Jesus Comes Into Your Fear
John 20:19-31
April 7, 2024 anno Domini
The women had been to the tomb and found it empty. Peter and John had looked inside the tomb and saw the burial clothes lying there and folded up. Mary Magdalene had seen and hugged Jesus. Clopas and another disciple had walked with Jesus for 8 miles on the road to Emmaus and finally recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.
The angels proclaimed exactly what happened. He is not here. He is risen. Just as He said. Mary Magdalene told the disciples she had seen the Lord. The Emmaus disciples did the same and recounted how their hearts burned within them as He opened the Scriptures to them.
After all this, where are the disciples? They should have been walking around Jerusalem boldly and confidently. That’s right. He’s risen. Just as He said. Now what are you going to do Pharisees? Pilate, what you think of that? Look out Rome. His Kingdom’s going to outlast yours for about an eternity. That’s where they should have been, but where were they? They were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.
What does this tell you? Unbelief is stubborn and fear in this world is great, and our flesh is weak. Don’t be surprised if you doubt. Don’t think you’re weird if you’re so afraid you lock yourself up in your house. But more than anything this tells you that you need Jesus. You need the full bodied, risen, speaking, peace giving, forgiveness delivering Jesus. You need absolution for your sins.
Unbelief is persistent. False teaching is pervasive. And you are weak. You watch a special on Jesus on the History Channel. Some Doctor of Theology tells you that Jesus didn’t always know He was God, that slowly over the course of His lifetime He came to realize or at least think He was God. He backs it up with selected passages of Scripture and even some books that you’ve never heard of like the Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of Mary. The man is interesting, well-spoken, confident, and he is way smarter than your pastor in Podunk, Nebraska or Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
That’s why the disciples were behind locked doors. Even though Jesus had prophesied His resurrection often. Even though they had multiple firsthand witnesses. Even though they had seen the empty tomb and the burial cloths. Even though they had seen Jesus raise three people from the dead, their unbelief was strong and sensible. There is a reason that Christians are so easily led astray and that there are hundreds of different denominations instead of one great big church. False teaching makes sense. False teaching is easier to believe than the truth. False teaching appeals to the sinner in you. Which is easier to believe? A man dies and stays dead, or a man dies and rises again to life. What does experience teach you?
Then there’s the other problem you face. Like the disciples you’re afraid. They were afraid of the Jews. They were afraid of dying like Jesus, but above all I think they were afraid of failing and the shame it would bring. The disciples saw how Jesus was treated. He wasn’t just beaten and killed. He was mocked, derided, and ridiculed. He was made a foolish spectacle before the crowds. What is your greatest fear? You are most afraid of what other people think of you. Then what happens? You talk yourself even deeper into a hole. The disciples had 10 tons of Good News weighing in on them against a half ounce of doubt. The doubt won and fear locked them up. Maybe that’s why Thomas wasn’t there. He had talked himself into such despair he didn’t even want to be with his closest friends. Ever been there?
If you have, that’s the reason Jesus came. The disciples should have known better. So should you. And yet, Jesus comes. He doesn’t stay away. He doesn’t look for a bunch of guys more likely to believe. These men are His and He came for them. He comes into their locked up doubting and despairing lives and His first word is “Peace.” Earthly wisdom would not do. He brought them Word from heaven. You’re forgiven. Jesus is the risen Lord, the Redeemer of the world. They have nothing to fear from Him except the loss of their fear and failure. God is not angry with you because of Jesus. God is not against you because of Jesus. God is not distant from you because of Jesus. He comes with peace. Everything is right between you and God. That’s not something you will see with your eyes, or learn from a really smart guy on the television. It is revealed only when you see and hear the risen Son of God Jesus Christ. He showed them His hands and side. Then the disciples were glad.
That you might believe He gives you His Holy Spirit. In that upper room Jesus ordained His men with His Word, His living breath, and His Spirit. This is the Office of the Ministry. Men ordained by Jesus to bring forgiveness to you. Jesus promised that where His men preach His Word truthfully and administer His sacraments rightly His Spirit will be there, bringing people to faith and delivering the gifts He won at the cross.
One of the most common false beliefs is that you don’t need a pastor. It’s easy to believe that lie because it saves you a lot of money. It frees up your Sunday morning and you and God can just chat amongst yourselves when you want to or need to. Such religion usually ends up being a one sided conversation that you dominate as you tell God who He should be and what you want Him to do. It’s exactly what people want from God, but not what they need.
What did those locked up disciples need? They needed Somone in authority, to speak an objective Word of truth to them, to rescue them from their lies, unbelief, doubt, and shame. They needed Jesus, the Word made flesh.
Risen the dead He comes to them. Showing them His hands and side, He demonstrates that He is in command. He has destroyed their sin. Death is now subject to Him, and Satan is silenced. Then He tells them the truth by giving them the truth to preach. “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
This is the truth, from the man who is God, from the dead man who is now living. It’s hard to believe. Your sins, your most besetting sin, the one that you wrestle and struggle with day in and day out. That sin is forgiven. Your shame, your negative talk, your fear of what others think of you. Hear Jesus because Jesus is what God thinks of you. His hands were nailed to the cross for you. His side was pierced so God could hold you to His side. This isn’t my opinion. This isn’t some History channel documentary where Jesus thinks He is God. This is the Word of Him who died and was raised by the Father to life.
This is what Jesus ordained His men to do – to speak His objective Word, to declare the truth the doesn’t change like your fears and doubts. The ten do what Jesus gave them orders to do and the first one they seek with forgiveness is Thomas. Their friend was alone. He was not in church with them as he should have been. When you skip church you not only hurt yourself you hurt us who are gathered here. Thomas is so distraught he puts God to the test. Unless I see His wounds I will not believe. That’s dangerous. Don’t do it. It could have been the end of Thomas, but Jesus shows him and you how gracious He is. He comes to church for Thomas. He shows His hands and side. He chides Thomas for his unbelief and God’s Word brings God’s Spirit and faith to Thomas, “My Lord and My God.” That didn’t come from within Thomas, but from outside of Thomas. In your fear and doubt, in the persistence of false doctrine and false belief, you need church, you need a pastor, because you need that amazing, outside of yourself, objective, truth of God’s Word. You need peace, the Holy Spirit, and forgiveness. That’s given to you here. In the name of Jesus. Amen.