Dig Deeper - Sunday 12th April

Sermon Reflection Questions - Journey to the Cross: My Lord and My God

John 20:19-31

Link to service

Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 12th April service:

Summary

After the emotional rollercoaster that has been Holy week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday – the verses we read here can teach us four things:

1.      That Jesus can meet us even when the door is firmly shut.

2.      That the peace of Jesus passes all understanding.

3.      Even when we doubt, Jesus doesn’t turn away.

4.      Faith goes beyond seeing, and it is through faith that we have life in His name.

Jesus meets us when the door is firmly shut.

These verses seem to start in a dark and uncertain place, with the disciples in hiding out of fear and anxiety. If you imagine being a disciple of Jesus’ at the time, you have just witnessed the brutal crucifixion of your Rabbi and friend, and then his resting place is empty, with no sign of where he is.

We know the disciples were in the room together, perhaps trying to offer each other comfort and trying to understand what has happened over the last few days. And then Jesus appears. All of a sudden, the light of the world has burst through the darkness.

This should offer us all a great deal of comfort, Jesus will meet with us even in places where we have shut the world out. In places of fear and anxiety, Jesus will make himself known. No door or barriers can hold Him back from being with us, and with Him, he brings a peace beyond all understanding.

The peace of Jesus passes all understanding.

The first words Jesus speaks to His disciples is “Peace be with you.” These words show the kindness and compassion of Jesus towards others. The disciples had dispersed and left Jesus in His hour of need, yet he wasn’t angry with them or rebuke them. Instead, he bought peace.

Peace would probably be the last emotion that the disciples felt in this space and time, and so as Jesus offered peace to His disciples for their actions, he also gave them peace in a time of extreme fear and worry.

When we receive Holy Communion, and we offer each other the sign of the peace, we are letting go of any grievances we have with others, so when we receive the bread and wine – the new covenant offered in the representation of Jesus’ body and blood – we are offering reconciliation and unity in the church towards others.

Even when we doubt, Jesus doesn’t turn away.

Poor Thomas gets a bad name – known as doubting Thomas, because until he sees with his own eyes, he won’t accept that Jesus has shown himself to the disciples. However in John 20:18 Mary Magdelene sees Jesus and she tells the disciples “I have seen the Lord.” And yet, they are all in hiding behind a locked door.

The phrase ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ is something we have all probably used over time, we like to witness things with our own eyes, and it is important to remember that Thomas had chosen to leave his old life and follow Jesus – but as Jesus had died on the cross, part of Thomas’ hope had died too. The one they believed to be King, no longer there. Doubt can cause us to build up walls to avoid future hurt or disappointment.

But even through this doubt, Jesus was patient. He showed Thomas the wound marks in his hands and side, and waited for Thomas to declare “my Lord and my God.”

We are all on different journeys within our faith – but regardless of these journeys, Jesus has the patience to walk alongside each and every one of us. His unconditional love isn’t forceful or pressured.

Faith goes beyond seeing, and it is through faith that we have life in His name.

When Thomas acknowledges that it is in fact Jesus Christ standing in front of him, he doesn’t just declare that Jesus is the Lord. He says My Lord and My God. Thomas’ faith in Jesus is through his own encounter with Him. It is the combination of heart knowledge and head knowledge. This is why sharing our experiences and testimonies are so important, it allows us to share with others the wonder of the Lord.

Jesus follows with “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

This is us.

We may not have been in that room with the disciples, but Jesus makes himself known to us. Through encounters, through prayer, through reading the scriptures. We are gifted the Holy Spirit to help guide us within our lives as Christians. We aren’t left alone to try and make it on our own.

When we declare My Lord and my God we are stepping into a personal relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the one who can offer us peace in times of fear, answer questions and doubts with patience and love, and inspire us to know Him intimately so that our relationship with Him flourishes.

 And this is the ultimate Good News! Jesus not only rose from the grave after conquering death, but He appeared to His disciples – showing them his love for them, remaining with them - and He does this for each of us. We may not have been in that room when Jesus appeared, but we have faith without the physical proof to know that it is through Him we are offered a peace beyond our own understanding. And through Him, we are saved.

Questions to pause for reflection/group discussion:

·         What locked room have we been held in, or even still find ourselves in now due to fear, worry or anxiety?

·         Are there people in our lives that we need to offer peace to, just as Jesus did to His disciples?

·         What doubts do we have that are holding us back from seeing Jesus and allowing Him to enter into our lives?

·         What does it look like for us individually to declare ‘My Lord and My God’

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for being the prince of peace. For giving us that peace that surpasses all understanding. We also thank you for having the patience to walk alongside us, waiting for us, without judgement or frustration, but with unconditional love. We pray that as we put our full faith in you, that you help us to have the courage and strength to change our lives, to be the people you know us to be, and for us to fully surrender to you.

In your mighty name we pray,

Amen.