1. Christ is risen, He’s risen, indeed, alleluia! The message from God’s Word on this 2nd Sunday of Easter is taken from John 20:19-31, it’s entitled, “It’s All About Jesus,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. On every page in God’s Word, in every theme, in every major character and every major plot twist, we’re invited to see God’s unfolding work to make all things new and whole in Jesus. One of my favorite books to read is, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” by Alexandre Dumas. It’s more than a thousand pages of love, betrayal, prison, escape, murder, and above all revenge or justice. The book centers on Edmond Dantes as the central character. The entire plot is driven by what happens to him and what he does. Every single page is about Edmond Dantes (the Penguin Classics edition on Amazon is more than 1,200 pages).
3. It was written nearly two hundred years ago, so I don’t feel too bad if I spoil some of the plot here, but I will avoid giving away any more than I must. Edmond Dantes was wronged, multiple times and in multiple ways. As a result, he bears the burden of trying to make things right. He alone bears the burden because no one else is in a position to restore order. So, he orchestrates a big plan to bring about the maximum amount of justice and he patiently executes each phase of this plan. The entire story revolves around Edmond Dantes.
4. But here is the thing about reading, “The Count of Monte Cristo”: You can go dozens and even hundreds of pages without seeing or hearing from Edmond Dantes. It’s a big book. It is set in lots of locations, with lots of characters and subplots. And there are giant sections of the book where the name, “Edmond Dantes,” is nowhere to be found. But even those paragraphs, pages, and chapters in which Dantes isn’t mentioned, even those parts are all about Edmond Dantes and his plan to bring about justice.
5. Sometimes you see him, sometimes you do not. He might not be speaking. People might not even know his name or his story. The character you are reading about might never have even heard of his existence. As a reader, there are times when you have no idea what he is doing. In fact, he might be acting through an agent or under an alias, but it is all about Edmond Dantes and what he is doing every step of the way. Once you realize this fact, that is when the story comes alive!
6. We see these very themes in John 20. The disciples see Jesus, but then they do not. But then they do. What we see over these eight days beginning on Easter is just what Jesus said would happen. Jesus confused His listeners earlier in John 7:32-36 and in John 8:21-30 when He told them about the nature of His presence with them, and His hiddenness. Sometimes you see Him, sometimes you do not. Though John was referring explicitly to his own gospel account of Jesus’ life, his words in 20:31 are true of all of Scripture: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” It is all about Jesus.
7. Here in John 20, we learn that the disciples had blown it. In their sinful pride, they had vowed their allegiance to the Lord, but in the time of testing they had deserted Him. Most of them were nowhere to be found on Good Friday. They cowered in fear, horrified as the events of that dark day unfolded.
8. Three days later they were still afraid, gathered together behind locked doors. They knew the tomb was empty but didn’t understand the significance of the events of that day. Suddenly, an uninvited guest was in their midst. A stone could not keep Jesus in the tomb and a locked door would not stop Jesus from coming to His disciples. His disciples deserved a harsh rebuke. They had turned away. Instead of accusations, though, there is absolution. Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you.” Sin is forgiven. Fears are removed. The relationship is restored. Unbelief dissipates.
9. Not only would the apostles be forgiven, they would be sent out as forgivers. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son now sends out those who belong to Him. He breathes on them, but this is no ordinary breath—this is the promised Holy Spirit, bestowed upon them for their calling. They were to go forth telling others about the events of the past three days. But, they were more than eyewitness reporters. Their calling was to distribute the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection. They were to proclaim repentance and forgiveness. To those who acknowledged their sin, they were under orders to forgive them. To those who refused to repent, they were to withhold forgiveness. As Christ’s saving mission was coming to a close, their mission was just beginning. They were to speak Christ’s words. They were to forgive in Christ’s name as they had been forgiven.
10. Through His Church, absolution is proclaimed to repentant sinners. The Church calls pastors to speak as Jesus spoke and to forgive as Jesus forgave. Since Christ has given this authority to His Church, you not only get to learn about what Jesus did some 2,000 years ago, you actually receive what He accomplished for you on the cross. You not only learn that Jesus died for your sins, but your sins are forgiven. You not only discover that through Christ’s death and resurrection you are reconciled with the Father, but you receive that peace. You not only hear about who the Spirit is, but He comes and dwells in your heart. You can be certain that your sins are forgiven. You have your risen Lord’s word of absolution as a guarantee.
11. It’s interesting to me how, “The Count of Monte Cristo” was originally published as a serial in eighteen parts over the span of a few years, though today readers hold the whole narrative in a single volume. We hold the fullness of God’s inspired revelation in a single volume, even though it was released over many hundreds of years. And when we read the narrative, we don’t always see the central character. You can go dozens and even hundreds of pages without seeing or hearing the name “Jesus” or His title of “Christ.”
12. Sometimes you see Him, sometimes you do not. He might not be speaking. People might not even know His name or His story. The person you are interacting with might never have even heard of His existence. There are times when you have no idea what He is doing. In fact, He might be acting through an agent or under an alias, but it is all about Jesus the Christ, every single moment. Once you realize this fact, that is when the story comes alive!
13. We do not journey with the Emmaus travelers in Series C (though we will meet them next year with Series A), but Luke 24:27 is a great complement to John 20:31: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” In both of these post-Easter encounters, the Evangelists highlight how Jesus is the center of the story, even when we do not see Him.
14. We continue to live in this very same truth. Human history, as recorded in Scripture, and to our present day, is full of thousands of pages of love, betrayal, prison, escape, murder, revenge, and justice. Some of these are the ugly consequences of sin. But despite how broken it has been, is, and may become, God alone bears the burden of restoring order and executing justice. And God brings all of this to completion in Jesus, “Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification,” St. Paul writes in Romans 4:25.
15. Whether we see Him as clearly as the disciples did on the evening of the first Easter, or whether He is hidden from our sight, as He was from theirs for the following seven days, we have the Word of God. And there, on every page, in every theme, in every major character and every major plot twist, we are invited to see God’s unfolding work to make all things new and whole in Jesus. “It’s All About Jesus.” Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment