says: "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Most sermons I have heard or I have preached on this text, tend to end with this statement. And generally the thrust of the message concerns the connection between doubt and faith in our religious beliefs. But this time when I ventured into the passage, something else took hold of me. It's the last verse of this text, which many New Testament scholars believe was actually the original ending of John's gospel. Most commentators believe that the twenty-first chapter was added a few years later.
Here's what the last verse of chapter 20 says: "But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."
What strikes me about the twentieth chapter of John is that it informs us of the two hopes we have as a result of the resurrection of Christ. The first is our hope for new life after death - the thrust of last week's sermon. The second is our hope for new life in our present existence - our emphasis for today.
The heart of the Christian faith is new life, but some people only point to the new life we experience on the other side of the grave. Many have been misled to believe that salvation in the Christian faith is only concerned with what happens to us after we die. But the Christian faith is a very earthy religion. It says that what goes on in this world - how we live our lives and how we treat other people - is of utmost importance. Jesus did not come into this world and say, "You have to believe certain things, and if you believe them, you get the grand prize at the end." Instead, he said, "I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly."
When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he did not respond, "You must believe A, B, and C." He said, "Love God and love others."
Jesus was upsetting to the religious leaders of his day because he refused to play by their rules. He did not place emphasis on the outward displays of religion such as sacrifices and long public prayers and strict observance of Sabbath laws. His intent was to affect a change in people's hearts. And so he taught people to be compassionate and forgiving and generous and just.
Throughout his ministry he demonstrated the new life that we are to live. He brought healing to people who were hurting and guidance to people who had become lost. He touched people you weren't supposed to touch, and he ate with people you weren't supposed to dine with. He met people where they were and then he elevated them to a higher plane.
There is a story of a homeless man who was sitting across the street from the studio of an artist. Most of the time the man's eyes were downcast. His shoulders drooped, his clothes were dirty and ragged. He looked like homeless people that you and I have seen before - disheartened and dejected. The artist noticed the man when he looked out his front window and thought this man would make an interesting portrait study. So from across the street, peering out his window he painted this defeated human being. Then, when he was finished, he took the portrait and walked across the street to the man and showed it to him. But when the homeless man looked at it he asked, "Who is it?" He saw in the painting a slight resemblance of himself, but in the painting before him he saw a person of dignity, with squared shoulders and bright uplifted eyes, and with a face that was both confident and handsome. He asked the artist, "Is that supposed to be me? I don't look like that." But the artist replied, "That is the person I see in you."(1)
Time and again, that is the effect Christ had on the people he encountered. No matter who they were, he saw them as people of worth and dignity. He saw them as beautiful children of God. And when he touched their lives, they were transformed into new people whose existence was now rich and meaningful and fulfilling. But now that Christ is no longer physically present in the world, where will this touch come from? If Christ is no longer present to serve as a conduit of God's love, who will fulfill this role? We will. The people of the church. God seeks to transform us into new people who are filled with God's love in order that we might share it with others.
The resurrection of Christ not only gives us hope for new life after death, but it also gives us the possibility of new life in the present. John's gospel says that the resurrection makes it possible for us to have new life. Our reading from 1 Peter says essentially the same thing when it states that through the resurrection God has given us a new birth.
But the new birth does not automatically take root in us when we join the church. In fact it will never flourish in us if we do not expect it and anticipate it and embrace it. We can ignore the new life Christ calls us to live. We can reject his ways and adopt the norms of our culture or some other way of living. But if we do, we will miss out on the abundant life God wants us to experience.
Not long ago, I read something which today sounds absurd. Back in 1863, the U.S. Commissioner of Patents submitted his resignation to the President. The reason for his resignation was that he had become convinced that everything exciting had already been invented and patented and there was nothing left for him to do but preserve the past.
As ridiculous as that sounds, it is similar to the approach that some people take with their religious faith. They limit God's activity in the world to the pages of the Bible, or some time in the distant past, and they fail to understand that God seeks to make new things happen in our lives today and tomorrow.
The meaning of the resurrection of Christ is that all the strength and compassion which on Good Friday was scourged and stretched out on a cross - all that love is alive and with us now. It is alive not as a memory, but as an undying presence in the life of each one of us, if only we will recognize it and embrace it. Christ's resurrection promises to put love in our hearts, noble thoughts in our heads and a little more iron in our spines.(2) Christ is risen to give birth in us rich and joyful lives.
NOTES
1. From a sermon by Michael J. Fish entitled "New Vision In Christ" preached on The Protestant Hour on March 14, 1999.
2. William Sloane Coffin, "Easter and Forgiveness" in The Living Pulpit, January-March, 1998, p.8.
© 1999 Gregory Knox Jones, all rights reserved
Go to Top of the Page
Return to the Previous Sermons Page