Scripture: John 20:19-31
Resurrected and Resurrecting One, touch my mouth and all of our hearts, that the words about to be spoken and the words about to be heard, might somehow be your word and not simply our own. Amen.
This morning is the Second Sunday of the Easter season. In today’s scripture, we hear the story of the Resurrected Jesus appearing to many of the disciples. And we are invited to consider how the resurrection might appear in our lives. How might the resurrection appear in our lives?
To fully appreciate this story, we need to start with its context: both its placement in the biblical text and the details the writer of John shares. Let’s first look at the context the writer of John shares.
Our scripture says that it was the evening of the same day that Jesus was resurrected. Another way to say it is that it is the third evening after Jesus’ crucifixion. The disciples have heard Mary’s testimony of Jesus’ resurrection, but they are still gripped by the terror of crucifixion. Our text says, “the doors were locked for fear of the religious authorities.” I can only imagine that they are huddled together in trauma and fear, locked behind a solid door.
The writer of John’s gospel’s emphasis on the palpable terror of crucifixion is absolutely necessary for this story. I know I say this every year, but it’s only because Dr. Serene Jones, my professor of Systematic Theology, made us promise we would never preach about resurrection without talking about crucifixion. (She also made us promise we would never preach about crucifixion without talking about resurrection.) We cannot understand one without the other.
The second piece of context for our story is that our passage from this morning follows directly the story that many of us read last week during our Easter services. Today’s story is the writer of John’s gospel telling us of the resurrected Jesus’ second and third appearance to the disciples. The first is from last week’s encounter. In it, Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener and, wracked with grief, probably fearing his crucified corpse has been stolen, she asks if he knows where she can find Jesus’ body. Remember, Mary was one of only four people who stood at the foot of the cross and bore witness to Jesus’ crucifixion. And, seeing Mary’s despondency, Jesus simply says her name, “Mary.”
When she hears her name, said with love and intimacy, she recognizes the Resurrected One.
When have you heard resurrection call you by name? [pause]
This morning’s story is about some of the other disciples. It includes Peter, who, faced with the crucifixion, denied knowing Jesus. It includes John, who stood with Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Clopas, and Jesus’ mother Mary, and bore witness to the crucifixion. And it includes many who, when faced with the crucifixion, ran and hid. Whatever their initial behavior in the face of crucifixion, Peter, John, and many of the other disciples are now locked behind a door, hiding. And the Resurrected Jesus comes to them: comes to the one who denied him, comes to the one who never left him, and comes to the ones who fled at Jesus’ moment of deepest pain and oppression.
Our text says, “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
When they see Jesus’ wounds, the place where Empire inflicted pain and death, fear is turned to rejoicing. The Resurrected One is recognized through their wounds. When have you recognized resurrection as wounds transformed?
But Thomas isn’t among them when the Resurrected Jesus visits. And he can’t let go of his fear until his sees and touches Jesus’ wounds for himself. And, like Peter’s denial and the other disciples’ fear, Thomas’ doubt doesn’t stop the Resurrected One from coming to him. Instead, the Resurrected Jesus appears with the same shalom and tenderness he showed to the others.
It is as if Jesus invites Thomas, and all of us, saying, “It’s OK that you are still wracked with fear. Here, reach out, touch those places where Empire’s violence tried to kill me. Here, reach out and touch where once I was dead but, see, now I am alive.” [pause]
As many of you know, my family and I were almost killed in a car accident seven months ago. I was driving when a 47-year-old named Brian probably had a medical emergency and crossed the center line going 55 mph and hit our car. I sustained six broken vertebrae and almost lost my right leg. Over the course of the past seven months, I have been prayed to life by many of you. And I will never be able to express the depth of my gratitude.
A few weeks ago, I traveled to New York to attend a memorial service. While I was there, I went to church with my dear friend, Macky. We hadn’t seen each other since the accident. And when I walked into church, he took me in his arms and wept. And then he ran his hand along my back and my leg. And he just kept saying, “you’re alive, you’re alive.”
As Macky touched my broken and healing body, I was overcome with the power of resurrection.
[pause]
When the Resurrected Jesus offers their wounded body for Thomas to touch, the Resurrected One says to Thomas and to all of us, “Do not doubt, but believe.”
And this is the other important lesson from today’s scripture. The Latin word for believe is credo which literally means “to give one’s heart to.” One of the things that happens amidst crucifixion is that hearts become frozen, and cut off, and hardened. Mary Magdalene’s heart is gripped by despondency. Many of the disciples’ have locked their hearts behind bolted doors. And Thomas has withheld his heart… all because of the power of Empire’s violence… all because of the power of death.
In this twentieth chapter of John’s gospel, we are invited to put ourselves in Mary’s place and in the place of Peter, and John, and Thomas, and the other disciples.
Can we, with Mary, hear the Resurrected One call our names? We are invited, with Peter, to not be destroyed by the ways we’ve denied God’s justice, love, and joy. Can we?
With John, we are gently guided away from being ashamed of the trauma that bearing witness to the world’s crucifixions brings. Can we bear it?
With the other disciples, we are invited to not be defensive about all the times we ran away and didn’t resist Empire’s violence. Can we forgive ourselves?
And with Thomas, our attention is drawn to all the places where we’re guarding our hearts and, instead, are asked what we need to believe.
[pause]
Now, I want to go back and say one thing: I don’t want you to think that I am putting myself in the place of Jesus in the story I shared. I’m super clear that I am not Jesus! But I do want to offer my own testimony. I stand before you today as one who was touched by death and yet still lives. God has found my wounds and transformed them—through the prayers and palpable acts of so many. And I am asking myself, how do I bear witness to resurrection in my life?
How about you? On this second Sunday of Easter, amidst far too much ongoing crucifixion in our world and pain in our own lives, the Resurrected One comes and stands amongst us. How do you respond? How do we respond together?
Amen.
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