Sermon for Easter Sunday
‘He is risen, indeed((John 20:19-23)’ at Heavenly Vision Church (Apr 1, 2018)
The Disciples gathered together in one place. They were in fear. It is because they were afraid that their turn would come next. For this reason they closed the door tightly. The place where they were meeting was probably the upper room where they had the Last Supper with Jesus. And then they heard the steps on the stair. The disciples were erecting all antennae, listening fearfully for every step on the stair, lest the emissaries of the Sanhedrin who arrested Jesus should come to arrest them, too.
To their surprise, it was Jesus the resurrected. Jesus stood in the midst of them, and said: “Peace be with you” This is the fulfillment of what Jesus promised in John 14:27 and 16:20-22. In 14:27, one verse of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus promised: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give yo you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
The happiness that the world gives you deprives you of peace. The Lord, however, promised peace to them and gave. In 20:21b Jesus says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” Jesus asserted that he was sent by the Father. Then, what is the purpose of God to send Jesus to this world? Jesus was sent to this world in order to bear witness to God’s love. Likewise, the disciples were sent to the world in order to bear witness to God’s love manifested in Jesus Christ. Sending the disciples to the world, Jesus commanded.
First, it is to receive the Holy Spirit.
The advocated, the Spirit, makes those who do not believe in Jesus regarding their unbelief as sin. As his name suggests, the Advocate advocates the faith of believers. The Advocate the Holy Spirit provided confidence for the disciples and drives fear and anxiety away from their heart.
Second, Jesus commanded the disciples to proclaim that whoever believes in Jesus will be forgiven and whoever disbelievers will not be forgiven.
The disciples are the witnesses proclaiming God’s forgiveness. The death and resurrection of Jesus is not simply the divine instrument to save human being. It is the reality of God’s love. It is the reality of love’s victory over against sin and death, and God’s eternal promise which guarantees our eternal life in love.(Sermon: Rev. Jaewoong Chang)
