JOHN 20:19-23 | NOW APPEARING!

NOW APPEARING!

JOHN 20:19-23

APRIL 23, 2017

IT COULD BE SAID, THIS MORNING, THE ONLY THING EMPTIER THAN JESUS’ TOMB, ARE THE SANCTUARIES OF CHURCHES AROUND THE WORLD! – THAT’S A JOKE!

BUT, THE TRUTH IS, IF STATISTICS HOLD, THERE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND A THIRD AS MANY PEOPLE IN CHURCH THIS MORNING, AS THERE WAS LAST SUNDAY FOR EASTER.

THEY CAME, THEY CELEBRATED THE EMPTY TOMB, AND FOR MANY, IT WAS BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL: BACK TO WORK, BACK TO CHORES, TO DOING THEIR INCOME TAXES.

I DO NOT SAY THIS TO PASS JUDGMENT, SIMPLY TO STATE FACT.

IT’S HARD TO SUSTAIN THE ENTHUSIASM OF EASTER ONCE EASTER IS OVER, ONCE THE MEMORY GETS FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY.

BY THE WAY, PLEASE THANK OUR MUSICIANS, OUR CHOIRS – OUR SINGERS AND RINGERS – FOR TRYING TO SUSTAIN THAT EASTER FEELING FOR US, AT LEAST UNTIL THE END OF APRIL.

NO ONE KNEW HOW HARD IT WAS TO SUSTAIN THAT EASTER FEELING, POST-EASTER, MORE THAN THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND FOR A LOT LONGER THAN JUST A FEW WEEKS.

WRITING NEAR THE END OF THE FIRST CENTURY, JOHN ADDRESSED PEOPLE WHO HAD NEVER SEEN OR HEARD JESUS IN THE FLESH.  MOST OF THEM HAD BEEN BORN AFTER JESUS DIED, SO THE STORIES THEY HEARD WERE SECOND-OR THIRD-HAND.

THERE WERE STILL SOME EYEWITNESSES AROUND, BUT EVEN THOSE TRUSTY SOULS WOULD HAVE BEEN UP IN YEARS.  A CHILD WHO WAS SIX YEARS OLD ON THAT FIRST EASTER MORNING WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO SEVENTY BY THE TIME JOHN WROTE HIS GOSPEL.

JOHN’S PROBLEM, WHICH IS STILL THE PROBLEM FOR THE CHURCH TODAY, IS HOW TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IN THE FAITH WHEN JESUS IS NO LONGER AROUND TO BE SEEN OR TOUCHED.

THIS MAY BE, AT LEAST IN PART, WHY ALL OF THE GOSPEL WRITERS HAD STORIES TO TELL OF JESUS’ POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES.

IT IS WHY THEY WANTED THE STORY TO CONTINUE; THE NEVER-ENDING STORY;

– NOT JUST AS PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION, BUT AS A WAY OF KEEPING THE STORY ALIVE; KEEPING PEOPLE PUMPED UP ABOUT BELIEVING.

AND NOW, SOME 2000+ YEARS LATER, STILL TRYING TO RETELL, RECAPTURE, THE EXCITEMENT OF THAT FIRST EASTER DAY, JESUS IS NOW APPEARING!

I LOVE THOSE BIG MARQUEES, BIG THEATERS, IN PLACES LIKE NEW YORK AND CHICAGO: HUGE SIGNS, RIMMED WITH FLASHING LIGHTS, BIG, BOLD LETTERS, NOW APPEARING! – WHOMEVER IT IS, WHATEVER IT IS.

THEY CREATE INSTANT EXCITEMENT WHEN YOU SEE WHAT IT IS THAT IS NOW APPEARING!  “OH, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE HIM/HER/THEM IN CONCERT!”

“OH, I HEAR THAT’S A GREAT SHOW; WE SHOULD TRY TO GET TICKETS, IF WE CAN.”  “REMEMBER THE TIME WE SAW HIM/HER/THEM IN CONCERT BACK IN THE 70’S – I WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO SEE THEM NOW?!”

I WONDERED, THIS WEEK, AS PEOPLE SAW THE MARQUEE OUT IN FRONT OF OUR CHURCH WHAT THEY MIGHT BE THINKING…

ALL IT SAYS IS: NOW APPEARING!  THE NEXT LINE IS BLANK.  WHO’S APPEARING?  WHAT’S APPEARING?

YOU, YOURSELF, MAY HAVE SEEN THE SIGN THROUGH THE WEEK, AND WONDERED ABOUT IT FOR A MOMENT: NOW APPEARING! AND THEN NOTHING;

BUT I’LL BETCHA THAT IT DIDN’T TAKE BUT ANOTHER SECOND OR TWO FOR YOU TO CATCH ON…

“OH, I GET IT, IT’S THE WEEK AFTER EASTER, IT’S JESUS WHO’S APPEARING!”

PERHAPS, EVEN SOME OF JESUS’ APPEARANCE STORIES CAME TO MIND:

• MARY MAGDALENE MISTAKENLY INQUIRING OF THE GARDNER WHERE THEY HAD TAKEN JESUS’ BODY, ONLY TO REALIZE THAT IT WAS JESUS TO WHOM SHE WAS SPEAKING;

• THERE’S JESUS’ APPEARANCE BEFORE HIS DISCIPLES OF WHICH WE READ A MOMENT AGO;

• AND JUST AFTER WHERE WE STOPPED READING IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, JESUS APPEARING TO THOMAS, AND ALLOWING HIM TO SEE AND TOUCH HIM;

• THERE’S JESUS’ APPEARANCE TO THE TWO ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS, FINALLY RECOGNIZING HIM IN THE BREAKING OF BREAD;

• JESUS ON THE SHORE COAXING HIS DISCIPLES-TURNED-BACK-TO FISHERMEN TO CAST THEIR NETS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOAT, AND HIS SHARING BREAKFAST WITH THEM ON SHORE;

• AND STILL OTHER STORIES OF HIS APPEARING BEFORE GROUPS OF PEOPLE, LARGE AND SMALL, IN JUDEA AND IN GALILEE;

• THAT NEXT-TO-LAST APPEARANCE WHERE HE GIVES HIS DISCIPLES, AND US, THE GREAT COMMISSION ABOUT MAKING MORE DISCIPLES;

• AND HIS FINAL APPEARANCE, JUST BEFORE ASCENDING INTO HEAVEN.

THERE’S NO LACK OF POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES BY THE RISEN CHRIST;

AND THEY KEEP EASTER GOING, KEEP THE STORY ALIVE, PUMPING UP THE DISCIPLES, AND THE ENTHUSIASM, FOR BELIEVING IN GOD, AND IN CHRIST JESUS, HIS SON.

JESUS WAS NOW APPEARING!  HE WAS WOUNDED, BUT VERY MUCH ALIVE; HE WAS WORSE-FOR-WEAR, BUT HE WAS BACK!

AND THEY GOT TO HEAR HIS OLD FAMILIAR VOICE; AND SEE HIM BREAK BREAD, AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE; AND TEACH AND PREACH, AND EVERYTHING WAS LIKE IT WAS BEFORE THE CROSS; SORT OF…

BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIS VOICE… AND HIS INSISTENCE THAT HE WAS GOING AWAY, AGAIN, AND THIS TIME, FOR GOOD…

AND FOR ALL THEIR LONGING, AND DESPITE ALL THEIR HOPES AND PRAYERS THAT HE WOULD STAY WITH THEM FOREVER; IT WAS FOR “FOREVER” THAT HE WAS LEAVING THEM; WHY HE WAS LEAVING THEM;

AND WHY HE KEPT TELLING THEM, IT WAS UP TO THEM NOW.  IT WAS UP TO THEM TO CARRY ON; TO BUILD HIS CHURCH; TO MAKE DISCIPLES, BAPTIZE, AND TEACH.

IT WAS UP TO THEM TO FEED HIS SHEEP, AND CARE FOR HIS LAMBS, AND DO EVERYTHING HE HAD TOLD THEM TO DO, AND SHOWN THEM HOW TO DO.

IT IS OUR PASSAGE FOR THIS MORNING, AND THE REST OF THE POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES AS WELL, THAT PROVIDE THE CLUES AS TO HOW IT IS THAT RISEN CHRIST CONTINUES TO APPEAR.

ONE OF THE BEST WAYS FOR JESUS TO KEEP APPEARING IN THE HERE AND NOW; IN THIS OLD WORLD OF OURS; IS AS HE APPEARS IN US!

WE’RE NOT THE ONLY WAY IN WHICH THE LIVING CHRIST APPEARS, BUT WE ARE ONE OF THE BEST WAYS…

JESUS SAYS IT HIMSELF: “AS THE FATHER SENT ME, SO I SEND YOU.”

NOW, YOU MAY NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF YOURSELF IN THIS WAY, BUT AS A CHRISTIAN, AS ONE WHO REPRESENTS CHRIST, WHO RE-PRESENTS CHRIST, THE ONE NOW APPEARING ON CHRIST’S BEHALF – YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MAKES YOU?  MAKES US?

WE ARE JESUS IMPERSONATORS!  LIKE ONE OF THOSE ELVIS IMPERSONATORS!

INDIVIDUALLY, AS CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, WE ARE JESUS IMPERSONATORS!

AND TOGETHER, AS A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS, I GUESS THAT MAKES US A JESUS TRIBUTE BAND!

WE SING THE SAME SONGS JESUS SANG, WE SAY THE SAME WORDS JESUS SAID, WE DO THE SAME THINGS JESUS DID! WE IM-PERSON-ATE HIM!

AND LOOK, SPECIFICALLY, AT WHAT IT IS JESUS WOULD HAVE US BE DOING.  LOOK WHAT’S MOST ON THE MIND OF THE RISEN CHRIST.

IF SOMEONE’S LAST WORDS, THEIR LAST THOUGHTS, ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THEIR LIFE; LOOK AT WHAT’S ON JESUS’ MIND, AND IN HIS HEART, AND WHAT HE WANTS US NOT TO MISS.

FIRST, HE OFFERS HIS FOLLOWERS HIS PEACE!  TWICE, HE SAYS IT: “PEACE BE WITH YOU!”

THEN HE TELLS THEM: HE IS SENDING THEM OUT IN HIS NAME.

AND SPECIFICALLY, WHAT IS IT THAT THEY ARE TO DO?  THEY ARE TO FORGIVE THE SINS OF OTHERS.

HIS PEACE – HIS HOLY SPIRIT – SENT – TO FORGIVE!

IT’S UP TO US TO IM-PERSON-ATE HIM!

AS JESUS WAS THE EMBODIMENT OF GOD IN FLESH, WE ARE THE EMBODIMENT OF THE RISEN CHRIST IN FLESH!

WE ARE – IN PAUL’S WORDS – THE BODY OF CHRIST!

“AS THE FATHER SENT ME, SO I SEND YOU,” (IN MY PLACE) JESUS SAYS.

AND YOU KNOW HOW THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED?  IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT GOD THE FATHER ANIMATED HUMAN BEINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

IN ONE OF THE TWO CREATION ACCOUNTS IN GENESIS, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, GOD FORMS A-D-A-M (THAT’S HEBREW FOR MANKIND) OUT OF CLAY, AND THEN BREATHES LIFE INTO HIS CREATION.

IN HEBREW AND IN GREEK, IT IS THE SAME WORD FOR SPIRIT AND BREATH: RUAH – IN HEBREW; PNUEMA – IN GREEK; BREATH/SPIRIT; GOD “IN-SPIRITS” US WITH LIFE.

SO, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT GOD ANIMATES THE FIRST HUMANS, HERE, IN THIS MORNING’S PASSAGE, JESUS BREATHES ON HIS DISCIPLES, OFFERING THEM THE ANIMATION OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT!

JESUS EMPOWERS THEM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT; INSPIRING THEM TO BE HIS BODY IN THE WORLD!  AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US.

WHO IS NOW APPEARING?  CHRIST IS NOW APPEARING… IN US!

WE ARE CHRIST IMPERSONATORS!  TOGETHER, WE ARE JESUS’ TRIBUTE BAND!

IT’S UP TO US SING HIS SONGS, SAY HIS WORDS, TEACH HIS TEACHINGS, LIVE HIS LIFE, SHOW HIS LOVE TO OTHERS.

AS I HEARD ANOTHER MINISTER SAY IT YEARS AGO, IN REFERRING TO THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST:

“HE DIED OUR DEATH, SO THAT WE MIGHT LIVE HIS LIFE!”

JESUS IS NOW APPEARING! – IN US; THROUGH US; BY US!

“WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD,” SOME OF JESUS’ DISCIPLES TELL THOMAS, WHO WAS NOT WITH THEM THE FIRST-TIME JESUS CAME AROUND.

I WONDER IF PEOPLE EVER SAY THAT ABOUT US?

“WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD…”  JESUS IS ALIVE IN THOSE PEOPLE AT PEACE COVENANT.

“WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD,” IN THAT GROUP OF FOLKS OVER THERE – IN HOW THEY CARRY THEMSELVES; IN WHAT THEY SAY AND DO;

IN WHAT THEY GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY; IN HOW THEY SHARE THEIR FAITH;

IN WHAT THEY DO FOR OTHERS; IN HOW THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

AS JESUS WOULD SAY IT:

“I GIVE YOU A NEW COMMANDMENT, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, YOU ALSO SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  BY THIS, (BY THIS) EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”

WRITING ON THE RESURRECTION, ON THE PRESENCE OF THE LIVING CHRIST, AUTHOR FREDERICK BUECHNER TELLS US THIS:

“THE EARLIEST REFERENCE TO THE RESURRECTION IS SAINT PAUL’S, AND HE MAKES NO MENTION OF AN EMPTY TOMB AT ALL.

BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THAT IN A WAY, IT HARDLY MATTERS HOW THE BODY OF JESUS CAME TO BE MISSING…

BECAUSE IN THE LAST ANALYSIS WHAT CONVINCED PEOPLE THAT HE HAD RISEN FROM THE DEAD WAS NOT THE ABSENCE OF HIS CORPSE, BUT HIS LIVING PRESENCE.

AND SO IT HAS BEEN EVER SINCE.”

THE LIVING CHRIST IS NOW APPEARING!

YES, IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS, BUT IN NONE BETTER THEN THOSE WHOM HE HAS SENT, AS THE FATHER SENT HIM.

SO, LET’S GET OUT THERE AND DO OUR BEST JESUS IMPERSONATIONS;

SO THAT OTHERS MAY COME TO KNOW HIM, BELIEVE IN HIM, SERVE HIM AND HIS KINGDOM, AND BECOME IMPERSONATORS, THEMSELVES.