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This is a sermon based on John 20:19-29 regarding one of the post-resurrection appearances of Christ to His disciples. The message focuses on the three occurances of the phrase, "Peace be unto you" that are found in this Scripture.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
I noticed in these verses that there is a phrase spoken by Jesus three different times. The phrase I am referring to is, “Peace be unto you.”
The repetition of that phrase seems to highlight three different reasons that we human beings need to experience the peace of God that is offered through Jesus Christ.
Transition:
I believe that this passage of Scripture demonstrates that Jesus offers peace to us in times of fear; in times of jubilation; and in times of persistent doubt. All three of these conditions are presented in our Scripture lesson and they occur immediately after the resurrection of Jesus.
I. Jesus offers peace in the midst of paralyzing fear.
Fear is a crippling emotion. Fear is something that we all experience in one way or another at various times in life.
A. There were at least two reasons for the disciples of Jesus to be filled with fear.
1. Fear for their own safety. “…for fear of the Jews”
In verse 19, we read that the disciples were gathered in a room or place and the door was shut. It also states that they were there “in fear of the Jews.” It is not clear whether the phrase “for fear of the Jews” is meant to explain why they were assembled, or to explain why the “door was shut.” It seems appropriate to assume that it was both.
Some (see Adam Clarke) have proposed the idea that the door was not only shut, but barricaded and / or locked. (IVP Bible Background Commentary) “Proper residences were equipped with bolts and locks.”
Their fear of the Jews is understandable in light of what had happened to their Master in the preceding days. Even though Jesus had commanded on the night of His arrest, “Let these go away.” (18:8) The grammatical construction indicates He ordered them to let the disciples go, which seems to imply that Jesus would have prevented them from harming the disciples. (Supported by Adam Clarke and others.) However, they could have also recalled the words of the Lord when He said, “…The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you….” (Jn. 15:20)2. Fear of unexpected and unexplainable phenomena. “… Jesus stood in the midst.”
First of all, they were scared to death that someone would find out where they were gathered and would send soldiers to arrest them. They’ve shut the door and perhaps even barricaded and locked it. Now, all of the sudden, there is a man who has just appeared with them in the room. It looks like Jesus, but all they can think of is a ghost. Luke says that they “supposed that they had seen a spirit.”
For many people, the sudden appearance of a person in close proximity to us when we are not expecting it would be a tremendous fright. So, if you couple these two circumstances together: fear of what the Jews might do to them, plus this sudden appearance of a person in the room when the door is shut and barricaded, you have a genuine recipe for paralyzing fear.
B. Jesus speaks comfort and peace to calm their fears.
“Peace be unto you” - was the standard Jewish greeting, but it was meant to communicate peace… (IVP BBC) The word “peace” carried a full range of meaning from the simple “absence of conflict,” to a rich and complete expression of tranquility, mental health, prosperity and welfare.
Jesus knows immediately and intimately that they are full of conflict; they have no tranquility and no calmness. So He calms them down by pronouncing a blessing of peace upon them that they have undoubtedly heard Him give many times before. And, He reinforces His comforting words with evidence of His identity (hands and side), and with His request for food (to prove He isn’t just a spirit or apparition).
Dear friends, Jesus can enter your chaotic room of fear today and speak peace to your soul too. He who has conquered death and the grave is certainly capable of conquering your “dragons” of fear! Praise God!
II. Jesus offers peace in the midst of unparalleled jubilation.
After Jesus confirms His identity and confirms His physical reality, the disciples erupt in joy and jubilation.
The KJV says, “Then were the disciples glad.”
(Matthew Henry) The evangelist seems to write it with somewhat of transport and triumph. Then! then! were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord, If it revived the spirit of Jacob to hear that Joseph was yet alive, how would it revive the heart of these disciples to hear that Jesus is again alive?
Luke’s account reports, “They believed not for joy and wondered.” This seems to imply that their joy caused them to have difficulty trying to rationally explain what their eyes were seeing.
I don’t know about you, but I get the impression here that the disciples were beside themselves with joy and excitement. I can’t prove this, but I can just imagine that they are jumping around and hugging each other and hugging the Lord. I can imagine that they are whooping and yelling while slapping each other on the backs.
In John 20:21 it reads, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Whoa! Right here in the middle of all their excitement, Is Jesus throwing a “wet blanket” on their celebration? It almost seems that way.
(Matthew Henry) The former salutation was to still the tumult of their fear, that they might calmly attend to the proofs of his resurrection; this [salutation] was to reduce the transport of their joy, that they might sedately hear what he had further to say to them….
I don’t know if you get this impression or not, but I tend to view this second pronouncement of peace to be His way of saying something like this…“Now men, I know you’re delighted and overjoyed, and I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I have something else to say that you need to hear, so calm yourselves and listen up. I have accomplished the mission that my Father has sent me to do, now I have a mission I want you to do. It’s fine and appropriate for you to express all this excitement and this joy, but don’t forget the mission. Don’t get all caught up in celebration and enjoying this moment and end up forgetting about the work that must be done.”
Dear friends, you know how life is. One minute there is unbelievable fear, worry and anxiety, then the next minute there is so much joy and reason for celebration.
Jesus not only offers peace and comfort in the time of fear, but He also offers peace when excitement and celebration threatens to get our focus off of the vital mission He has for us to complete. We need to feel joy and express joy over the resurrection, but we need to get that joy and message out to a lost and dying world; not simply soak it all up for ourselves.
III. Jesus offers peace in the midst of doubt and uncertainty.
There is one more pronouncement in this report given by John.
It is a different day. In fact, it is now eight days since the last event we just spoke about. The disciples are gathered together again only now there is someone else with them who wasn’t with them before – Thomas.
Jn. 20:26 “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.”
More than one commentator speaks to the fact that Thomas missed out on the first gathering of the disciples that he should have attended. All of them emphasized the fact that the very meeting Thomas missed was the one in which Christ appeared and gave a special proof of His own resurrection. If Thomas had made it to the previous meeting, he probably wouldn’t be known today as he is known – “Doubting Thomas.”
So, here they are, meeting once again behind closed doors. Again, Jesus just appears in the room. I am confident that Jesus knows already that Thomas is with the group this time. So, Jesus enters the room and speaks the same salutation as before, “Peace be unto you.” (Spoken to all of them , but I believe, with special significance to Thomas.)
It seems as though Jesus is saying, “Peace to you too, Thomas.”
The reason it is so easy for me to draw this meaning is because the very next words of Jesus are also directed specifically to Thomas as He urges Him to verify for himself that He truly is the risen Christ. He grants him “proof positive” in order to eliminate all doubts. When doubts and confusion threaten to overtake us, and we are struggling with faith, the Lord appears with words of peace and assurance. He comes at the right moment and He comes to alleviate our skepticism, doubts, and unbelief.
Peace – the calmness that makes faith suddenly seem logical and reasonable. Jesus knows exactly how to remove all those swirling clouds of confusion and doubt and leave us with the sunshine of love and faith.
Conclusion:
I suppose that I am talking to some people today who have had these same roller coaster emotions; genuine fear and doubt as well as jubilation and excitement. Both of these extremes have the potential to completely rob us of the steady confidence of faith.
But our Lord Jesus Christ understands our plight and offers us His divine solution – the Peace that Passes Understanding; peace in the midst of the storm; peace that only God can give.
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