Easter
Sunday
The Collect
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LMIGHTY
God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and
opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by
thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so
by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same
Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost
ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first
day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled
for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them,
Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands
and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so
send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are
remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John
20:19-23)
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called
Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (John 20:19-24)
I love the poetic beauty and meaning of the Song
of Solomon. In chapter 4, verse 12, we read this wonderful description of the
Church: A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain
sealed. (Song 4:12) Of course, it goes without saying that whatsoever thing
applies to the whole applies equally to its several parts. It is individual
hearts – not merely bodies – that comprise the church; therefore, every
Christian’s heart must, too, be a Garden Enclosed.
There a many gems of mystery and delight
concealed in the seeming simplicity of meaning presented in today’s Gospel text
from John 20:19-23 & 24. Four salient points stand out starkly in the very
first verse (19):
1.
The TIME of the setting for
the narrative;
2.
The SHUT DOOR;
3.
The GROUP assembled;
4.
The PRESENCE revealed.
The Time
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first
day of the week The occasion was the first day of the week (our Sunday) on the
day that the most good that had ever been done for the sake of lost man had
occurred. Christ had risen from the Grave on this early morning even before the
rising of the sun. But the occasion that brought these men together was not to
celebrate that glorious event of the day, but out of fear of the Jews. That
stormy night when their vessel was being swamped by the wind-swept billows of
the Galilean Sea, when Jesus came walking on the tumultuous deep to their aid,
was not forefront to their minds on this evening. They feared then as now. They
feared the most when they had the least to fear. If we can, at least, always
remember that Christ is forever with us in that Valley of the Shadow of Death,
we will not despair of faith and hope. The disciples gathered in the shut-up
room had forgotten that Jesus had told them that He would arise on the third
day; else, they did not believe Him. Even before He appeared to them in visual
form, He had been there among them. He is surely with you, friend, as well as
you study and meditate upon today’s Gospel text – or, do you doubt His Word
even as did His closest disciples? “….lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. (Matt 28:20) To the Jewish chronicler, the week is identical
in number with the musical scale of seven notes, and the next is the eighth and
beginning note of the succeeding one. So the first day of the week was often
mentioned as the eighth day. Eight signifies, numerologically, “new beginnings.”
It is the day upon which the children of Israel were circumcised, and the
number of souls that were saved for a new beginning on the Ark of Noah. So the
first Easter Sunday represents our new beginning in Christ.
The Shut Door
“….when the doors were shut” Why were the doors
shut? To protect from the world of danger that lurked beyond those doors. The doors
were not shut to imprison those within, but to protect from the danger without.
If the doors were shut, how was it possible for Christ to enter in bodily form?
For one thing, the Body of Christ was a glorified Body following His
resurrection. It was not subject to the physical limitations of our flesh-bound
bodies. But for another, no DOOR can preclude the entry of Christ to His
people. Christ Himself is the only DOOR that matters to us. A DOOR serves two
purposes: to admit entry, or to deny entry. Christ is the DOOR to salvation and
to the Kingdom of God. He was the DOOR, symbolically of Noah’s Ark. That DOOR
made secure those who were in the will and presence of God, and it denied entry
to those of the world who had too long denied Him. He is the DOOR of His Church
– “….no man cometh unto the Father but by ME.” The Church is a Garden Enclosed.
A Garden requires cultivation and safeguarding. The rodents (demons) and weeds
(sin) must be barred entry. Unfortunately, the Church of today is in disarray
for the door has been left open. All manner of evils and many demons have come
to roost in her branches. Such churches do not belong to Christ, but to the
demons to whom they admit entry.
The Group Assembled
“…where the disciples were assembled” This, dear
friends, seems to represent (to me) the embryonic Church on the first full day
of its purchase! God will use whatever device is required to sustain His Church
and bring together its members. In this case, it was fear, but that fear led to
a wonderful revelation which would never, in future, be forgotten by these
disciples and apostles. Incidentally, you will remember that “fear is the
beginning of knowledge.” A good teacher will often know that a single
dissertation of the lesson may not suffice – repetition aids recall. So, even
though Christ has clearly told these men what to expect after His death on the
cross, they have forgotten the lesson. He now appears to the gathered Church to
reinforce that lesson. For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20) Regardless your concept of the
Communion Service, you must freely admit that Christ is spiritually present at
every Table of the Lord. The group gathered behind the shut doors was the first
Church service of the New Testament Church. They were enclosed with Christ who
is truly ALWAYS the DOOR of our salvation.
The Presence Revealed
If you believe the words of Christ, you will
always remember that where two or three are gathered together in His name,
there He is among them. The environment matters not a whit – it is the gathered
hearts that constitute a Church gathering. Prison bars are no worth in shutting
Christ out. Neither are cathedral gates. He enters always wherever His people
are assembled. We always have that Presence of Christ with us when we consume
the Bread of Heaven and drink the Water of Life from the pages of His Word. I
feel that Presence as I write and am reminded that I must never be flippant in
my labors for Him. He warmly touches the wings of my heart and whispers
thoughts of beauty and love to my thirsty soul. He is with the little child
crossing the bridged stream, and He is with the weary old saint trudging the
Narrow Way that leads up to the Straight Gate. If we do not learn ANYTHING else
from today’s lesson, let us know that Christ never forsakes His own. I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb 13:5) It is a thrill for me to know
that the great cloud of witnesses in Christ also include my beloved kin and
friends who have preceded me in death and who died in Christ. Is it not a
comfort of immeasurable proportion, friend? What is the greatest reward of
having Christ in constant attendance with His people? It is a peace that
surpasses all understanding, for He forever speaks to His people: Peace be unto
you.
Now these great gems that appear early in the
text are simple doors for further revelation of His wonderful grace towards us.
Christ never comes to create doubt, but to our hearts to understanding. He
proves His Presence to our love-famished hearts. 20 And when he had so said, he
shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when
they saw the Lord. Can we blame the disciples for their doubts engendered by
the terrors and horrors of the previous days? Would we have carried on with
greater trust and faith? I doubt it! Nothing so wonderful had ever happened in
the history of the world, so we may dismiss our hard judgments and grant a
fullness of grace and understanding to these men whose lives later demonstrated
a willingness to die for our Lord and, in fact, DID do so. Not many ‘reverend
fathers’ would have half the faith and courage of these disciples – both men
and women. A greater understanding always results in a larger measure of peace.
After seeing the risen Lord, whom they had witnessed crucified and dead, they
were “glad.” But one reassurance is always supported by others. Faith in Christ
is like the budding of a red rose of early June. The rosebud is tightly closed
in on itself until Nature’s God dictates the time of its opening. It then
reveals an inner beauty, pedal by pedal, that is beyond the skill of man to
duplicate.
A further commission given to the disciples, and
to us, is revealed in the next line of Christ’s counsel: 21 Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
God the Father sent His only Begotten Son to redeem us from our sins by dying
on the cross. Have you died to self lately? Doesn’t taking up our cross daily
mean, also, dying daily to self? Thankfully, God does not require our physical
bodies to be hung on a rude cross, or to be burned at the stake. He asks far
less – that we surrender our selfish motives and greedy inclinations daily in
favor of a loving concern for the little child who has no father, or lacks
bodily nourishment. It means casting our prideful rags from our shoulders and
admitting, on every occasion possible, that we are followers of Christ and
believers of His Word. Do we allow biblical truth to be trampled upon in the
public square? Are we silent on issues of biblical morality such as
homosexuality or abortion simple because we want to ‘fit in’ with the values of
the world? Careful, Christian professor, lest you fit in too well with the
world and become like unto it!
Christ has given us the Holy Ghost. As
Christians, we cannot reject this great Resource for the benefit of our souls
and testimony. It is given to the Church as a Lamp unto our Feet and a Light
unto our Path. Rather than parsing every jot and tittle of the law (that is,
worshipping in truth only), we must now combine the clear words of Truth with
the ameliorating grace of the Holy Spirit. But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for
the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23) Even if the Pharisees
relied upon scriptural truth, they lacked the love to forego hard judgment and
administer that truth in the love of God. Truth without the attending Spirit
can even appear as a great lie! 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on
them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost can be at
every place and at all times. Peter had such great and manly courage that he
severed the ear of the guard who came for Christ in the Garden that fateful
night; yet, just minutes later, poor Peter (separated physically from Christ)
denied His Lord three times. Being vested with the Holy Ghost, the Church now
has its marching orders, and the means whereby those orders may be executed through
the power of the Spirit. His final line is a commission, not to the individual
believer, but to the Christ-like Church: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they
are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
The lectionary did not include verse 24 in the
prescribed text today, but I did add it. Now you will find out why. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called
Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Do you see what glorious joys
are missed when we fail to attend the worship of the Church? Thomas was a doubter because Thomas was
not, at this time, diligent to know the truth. He was absent from Church this
Sunday of the resurrection and would, therefore, have to learn at a later time
the marvelous mystery Christ would have taught him this day had he attended
service. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)
The Word of God is so refreshing and fulfilling
that I wish time and interest would permit me to go on and on; but even an
acorn of truth is better than an heart devoid of an acorn of it. God bless.
