A sermon based on John 20:19-31, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn
INTRO: I believe we’ve just experienced what I would call the most beautiful week of the entire year—I truly love Holy Week!
It makes me wonder: For those of us who experienced the fullness and beauty of this sacred week, did we take the opportunity to share it with someone who does not yet believe? Did we tell them about the spiritual journey we experienced as we walked through the passion and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?
What an amazing time of worship this past Sunday—it was filled with joy… for Jesus has conquered death and the grave to offer eternal life to everyone who believes in Him…..This is worth celebrating!
If you have experienced the transforming power of the resurrection, remember that we are recreated for something greater. We are made for more than just life as usual—we are called to join God in His mission and participate in what He is doing to change lives in our community and around the world!
Jesus Needs to Calm Their Fears
In today’s gospel reading, John 20, we find the risen Christ visiting His disciples. It was His first resurrection appearance to His disciples, who had assembled after the resurrection. He had already appeared to Mary Magdalene, and Peter and John had already believed that Jesus was risen because they went to the tomb and saw the empty tomb, and the grave cloth used to wrap the head of Jesus’ body was lying by itself, untouched…
But the rest of the disciples have not seen Jesus yet…. so He comes to them this Sunday morning to meet them, since almost all of them are together. The only person absent is Thomas.
As Jesus meets with them, the disciples are overwhelmed by fear. The situation remains confusing and chaotic. The text describes how they lock the door out of fear for their lives: the religious authorities who crucified Jesus may now be searching for His followers, possibly even issuing orders to capture them, dead or alive. In their uncertainty, the disciples wonder, “How can we return to our former lives? Is it even possible to go back to fishing, farming, or whatever we did before? Are we safe at all?”
Imagine their despair: How do you piece together a life that feels utterly shattered? All the hopes you once believed were from God now lie broken before your eyes, seemingly destroyed beyond repair.
Is this the end? Did we waste three and a half years following this Rabbi, only to arrive at a place of complete hopelessness?
The text says they were barricaded behind a locked door because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders (NLT). It’s similar to how, during an active shooter situation, people barricade doors with whatever furniture is available, desperately trying to prevent the threat from entering.
I imagine they looked at each other and said, “Guys, this is it. We have no hope left—we’re finished.”
It is in this desperate moment that Jesus enters the room. As the New Living Translation powerfully says, “Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them!” He breaks into their prison of fear, confusion, and disorientation.
Notice the very first thing Jesus says to them: “Peace be with you!” These were words they desperately needed—there was no peace inside them, only fear and anxiety. Suddenly, Jesus appears in His resurrected body, showing them He is truly alive. In that moment, it dawns on them: “He has really come back from the dead! He has defeated the grave and death—He is risen!” Twice, Jesus blesses them with the words, “Peace be with you!“
Application: You see, your circumstances might have left you behind a closed door—locked in by fear and hopelessness. But no door is strong enough to keep out God’s good news. No situation is hopeless enough to prevent Jesus from breaking into your heart and offering you His peace. Even now, He speaks to your restless soul: “Peace be with you!”
Only God’s good news can shatter your prison of fear and lead you into a life of faith and freedom. Only He can lift you from a place of total mess and fill your soul with a message of love, peace, and joy.
“As the Father Had Sent Me, So Send I You.”
Jesus enters to offer reassurance and peace to their troubled hearts—exactly what they needed in their panic and fear. But Jesus brings more than comfort; He comes with a greater purpose and message.
Notice their reactions: They were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. When Jesus showed them His hands and feet, they were overwhelmed with awe and delight at His resurrected body. They realized that something extraordinary—something unprecedented in history—had happened, and their joy overflowed.
Jesus enters to offer reassurance and peace to their troubled hearts—exactly what they needed in their panic and fear. But Jesus brings more than comfort; He comes with a greater purpose and message.
Notice their reactions: They were filled with joy at seeing the Lord.When Jesus showed them His hands and feet, they were overwhelmed with awe and delight at His resurrected body. They realized that something extraordinary—something unprecedented in history—had happened, and their joy overflowed.
Application: Did we rejoice last Sunday—Easter Sunday? Resurrection Sunday fills us with awe and excitement; it’s a day that gives us goosebumps and lifts our spirits.
But here’s the truth: Jesus came for more than just excitement. Yes, He came to give us assurance, to restore our hope, and to lead us in worship and praise for what God has done. But Jesus also came to give us an ASSIGNMENT—a global mission that would transform their lives and ours forever.
The risen Christ looked into the eyes of His hopeless, fear-stricken, and utterly discouraged disciples, and made it clear that their true work was only beginning. He declared, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21 NLT). They would remain the Ambassadors and Apostolic Voice of God to the nations.
This holy assignment shaped their plans, their lives, and their destinies forever—and it must shape how we serve the kingdom of God, too. The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. The disciples could never return to what “normal” meant before Jesus; now, God was redefining their eternal purpose. They were recreated in Christ for something greater than life as usual. The King, the Ruler of the universe, has died, been buried, and is now risen—calling them to continue the work He began.
They are now called the “Sent Ones!” Jesus says, “I am sending you because my work is not finished—I have only just begun. There is a whole world that needs to hear the good news: I have conquered death and the grave to save them.”
Application: Jesus’ mission to reclaim the world and bring it back to the Father is still ongoing—even today. Now, He sends us—His Church—in the same way the Father sent Him. But what does that mean? How has God the Father sent Jesus?
We don’t have to guess—Jesus explained what it means. He said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 KJV). Likewise, as a “Sent Congregation,” our priority is not simply to run programs, but rather to seek and to save those who are lost.
Application: By the way, how are we doing as a church? Do we realize that we are not just a community or a social club, but God’s sent ones? The Church exists as a disciple-making community—called to focus outward and make sacrifices to seek those who need to hear about His love and hope, revealed in His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit
As He spoke to them, the Bible says Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Why did Jesus breathe on them to receive the Holy Spirit? In the book of Acts, we read, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…” (Acts 1:8).
Jesus knew that obstacles and spiritual opposition would challenge the spread of the good news. But the promised Holy Spirit, who would dwell in them—and in us—would empower them for the task of reconciling a broken world to the Father.
Conclusion: You may ask, Pastor, what does this mean for us here at Our Savior? Let me remind you: the Resurrection of Christ, which we just celebrated, is truly the greatest news the world has ever heard!
On Friday night, the four crew members of NASA’s Artemis II moon mission returned to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 8:07 p.m. ET. The 10-day mission around the Moon, including launch, a lunar flyby, and a safe splashdown, covered a total of 695,081 (about 700,000) miles from launch to splashdown, about 4,105 miles farther than Apollo 13.
The Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to journey toward the Moon, setting a new record for the farthest distance ever traveled from Earth. This achievement stands as one of the most remarkable feats in recent human history.
Yet nothing compares to the resurrection of Jesus Christ…..The Resurrection is truly the greatest news the world has ever heard!
Death has been defeated, and we no longer need to live in fear. Christ is risen, and life is transformed—evil no longer has the final say in our lives.
Therefore, every baptized Christian should heed the words of our Lord: “As the Father has sent me, so now I send you.” By virtue of our baptism, we are not only empowered but also are responsible to sharing this good news with others.
QUOTE: Mother Teresa once counseled her Missionaries of Charity by saying, “Just go and offer God’s love to someone else. Smile at someone. Show them the joy that God has given you in your life. Don’t let anyone ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” This is one way we can share the good news of our Lord with others. “As the Father has sent Christ, so now He sends us!” Go! HE IS RISEN!
0 Comments