Peace in the Resurrection

John 20:19–29 NASB95

So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Introduction

Very often a simple greeting has very little meaning behind it. It’s used to merely enter into a conversation. Someone approaches you and you have to say something! Maybe some of you have read the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. In just the first couple pages there’s a simple greeting that turns out not so simple. The main character Bilbo is approached by Gandalf and offers a simple greeting, “Good Morning!” only for Gandalf to respond, “What do you mean?” “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” It’s all fiction of course, but Gandalf has a point. There may be more to simple greetings than we might realize.

As we see in our text this morning, Jesus has risen from the dead! The news has spread that the tomb is empty, and now Jesus finally appears before His disciples with a simple greeting, “Peace be with you.” It may very well be used as a simple greeting, but in truth there’s deep and profound meaning in that simple greeting. Three times Jesus will offer to His disciples this common phrase, “Peace be with you.” Three times, the resurrected Christ, the fullness of God in human flesh offers to sinful, fearful, and doubting followers, “Peace be with you.” It turns out that such a greeting of peace from God Himself is only made possible by the resurrection of Christ. Without the resurrection there can be no peace.

The resurrection of Christ promises the Christian peace in every season of life even unto death.

Peace before God (vs. 19-20)

Peace before our calling (vs.21-23)

Peace before our weakness (vs.24-29)

Peace before God

John 20:19–20 NASB95

So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

—-

The day is Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection. Peter and John have already seen the empty tomb. Mary has seen Jesus Himself and announced it to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.”, yet on the heels of this good news, the disciples are still hiding. They perhaps rightly fear for their lives. Maybe the Jews will come for them next? They’ve just seen the empty tomb. Maybe the Jews will come with questions. In this moment of fear and hiding, Jesus comes to stand in their midst and presents the simplest of greetings. “Peace be with you.”

Mind you there’s nothing simple or plain about this scene at all! Just a couple days before, they all witnessed this man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, hanging on a cross. They beat Him until he was unrecognizable, they pierced his hands and feet as he was nailed to the cross. The sky grew dark, the earth trembled, and He died! They pierced Him in His side making his death absolutely evident as blood and water poured out. They put Him in a tomb, and now he stands before them alive saying, “Peace be with you.”

If the bodily resurrection of Christ is not remarkable enough, let’s not overlook, Jesus is God, King over all appearing before His followers who abandoned Him as he went to the cross. Faithful followers rally to their king in time of need they don’t scatter in fear. Even Peter, the one who claimed he would die with Christ, denied Him three times before He went to the cross. We might be tempted to set Peter in a category of his own, but the disciples as a whole are ultimately sinners before a Holy God. And there He stands: Holy God, Jesus Christ, in His glorified body standing before sinful men, and what does he say?

Where was your faith?

Why did you abandon me?

Why did you deny me?

All of that would have been justified, but no. He says, “Peace be with you.”

Put yourself in Peter’s shoes for a moment. One of the last interactions you had with Jesus, your Lord and God, was to have Him look you in the eye just as you deny Him. In His moment of greatest need going to the cross, you utterly abandoned Him. You didn’t just stay silent and run away, you declared with emphasis, multiple times, “I don’t know Him!”

What did Jesus say before His disciples during his ministry regarding their abandonment?

Matthew 10:28 NASB95

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:33 NASB95

“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

—-

In the moment when it mattered most, each of the disciples failed their God and king. They sinned in their unbelief, their fear, and their denial of him. When Jesus appears before His disciples we might rightly expect a moment where justice comes to bear, a moment where they might give an account for their sins before their Holy God and Master, Jesus Christ. Yet what does Jesus say, “Peace be with you?”

If you’re Peter in that moment, can you imagine the burden that is lifted from his shoulders in that moment? Peace!?!? For me?? I denied you!! Three times!!

Suppose for a moment you’re coming home from work. You’re going to park on the street because you’re going out later, but your neighbors Mercedes is parked there. You’re going to park right behind him. It’s been a while since you’ve parallel parked and you manage to but a giant gash in his quarter panel. You feel awful! You try to knock on the door, but he’s not home. There’s nothing you can do right now so you go about your day. You go to mow the lawn and while your mowing you manage to send a rock through His windshield. You’ve really messed up now, but he’s still not home. You need to pick up the kids from school, so you think you’ll talk to your neighbor when you get home. You get in the car, put it in reverse, step on the gas and you plow right into the back of your neighbors Mercedes. It wasn’t in reverse it was, in drive. Somehow you get the kids home, your neighbor still hasn’t come home, the burden of guilt on your shoulders is immense, and the doorbell rings. It’s your neighbor. Surely this is where the hammer falls. You don’t even have the words to say and you’re ready for his righteous anger. As you open the door he says, “Hey neighbor. I just wanted to let you know that the repairs are paid for. Don’t even worry about it. Do you want to come over for dinner?

If that seems extraordinary Peter has denied God himself before men three times, and his first interaction with Jesus is, “Peace be to you.” How is that possible? Well the debt has been paid! Between Peter’s “I never knew Him.” and Christ’s “Peace be to you.” was the payment for all of Peter’s sin.

Notice where Jesus directs their eyes.

John 20:20 NASB95

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

—-

Jesus in His glorified body still bears the scars of the cross. It’s proof for one! This is the same Jesus that was on that cross on Friday, but moreover, a reminder to His disciples of the death he suffered on their behalf.

The death of Christ was not pointless. It was full of purpose, a purpose that began before the foundations of the earth were even laid. That purpose being to take the punishment of sin from those who believe in Christ for their salvation. Those scars on the risen Christ bear witness to the death which the disciples deserved because of their sin. To this day, he sits on the throne of heaven at the Father’s right hand bearing those very scars which will remind us for all eternity of the sufficiency of His sacrifice for us who believe. They remind us of the wrath and abandonment Christ suffered that should have been poured out on them, on us, for our sinfulness. The shame that Christ endured that we were due, yet Christ took upon Himself. The death which Christ suffered that we should have suffered for our guilt before a holy God.

When Christ shows them the scars, he reminds them, the price has been paid, and death is defeated. Sin no longer has a hold on you! Peace be to you!

And they rejoice!!!

It’s appropriate for us to ask ourselves. Do we have reason to rejoice today? Do we have reason to be at peace? It’s prominent in our time, to consider peace to be a subjective day to day feeling or emotion. A kind of serenity that is found in certain places or practices. If we want peace, we need to meditate. If you have kids peace is found in silence and solitude. Maybe peace is found in believing in yourself. There is a sense in which peace is subjective, changing day to day, but if their is not an objective unchanging foundation of peace, then there is no reason we should expect peace in the day to day. That foundation of peace, that unchanging objective reality, is our peace before God.

For us who believe in Christ for our salvation, knowing full well we are deserving the wrath which He bore on the cross, the resurrection declares to us, Peace, because Christ has made peace with God for us. His justice has been satisfied! His wrath has been poured out on our sin which Christ bore for us. The wages of sin is death, and Christ’s death pays our wage. And how do we know that Christ’s death was satisfactory? He rose from the dead. Death could not hold Him. The grave is defeated, and he comes to His own declaring peace!

No matter the sin that may be in our past, the death of Christ is sufficient to pay the debt. Even Peter having denied Him heard those words. Peace be to you. No sin can keep us from peace with God if our hope is in Christ to pay the debt... if our hope is in Christ who rose from the dead defeating the grave. Might we rejoice with the disciples knowing that even in the presence of our Holy God, we can know peace because Christ has died for us and He is risen!

Naturally Jesus doesn’t stop there. There is a task at hand, work to be accomplished, a calling to be answered.

Peace before our calling

John 20:21–23 NASB95

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

—-

The apostles have been entrusted with an extraordinary calling! A calling that not unlike what God has called Christ to do. Christ came to declare the good news of salvation and to accomplish it Himself. As Christ stands before His disciples, salvation has been accomplished. It is finished! There is no more work in that regard for the disciples to do, but they will continue Christ’s work of declaration, preaching the good news to all.

Acts 1:8 NASB95

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

—-

It sounds extraordinary doesn’t it? We might ask, what need is there for peace? This sounds fun! Let’s go! Who knows what we’ll encounter in our journeys?

Anyone ever ventured on a trip of some kind not knowing the difficulty that awaited? Things usually start off with a lot of anticipation and excitement, but then things start getting difficult...

If you’ve ever been on a hunting trip in Northern Minnesota that’s usually how it goes. Things start out, “This is the year! You’ve found some land to hunt on, your buddies are telling you about the giant buck they saw last year. You’re all geared up ready to get in the stand the next morning and it’s hard to sleep. Then the alarm goes off at 4am. You get breakfast, put on 12 layers of cold weather gear and step out into 5 degrees. At this point the excitement is utterly gone, but you’ve come this far and out you go. You get into the stand after a mile long walk, and sit for hours in the cold until you can’t feel your toes. Then you start thinking, “Why do I do this to myself?”

Jesus knows full well what he’s calling his disciples to whether they fully understand yet or not. For many of them, they will face the resistance the Christ resisted. They will be mocked, imprisoned, beaten, and even die for their proclamation of the gospel. Jesus is not unfamiliar with what they are about to encounter. He was just crucified at the hand of the Jews, those who will in no time at all persecute the church in Jerusalem. If Jesus knows what they are about to encounter, how can he say, “Peace be with you.”? It seems a little insensitive doesn’t it?

If you had a friend or a family member about to step into the most difficult season of their lives, and you said, “Just relax, it’ll be fine.” How might that come across? Again, these may seem like simple greetings or platitudes, but there’s so much more to these statements of peace than that. Jesus knows the peace of His disciples is found in something greater than their circumstances. Their peace is found in the presence of Christ with them. He assures them the Holy Spirit will be with them.

Jesus breaths on them saying “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Throughout the Old Testament we see prophets acting out what God has promised will come upon the people of God. In this little scene, Jesus takes on the role of a prophet, acting out what is sure to come when he departs. This affirms what Jesus has already spoken to His disciples before His death.

John 16:7 NASB95

7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

—-

The resurrection and ascension of Christ comes with the promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the assurance of our peace!

Let’s go back to your friend or family member about to step into a difficult season of life. This time you say, “Relax, it’ll be fine, I’m right here with you!” A bit different isn’t it? How much more of a comfort then when Christ, the Creator of the Universe says, peace, I’ll be with you. I give you the Holy Spirit!

After all.. the task they are about to do is impossible without God!

Jesus says to His disciples before His death

John 16:8 NASB95

8 “And He [The Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

——

As the disciples declare the gospel, they point to Christ alone, declaring forgiveness for the believer in Christ and the judgement of sin for the unbeliever who would reject Him. Who is it that works in the hearts of men to convict them of sin, grant them faith to believe and know forgiveness? Who else but the Holy Spirit?

No one here has the unique apostolic calling of the disciples, but we do have a calling. The same call to be witnesses. The same call to declare the gospel, seek fruitfulness in our own lives, the lives of our brothers and sisters, the lives of our children. It’s a calling which comes with great adversity at times.

What is our hope for peace in such a great calling which brings such great adversity?

Our peace begins at that open grave! Because Christ is risen, because he has ascended, as Christians, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit! His power, His comfort, His prayers are for us!

When we witness to a coworker we look to the Spirit to work with our feeble efforts.

When we seek to raise our children well we look to the Spirit to make our efforts fruitful.

When we pour over Scripture to change our hearts we know are sinful we look to Him to make His Word effective in us.

When we look to the needs of our brothers and sisters, our church, we look to the Spirit to sustain us.

Peace is impossible when we try to answer the calling of Christ alone with the strength of men, yet when we answer the call in the power of the Spirit, even the greatest adversity cannot deprive us of the peace of Christ who is risen, and sits at the right hand of the Father.

How do we do that? It’s easy to say, “Let’s answer the call in the power of the Spirit!” Amen! Now what?

When we feel that burden of ministry, that desire for fruit in the unbelieving, fruit in our children, fruit in our lives. We pray! What were the disciples doing before and after Pentecost, this extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they were praying!

When we encounter the burden of our calling, the burden of being a parent, a witness, a loving church member, we pray. It’s the most fundamental means by which lean on the Spirit, and a fundamental means by which we will know the peace of Christ. If I may add, pray and ask for prayer. This church is a praying church, and there are many here this morning who would be happy to pray with you. Together, we can more easily know the peace of Christ than alone.

Christ has appeared before his disciples and relieved two extraordinary burdens. We have peace before God Himself! We have peace before this extraordinary calling entrusted to us! What about peace with our own weaknesses? God has made us His own by the work of Christ and even given us the Holy Spirit, but my faith isn’t as strong as it should be! Can I still have peace?

Peace before our weakness

John 20:24–29 NASB95

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

—-

Let’s put this in perspective briefly. Thomas has been walking with the other disciples for about three years now. It’s not a long time, but they’ve been through a lot together! They’ve witnessed all of Jesus’ miracles together. They were in a storm on the sea together when Jesus calmed it. The saw Jesus heal a paralytic, feed the five thousand, walk on water, raise Lazarus from the dead, and ultimately go to the cross. There has to be some kind of relationship, some kind of trust there! When these 10 disciples tell Thomas “We’ve seen the Lord!” you might expect some kind of belief. “Really when? Where? How did you know it was him?” Instead he responds rather bluntly!

John 20:24–29 NASB95

“Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

——

Suppose you tell a friend some good news, and he responded straight to your face. “Unless you show me proof, I won’t believe!”

Those are strong words. I think I said this a couple weeks ago, but every once in a while I see someone in the Bible do something or say something and I cringe a little bit. Anyone do that? I can’t help but think about the “talking to” Thomas is going to get when Jesus steps onto the scene.

Anyone ever had that moment as a kid. Your sibling does something or says something they’re not supposed to, and you’re thinking, “When mom hears about this, you’re going to be in trouble!!” That’s what I’m thinking when I hear these words from Thomas.

Others however might look at our narrative and think Thomas hasn’t done anything wrong. All he wants is proof!

—-

Might I ask, “How many of our sins find their root in unbelief?”

When we don’t believe God is our provider we envy and steal.

When we don’t believe God is judge we take it upon ourselves in anger.

When we don’t believe God has loved us and has been merciful to us we fail to love our neighbor.

If we don’t believe in the risen Christ, then we are still in our sins!

“We often talk of unbelief as if it were an affliction to be pitied instead of a crime to be condemned”

Charles Spurgeon

We might rightfully expect a swift rebuke from Jesus when next he steps into the room, yet what does he say?

John 20:26–27 NASB95

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

—-

What mercy is extended to Thomas in His boldness of his doubt! Christ knows the weakness and sinfulness of His own and gives to Thomas the nourishment for his faith. He even provides in accord with the demands of Thomas’ bold unbelief. Look at my hands which you demanded to see. Look at my side which you demanded to see. Look and believe! Thomas did not deserve such mercy, such peace before the risen Christ.

There is peace even for Thomas and His unbelief because Christ has been risen. The good news literally stood before Him declaring the forgiveness of his sins.

How did Thomas respond?

John 20:28 NASB95

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

—-

Thomas did not merely witness the declaration of peace. He knew it for Himself!

As Jesus would declare, Thomas came to know this peace through faith made possible with his own two eyes, seeing the risen Christ, His Lord and God. There are those however who would not see, and yet believe coming to know true blessing and peace in the risen Christ.

John 20:24–29 NASB95

Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

—-

If you’re here today thinking, “I don’t think I’ve ever known true peace.” Maybe you can admit, “I’m a bit like Thomas: unbelieving and skeptical of the resurrection.” Let me say, Jesus is happy to provide what you need for your faith, and He has done so through His Word. Jesus calls those blessed who simply hear the good news and believe. In His death there is a payment for your sin. All our guilt before God can be satisfied in Jesus’ death if we trust Him. In His resurrection our eternal life is given to us through faith in Him. This is where true peace is found! As long as we carry the debt for our own sin, we can never know peace. As long as the power of death holds a grip on us, we can never know peace. Look to Christ. Look to His resurrected life which endured and defeated the death we deserve. Look to His mercy! Only in the mercy of Christ can we know true peace. He stands ready to forgive! If you have more questions about what it is to know peace, what it is to be forgiven don’t hesitate to come talk to me after the service. I’ll be right here in front.

If you’re here this morning knowing, “I am His. I am the Lord’s and He is mine. I know I am at peace with Him, yet my heart is weak. I see sin in my heart, I see unbelief,” ...There is peace in Christ even in our sin and weakness. The Spirit would have us time and again look to the risen Christ that we may be reminded, Your sins have been paid for! Death is defeated! You’ve been bought with the blood of Christ. He has been risen that you would be raised with Him on that final day! The power of the resurrection in not hindered by our weakness.

Christ never intended for us to find peace in looking at the condition of our own hearts. In fact the devil would love it if we continued to fixate on our imperfections. It’s in looking to Christ, joining with Thomas in beholding Him risen saying, “My Lord and my God!” In which we will know peace!

We’ve been given more than can be said in Christ’s resurrection.

In the resurrection of Christ sin is defeated, and before our holy God we can know peace.

In the resurrection of Christ we’ve been given the Holy Spirit, and before our great calling we can know peace.

In the resurrection of Christ He keeps us in His mercy and even before our sin and weakness we can know peace.

Let’s Pray.