St. Paul Lutheran Church
Sermon by Pastor Balogh

MAR 30, 2008 - listen to this sermon in mp3!

 John 20:21-23 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 his sins, they are
forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

 The post resurrection appearances of our Savior are so interesting to
read and study.  Many consider them very important for our understanding
and grasp of the Christian faith.  That makes sense.  Since the
resurrection itself is the heart of what we believe and hope for it would
seem to make sense that the appearances of Jesus following his
resurrection would be ripe with information for that faith.  Yet such is
not really the case.  While the appearances of Jesus are important for us
in order to grasp that his resurrection was a real and physical thing,
the appearances of Jesus really teach nothing new when it comes down to
the work of redemption.  The resurrection appearances of Jesus are not
given to teach more but rather to reinforce what Jesus has already
taught.  Here is the awesome importance of these sections of God's Word.
We learn that because of the resurrection everything Jesus taught is true
and to be believed.
 Take the section that is before us today.  Ask yourself: "Is there
anything new here?"  The answer would be, "No!"  Everything taught here
is exactly what Jesus has been teaching all along.  Yet what is taught
here does have some rather important information for us as believers, not
new stuff but reinforced lessons of the faith.  Let's then look at these
words under the theme: THE LORD'S PEACE.  1st. Given to his Disciples.
2nd. Given to Thomas!  3rd. Given to share with us!
 What an awesome thing it must have been to have been in that room with
the disciples of Jesus.  They were a group afraid and filled with fear as
is evidenced by the locked doors they were behind.  I can just imagine
the conversation going on: "What do we do now?  The women have said that
Jesus is alive.  The two disciples that were on their way to Emmaus have
come and told us that they have seen Jesus too!  But what do we do?  Is
Jesus really alive?  Is his word really true?  What do we do?"
 It is then that Jesus simply appears in the middle of them.  Such is the
power of Jesus.  He always had that power but remember he was in a state
of humiliation which means he set aside the full use of his power so that
he could live and die in a lowly way.  Not so anymore!  Now Jesus is
fully clothed with his heavenly power.  Now Jesus has no limitations on
what he sees, knows and can do.  Now Jesus appears so that his disciples
can have it sink in that what He taught them was and is true.  He is the
Lord of lords.  He is the King of kings.  He is God's Son, the exact
representation of the Father.  Jesus the resurrected holds all power in
his hands.
 Yet I want you to note how this all powerful, majestic Jesus comes to
these men.  He does not come with commands to bow down and worship.  He
does not come with displays of power or armies of destruction.  Jesus
comes quietly.  He simply appears among them and says, "Peace be with
you."  This is the almighty, victorious, winner has taken all Jesus and
yet he comes not to lord it over us but rather to bring us His most
important message, "Peace!"
 How important that message must have been!  It is just what the
disciples needed to hear.  They were afraid and filled with fear.  They
were concerned with their lives and what was yet to be.  They had all
kinds of earthly concerns for themselves and here before them is Jesus
sharing with them the most important message there could be.
 Peace!  We are talking the peace that only God himself could give.  In
John 14 Jesus already began to define that peace.  At his last Passover
meal He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not
give you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do
not be afraid."  In John 16, in the same discourse Jesus furthers defines
peace when he says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may
have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I
have overcome the world."
 Clearly this peace was understood by the disciples.  One only has to
look up the word "peace" in a concordance and read all the passages found
in the Epistles to see what I mean.  The disciples write and speak of
this peace as that which comes from and is given by Jesus.  It is the
peace that transcends, unites, purifies and rules in the hearts of God's
children.  It is the peace that exists because sins are paid for and God
and man are reconciled.  It is that peace which promises eternal life and
salvation, which causes us to set our goals not on this life but rather
on the gift of God found in Jesus.  This peace is God's peace.  This
peace is because of the victory won by Jesus.  This peace quiets our
hearts, soothes our fears, drives away despair and grasps the wonderful
truth that we are God's children by grace through faith.  The great chasm
of sin that separated God and man has been spanned.  Jesus has won, Satan
is defeated, death is conquered and peace is given, eternal peace in
Jesus.
 Yes, it is this peace that Jesus reminds his disciples of.  And note
that they don't need signs of power or majesty.  They are content to see
the nail marks and the spear wound and to know that Jesus lives.  They
are content for now to sit with Jesus in a house with locked doors and
simply let this peace overwhelm them.  Peace is theirs in Jesus, nothing
else matters.
 You realize the very same thing is taught the next week when Jesus
appears again?  All too often we focus on Thomas and his doubts,
forgetting to focus on Jesus and what he says.  By the way, it was pretty
normal for Thomas to have these doubts.  The whole group of disciples
must have appeared almost crazed to Thomas.  They, to a man, hit him with
"We have seen the Lord!"  And I can almost guess that they were very
adamant that Thomas agree with their excitement.  I can appreciate where
Thomas is coming from.
 Jesus gives him the opportunity to see.  Jesus appears to them again and
what is the first thing he says!  "Peace be with you!"  Then Jesus turns
to Thomas and addresses him.  I can't help but think there was greater
purpose in Jesus confronting Thomas with his hands and side.  It wasn't
just that Thomas had said that's what he wanted to see but that Thomas
should grasp that Jesus knew he had said that!  Jesus knew!  He hadn't
been there but he knew!  It is a subtle reminder to everyone that Jesus
does know everything.  You may not see him, but He knows.  Jesus comes to
deal with our doubts, our fears, our worries, our cares and our needs.
He knows what they are and he knows what is best for us.  He knew that
with Thomas.  Thomas needed to see him like the others.  Thomas needed to
have that confidence and certainty of the resurrection that the living
Jesus brought.  Thomas needed that peace of Jesus to calm his doubts and
firm up his faith.  No wonder Thomas gives that great confession: "My
Lord and my God!"
 But please note that this peace of Jesus was not just for the disciples.
 In both appearances did you note how Jesus emphasized that his message
of peace was for all people?  Both are unique but both have the same
message.
 The first time Jesus appeared he gave the disciples the keys.  He said,
"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 his
sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not
forgiven."  The keys are the special power and right that Jesus gives to
his believers to either forgive sin or to retain sin.  All of this is to
be done according to God's Word.  When someone is a believer in Jesus and
that faith is displayed through repentance then we are to remind them
that in Jesus forgiveness of sins is given.  When someone is not a
believer and that unbelief is displayed in impenitence, the refusal to
admit, be sorry for and stop a sin, then we are to remind them that
without Jesus sins are retained.
 Notice how I speak!  While the NIV translation "do not forgive" can be
understood properly it's not as accurate as could be.  It is not ours to
refuse forgiveness!  It is the Lord's Word in play here.  The unbeliever
is simply lost in their sin.  They carry their sin with them because the
Lord's says so, not because of us.  That's why I speak of "retain".
Without Jesus every person will be judged solely by the Law of God and
the law says if you aren't absolutely perfect you will die in sin.  With
Jesus and faith in his redemption our sins are taken away.  The power of
the keys is always in Jesus and never in us.  The power of the keys is
always in the Word of God and not in us.
 Yet more important is why the keys are given.  "As the Father has sent
me, I am sending you."  The disciples were going to go and preach the
message of peace.  The disciples were going to go and proclaim Jesus
Christ as God and Lord!  They would do this so that the world could know
the peace that Jesus won.
 The second time Jesus appears that same truth is emphasized, but in a
different way.  Jesus says to Thomas and all the others, "Because you
have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed."  If you pay attention to what that sentence implies
you will see that it implies that the disciples are going to go out and
tell people that Jesus lives.  This will go on for generations to come.
Disciples will tell others that Jesus lives and is God and Lord.
Disciples will tell others about forgiveness and peace in Jesus and those
who are told will believe even though they will not see Jesus.  They in
turn will go and tell others.  Sent by Jesus.  Sent to share the peace.
 That what I am telling you is true is summed up for us in the closing
words of this chapter.  Verse 31 said, "But these are written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name."  That, pretty well sums up the
Christian heart.  It is not the job of the Christian to reform society,
to make government tow the Godly line, to bring fairness to a world
filled with unfairness.  The job of the Christian is to believe in Jesus.
 To believe the Word of God that shares with us the truth that Jesus is
God's Son who has come to give us eternal life.  That eternal life is by
grace through faith.  God in his grace sent his Son.  Jesus in grace
defeated sin, death and the devil.  The Father and Son send the Holy
Spirit to grant faith and with that faith in Jesus forgiveness and
eternal life.  Peace.  Eternal peace with God through Jesus.  That's our
message.  That's Jesus' message.  That's the message the world needs to
hear.  Peace be with you.  Amen.