Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-21-april-2024-keeping-up-appearances
As you know, we’re half-way through the school holidays. In the church calendar, we’re also about half way between the resurrection of Jesus at Easter and his ascension to Heaven. The gospel writers didn’t devote much space to this 40-day period. We rely mostly on John to find out what happened during that time, although there are other records, some of which we’ll meet later.
Even John left a lot out. In chapters 20 and 21, he tells us of Mary Magdalene first meeting the risen Jesus, then gives details of three interactions between Jesus and his disciples. He points out that
“In his disciples’ presence, Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.”
That last sentence is aimed at us as much as the original readers. I thought I’d go over just some of what happened between Jesus and his disciples after the resurrection, and hopefully learn a little about our own relationship with Jesus.
On the evening of the first Easter Sunday, we can imagine that, to put it mildly, the disciples were not in a good frame of mind. They were mourning; Jesus was dead. Mary said she had seen and talked with him, risen and alive, but could that really be true? They were in hiding, in fear that the authorities would be after them next. They were discouraged and unsure of the future – surely Jesus hadn’t abandoned them?
But John 20: 19-20 tells us:
Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord.
In all their fear and misery, at their lowest ebb, Jesus knew where to find the disciples. Think of the calming effect the words of the greeting “Peace be with you” would have had. I expect some at least of the disciples would have harboured doubts about this seeming ghost, but Jesus pre-empted that response by showing his wounds – real wounds on a real body. “The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord.”
We can sometimes be in our own dark room, shut in by grief, doubt, hurt, all sorts of reasons. Yet the way the newly risen Jesus acted reminds us that he will find us in our locked rooms, and bring peace, surety, hope, and yes, joy.
One of the disciples, Thomas, had missed this momentous event. He was told about it, but wouldn’t believe until he’d seen evidence with his own eyes. John 20:26-29 tells us:
A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then stretch out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting and believe!”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!”
Jesus, without being asked, showed Thomas his wounds, just as he had the other disciples a week earlier. Jesus already knew Thomas’s doubts, just as he knew the doubts of the others. And finally, Thomas now believed that the person before him was not just Jesus, friend, teacher, Messiah, Son of God, but he was God “My Lord and my God” Thomas said.
Looking back with a 2000 year advantage, I get a bit frustrated with the disciples sometimes. They just about lived with Jesus for three years, they heard all his teaching, saw his miracles, saw his human-ness and godliness, yet it often seems they didn’t ‘get it’. It took the death and resurrection of Jesus before they really saw him as God. We may not have seen the actual body of the risen Jesus, but we do have the eyewitness testimonies of the disciples, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. How happy are those who believe without seeing!
John tells us of another episode in which the disciples met the risen Jesus, although as I mentioned earlier, there were other times.
A group of disciples, including Thomas this time, decided to go fishing. We are not told why; I’m sure there are some of you who don’t need a reason to go fishing! Perhaps they had so much going on in their lives that they needed to do something familiar, to do something from their old lives to help them process their new ones. Whatever their reason, the fish didn’t want to be part of it.
We read in John 21: 4-6:
They went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing. As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then he asked them, “Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”
“Not a thing,” they answered. He said to them “Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.” So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish.
It was only after witnessing this miracle that the disciples realised it was Jesus.
John 21: 12 tells us:
None of the disciples dared ask him “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
Jesus then had an important conversation with Simon, which ended with the two words “Follow me!”
Does this scene ring any bells? I’m thinking of the time, soon after he had started his ministry, when Jesus met some fishermen by a lake shore.
Come with me, and I will teach you to catch men.” At once they left their nets and went with him. ‘
“Follow me!” in other words.
They did follow him, without knowing what that would entail. After Jesus had completed the hard road to the cross and proved that death could be defeated, he felt able to ask everything of the people he had rescued. As believers, we too are included in that call to ‘Follow me’. The fishing episode also reminds us that just as they only succeeded with the help of Jesus, so we too must rely on him.
As the first person to meet the risen Jesus, Mary Magdalene had not recognised him – she thought he was the gardener, until he said her name. Luke tells us that Jesus joined two followers as they walked to Emmaus, but they didn’t recognise him until he broke bread and blessed it. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, but he disappeared from their sight.
The fishing disciples did not recognise Jesus until they caught lots of fish.
Not recognising someone you have seen frequently over the last three years seems hard to fathom. But it’s not impossible; believe me, I’m an expert at not recognising people.
Some time ago, Nicky and I were on the Silica Rapids walk in the Tongariro National Park. A group of people were coming in the opposite direction, and one stopped to talk to me, addressing me by name. We talked briefly and carried on our way. “Fancy meeting him out here” said Nicky – “Yes, but who was it?” I replied. She reminded me that he was one of the managers where I worked.
I put my lack of recognition down to the fact that I was used to seeing him in a work environment, but meeting him unexpectedly, out of context, meant I didn’t make the connection. This could have applied to Mary and the disciples being out of context. They thought Jesus was dead, or perhaps risen and gone, so would not connect him with the characters they met. But actually, Jesus chose not be recognised.
Some years ago, Nicky got used to people coming up and greeting me, wherever we went it seemed, even away on holiday. She claims women used to come and throw their arms round me like long lost friends. I’m not sure about that, but each time Nicky would say “Who was that” and I’d answer “I’ve no idea.”
There was a logical explanation. In Palmerston North, my job involved presenting science shows to school classes and public groups. I also had some up-front roles in a church and children’s ministries. Members of an audience would be focussed on me for a while, but generally I would not be aware of individuals in the audience. So they got to know me, but I didn’t know many of them. I have met one person, an adult now, who was really disappointed when I didn’t recognise him, despite it being 12 years since I’d taught him briefly at a Christian camp. He could even repeat some of what I had said!
Jesus’s audiences were probably similar, in that they were concentrated on him, listening to his words and watching him perform miracles. What was different was that he knew every single person in his audiences, inside out. Like he does us.
People in the crowds may have seen what Jesus did, but could not really see who he was. This was partly why the risen Jesus chose not to be recognised in some of his encounters with his disciples; he didn’t want to be recognised by what he looked like, rather by what he did. So when he made himself known, it was like opening the eyes of people to who he was.
Remember that you can expect to encounter Jesus at any time, in any place, in any way, even if you don’t recognise him at first.
Take a few moments to remember times Jesus has opened your eyes to his presence.
Let’s go back to the first encounter with the disciples in the closed room. Jesus was starting to get through to the disciples, getting them to realise who he was, and at the same time calming them, reassuring them. Surely that was enough for now. But no, Jesus went further; he chose this moment to introduce his mission for them, and what’s more he gave them the Holy Spirit to help them in his absence.
John 20: 21-23 says:
Jesus said to them again “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
The relationship between this anointing and that described later in Acts is not clear. One view is that the disciples were given a power and authority that would be confirmed permanently a few weeks later. Which brings us to the last appearance of Jesus with his disciples.
We read in Acts 1:6-9:
When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”
Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”
During the 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus prepared the disciples for his departure, and for the coming of the Holy Spirit afterwards. Because of their belief, because of their doubts, failings and lack of confidence, Jesus was committed to using the disciples to build his church and spread his message throughout the world. His trust in them was obviously well-founded; after all, his message reached us. Jesus gave confidence and power to imperfect people so they could found a church and continue his ministry. And it falls to us, imperfect people, to carry on the work with confidence in a risen Lord.
Tawa Baptist 