19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” - John 20:19-23

Three Things Jesus Gives: Peace, Purpose, Power

Peace

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” - John 20:19

So far, none of the disciples have seen the risen Lord. Mary has. But John and Peter have only seen an empty tomb and the burial clothes. Mary was sent by Jesus to go announce His resurrection to the brothers, which she did (see John 20:17-18). How did the disciples respond to this news?

John doesn’t report that for us. Luke tells us that when Mary tells the apostles about the resurrection, they don’t believe her: “these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them,” (Luke 24:11; cf. Mark 16:11). Earlier, we were told that John does (in some sense) believe that Jesus has risen (see John 20:8-9). But, apparently John isn’t persuaded enough to recommend Mary’s testimony to the others. His belief appears to be shot through with doubt.

He does, however, tell us that the disciples have locked themselves in a room “for fear of the Jews.” This may not be a flattering portrayal of the disciples, but it isn’t irrational. If the Jewish leaders felt that they needed to kill of the leader, they may also think they need to kill of the disciples. It is, however, a sharp contrast with how the disciples behave in just a few weeks, where they will not only come out of hiding, but will loudly and dramatically proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. They will confront the very same Jewish leaders who killed Jesus in the midst of the temple (Acts 2-4).

• This is another helpful argument to consider when considering whether the resurrection occurred or not. Something happened to the disciples to transform them from timid, faithless followers hiding behind locked doors, to bold, public leaders of the new Christian movement—all of whom are violently persecuted for their belief. If Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave, then you must provide an explanation for how the church—in the midst of such hostility and with such cowardly leaders—overcame.

Nevertheless, in the midst of their fear and trembling, John (somewhat anticlimactically) tells us “Jesus came and stood among them.” Apparently, Jesus is able to blink into the room or simply pass through the walls. Just as Jesus was able to pass through the burial clothes. Kids, have you ever thought about this? The Bible tells us that Jesus’ resurrection body is a picture of what our resurrection body will be like. In its glorified state, apparently our bodies will be able to do things that it cannot now currently do. In a few weeks, Jesus will literally fly up into the sky (Acts 1:9). Maybe today over lunch, you could talk with your parents about what you think a resurrection body will be like.

Interestingly, we are told that Jesus’ resurrection body retains the wounds He received on the cross:

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. - John 20:20

The hands and side of Jesus are the sites of where the nails and spear were driven in. Presumably, Jesus is showing these to authenticate that He is, in fact, Jesus, not a pretender (see John 20:24-25). But, does the resurrection not heal our bodies of our wounds and scars? Are not our wounds and scars painful reminders of the curse this world (and our bodies) lie under? So, why is Jesus still scarred? Because Jesus’ scars are not marks of shame, but triumph. It was through these scars that He defeated sin, death, and hell, and redeemed His bride. In Revelation, John tells us that when he catches a sight of the heavenly Jesus, He looks like a lamb who was slain (Rev 5:6) and there the four living creatures and 24 elders sing:

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,

• Rev 5:9

The death of Jesus is something we celebrate because it is followed by the resurrection of Jesus, and together these great works of Christ have redeemed us and brought salvation to the world!

The first thing Jesus does when He appears to the disciples is proclaim: Peace be with you. And then, He shows them the wounds of the cross. THEN, the disciples were glad, and then Jesus again reiterates: “Peace be with you,” (John 20:21).

He doesn’t say, “Woe to you…you’re dead meat” He doesn’t say, “You wusses…you sniveling, two-timing, flakes—where’s your loyalty?” He doesn’t say, “Who are you again?” He says, Peace be with you. And it is when the disciples see the wounds of Jesus that the words really sink in. Why?

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

• Isa 53:5

The wounds of Jesus are the means by which He has made peace. The wages of sin are death—not only physical death, but eternal death: separation from God in the conscious eternal torment of hell. Our sins are against an infinitely holy, eternal God, and thereby have earned an infinitely just, eternal condemnation. Hell is the fair, just outcome from a good God who will righteously judge us. The surprise is not that God will be just—the surprise is that this God sends His own Son to take our place. In Jesus’ condemnation to the curse of the cross, He was showing that He was not only taking our place in our physical deaths, but the far weightier eternal death: the wrath of God. And because Jesus was the sinless, perfect, and eternal Son of God, He was capable of atoning for the full measure of the sins of His people, of paying the “record of debt that stood against us.” (Col 2:14) And when He resurrected from the dead, He proved that their sins were now fully paid for.

And He opens His palms, and reveals His wounds, and proclaims: Peace be with you.

What does this mean for you?

Jesus has blessed you with peace. Jesus isn’t hoping you have some peace, He isn’t wishing you had peace. He is the Prince of Peace, and He has bestowed it upon you. He was slain and by His blood He has ransomed you from the clutches of your sin.

Peace isn’t merely referring to a calm demeanor. It isn’t limited to your subjective emotional state. Peace is the harmony of the world with its Maker. Edenic Shalom. The symphony of Creator and Creation combine to make a beautiful melody. Sin is the scratching of the needle across that record. But Jesus has come to bring reconciliation—to unity all things in heaven and earth once more. So, you have…

Peace With God

Peace is reconciliation with God. You were at war with Him through your sin. But He has overcome—the war is over. God is no longer your enemy. His posture towards you is not coiled aggression or resentful irritation. We were enemies of God, but while we were enemies, Christ died for us and now we are reconciled to God (Rom 5:8-9). I was struck by the thought this week of Paul’s verbiage in Romans 7:

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. - Rom 7:23-25

Even when Paul’s own flesh carries on the campaign of war against God’s Law, He can rest in the deliverance that Jesus has won for Him.

Peace Within

Why does Paul open every letter he writes with “grace and peace to you”?

Be not anxious, but let the peace of Christ rule your hearts.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well

Peace With Each Other

To be reconciled with God is to be reconciled with one another. Describing two groups of Christians who despised one another, Paul exhorts:

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. - Eph 2:14-17

Who don’t you like?

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Rom 12:18-21

Purpose

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” - John 20:21

Why does Jesus leave? Why send flawed disciples to go be His representatives? Wouldn’t it be far better for Jesus to just stay on earth and establish Himself as the visible head of the church? The nature of the mission that Jesus provides is staggering:

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” - John 20:23

What does this mean? Only God can forgive sins. No church, no priest, no pastor can forgive you of your sins. That is true. But sometimes, zealous Protestants who are nervous about sounding a little too Roman Catholic manage to only ever say what this verse doesn’t mean. Or they will say, “This is referring to how people respond to the gospel—if they choose to listen to the message of the gospel, they are forgiven, if they don’t, they aren’t.” But that inverts the text. Jesus does not say: “If you preach about forgiveness and they reject your preaching, they aren’t forgiven.” The imagined future audience is not the subject of the verbs in Jesus’ statement: the apostles are.

So, what does it mean? (Plug for next week’s discipleship class)

This is John’s version of the key’s of the kingdom from Matthew’s gospel, where the church is given the authority to speak on earth on behalf of heaven: to bind and loosen. To say, “Here is an individual who really believes Jesus and so is forgiven of their sins,” or, “Here is one who isn’t.” The use of these keys are tied to church membership and the sacraments. Those whom the church proclaims to be real believers, are admitted into the church and the sacraments. Those whom the church determines are not, are prohibited.

As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us—and as Jesus spoke on behalf of the Father, so too do we speak on behalf of Christ.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. - 2 Cor 5:20

Why does Jesus send Mary to go announce His resurrection to the disciples when He appears to them Himself? Obviously, He didn’t need Mary to do that. Poor girl, wasn’t that hard for her?

Why did God not create the world fully cultivated? Why did He create it with just Adam and Eve and tell them to be fruitful and multiply? Couldn’t He have made a fully populated, fully cultivated world with human culture, cities, technologies, laws, music, etc. in place?

Power

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. - John 20:22

This isn’t Pentecost, but a symbolic act pointing forward to Pentecost.

Walk by the Spirit

This is the fountain of living waters Jesus promised would flow up from us. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’””