PEACE OF GOD
St. John's Lutheran Church / Atonement Lutheran Church
Second Sunday of Easter
Sermon on John 20:19-31
John 20:25: “25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.””
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Christ is risen! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
What is in a greeting? That sounds like a silly question, I know. But have you ever taken the time and thought about what a greeting is? Throughout time and culture, people have always greeted one another, usually with some form of a hand gesture or handshake and always with a word or phrase of greeting. But have you ever thought what these words mean or what they convey.
Most of our greetings usually has some form of seeking good will on a person when we meet them; for example, “have a nice day” you are wishing for that person to have a good day. Some cultures have greetings that acknowledge your person, like the Zulu word Sawubona (Sah-woo-BOH-nah) which means “I see you”. While other cultures have words that have not meaning, like the Japanese word “Moshi moshi” (which is used for greetings on telephone calls), have not meaning at all. But the most common type of greeting used throughout time and culture is a greet of peace.
What is peace, and why do we offer it to others when we greet them? Peace is a state of no conflict, strife, or quarreling. It's a state in which we exist in harmony with one another. We offer this peace to others in greeting in hope of civil discourse and faire trade. But in our world of constant warfare and strife among friends, families, and neighbors’ peace is something we wish to attain but one we can never get because of our fallen sinful nature.
Since the Fall the peace that we had with God has been destroyed by our sinful desire and behaviors. Since the Fall our sins have separated us from God. We quarreled with God and act as though we are an enemy of God by actively work against him. Since we do not have peace with God, we cannot have peace among ourselves, we quarrel and are quick to anger and violence, look at Cain and Abel.
Though our sins have broken our peace with God. God still loves us. Out of His great love for us, God came down from Heaven in the form of Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our sins. He was born of a virgin, He was tempted every way we are tempted, He suffered and died on the cross, to redeem us of our sins and to give use peace. Three days later, Christ rose from the dead – He is risen – to declare His victory over sin, death and the devil.
The Apostles, at that time, did not understand this. On that first Easter the Apostles we're afraid and overwhelmed with grief and loss of their friend and Messiah, Jesus Christ. By the time evening came Apostles have been hearing reports of Christ showing himself first to Mary Magdalene and then to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Now suddenly, out of nowhere Christ appeared standing among the Apostles, as if He was always there and just now made himself known to them. And said to them, “Peace be with you”.
Now in the ancient world writing space on papyrus or velum was at a premium. There was not a lot of space to write with, and the price of papyrus was expensive. This is why when you look at these ancient scrolls or books, there is very little space, if any, between the words and with very little, if there is any, literary embellishment. Generally, when they wrote, the wrote only what was most important, omitting unneeded dialog or explanations, they were straight to the point. So, when little details are written they are something to pay attention to, as they usually have a bigger meaning behind them. Like the word of Jesus greeting to the Apostles, “Peace be with you”.
So, when Christ appeared to the Apostles in that locked room and said, “Peace be with you”. He is saying more than a general greeting that you would give to your friends or to a stranger. No, Christ is making a statement, a statement about the relationship between God and man. Christ is saying that the Peace of God, that we broke in the Fall, has been restored. That through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, are our sins forgiven.
At hearing the words of Christ, I am sure the Apostles were reminded of what Christ said to them not long before His crucifixion, “27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
The peace that Christ gives us is certainly not the same peace that the world gives. The World gives us false peace. The World does give us a sense of peace from war and strife, but this peace is temporary at best. The world that God created, fell into sin when Adam and Eve sinned against God. The world, like our human nature, is now corrupted. So, the peace that the World gives cannot last.
The peace that Christ gives us is different. For Christ peace is the Peace of God. The Peace of God is the knowledge that we are loved by God and that our sins are forgiven. The Peace of God set us free from our sinful desires and give us a new desire for Christ and the good works He has set before us. Because God has given us His Peace, we can go out into the world, to our family and friend, and proclaim the love of God, the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting with Christ in Heaven.
Even though we have the Peace of God, we are still tempted by the sinful desire of heart. Too often do we fall back into our sinful thoughts and behaviors. Sin can create in us doubt about God. Doubt though in itself is not a sin, though uncheck it can lead one into disbelief, to deny God and His love, mercy and the forgiveness of our sins.
We see an example of this in our text today. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, and who is often referred to as doubting Thomas, is often maligned for his doubting. This is not fare, Luke tells us that when Christ first appeared to the ten Apostles on that first Easter day Christ said to them “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38)
The issue with Thomas is not his doubt but that his doubt turned into unbelief. “25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”” (John 20:25) Thomas did not just doubt the resurrection of Christ, but outrightly refused to believe in the resurrection of Christ unless he was convinced by his own sight and touch.
There are many in the World today, that feel the same way that Thomas did. And that is what sin can cause us to do, not just doubt God, but it can cause us to reject God love, mercy, and forgiveness. Sin causes us to lose the Peace of God. And without love, forgiveness and peace, we fall right back into our old quarrelsome ways. We begin to fight with God and among ourselves. We forget to show Christ love and mercy to our fellow man, instead we are quick to accuse and quick to violence.
Then what can we do? We to need daily look to the cross and remember God love for use. Remember Christ saving work for us on the cross, the forgiveness of our sins. We look to our baptism and remember that in our baptism our old sinful self has died with Christ, and we are given a new life in Christ. We need to read the word of God, the Bible. Pray to God, asking for forgiveness and knowing that He has already given it to us. Know that in Gods forgiveness, we are given Hi Peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding.
And in God peace, we can forgive those who may have wronged us. We can live with each other in Christian love and peace. In God Peace we can mend the broken hearts and restore damaged relationships and seek reconciliation. In God love and peace, we can bear one another’s burdens, encourage one another and build one another up. Let the peace of Christ dwell in us, let the word Christ teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.
“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) And Christ rose for all, to give the forgiveness of sins and a new live in Christ Jesus
Christ is risen! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED ALLELUIA!
May the love and peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
