Resurrection Sunday: When Jesus Shows Up, This Changes Everything, John 20:19-31 (a repost)

Here is a sermon I preached almost three years ago about the resurrection of Jesus. I thought it might be a good note for Easter. I hope it blesses you! 

John 20:19-31—When Jesus Shows Up, This Changes Everything

Introduction—Empty Tomb, Mary, A Transformational Encounter with the Living Lord/God; The empty tomb is evidence of the resurrection, but an encounter with the living Jesus is a transformational experience. The disciples believed Mary’s report about the tomb, but they lacked the encounter with the risen Lord. Think about it, how many Old Testament people of faith had a transformational encounter with God? Abraham met God, and we are told that he trusted God to the point to where his faith was counted as righteousness. His encounter with God caused him to believe the God was able to raise someone from the dead. How about Jacob? At Bethel, as he is scared for his own life as he prepares for a meeting with Esau--Jacob has a wrestling match and wins an injured hip. He realizes after the fact that he has encountered God, and he is transformed! Moses meets God in a burning bush, and the encounter with God's glory wrecks his life and gives him a new purpose. He is transformed from a shepherd living in exile to a shepherd of the flocks of Israel! In the New Testament we have the radical encounter of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. He encounters the resurrected Jesus and changes from a persecutor to a disciple and the apostle to the Gentiles.

Mary encountered Jesus and her testimony changed from “They’ve taken his body” or “The tomb is empty” to “I’ve seen the Lord!” This encounter changed everything for Mary. No longer concerned to find a corpse to prepare for burial, she has met the living Lord and can’t wait to tell others. She runs to the disciples, but would they believe her testimony? That is the topic of our text today. What happens to the disciples after Mary sees Jesus? What happens when Jesus shows up? This changes everything! (Read John 20:19-31)

Jesus Comes, He Speaks, He Shows

1) When Jesus Shows Up Behind Closed Doors—Scars and Fear (19-23)—The disciples didn’t believe Mary’s testimony about Jesus' resurrection apparently. On the same day that Mary has her encounter, they gather together and hide for “fear of the Jews.” They are scared, and they are hiding. Think of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3: they were scared and they were hiding, and God came to find them. We have a similar situation here, but it is not created by disobedience and sin. 

Remember, these men had expected Jesus to overthrow Rome, to take on the job of Ruler/Messiah. They watched him ride in triumphantly to the praise of the crowd. Expectations were running high, and then everything was dashed to the ground by a single betrayal and a horrible crucifixion. Jesus took on the sin of the world and by dying as a perfect sacrifice provided a means to atonement between fallen humanity and a righteous God. 

The disciples didn’t seem to see that. They saw the gore, they saw the horror, and they were afraid that they might be next on the “hit list” of the Jews and Romans (Remember Don Francisco’s song “He’s alive”). Even though Mary told them the good news of the resurrection, they weren’t having any of it. They hid because they were scared. 

Fear may not be the opposite of faith, but fear can keep us from being faithful. The disciples were afraid. How are we afraid? How does our fear cause us to hide? Maybe we’ve been hurt, and that hurt has driven us to hide from fear of being hurt again. As Adam and Eve (and later, the disciples) learned, hiding in fear doesn’t stop the pain. Maybe we hide in things that cover or mask our pain? Maybe we find ways to ignore or “hide” our scars? Like the disciples, we hide because we are afraid. When we are afraid, we close the doors to keep danger (and others) out. God isn’t hindered by a closed door or by fear. In just these situations, Jesus shows up. 

See how he responds to the disciples. He comes—the door is no obstacle. Whatever you fear, whatever has hurt you cannot keep Jesus from showing up. In fact, those situations are often the special times where he regularly shows up. Think of Abraham, Moses, David, or others in the Bible.

He speaks—Peace be with you. Jesus speaks “Shalom” (wholeness, peace, well-being) to his frightened disciples.

He Shows himself (scars and all)—after he speaks he showed them his hands and his side. Why? To prove it was Jesus, the very same Jesus that they saw horribly murdered just a few days ago. Also, Jesus showed them his scars to remind them that sometimes scars are God’s way of dealing with fear or even bringing peace. Jesus’ scars are the price for our salvation, his suffering brings us peace with God and peace with others. The scars remain EVEN after resurrection as reminders that there is no crown without a cross. There is no salvation without suffering. 

Scars tell our story: Think of your own personal scars. They may be victorious (I won the game!) or sorrowful (I was mistreated or I did something foolish), but scars are part of our identity. Jesus’ scars are part of his identity. They are the reminder of what he did to save us. Yes, scars sometimes come from fear (or maybe fear causes scars), but even those scars (gracefully redeemed by a merciful God) can identify us in our redemption. 

Scars and Fear—when Jesus shows up, these are changed. (Even ugly scars can become beautiful reminders of redemption when God shows up—the scars remain, but they tell a different story because of God’s work—forgiveness story). The presence of Jesus changes everything.

Jesus gives the disciples the Holy Spirit and tells them that he will send them as the Father sent him. They are agents of forgiveness who may well suffer for the ministry to which God has set them apart. Suffering may result in the healing of others (kind of like Jesus’ suffering saves us from our sins), but we are sent nonetheless. As the Father sent Jesus, we must go so that others can meet Jesus and receive his forgiveness. 

People may be afraid of what Jesus has to offer through us, but his presence will be their redemption too. Scars and Fear—when Jesus shows up, these are changed. The presence of Jesus changes everything. But in our story Jesus didn’t just show up to the fearful behind closed doors, he also makes himself known to the bothered and bewildered—to Thomas. When Jesus shows up, even the bothered person can find peace. This changes everything

2) When Jesus Shows Up to the Bewildered and Bothered—Scars and Doubt (24-28)—Thomas is known primarily for one thing—he is the Doubting one. Nonetheless, this isn’t "beat up on Thomas" day, so I want you to see Thomas’ story through different lenses. Just like the fear of the other disciples caused them to hide (and even created some scars—think of Peter’s denial and his later restoration in John 21), the doubt of Thomas creates a scar for him. 

This is the Mary story all over again. The disciples saw Jesus, and their story went from “The tomb is empty” to “We’ve seen the Lord!” Their radical encounter with the living Jesus had changed everything for them, but Thomas wasn’t having any of it. He wanted to see for himself. A good empiricist, Thomas wanted hard evidence—the warm body of Jesus and not just the hot words of testimony from the disciples. 

A week after that first dinner appearance, Thomas is with the disciples when Jesus shows up again. Jesus comes, he speaks, and he shows. Thomas is changed by the encounter: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas got it. This appearance of the living Messiah, this resurrected, warm, breathing, and scarred Jesus wrecked the doubt of Thomas. Doubt (like fear) isn’t necessarily the opposite of faith (faithlessness is the opposite of faith—to disobey is the opposite of faith). Thomas wanted to see for himself, he wouldn’t accept the testimony of many others. He’d been scarred before. Maybe the words of others didn’t pan out for him? Maybe the testimony of others caused him harm or didn’t work out positively? 

Maybe you can identify? Yeah, you hear the testimonies of others and you wonder “I’m not sure I buy it. Things don’t work out for me that way.” But note what Thomas’ doubt did for him—he asked he hard questions—“Jesus show us the Father” and “Where are you going, Lord?” (John 14) and now he is asking for hard evidence. Maybe our doubt keeps us locked in fear, and we simply don’t speak up. We don’t want to be the “odd duck” in the crowd. Remember, Jesus shows up when we are locked up in our doubt. Jesus shows up and shows his scars. 

Thomas sees his scarred Lord and makes a bold confession. Jesus wants to show up in our doubts, he wants to apply the balm of his scarred body to our scars of doubt and fear, but we must respond to him. Will we? Will we speak up? Will we confess him as “Lord and God” even when things don’t seem to be going well? Do we have to see to believe? Jesus shows up, and his presence changes everything. But there is really good news—you don’t need a physical revelation of Jesus. He comes, he speaks, and he reveals himself in many ways even today.

3) When Jesus Shows Up Beyond Sight to Faith—Scars and Faith (29-31)—Most of us have never had a “burning bush” or a “Damascus Road” vision with God (but if you have had one, I’d love to hear the story), but we can experience God’s presence by the testimony of others and by the words of his revelation (his Scripture and his Spirit). In fact, Jesus says here that we are more blessed than even those who first heard, first saw, and first testified of the living resurrected Lord. When we believe in him without the empirical or mystical experience, we are living breathing tabernacles of the living God, we are his examples.

Jesus comes to us—in our problems, our scars, our fears, our doubts

Jesus speaks to us—by his Book and by his Spirit

Jesus shows himself to us—in his community of faithful people and in creation around us.

We have scars, but in the midst of these struggles Jesus calls us to faith—faith is faithfulness, it is responding to God’s revelation with obedience and trust that Jesus will do what he promised. It is the child trusting his Father to act like a good father. Faith is hearing the testimony about and of God, and responding with obedience. When we do that, we’ll find that we are adding to the written (and spoken) testimony of centuries of believers. We become some of the “other signs” performed by Jesus.

Conclusion—What now?

How do we respond to this? Will we continue to hide in fear or abide in doubt, or will we choose to believe in this transformational God and embrace him as a person who wears scars to save us even in our fear and doubt? 

Here are some practical applications for this sermon.

1) Admit your fear, but don't let it keep you from seeing Jesus. Remember, he is among us as the Suffering Servant, the one who bore our sins in his scars. This week, ask God to show you where you are letting your fear hinder you from obeying God. This week confess your fear, admit your doubts, then step out and obey God anyway. Do a search in Scripture for the words "Peace" and "Do not be afraid." Note how many times God shows up to his people when they are fearful or in need of his peace. Note also how many of those people then acted in obedience to God in spite of their fear.

2) Embrace your scars. I'm not saying that we need to celebrate or rehearse the wounds that have harmed us or hindered our spiritual growth. What I mean is we need to remember that the scars are part of life, and they tell part of our story. Let God redeem those scars and change them from ugly wounds to marks of redemption. How do we do that? We have to come to the wounded Savior, to recognize that his wounds heal us and make our wounds beautiful. Your scars and the story that goes with them may well speak grace and peace to someone else. Let God use your scars . Imitate Jesus here. His scars identified his suffering, but they also showed his victory. Jesus' scars heal us, and he can use our scars to help others. 

3) Renew your relationship with Jesus. Remember that a personal transformational relationship is possible, but relationships run two ways. We must invest time with Jesus if we hope to grow in relation to him. Any relationship to which we do not devote time and communication is pretty much destined to fail. God has spoken to us in Scripture and in the life of Jesus. This week spend time in God's Word, spend time in prayer with him, and grow in your knowledge of and relationship to him. Make time for Jesus. 

Remember, when Jesus shows up, this changes everything! 

Thanks for reading! 

Sermon: A Remedy for Discouragement, Hebrews 3:1-6

I have the privilege of preaching occasionally at Forest Community Church in Forest, VA. About two years ago I began a series on Hebrews entitled "Keep Your Eyes on Jesus." I decided to post the links to the videos for any who would like to watch them. This sermon covers Hebrews 3:1-6 and is called "A Strategy for Discouragement." The sermon was originally preached on June 26, 2022. I'll post the notes/outline below (NOTE: the vide may not follow the notes exactly!), but here is the video link: Hebrews 3:1-6. The sermon starts around the 2:00 minute mark. 

A Remedy for Discouragement, Hebrews 3:1-6 (Thanks to Alec Rowlands’ on-line Sermon "God's House" for some of the material here)

Introduction: Funny story of discouraged man (Alec Rowlands): 

"I read a story the other day of an accident report, turned in to an insurance office, by an injured, discouraged bricklayer, that would be funny if it was not so close to reality for many of us here this morning. This is the material discouragement is made of:

Dear Sirs:

      I am writing this letter in response to your request for additional information on my insurance claim form. In block #3 of the accident report form, entitled "Cause of the accident", I put, "trying to do the job alone." You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.

      I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of the new six story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of bricks left over. Rather than carry the bricks by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which fortunately attached to the side of the building, at the sixth floor.

      Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out, and loaded the brick into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick. You will note in block #11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 pounds.

      Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.

      In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collar bone.

      Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.

      Fortunately I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of the pain.

      At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighs approximately fifty pounds.

      I refer you again to my weight in block #11. I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.

      In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles and the lacerations of my legs and lower body.

      The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.

      I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks in pain, unable to stand, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my presence of mind....and...I....let go of the rope. The empty barrel weighed more than the rope so it came down on me and broke both legs. I hope this is the information you require! 

A comparison is made to the discouraged Jews who received the sermon/letter to the Hebrews. Some of the recipients of this letter appear to be interested in walking away from Jesus to go to a belief system that may provide them security (but could not provide them the salvation afforded by Jesus). 

How do we grow in our faith to the point where we can have a heart of gratitude in discouraging times? Hebrews 3:1-6 offers a remedy to discouragement. To combat discouragement, we need a strategy, and the author of Hebrews provides us one in 3:1-6. The strategy involves three things: 1) the plan: consider Jesus, 2) the builder: considered worthy and made ready, and 3) the house: hold fast to what God is building. Every architect starts with a plan in mind, so let’s consider the plan first. Then we’ll look at our architect and the house he builds.

Point 1—The Plan: Consider Jesus—vv. 1-2: One sentence—The author calls us brothers and sisters who share (“share” here is similar to the word used to describe Jesus “partaking” of humanity) a heavenly calling, a calling to an inheritance stored up for us in heaven and eternal life in the presence of God. It is an upward call. In Philippians 3:14, Paul says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Of course, pulling us down every day are the weights and bondages and discouragements of this world. Verse 1—"holy brothers"—those who have been sanctified by Jesus’ blood (1:3; 2:11). They also “share in the heavenly calling”—living in a heavenly orientation. That orientation is a focus on heavenly things.

Consider Jesus (Alec Rowlands): “First, there is ‘The Plan’. The book of Hebrews is written to a group of believers who are discouraged and considering quitting it all. . . . who wouldn't be discouraged? . . . . They are hurting. So the Holy Spirit, writing in 3:1, gives us God's plan for us.”

Apply your mind to Jesus—Consider him—study him—savor him. To consider something requires time and effort. It doesn’t happen automatically, especially when we’re busy. And so our antidote to drifting and our strength for endurance is to see and savor Messiah Jesus from His Word. Since we are prone to drift, we must take time to consider Jesus often!

What does our author say about Jesus? He is the Apostle and high priest of our confession. Confession is a public statement and a public living. Public confession is the response of faith to the action of God in Jesus Christ. The core of that confession is Jesus as the Son of God. What do we confess? Jesus is God’s Apostle and God’s Appointed High priest (sums up material in chapters 1 and 2). Jesus is sent by God to proclaim the definitive word of salvation and to make atonement for our sins. Jesus is only called “Apostle” and “High Priest” in Hebrews. In later chapters, the author of Hebrews will unpack the idea of Jesus as High Priest. Suffice it to say that here we are to confess and to consider Jesus as the one sent by God to settle once for all (definitively) the plan God has for humanity. Jesus is our high priest who has gone through everything that is causing us pain--only He does more than sympathize, this priest has the power to deliver us and to set us free, to give us His joy in the middle of difficulty (and to make us into the people God called us to be). It is a heavenly focus and a call to faithfulness. 2 Kings 6: the enraged king of Aram sent horses and chariots to capture Elisha because God was using him to thwart the king’s plans to destroy Israel. The servant saw the enemy until Elisha asked God to open his eyes to see God’s army.

A heavenly focus! Where is our focus? Consider Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was and is faithful, and his faithfulness invites us to faithful life. It also a comparison to Moses since Moses was also faithful. Jesus was faithful to his appointed tasks just as Moses. Both men were faithful. In the next section, however, our author will show a difference between the faithfulness of Jesus and the faithfulness of Moses. Here, our author reminds us that to combat discouragement we need to consider Jesus!

If our strategy for discouragement involves a focus on Jesus, then we need to consider why Jesus is worthy of that consideration/focus. Verses 3-4 explain why Jesus is worthy of our consideration—he is our builder, the one who builds God’s house into a holy people. He is superior to prophets, angels, and even Moses. Let’s see.

Point 2—The Builder: Considered Worthy (and Made Ready)—vv. 3-4: These verses lay out what we find as we fix our thoughts on Jesus. He is the faithful builder of our lives. Jesus has given us the plans, and He is the builder. The author of Hebrews compares Jesus' faithfulness in our lives to the faithfulness of Moses as a leader of God's people. The main point here is that although Moses was a great leader, he was only a servant in God’s house. Jesus is the builder.

The argument turns on the difference between a servant (therapon—attendant, waiter, comrade in arms) and a son (huios—son, maybe “heir”?) mentioned in verses 5-6.

There is a difference between service in the house of God and the opportunity to preside over the house of God. The key to the argument here is Jesus’ faithfulness. The basis of Jesus’ superiority is his relationship as Son—as Son he is sort of “appointed” by his Father to preside over the house. Moses is reliable because he is faithful—he “witnessed” to the things God “spoke” (a reference to Heb. 1:1?). Moses testified of “future” things. Moses testified about Jesus. In the ministry of Jesus we may recognize the fulfillment of the ancient promises concerning a faithful agent of God.

Considered worthy—Jesus is considered worthy of more honor than Moses just like a builder is worthy of more honor than the home built. Have or possess—the builder has or possesses more honor that what he builds. Make ready/build—every house is made ready/built by someone, but God built everything (through Jesus? Cf. Heb 1).

God is the one who builds everything, and in chapter 1 we are told that God built everything through his Son Jesus. Jesus is the architect (like a “carpenter” tekton) who builds and rules over God’s house. Moses is a butler/servant in God’s house, but Jesus is the Son and the builder.

Jesus is a faithful builder. He will not forsake you. He will never forget you. He will not give up on you. He has proven himself to be faithful, and Jesus will be faithful even now.

Our strategy to combat discouragement requires a focus on Jesus who is worthy of our attention due to his faithfulness. But there is one final thing to consider: the house that our builder is building. If the builder is faithful, then the house he builds will be faithful as well. However, we must hold fast to our confidence and hope. So, what is the house God is building through Jesus?

Point 3—The House: Hold Fast to What God is Building—vv. 5-6: Christ as Son over God’s house (“Christ” is used for the first time here) marks the contrast between Moses and Jesus. The servant (Moses) serves in the house. The son presides over the house. The Greek word for “servant” is used only here in the New Testament. It comes from the Septuagint of Numbers 12:7, and has the nuance of one who serves voluntarily (G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament [Charles Scribner’s Sons], p. 108). The contrast is, although Moses was great, he was only a servant, whereas Jesus is the Son of God, the heir of all things

We are his household . . . Jesus is faithful to God. We demonstrate that we are his people if we also show ourselves to be faithful. Faithfulness begets faithfulness as “faith begets faith” (Romans 1:16-17). The implied question here is:  Will you be faithful?

Consider also what Jesus has made us. He is our builder. Jesus has made us his house. “House” is used seven times in this passage. It is a metaphor for God’s people, in whom He dwells (Eph. 2:19, 22; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). The Bible never calls a church building “God’s house.” God’s people are His house.

Rounding out his exhortation in verse 6, the author of Hebrew offers a conditional sentence. If we hold fast our confidence and the hope of which we boast. The word katecho (“hold on”) conveys the meaning of hold to, keep, detain/restrain, contain/check, occupy, or possess. The idea is to keep a tight grip on our Christian faith (cf. “fixing our attention on Jesus in 6:1). Nowhere in the New Testament more than Hebrews do we find such repeated insistence on the fact that continuance in the Christian life is the test of reality.

There are two commandments in our passage. The first one is "Consider Jesus." The second one is "Cling to the hope and the confidence in which you boast." Clinging means I have to make it my responsibility to cling to Jesus. It must be my first course of action. 

“Courage” or “confidence” speaks of public boldness (the opposite of shrinking back or hiding). “Hope” refers to the relationship we have with God through Christ—it has both a present and future aspect. “Boast” has to do with the idea of what one “glories in” rather than selfish boasting.

In John 8:31, Jesus put it this way, "If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples." Those who are faithful to Jesus, they are God's house. He took up residence in them when they were born again. Peter says that you are "living stones, being built into a spiritual house." The writer of Hebrews says, "We are his house!" Then he adds these words--we are God's house . . .  if we hold onto our courage . . .  if we hold onto the hope of which we boast. Those who are faithful to hold on are the house of God. Today, in the middle of discouragement, now is not the time for giving up, rather it's time for holding on.

The strategy to fight discouragement includes the Plan, the Builder, and the House. How should we respond?

Conclusion—First, read Scripture. Read the following chapters: 2 Kings 6, Psalm 30, Isaiah 66, Galatians 6, and Luke 10. Ask yourself three questions: 1) What is God doing here? 2) How does Jesus fit in these passages? 3) What can we learn that will help us to consider and to cling to Jesus? 

Second, take some time to savor Jesus. Set aside about 10 minutes a day to think about the beauty and amazing grace of Jesus. Write down some of the things you know about him. Thank him for his character, for his grace, for his kindness, for his holiness, for his sacrifice, for his faithfulness. Spend time to consider Jesus. 

Consider Jesus, cling to Jesus.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand . . .

Consider Jesus, cling to Jesus.