Tag Archives: New Creation

Unlocked – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19–31

19 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.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.” 

26 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.” 27 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 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.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Normally, I try to have one main theme or point in my sermons. Today, I’m throwing that out the window, and you’re going to get three mini-sermons. Yes, each of them is mini.

Sermon #1 – Jesus unlocks the New Creation. When God the Father created the world, He formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature (Gen. 2:7). Now in our Gospel text here, the resurrected Son of God stands among His disciples the very evening He rose, and He breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld” (Jn. 20:22-23).

The way the Holy Spirit inspired this to be written, we are supposed to see those two things – Jesus’ breathing on the disciples and also what He says about the Holy Spirit and forgiveness – as one action. In other words, Jesus’ statement is how Jesus breathes on the disciples. With the breathing of those words, Jesus is unlocking the new creation to you, believer. You who are in Christ through faith, you are a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

Sermon #2 – Locked doors don’t matter to Jesus. This text drops us into the room with the disciples Easter evening, so 1,991 years and seven days ago. It had been a chaotic day. Angels were appearing and talking to people. The resurrected Jesus has been popping up all over the place. Even with all of that going on throughout the day, the disciples and the women are gathered together in a house with the doors locked because they were afraid.

Luke in his Gospel also tells us about that evening (Lk. 24:36-49), and the way Luke records it, it seems like there is a disagreement between them all. It seems like some of them believe Jesus is raised, but some of them think something else is going on because Luke says that even when they see Jesus they think He is a ghost (Lk. 24:26-27). 

The way John words things here in v. 19, it makes it seem like Jesus invisibly goes through the locked door, but once He’s through He is suddenly visible. But listen to how Luke records it (Lk. 24:36): “As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’” The way that is worded makes it seem like Jesus was right there the whole time, and He suddenly appears – He makes Himself visible – while they are all confused and trying to make sense of everything that had been going on that day.

Then, Jesus asks for some food, and He eats a piece of broiled fish because, of course, ghosts wouldn’t be able to eat food. Then Jesus shows them His hands, feet, and side (just like He does here). The disciples touch Jesus. Not only do they see Him, they also feel Him hug Him. Who knows? Maybe they even gave Him high fives and fist bumps.

Now, here’s the point of mini sermon #2: Just because you can’t see Jesus with your eyes, that does not mean that He isn’t here. Jesus promised, at least a few months before His crucifixion, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt. 18:20). Dear saints, Jesus is really, truly, actually here with us this morning. If He wanted to, He could appear and ask for something to eat. Anyone carrying a can of sardines? But even better, He is here and will give you His Body to eat and His Blood to drink. Jesus is here. So, believe.

Sermon #3 – Jesus has some unlocking for you to do. When Jesus gives the Holy Spirit, He gives Christians the authority to forgive and to bind sin (Jn. 20:22-23). Remember when the lame man was lowered through the roof to be before Jesus (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26); what did Jesus say to him? “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled because they rightly said that only God can forgive sins. Then, Jesus proves He is God and has authority to forgive sins by healing the man. Well, the one who has the authority to forgive sins extends that authority to His Church the same day He rose from the dead.

I’ve used this analogy about absolution before, but it’s helpful and worth hearing it again. Imagine you are found guilty of a crime and locked in prison. As you sit in your cell, a judge looks over your case and rules that you are innocent. He sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. The guard comes to your cell with the keys, unlocks the door, walks you out of the prison, and releases you back into society. Now who set you free – the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both. The judge uses his authority to free you, and the guard uses his hands and feet to free you. Both things work together – the judge’s authority and the guard’s releasing because of that authority. 

When we gather together as God’s people here in God’s house, it is right for us to confess our sins together. And it is right for the man you have called to be your pastor – which is me – to proclaim God’s absolution and forgiveness for those sins. In the church, the pastors are the guys with the keys (Mt. 16:18-19). And please know that I wouldn’t have the guts to declare that forgiveness if Scripture didn’t clearly say that is what I, as the pastor, am to do. That is why the absolution is “by Christ’s command and authority.”

And this authority isn’t only given to pastors to announce over congregations. Jesus gives all believers this authority. You can announce this forgiveness. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, point them to Jesus. Tell them that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done. And I do that because that’s what Jesus Himself would do.”

Dear saints, Jesus is way better at forgiving than you are at sinning. The absolution is a great gift that Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce (Jn. 20:21). That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that declares those sins are gone. As far as the east is from the west, so far has Jesus removed our transgressions from us (Ps. 103:12).

Dear Ava, that brings me to you. Ava, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19) and clothed you with Himself (Gal. 3:27). In your Baptism, Jesus joined you to His death so that you have a Jesus-kind of death – in other words, a death that doesn’t last long and ends in resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). Ava, you have been born of God; stay in the faith which overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4).

Our service today opened with 1 Pet. 2:2, “Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word.” May all of us continually be fed and nourished by that Word that unlocks our sin and opens the way to eternal life. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Change of Plans – Sermon on Mark 16:1-8 for the Resurrection of Our Lord

Mark 16:1–8

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

That day began like any other day in that garden. While the city slept, daylight began to peek over the horizon. Birds began to rustle in the bushes and branches. They didn’t have any songs yet, just little chirps here and there. A light breeze rustled through the trees, but otherwise everything was silent and still.

For the women, any other day like this would have seemed utterly and completely normal. But everything that had transpired on Friday made this morning bitterly different. They had woken up early, well before the sun had risen. They walked out of the city walls in complete silence, each of them carrying a bundle of spices. They were returning to the place they had seen Him laid, and every step was agonizing but not because the path was difficult to walk. That wasn’t the problem. This trek was painful because His tomb was in the shadow of where they had stood for three hours watching Him die (Jn. 19:41). And those memories were still bitterly fresh and raw. But they had to go. They had a job to finish.

Their intention was to give Him a proper burial. It was something they had done for countless others back home in Galilee. But as they approached the garden, their plans were interrupted. They started to worry because they remembered the large, heavy stone that stood between them and their task. They had completely forgotten to calculate it into their plans. “Oh no! What are we going to do about that stone?” “We could go back and get some of the disciples to move it for us.” “No, that won’t work. The guards aren’t going to let them anywhere near His body.” “Ok then. What do you suggest we do?” “I guess we keep going. We’re almost there anyway. Maybe the guards will move it for us. If they won’t, we’ll just figure something else out.”

But then, as they came into the clearing, Mary saw something. The stone had been rolled back. It was laying there, face down. Somehow, the grave looked different. On Friday, the mouth of that tomb looked like the fierce jaws of a predator ready to snap shut. Now, it looked as weak and harmless as a limp, drooling mouth of someone who had unintentionally fallen asleep in a chair.

Those women had planned to anoint the body of a dead Man, but their plans were irrelevant. There was no dead man there. Those women were worried about the heavy stone, but their anxiety was a moot point. It had already been tossed aside by the angel who now sat on it in mocking it (Mt. 28:2).

All the plans of the women, all their worry and anxiety, all their calculations of how this day would go – all of that was thrown out the window because this was no normal day. It was the first day, and not just the first day of the week. It was the first day of something much, much, much greater. It was the first day of the new creation. It was the first day of the Resurrection of the dead. Jesus is the firstfruits, and the full harvest will come soon (1 Co. 15:20, 23).

It wasn’t just the women who had their plans changed and their worries wiped away that day. The guards had planned to watch over Jesus’ dead body to prevent the disciples from stealing it, but hose plans didn’t matter. One, they didn’t matter because Jesus wasn’t, still isn’t, and never for the rest of eternity done with His body. And two, they didn’t matter because the disciples were afraid and locked in the house (Jn. 20:19, 26). I imagine those guards were worried about getting this assignment. “They want us to guard a dead body? This must be some sort of demotion.”

The religious leaders had plans to destroy Jesus (Mt. 27:20), but all they could do was kill Him. And when the Son of God dies, He doesn’t stay dead. Those religious leaders planned to annihilate the Son of David, their King, and have no king but Caesar (Jn. 19:14-21). But now, Jesus is risen and ascended into heaven, seated at God’s right hand on the throne of creation with all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18, Col. 2:10). The devil planned to strike Jesus, but he only got Christ’s heal. And now, the devil’s head is crushed (Gen. 3:15).

Christ’s Resurrection requires – even demands – a change of plans. It doesn’t matter if the plans are to do good things like the women, and it doesn’t matter if the plans are for evil like the religious leaders, the rulers, the soldiers, and the devil. None of those plans end up mattering because Christ is risen.

Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever make any plans. Don’t let that be your conclusion. Instead, what it means is this: only what God plans matters. God’s plan is what is going to happen. God’s plan is what you can count on. So Christian, whatever plans you make, make them with your mind set on Christ your crucified, risen, ruling, reigning King. Every plan you make, make it by first setting your mind on Christ who is seated at the right hand of God because when Christ who is your life appears, you also will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:1-4).

This also means that, whatever worries and anxieties you have, now they matter a whole lot less. Christian, because of Christ’s Resurrection, you can now look at everything – all the sin, evil, sickness, injustice, opposition, wickedness, and death in this world – you look at all of that through a different lens, the lens of Christ’s Resurrection.

That lens makes everything clear. That puts everything into its proper perspective. That is how things actually are in reality. The Resurrection has forever changed creation. Your sins are died for and forgiven. And Jesus is out of the tomb proving that God accepted His sacrifice. Death and the grave are defeated. Satan is crushed. And because Christ is risen, so will you.

Today and every day, celebrate that this morning, and every other morning of your life, is no normal morning. Every morning is another morning in the Resurrection. Your Redeemer lives. At the end, He will stand triumphant upon the earth. You will see Him with your own eyes (Job 19:25-26). You can plan on it. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.