Sunday, April 3, 2016

Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 5:12-20 (21-32)
Psalm 148
Revelation 1:4-18
John 20:19-31

We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.

There's always that one sports team that is hated by the fans of every other sports team. Oh, diehard fans will hate anyone that threatens their team or the championship they are certain that they deserve, but there just seems to be that one team that is despised. Whether it is a little league baseball club, a High School basketball team or a professional football team, people are adamant about destroying them in words if not on the field or court. There are usually accusations of cheating or help from the referees. "They aren't that good," they say when they have a winning season. What happens to the fans of the ridiculed team? They pull together. They stand up for their players. Sometimes they try to prove the value of their team, sometimes they just get angry. Whatever response they give to the hassling, they are unified in one thing: their team is the best no matter what others say.

Sometimes it is true, sometimes it isn't. I remember when I was in school a long time ago, the local pro football team played against the most hated one in the big game and won. A friend of mine was a huge fan of the one that was hated, and despite the loss, he continued to insist that his team was the best. He remained loyal no matter what. There are, of course, some football fans that are not quite so loyal. Either they haven't found 'their team' or they simply prefer to back the winner, they will root for whichever team is likely to win. They'll even like the hated team when they are having a good year. But as soon as they start losing, they jump to another team. But most people wouldn't like that team no matter what. Their hatred just makes the fanatics stronger.

Apologies to the sports fans who read this writing, but it doesn't really matter very much does it? The sun will come up tomorrow even if your team loses tonight. Sports are a fun distraction and a healthy way to get exercise, but the animosity between fans is pointless. The example above, however, shows us something important: adversity makes us stronger. We find similar things happening everywhere. It happens in politics, certainly. Negative campaign reports make followers more committed, arguing that it is bashing even if the reports are true. It happens in school and workplaces as friendships are made between people who find strength against a common 'enemy'.

It wasn't easy to be a Christian in the beginning. Faith in Jesus went against everything in both their secular and religious worlds. The Romans doubted the truth of the resurrection and the Jews rejected the claims that Jesus was the Messiah. The leaders in Jerusalem looked for ways to put a halt to the cult growing around this Jesus character. No matter what they said, it seemed as though more and more people were hearing the words of the evangelists and were coming to the faith. It didn't help that the miraculous signs and wonders of Jesus continued with the apostles.

They were a curiosity to some, but there were questions and doubts. Today's lesson from Acts follows the incredible story of Ananais and Sapphira who were struck dead by their unfaithfulness to God. On the one hand, the disciples of Jesus were doing such good things by healing the sick and casting our demons. It was said that even the shadow of Peter could make a man well. On the other hand, there was something frightening about this power they seemed to have. It wasn't that the disicples killed Ananais or Sapphira, but the story surely made the rounds and it made people think twice about getting involved. Only those with true faith dared become part of the group because pretenders and those with half-hearted belief risked the same fate. The Gospel was certainly doing its work in the hearts of many because more and more men and women believed in the Lord.

That faith was risky. Besides the Romans who were carefully watching this growing cult, the Jewish leaders were concerned. Solomon's Colonnade was a public market place. The gathering place was where people went to talk to the teachers of the day, to learn about God's Law and to ask questions. It was a large area and it was a place where Jesus often taught. Now the disciples used this space to preach and teach about the man who had changed their lives and it was changing the lives of many others. How could they reject preachers and teachers when they allowed buyers and the sellers within the walls of the Temple?

The leaders were jealous. The disciples were doing things they could never do. They were impacting lives in physical as well as spiritual ways. They were intruding on the ministry of the priests, threatening their power and positions. The priests had the disciples arrested and put them in jail until they could be tried the next day. During the night, an angel of the Lord set them free and they were back in the Temple before the leaders even knew they were gone. The guards went to get the disciples, but took them carefully for fear of the crowds.

Peter stood before his accusers and told them that he could not be silent. "We must obey God."

We have a difficult time with this defense because, quite frankly, we've seen people throughout history use it to do things that are clearly not God's Will. We've seen women claim that God told them to kill their children. We've seen leaders claim that they are following God's will when they start wars to take over their governments. Religious fanatics claim that they are doing what is right because God speaks to them personally. Yet, the disciples had something that those people did not have: proof in the signs and wonders. God was truly working through them, healing the sick and casting our demons. God was doing amazing things in the world through the early church. And people believed in great numbers. More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their numbers.

It all began with a small group of followers. At the height of Jesus' ministry, there were certainly thousands interested in what He had to say. He fed more than five thousand one on occasion and four thousand on another. Yet, at the end, most had abandoned Him. Last Sunday we saw the first glimmers of hope after tragedy as the disciples began to see Jesus' words come to life. They found the empty tomb. Mary saw Jesus in the Garden. They were probably confused by anxious. What if it were true?

Today's Gospel begins the night of that first Easter. Some were gathered in the Upper Room, probably praying and discussing the events of the day. Luke tells us about two disciples headed toward Emmaus that experience an appearance of the risen Lord Jesus. They run back to Jerusalem and just as they were excitedly telling the others about their experience, Jesus appeared through locked doors to stand among them.

His first words were "Peace be with you." In Luke's telling of the story, Jesus was responding to the fear of what they were seeing. They thought He was a ghost. They hadn't believed the women and still doubted the men who saw Jesus on the road to Emmaus. But in John, He was responding to their fear of what was to come. They didn't know what had become of Jesus and they didn't know what would become of them.

The disciples didn't react until Jesus shows them His hands and His sides. In John's Gospel they are given the proof of His reality even before they ask. Mary recognized Jesus' voice in the garden, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Him in the breaking of bread and the disciples in the Upper Room recognized Jesus from the wounds on His body. When they saw Him, when they recognized Him, they rejoiced. They received their proof without asking and believed because Jesus gave them what they needed.

Unfortunately, Thomas was not in the room when Jesus first appeared and he refused to believe the reports of the others. He needed the same experience of discovery, to hear Jesus' voice, to experience Jesus' generosity and to see His wounds. Now, we often look at Thomas as the doubter since he responds with their reports with unbelief. "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Yet, how many live in today's world demanding the same thing from God? Oh, I doubt many people are expecting to see the resurrected Jesus on the street these days, but they demand proof from God that it is all real. They want answers to their prayers that match their expectations. They want Christians to be perfect. They want the Church to meet their every need. They continue to doubt when God does not satisfy their demands. We call them "Doubting Thomas" because they refuse to believe our witness. We forget that all the disciples needed proof. They all needed to see the Lord.

Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." With the Holy Spirit anointing them, they had the authority to go into the world to continue the work Jesus began: to share God's forgiveness. How could they be credible witnesses if they were merely spreading second hand stories? His appearance to the disciples was vital to the credibility of the growing Church. We think that Thomas should have believed the other disciples, but Jesus came to show him the wounds because it was necessary for Thomas to experience Jesus in the same way as the other disciples. Without receiving the Spirit, Thomas could not be an apostle.

Jesus tells these disciples, however, that there will be many blessed to believe without this experience. Faith will come to them when they hear the Word preached. Jesus will remain with the disciples for forty days, and then they'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples received a promise that night in the Upper Room, at Pentecost the Spirit came upon all those who believe.

Jesus said to Thomas, "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." That's what was happening to all those who heard the apostles in the Temple. They heard and believed because the Word worked in their hearts and the Spirits came upon them in that Word. We are blessed; we believe because God has given us the Spirit of faith, the Holy Spirit, and by His Spirit we believe. Thomas did not have that advantage. But when Jesus returned to the Upper Room a week later, He did what was necessary: gave Thomas the Spirit and the commission to be a witness to God's forgiveness in the world.

The leaders of both the Romans and the Jews may have thought they could stop the Christian cult from growing, but it was not by human power any of it was happening. Peter and the others didn't escape the prison, they were let out. It wasn't human power that healed anyone or cast out demons: it was the power of God in the Holy Spirit. The world can try to stop God from doing what He will, but they won't succeed. God has the power to overcome even death and sin, how much more will He do with life?

I like the story of Thomas, not only because in it we see that God does answer our prayers, sometimes miraculously, but also because Thomas is not only a doubter; he is a believer. When Jesus appeared to him on the eighth day, Jesus offered His hands and side for Thomas to touch. Thomas did not need to physically feel the wounds. When He saw them, He worshipped Jesus, "My Lord and my God." When the disciples saw the wounds, they rejoiced. Thomas responded with a confession of faith that went beyond the joy of the other disciples. He worshipped Jesus with a confession of His faith that Jesus is truly who He said He was.

We, too, are called to confess our faith that He is truly our Lord and our God. He is the answer to our prayers. He is the fulfillment of God's promises. Jesus is the Messiah, the Alpha and Omega, the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

At the beginning of the book of Revelation, John writes an introduction of why the book has been written: to reveal that Jesus Christ is the Almighty and He wishes us to live in His grace and His peace. In this introduction, John tells us that Jesus is many things: the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth. He also tells us what Jesus does: loves us, frees us and makes us a kingdom. Times might be tough today, but John foretells the time when Jesus will be the focus of the entire world, not just our hearts. The imagery in the Revelation is frightening, but Jesus says, "Do not be afraid. I AM who I AM and I WILL BE who I WILL BE." He is God's promises come to life and His life gives us ours.

It isn't any easier to be a Christian today than it was for those first Christians. I've often written about the persecution of Christians around the world, and while we don't face beheadings in the United States, the danger is becoming more real for all of us. In the passage from Acts, Peter and the apostles were taken before the religious council because they had refused the orders to cease talking about Jesus. Could you imagine going before the most powerful authorities in our day and saying, "We must obey God rather than any human authority"? If we were to do that today, we'd be counted as insane, or at least ridiculous.

How often have we heard the distain, even from other Christians, when people talk as if they are doing God's Will? “"She talks to God? And God talks back?" We might just find ourselves in the position when we have to say that we cannot obey human authority over that of God. Will we have the courage to be obedient, even when it seems dangerous? Jesus promised them peace in the Gospel story, but they were in the midst of the most difficult turmoil they had ever known. So, when Jesus appeared to them, He reminded them of His promise. Peace would not be found in giving up, in running, or even in hiding. Peace is found in Jesus. That's where we will find peace, too.

It is a tough job to be a witness. We will face those who hate us because of our faith in Jesus Christ. There are many like Thomas who need more than words to make a confession of faith. There are those like the Sanhedrin who will try to halt the work of God. There are those who think that any name will do, any path is right. There are many, too many, who believe that they do not need a Savior at all. But we are called to take forgiveness anyway, because God has assured us that He will bless the work we do in His name. He has given us His Spirit to teach and guide us on our way.

And so, let us go forth singing with the psalmist the praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us not be afraid to share the Gospel message with the world. Let us all be witnesses to the amazing things God has done through Christ Jesus our Lord. The world needs His grace and love and peace. The world needs us to be obedient to God so that they, too, will experience the risen Christ and believe.