Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 16 April 2023, by Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were John 20:19-31. 

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

This was the joyful proclamation for Jesus’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday Service.

 

Easter celebration was a time of joy and excitement for us.

 

The scripture reading we heard this morning has given us a very different mood.

 

Jesus’ disciples were fearful and locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews probably referred to the Jewish religious leaders who had taken the plot to kill Jesus. As Jesus’ disciples they had all the good reason to be afraid. They could be targeted because of their relationship with Jesus.

 

In reading between the lines, we can imagine Jesus’ disciples were living in fear, worry, anxiety, confusion and a very uncertain future. 

 

In this time of difficulty and critical moment, Jesus appeared and greeted them with peace in a room that was locked! He said to them “Peace be with you!” Not only once but twice!

 

The essence of Jesus’ resurrection is this: peace exists in the midst of fear and despair. 

 

The risen Christ encourages us not to escape from difficulties in life or to complain to God why bad things happened to me, to our beloved and to our world. What we have to focus on and seek is peace and hope from God. Jesus Christ who revealed God’s glory was fully present in those he loved and cared about. No locked room, no locked heart can prevent Jesus to go into.

 

What we need to do is to open our eyes to see and our heart to receive Jesus, the risen Lord who has overcome the power of suffering and death. 

 

When I prepared the sermon, I came across a commentary that was interesting and new to me. The author suggested that maybe, just maybe, the disciples were also afraid of Jesus. After all, they had failed him very badly.  Peter had denied him three times, and the rest had deserted him (except for “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” who had been at the cross and had taken Jesus’ mother into his home). Perhaps the last person the disciples wanted to meet on that evening was Jesus, risen from the dead to confront them with their failures.

 

This gives me an insight to understand the disciples at that time. The disciples were not only afraid of the Jews. Their sadness may also come from a strong feeling of shame and guilt.

 

With this perspective and understanding, Jesus came to greet them with peace and to give them the authority to forgive have a deeper meaning.

 

Jesus gave to his disciples this lived experience of being forgiven by God through him.

The disciples had failed themselves. Yes! They had failed Jesus. Yes! But Jesus said, it is OK! I have forgiven you! I came to you and received you as my beloved! I now even charged you to do the same like me – to forgive the sins of other people. But what you have to do first is to forgive yourself. 

 

There are times people cannot forgive themselves. They continue to carry the shame and guilt. They suffered a lot in their lives.

 

From the scripture, not much has been said about the disciples if they were shameful and guilty of what they did to Jesus,  or what they should do but they did not. Nothing was mentioned if disciples complained or pointed fingers against each other for what had happened. 

 

But the message and commission from Jesus to his disciples to engage in the ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation is profound. It is only when a person or a community experienced forgiveness and reconciliation from God that they are then empowered to do it. Otherwise it is only a concept without depth. It is only words without essence.

 

I believe that Jesus’ presence with his words of peace and forgiveness had given his disciples great comfort and relief. The disciples were experiencing deep healing in the process. 

The essence of Easter entails healing through forgiveness of our own selves and others.  Remember that Jesus has empowered us to do so “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (20:23)

Some people may say, it is difficult to do. How can I do it?

 

Friends, do remember the power of forgiveness is from God - When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (v.22) 

 

Anyone who has received the Holy Spirit, is empowered to do the same like Jesus Christ. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (v21) 

 

The last point I wish to share is about Thomas. 

For some reason (we are not told why), Thomas was absent and missed out on the first Sunday evening encounter with the risen Jesus. 

Thomas has been given a bad label as “doubting” Thomas. In fact, he asked for nothing more than the others had already received: to see Jesus, wounds and all. He was just being serious to find out the truth with a personal and direct experience like other disciples. 

The wonder of this story is that Jesus shows up again one week later to provide exactly what Thomas needs. 

For Thomas, his response was also very dramatic.  He confessed and praised with a  statement of trust and relationship: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28).

The significance of this encounter between Jesus and Thomas I would suggest is this: God accepts and addresses questions and doubts from those who are serious about God, their faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.

I kind of embrace deep faith comes from doubts and deep reflections. 

For Jesus, his response to Thomas (20:29) is not a rebuke, but rather a message of blessing for all those who will come to believe without having had the benefit of a flesh-and-blood encounter with Jesus. 

I believed this episode was to address the need of the early church when there were followers not seeing Jesus in person.

Does it sound to say to us and all others who have not met Jesus in person as well?

Indeed, the author goes on to declare that this is the very purpose of this book, addressing all of us who have not seen but have heard this testimony: “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (20:30-31).

The essence of Jesus’ resurrection is in the midst of doubt and uncertainty, we still trust that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son through the testimony of the disciples.

 

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, in the season of Easter,  we are reminded of our calling by Jesus Christ, to be his witness to reveal the resurrected power of peace, forgiving grace and faith in God. 

 

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”

 

To close my sermon, I would like to invite you all to have a silent meditation .

In an act of new creation (cf. Genesis 2:7), Jesus breathes into his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit (20:22). This Advocate / “Spirit of truth” today teaches us, reminds us of all that Jesus has said to his disciples and guides them into all truth (14:26; 16:12-14).

I now invite you all to close your eyes but open your heart to receive the Holy Spirit. Focus on your breathing as the Holy Spirit is in your breathing that guides you and blesses you!  

Let us observe this time in silence and I will close the silence with the sound of the bell and a prayer.

Closing prayer: 

Dear God, thank you for loving us and showing us your way of love and peace through the word of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Strengthen us to live a resurrected life with peace, forgiving love and deep faith in You. Amen!