Whom Having Not Seen You Love

Easter 2A

April 9, 1999

John 20:19-31; Psalm 16

I Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him.

John 20:29 Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.

THEY WERE MEETING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS on the very day of Christ's resurrection. The great victory over death had been fought and won, but they were still afraid, and I don't blame them. All power in heaven and on earth was now in the hand of their Lord. They had heard he was alive. Mary had seen him, or so she said. John believed. They wanted to believe. But they were afraid. I would have been, too. Oh, how they wanted to believe!

('Closed doors' sounds like A DEFENSIVE FAITH. A remnant mentality. 'Our dogma is the right dogma; our logic is the pure logic' There are Christians who worship like that to this day! There is a difference between defending the faith and a defensive faith.)

THEN JESUS WAS THERE! It was really Jesus! Somehow he was different. There was a glory that shone in his face; his clothing almost glowed– but somehow, too, he was the same! It was their Lord! An indescribable joy welled up in their hearts.

(PERHAPS OLD DREAMS WERE RESURRECTED THEN.) Perhaps all sorts of possibilities raced through the minds of the disciples there in that Upper Room. If Jesus had come back now maybe his revolution would begin? Maybe all the world would see him now, and fall in behind him? Maybe even the authorities who crucified him would simply give up? What would Jesus do now?

(By itself, human faith tends to be AN AMBITIOUS FAITH. If Jesus is really alive, then we had better get going! Somehow the planners always have the important role in the plan! )

THEN JESUS BREATHED ON THEM. He said, "Receive the Holy Spirit!"

They were still behind locked doors. They would go on meeting behind closed doors for some time to come. But with that breath of God a new kind of divine life had been planted. The church had been conceived. God's plan was under way.

"Receive the Holy Spirit," Jesus had said. Then he told them what the Holy Spirit would do through them. He was describing the core mission of the church that was yet to be born. "Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven. If you do not forgive them they won't be forgiven," is what Jesus said. The work of salvation is the central, solemn charge of Christ to his church.

THEN JESUS WAS GONE. The doors were still locked. The disciples were still afraid of the authorities. But a flame had been kindled. It was never extinguished again. The joy was still there. They were determined to obey Jesus and find out what in the world it was that he had said.

(The DEFENSIVE faith had faded along with the AMBITIOUS faith– at least for the time being. In its place Jesus had kindled AN OBEDIENT FAITH! The disciples had no idea of how Jesus would lead. They could not anticipate the next step. But they were willing to listen and learn.)

FOR FORTY DAYS Jesus came and went in what seems a mysterious fashion. When he was with the disciples they had no doubt at all that God was in his heaven and all would be right with his world. Where Jesus went in between times, where he slept, what dimensions he visited, all this is mystery.

During the forty days the core group of the embryonic church-to-be-born became totally convinced that Jesus was really who and what he said he was. We read of "many infallible proofs," and of "over 500 brethren at one time" that saw and believed. The life stirred within them.

They continued to meet in the same retreat. But when the Promise was fully come, then the breath of life that Jesus had breathed into them when he said, "Receive the Holy Spirit!"— when that breath one day became the outpouring of Pentecost with the sound of the mighty rushing wind, THEY UNLOCKED THE DOORS! Not to let the authorities in where they were, but to let the life and joy spill out.

THEY COULD NOT HOLD BACK THE LIFE THEY HAD RECEIVED. The church had been born! It began then to carry out the Plan. Jesus had told them, "I will build my church." Now he would begin to do it. Conceived on Resurrection Sunday, the church was born on Pentecost, and on its birthday 3,000 people were baptized. They died to sin and self, and came alive to Christ as they, too, received the Breath of the Holy Spirit.

(Defensive faith [became ambitious faith that] gave way to obedient faith. Obedient faith always leads to more and more of God. Pentecost fulfilled the Promise.)

But it all began behind locked doors. It began when fear turned to joy when the living Savior came. It began with a holy breath. It was the Second Creation of Man. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

THOMAS WAS NOT PRESENT THE DAY THE CHURCH WAS CONCEIVED. I'm glad that he wasn't. His story is like yours and mine. We weren't there either. So we say with Thomas, "I really want to know for myself! I need to be convinced!"

Thomas's confession is the climax of John's apology. It is the exact place where he intends for you and me to finally arrive. It is the place where life is conceived, where Jesus breathes life.

"Blessed are you!" Jesus said to Thomas, after he had shown him his hands and his side. But then Jesus said, "And blessed are YOU!" You here this morning behind closed doors. You have not seen me, but you love me! I love you, too! "Receive YE the Holy Spirit!" Believe in me! Trust me! Obey me! Let that life grow up within you!

THAT FIRST DAY OF THE NEW CREATION THE CHURCH WAS CONCEIVED. For Thomas it was the second Sunday of Easter. Life, hope, joy– all were there with the dawning of the great truth: Jesus is alive!

There was worship! The Lord himself was with them! They knew they were alive in Him, and with Him. And although they did not understand it then, they were on course for Pentecost.

IT REMAINS FOR US TO RENEW THE GREAT CONFESSION. Jesus said we are blessed if by the Spirit we can truly believe he is risen from the dead. Peter said in the epistle lesson that even though we have never seen Jesus we have a genuine love for him. We have come to know Him.

Has Jesus breathed on us? Are we alive in Him? Those doors cannot contain such wonderful news for very long!

I'm sure they did not grasp it fully then— nor even fifty days later at Pentecost— but the disciples— and you and I— are where God lives on this earth.

It was the Presence that kindled this trust. Jesus is faithful: he is with us here and now! If we will let Him he will live within us, and walk with us. We may not know all about Him, but we may know Him. He loves us, and his perfect love cast out fear. David said, "If I can just BE WITH YOU I will be all right! In your Presence is joy! "

Prayer - Hymn (Chorus)

#301 O Breath of Life, OR

# 716 So Send I You- By Grace Made Strong