Sermon Tone Analysis

vv 19-23) Appearing to disciples

It is now Sunday evening.

This was the first appearance of Jesus to His disciples as a group after His resurrection.

What would He say and talk about?

What would be the topic of conversation and the subjects covered?

What He would chose to say would be of critical importance.

It is this that John is going to focus on.

[19] Why were the disciples fearful?

They were hiding from the Jews.

They were behind locked doors, scared and fearful of the authorities who had vented so much anger and wrath upon their Lord.

Perhaps they are in the upper room where they had met three nights ago.

The disciples were in imminent danger, they could have easily been arrested and imprisoned or executed as revolutionaries just as Jesus had been.

Remember: the doors were locked.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Jesus stood before them- right in their midst.

Jesus stood amongst them without opening the doors.

This is a miracle.

Remember that Jesus’ resurrection body was a real body of flesh and bones.

Yet having the power to pass through barriers and otherwise act independently of natural laws.

What is the significance of what Jesus tells the disciples?

“Peace be with you” now has new meaning because Christ has made peace by the blood of His cross.

Those who are justified by faith have peace with God.

Jesus’ sudden appearance shook and frightened the disciples.

They though they were seeing a spirit: Luke 24:36-37

Within vv.

19-20 how did Jesus put them at ease?

“Peace be with you,” He spoke a greeting familiar to the disciples.

This is important because He had always spoken to them in this manner, given them some indication that it was really Him and not just a vision or a spirit.

Not only that but He also showed them His wounds.

This must have been an incredibly touching moment… Jesus probably moved around to each of them, allowing each one to see the wounds.

They would know for sure that this was His body, the body of their Savior, the very same Jesus whom they had known before His crucifixion.

What effect do you think this had on the disciples?

An unbelievable joy and gladness: Luke 24:41

Their spirits and attitudes were charged with joy and were transformed from the lowest point of dejection to the highest point of triumphant conviction.

They now knew what Jesus meant, that He was truly:

The Way

The Truth

And the Life

In Him was life- His words were literally true.

He had meant exactly what He had said.

They had just spiritualized His words to an extent.

When He told them that He was going to die, He meant it.

When He had said that He was going to raise, He meant it.

Now here He is standing before them, revealing the most glorious truth in all the universe.

In Christ men and women could now conquer sin and death having eternal life with God.

A couple points before we move on:

(v.20) “Saw” (oida) it means more than mere sight.

It implies seeing with understanding.

It is the very same word used of John when he saw and believed in verse 8 of chapter 20.

The disciples were probably starting to understand all the prophecies concerning His death and resurrection.

[21] This is the great commission for the disciples.

And there are some qualification for being commissioned.

What are they?

1st: They needed to be reconciled to God though and by Christ, unless they had made peace with God, they would never be able to represent god before the world.

2nd: There needed to be a link between the mission of Christ and the disciples.

The disciple is sent on the very same mission as Christ.

The mission of Christ:

The disciple is sent forth to proclaim and bear witness to the salvation of God.

The disciple is the prophet and witness of the living Lord.

Christ is the Way; the disciple points the Way

Christ is the Truth; the disciple proclaims the Truth.

Christ is the Life; the disciple shares the Life.

There are two different words used for sent and send in the greek.

God sending Christ is apostello.

It implies that Christ is set apart and is being sent forth with delegated authority.

Christ speaking to His disciples tells, “I am sending you.”

Pempo, implying being dispatched under authority.

Application: This particular passage is probably speaking to the uniqueness of the Apostles.

But we too can apply this to our lives as well.

Christ came into the world poor

He came as a Servant

He emptied Himself.

He delighted to do the Father’s will

He identified Himself with man

He went about doing good

He did everything by the power of the Holy Spirit

His goal was the cross.

Now He said to the disciples, “I also send you.

[22-23] This might be the most difficult verses in the entire Gospel.

We read that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The difficulty is that the Holy Spirit was not given until later, on the day of Pentecost.

Yet what is going on here.

Some suggest that the Lord was simply making a promise of what they would receive on the day of Pentecost.

This is hardly an adequate explanation.

Some point out that what the Savior actually said was, “Receive Holy Spirit,” rather than “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

They conclude from this that the disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit in all His fullness at this time, but only some ministry of the Spirit, such as a greater knowledge of the truth, or power and guidance for their mission.

Claiming that the disciples received a guarantee or a foretaste of the Holy Spirit.

Others believe that there was a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at this time.

My opinion is the second view rather than the third.

The third view seems unlikely in view of such statements as: Luke 24:49

Where the coming of the Holy Spirit wasstill spoken of as future.

It is clear from John 7:39

that the Spirit could not come in His fullness until Jesus was glorified, that is, until He had gone back to heaven.

vv 24-29) Thomas’ confession

vv 30-31) The purpose for writing