Jesu Juva
“All Locked Up With No
Place To Go?”
Text: John 20:19-31 (Acts
5:29-42; 1 Peter 1:3-9)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed
Alleluia!] Alleluia!
Grace, mercy, and peace
to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
How ya’ doing?
We ask that all the time. It’s a good
conversation starter. And it’s not a bad question. The problem, I think, is
with our answers.
Oh, I’m fine. You? I’m
fine.
I’m good! You? I’m good,
too.
Maybe sometimes that’s true. But most of the time
it’s not, is it? So why don’t we answer honestly? Perhaps we don’t want to
burden others with our problems. Don’t want to be a gloomy gus all the time.
More than that, though, I think, is that we don’t
want others to know our problems. For what would you think of me if you really
knew me? If you knew the problems I have, and the sins I am struggling with,
and my failures? That I’m really a mess, that my family isn’t perfect, that I don’t have it all together? That
what you see on Sunday morning isn’t really who I am? If you knew that
all I really want to do is be like those disciples and go into my room and lock
the door and try to keep the trouble out? Or forget about it for a while. Or
wait until maybe it’ll blow over. Because I’m afraid.
I know me too well.
Ever think those things?
How ya’ doing?
Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael,
Matthew, James, Jude, and Simon weren’t doing so well either. They were a mess.
Each of them and all of them. The images of what had
just happened were fresh in their minds. And when they weren’t thinking of that
the shouldas, wouldas,
and couldas were probably taking up the
rest of the time. Peter remembering his denials. The others remembering their cowardice. Maybe
James and John remembering how they wanted the seats of honor next to Jesus in
His kingdom. Yeah. Look at them now. Peter - did you double check the
lock on that door? Nathanael - peek outside; anyone there? And the only thing worse than today? The
thought of tomorrow.
Then Jesus shows up. And if you think our paraments are white, I’ll bet at that moment the faces of
those ten were whiter! Fear, embarrassment, wonder - how?, questions, doubts, awe, shame,
terror . . . Peace be with you.
And there are the holes . . . in the hands, the
feet, the side. It’s Jesus. No doubt about that. Peace
be with you. He says it again, for they needed
to hear it again. He holds nothing against them. He knows. And He forgives. Everything. All the guilt, all the shame,
all that’s gone wrong.
This is Jesus not only giving them what they
need, it’s Jesus teaching them about what they just
saw. Because of His wounds, because of His death, there is now peace with God.
They are reconciled. All they deserve He has taken. Yes that should have be them, but it’s not. And what they don’t deserve, He
gives. Peace be with you. I forgive
you.
Then, we are told - then
the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Not before. Before
forgiveness there were only the doubts and fear and shame and all the mixed-up jumble
of confusion and guilt. After forgiveness they were glad. They were
absolved. Jesus is not mad at them, is not their enemy now, is
holding nothing against them. It’s . . . it’s almost as if nothing ever
happened . . .
Exactly.
It’s what Jeremiah had written so long ago: I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (Jer
31:34).
Then the disciples were glad when they saw the
Lord.
Overjoyed is more like it. They didn’t have to hide anymore. They didn’t have
to run anymore. And they didn’t. They leave that locked room to share their joy
with Thomas. They leave that locked room to share their joy with the world. Did
you hear the reading from Acts? No fear of the Jews there! Just
boldness; defiance. We must obey God rather than men.
. . . And they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. The name of the
God who doesn’t condemn but forgives! The name of the God who
unlocked their prison of sin and shame and absolves and forgets. The name of the God who died for them. The
name of Jesus.
So where are you hiding? Where are you running?
What’s locking the door of your heart?
Nothing! I’m fine, Pastor. Really! Everything’s
good. Good. Couldn’t be better . . .
You know, that’s why we don’t start the service
here every week with “How ya doing?” Jesus knows how
you’re doing. He’s knows better than you! Because sometimes
we work so hard trying to fool others that we even wind up fooling ourselves.
And so instead we start the service here every
week just like that first Easter night. Jesus comes. He comes here. To you. Locked in your sin and shame, afraid to let anyone
know what you’re really like, how bad a sinner you are, that you don’t have it
all together. We just start with Jesus. His name. And His Absolution. In the stead and by the command of my
Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sin. In His
name. Peace be with you. Because He commanded those ten, and the Church, to forgive.
That’s why we start the service this way. That’s
why I’m here so often for Private Absolution. No judgment. Just
forgiveness. Freedom from your locked doors and shame.
Because of His wounds. Why are you hanging on to what
He took away? That’s also why Baptism. That’s why the Supper. Forgiveness for young and old. Forgiveness
for you. Jesus said it twice in that room that night. They needed to
hear it again. You need to hear it again. And again and
again. And to receive this gift again and again. To
come out of your locked doors. To live.
So your Pastor forgives. Try it sometime. Unlock
your heart; dump your whole mess in my ears; spew it out. Why hang on to what
Jesus takes away. I forgive you all your sins . . .
So come here for forgiveness, yes. Jesus loves it
when you do. He is overjoyed. Your Pastor is too. For remember the last really
great Christmas gift you bought or made for someone? The one you took so much
time and thought it just perfect, just what they needed? How do you feel when
that person opens it up and says: Oh. Yeah. Thanks. And quickly puts it
aside? But how much joy for you, the giver, when it is received with joy! So too with Jesus and His forgiveness. He wants to give it. To you. It’s His joy, and yours.
And speak those words too. Because when you
don’t, you’re also hanging on to what Jesus takes away! Which satan absolutely loves. That’s why
the six hardest words to speak are: I am sorry, and I forgive you.
We so often would rather say and do anything but those words. You see
how satan has wormed his way
into us?
So speak those words too. Don’t give satan the satisfaction. Don’t lock
yourself up again. Don’t look at the sin committed against you. Don’t look at
the sin in you. Look at Jesus, His wounds. For you.
And though you cannot put your fingers and hands into them, He puts his wounded
but now raised Body and Blood into you. For the same joy.
The same forgiveness. The same
freedom. So you don’t have to hide anymore. So you don’t have to run
anymore. So you can leave that locked up heart and locked up room and live in
joy and peace.
And you know what? You may suffer for it, like
the disciples. That’s true. I’m not going to tell you that life will be all
rosy. Not everyone out there will forgive. You’ll even be betrayed by fellow
Christians. Because those Christians, you know, they’re sinners too. And family
members, friends. And it’ll hurt. Maybe you’ll do it too. . . .
Well, not maybe, right?
And so we come back here and dump it again. And
Jesus is here, again! Forgiving. Absolving. Never growing tired of it.
Which is sometimes hard to believe, isn’t it? There must be a limit,
right? But you can’t out-sin the cross. You can leave it and not want
forgiveness. You can reject it and not think you need forgiveness. But you
can’t out-sin it. If it was just a man there, then yes. But that’s not
just a man there. That’s Jesus. Your God. For you. To forgive you. And to
provide you an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
That’s coming. For now, the
trials. Which we usually think of as great persecutions
and troubles. But maybe it’s much simpler than that. Maybe the greatest
trials we will go through are those six words. Humbling ourselves to say I
am sorry. And loving to say I forgive you. Maybe that’s hard enough.
And that’s the pure spiritual milk
we need. To grow up to salvation. For
what is salvation but our freedom and rescue from sin and death? That peace
be with you. That you depart in peace. Reconciled. Redeemed. A child of God. Dearly loved. Forgiven and free. The death and
resurrection and joy of Jesus yours. Now and forever, peace
be with you.
For Christ is risen!
[He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father
and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.