Jesus Appears

John 20:19-29

If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the gospel of John chapter 20. The gospel of John chapter 20, and in a moment we are going to read verses 19-29 of the gospel of John chapter 20.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus forever changed our relationship with God. Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He lived the perfect life we could not live. He died the sacrificial death to satisfy the wrath of God, we deserved.

He rose from the grave, conquering hell and death our greatest fear, and He ascended into heaven to provide us with assurance of our eternity.

Most of what Christ changed in our relationship with God was the removal of barriers. For example, we know longer live according to the Levitical law, laws we couldn’t keep, laws meant to teach us we needed grace.

We no longer sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin. Christ was the one time sacrifice for the sin of the world. We no longer need a high priest to teach us what God wants from us or to pray for us because Jesus has become our great High Priest forever interceding for us.

Today because of what Jesus has done we can approach the throne of God boldly and know God as our Father.

Jesus instituted a New Covenant between man and God. We see it unfold in subtle ways in scripture. We see very literal teachings for God’s people to follow. For example, He said, “If you love Me you will obey My commands.” He said, “Forgive others as God has forgiven you,” Love your neighbor as your self.” These are obvious commands to follow.

There are other elements of the New Covenant we see adapted by the early church that are important, and we find some of those in our passage tonight. The resurrection appearances of Jesus to His disciples, teach us new principles that would govern our relationship with God.

John 20:19–29 KJV

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Background and Context

Jesus has now risen from the dead and begun to appear to His followers. Although the New Testament records His resurrection appearances in a variety of places and ways we can get a general chronological order of the events.

For example, we know He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women who came to the tomb that morning with her. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:5 that Jesus appeared to Peter before the rest of the disciples.

We know Jesus appeared to two disciples on the afternoon of His resurrection, walking on the road to Emmaus. And that night, as we have recorded in our passage He appeared to the eleven remaining disciples minus Thomas.

The following Sunday, He will appear to His disciples again and this time Thomas will be present. Over the next 32 days Jesus would appear on multiple occasions.

We know He met with 7 of His disciples by the sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14). Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 15:6 that Jesus was seen by over 500 and that He appeared to His half brother James. Finally, He met with His disciples on the Mount of Olives before ascending in to heaven.

All of these appearances of Jesus are intended to provide us with evidence of Life. That is the most important reason we have a record of His appearances. We have talked about that. We have talked about how John wrote so that we might believe, he tells us that down in 20:31.

However, John’s record of the appearance of Jesus to His disciples, also teach us some important principles that changed in our relationship with God.

I see 5 new things in this passage, I want you to see that forever changed in our relationship with God. The first thing I want you to see is:

I. A New Day Vs. 19

Because the resurrection appearance of Jesus would change the day God’s people worshipped.

Notice Vs. 19, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week.”

John clearly wants us to know this takes place on that very day, the day Jesus rose from the grave. We are told, In the evening on the first day of the week.

So, this is Sunday evening for us, remember the Jews didn’t name their days like we do, they numbered them 1-7. So, this is the first day, our Sunday.

But notice the emphasis throughout this chapter, on the first day of the week. Look at Vs. 1 says,” It was the first day of the week.” Look at Vs. 19 says, “It was the first day of the week.”

Notice Vs. 26 it says, “After 8 days.” That is talking about it being from Sunday to Sunday, 8 days before He revealed Himself to Thomas.

So, John is emphasizing this new day because with the New Covenant came a new day of worship for God’s people. God’s people would no longer gather to worship on the Sabbath, the 7th day but on the Lord’s day.

That is something we see the early church implement immediately. For example, Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, “ Paul is describing meeting with the church of Philippi and they are doing it on the 1st day.

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” Why did Paul want them to put aside what they were going to give on the 1st day of the week? because that’s when they met.

Then notice when John is given His vision of Christ. Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,”

Every day should be a day of worship, but the the early church began to meet on the 1st day, and that’s why we meet on Sunday.

Some scholars have seen deep spiritual significance in the emphasis on the 1st day, that relates to our salvation.

Think about this, remember, in the Old Covenant, God created the world in 6 days, and on the 7th day He rested from all His work.

God then instituted the Sabbath. A 7th day of rest for man. Man was to work for 6 straight days but on the 7th day rest.

Well, in the New Covenant, Man rests on day 1. In other words, we don’t work to be saved, we work because we are saved. In the first creation man worked and then rested. In the New Creation man rests and then works.

I believe that is what the Holy Spirit has in mind here with John’s emphasis on the 1st day, because immediately we see the early church implement the Lord’s day set aside for worship.

Not only does this passage teach us about a new day but it also teaches us about a new strength.

II. A New Strength Vs. 19-20

The disciples would become bold in the face of adversity. Notice where the disciples are at and what they are doing when Jesus appears to them.

Look at the middle of Vs. 19, “when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.”

Some scholars say, this meeting takes place back in the upper room where Jesus and the disciples celebrated the Passover. I don’t know because we are not given that info.

The instructions Jesus gave the women at the tomb was for the disciples to return to Galilee and He would meet them there. So, I think the upper room is unlikely.

But, the image we are given here is of the disciples locking themselves in a room and hiding from the Jews. Why? What are they afraid of?

There are two very good reasons for the disciples to be afraid. 1. Their leader claiming to be a king was charged and crucified by the Romans for leading an insurrection. It is quiet possible they will come and look for His followers and crucify them as well.

2. We know the story created by the chief priests that the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb has already begun to circulate.

So, the disciples are living in fear. Remember these are the same disciples who fled from the garden on the night Jesus was arrested. These are not valiant men of war, these are fisherman and tax collectors, would be followers of the Messiah they believed in and loved.

Notice what Jesus does in the end of Vs. 19, “came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

The way John describes the appearance of Jesus here is interesting. It is as though He magically appears out of thin air. There is no knock at the door, no noise outside, nothing that alerts them to His presence.

“He stood in the midst.” In other words, Jesus waited and watched and listened in for a while before making His presence known. I believe this is an example of what He does when we gather together.

Matthew 18:20 says, ““For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”” It’s interesting that those same words are used as in Vs. 19.

No matter where we are in the world Christ is in the midst quietly examining the hearts of His people.

Notice what Jesus says, “saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” This was the standard Hebrew greeting of the day, but coming from Jesus in this moment it meant so much more than just greetings.

Notice it is repeated in Vs. 21 and again in Vs. 26. The word “peace” is shalom and it means more than hello, it describes your desire for someone’s personal well being. So, you can see how significant that would be, especially in this moment.

Look at John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

These two passages compliment each other, because in both of them Jesus wants to comfort the disciples from their fear, and He offers them peace in spite of their circumstances. A peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace in spite of the world.

Notice n Vs. 20 the disciples were not immediately relieved by His words. Look at the beginning of Vs. 20, “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side.”

I say they were not immediately relieved because, in Luke’s version of this story, chapter 24 verse 37, he tells us the disciples were terrified when Jesus spoke to them. They thought He was a ghost.

That’s why here in John, we see Him offer to show them His hands and His side, and obviously that worked to calm them down because notice their reaction.

Look at the end of Vs. 20, “Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”

Everything has changed now. The word “glad” here doesn’t do justice to what this describes. They were rejoicing. In other words, the fear was gone, their demeanor had changed, and their hearts were emboldened.

The bible says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” And from this moment on you begin to see a difference in the way these men approached life. Acts 4:13-20.

Let me ask you this, has your relationship with God given you a new strength in life? Do you approach the world without fear believing that perfect love casts out all fear.

So, we have seen the resurrection appearance of Jesus brought about a new day, a new strength. The next new thing I want you to see is:

III. A New Purpose Vs. 21-23

Notice Vs. 21, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

Here we see Jesus repeating His offering of well being to His disciples, and then He commissions them to go.

They will no longer be disciples but they will be apostles. It is important we understand an apostle in the first century meant “one sent forth to carry the message of the king.

Even though there are no apostles today, because we define an apostle as someone who was with Jesus and served in His presence, In another sense, we are all called to be apostles, because we are all called to carrying the message of Christ to the world.

Verse 21 is John’s version of the great commission, and it applies to all believers. This phrase, “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Speaks of the authority by which we are to go out.

Jesus would make that clear in Matt. 28:18-20 He would say, “all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore go”

But, Notice as believers going out carrying the message of Christ the disciples needed to be empowered. In other words, This new purpose they were given, would require a new dependence on the holy Spirit.

Look at Vs. 22, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”

Now it is important we understand this is not the giving of the Holy Spirit we read of in Acts chapter 2. Some scholars try and conflate this and say, “ this is John’s version of what took place on Pentecost.”

That is not what this is. That is not even chronologically possible. Pentecost came after Jesus ascended into heaven.

What we have here is a pledge of empowerment or an infusion of the Holy Spirit. He breathed the breath of life into them to enable them to understand what was coming at Pentecost.

In other words, this was a symbolic introduction to the Spirit. Notice He says, “receive ye the Holy Spirit.” We are not told the Spirit was imparted to them. So this was a pledge of what was to come.

What happened on Pentecost was a baptism of power and even though the disciples, when breathed upon by Jesus experienced joy, unity, peace, and faith, the book of Acts credits Pentecost, not this experience with the giving of the Holy Spirit.

The point John wants to make is: Jesus was sending them and Jesus was empowering them for the mission. They were not going to do it alone and that is still true today. Every believer is empowered by the Spirit to take the message of Christ to the world.

Notice their new purpose would come with new responsibilities.

Look at Vs. 23, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

Now, it is important we understand only God can forgive sin. That’s a principle taught primarily through the scribes and Pharisees by their reaction to Jesus forgiving the sins of a paralytic lowered down through the roof.

All three synoptic authors record that story and tell us it is blasphemy for anyone to forgive sin except God. You find that in Matt. 9:2-5, Mark 2:7, and Luke 5:21.

So, then what is Jesus teaching us in Vs. 23? How is it that we remit or retain someone’s sin?

Well, when we take the message of salvation to the world, as He has done, some people will inevitably believe and others will not. Their response to the message determines whether their sin is forgiven or retained.

Therefore, it is not that we are forgiving their sin, its that we are offering the message of forgiveness. We have been given the authority to tell people the requirements of salvation. And that is an incredible responsibility and something new for God’s people.

So, we have seen the resurrection appearance of Jesus brought about a new day, a new strength, and a new purpose. The final thing I want to show you in this passage is:

IV. A New Faith Vs. 24-29

What we learn here from doubting Thomas is: our faith would no longer be based on what we see, but on what we believe.

Notice Vs. 24, “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.”

A couple of things John says here that are interesting to me. He tells us Thomas was one of the twelve. In other words, he wasn’t a casual acquaintance. He was an important part of the team.

John gives us a second name for Thomas, he calls him “Didymus” (which means twin) just to clarify to his readers exactly who he is talking about. Perhaps John’s readers were familiar with Thomas, we don’t know.

What we do know is: Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared. Why is that interesting? Well, think of everything Thomas missed out on.

Not only did he miss out on witnessing the resurrection appearance of Christ, but He missed out on the institution of a new day of worship. He missed out on the peace of Christ, that gave strength and joy to the disciples. He missed out on the new purpose of taking the message of forgiveness to the world.

Thomas is an example for all of us, who choose to be absent from the body of Christ when we are gathered together. We miss out. We miss out on what Christ wants to teach us and what He wants us to do.

And just like Thomas we end up living in doubt instead of strengthened and commissioned in our faith. Now, we are not told why Thomas wasn’t there. The emphasis seems to be on Thomas and his own choice.

There are things that happen in life, thigs we have to do but we need to understand when we are absent from the body we are the one’s missing out on Christ. (Sunday school and Wednesday nights, think about what they miss).

Notice Thomas’ doubt when the disciples tell him all he has missed. Look at Vs. 25, “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Thomas shows us here the irrational thinking that happens when we are absent from fellowship. He doesn’t believe what they are telling him. You get the impression that Thomas was abandoning the faith. Who could blame Thomas really, he knew Jesus was crucified.

But, remember Jesus told the disciples what was going to happen. He told them He would be crucified, dead, and buried but, on the third day He would rise again.

Now the disciples are reporting this to Thomas and he doesn’t believe. Thomas appears to be distancing himself from the other disciples, and we need to understand that is a dangerous place to be in the world, alone, without Christ, and without the fellowship of other believers.

I love the fact that the other disciples go to Thomas in the story. They find him so they can tell him the good news. They don’t leave him lost and alone but they reach out to Thomas and tell him it’s not over yet. “We have seen the Lord.”

What a powerful statement and another example for us. When someone is missing from the fellowship we don’t wait for the Pastor. In fact, sometimes the Pastor is the reason someone is missing from the fellowship!!

But we reach out to them and we offer them the hand of fellowship and restoration. You have that authority. You have been given the message of forgiveness.

Notice Vs. 26, “And after eight days again his disciples were within,

Isn’t that interesting, the following Sunday they are gathered together again. Eight days is from Sunday to Sunday, and this takes place one week after the resurrection. Only notice something is different now.

Vs. 26, “and Thomas with them:” It worked. They reached out to Thomas and he returned to the fellowship.

And look at his reward Vs. 26 continues, “then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.”

Thomas gets to learn and experience what he missed out on. And notice his experience is the exact same way as the other disciples.

The point is: when we humble ourselves and return to the fellowship of Christ we don’t have to start over. God is gracious and we get to pick up right where we left off. We begin to learn again everything we missed out on.

Then we get to see the omniscience of Christ. Notice Vs. 27, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

This is an amazing passage because no one has seen Jesus to tell Him what Thomas said. Yet Jesus knows exactly. Why? because He knows the condition of his heart. He knows he is faithless and needs to be restored. John’s point in writing this is to give us further evidence of the deity of Jesus.

But, I think it is important we understand, this is not Jesus challenging Thomas because of his doubts but this is Jesus showing compassion and restoring him to the fellowship of believers. Jesus was granting him the privilege of Faith.

Notice the way Thomas responds. Vs. 28, “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Now it is obvious that Thomas didn’t take Jesus up on the offer to see His scars and thrust his hand in His side. He didn’t have to. In an instant his faith was restored, His heart was retrieved, and he realized everything he believed was true.

This proclamation from Thomas: “My Lord My God” is one of the most powerful statements of faith in the bible. Because for a Jew to call another human being God was blasphemy, yet that is exactly who Thomas believes Jesus to be.

And truly that is John’s point because these are two tittles of deity used of God in the Old Testament. So, now Thomas believed in Jesus as the Christ in a deeper more meaningful way.

Then notice Jesus institutes a new foundation for faith.

Look at Vs. 29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Who is Jesus talking about not seeing and yet believing? You and me. Today we walk by faith and not by sight but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is My Lord and My God!!

Conclusion

He is the supreme divinity and the authority of God over the world. He proved that by conquering hell and death at His resurrection and appearing to His disciples, He set a precedence for a new relationship with God. 4 things we looked at tonight.

He gave us a new day of worship. No longer would God’s people worship on the Sabbath but on the Lord’s day.

He gave us a new strength by offering us peace in spite of our circumstances.

He gave us a new purpose. Just as the Father had sent Him, He sends us with the gospel message. And He empowers us through the Holy Spirit to carry that message to the world with the authority to offer forgiveness.

Finally, He gave us a new faith. A faith not based on what we see, but on what we believe.