St John 20:19-31/Ezekiel 37:1-14/1 John 5:4-10
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen,
For fear Adam hid in the Garden. For fear Elijah ran into the wilderness. For fear Jonah fled to Tarshish. For fear the disciples all fled that night. And now, for fear, they are locked away in the Upper Room.
Fear is a great motivator. It practically drives us to do everything we do.
We’re afraid of being disappointments, of letting our bosses, our loved ones, ourselves down. And so we either work ourselves to death or we never venture out to do anything for fear of failure.
We’re afraid to be alone, but we’re also afraid to be rejected. We’re afraid to let someone see us for who we really are, who we are at our core, with no shiny veneer to hide behind. And we’re afraid that they wouldn’t stick around it they did.
We worry about our status among others. We’re afraid of what they might think if . . . what he would say if . . . what she would do if . . . And so we lie. We lie about who we are. We lie to impress them, to hide from them, to make them think that we’re someone other than who we really are.
Because of fear we live for the approval, the affection, the attention, the love of others. And this drives us. It drives us to do outrageous things, to go to extreme lengths to get and to keep what we’re afraid of losing. Or to avoid that which we fear will ruin us.
Fear isolates us. Fear paralyzes us. Fear strangles and suffocates us. It drives us to despair. It drives us to idolatry. It drives us to death. Fear kills us from the inside out.
And because we fear all these things, we do not fear the Lord. For if we really feared the Lord, then we would not fear all these things. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Who is it that overcomes the world (and all its fears) except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
And so the disciples are locked away for fear of the Jews. They’re dead. No, not physically. Not yet. But they are spiritually dead; dry, lifeless bones; saying our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.
The Psalmist writes, Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! (139:8)
And so Jesus comes to bring them back to life; indeed to give them true Life! He comes to make them a vast army. He comes as He came to Adam and Elijah and Jonah – in mercy and in peace; to enact the already established everlasting covenant of peace upon them. And then, by and through them, for us.
This is what Ezekiel says following the text for this morning: The Lord says, “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. I will make with a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Ez 37:26-27).
The Lord shall restore His people who were under judgment. He shall indeed pour out His righteous anger, His wrath against sin and idolatry. But He shall rescue His people from exile and restore them to His Promised Land; even Paradise.
The covenant of peace is the end of God’s wrath and the re-establishment, the re-creation of His people as His people, in the Land He gave them. It is a full, comprehensive, complete restoration.
And so Jesus comes to the disciples who are locked away for fear of the Jews. He comes to give peace to His people; to those who are exiled and locked away for fear. And He enacts the covenant of peace right then and there, saying, Peace be with you.
And so they may know what He means, He shows them His hands and His side. For even more than proving that He is the same Man who was crucified, dead, and buried, three days prior, though they do that – His hands and His side, His holy wounds, show that He has taken into Himself the wrath of God. He has appeased the Father’s anger. He bore in Himself the chastisement due Adam and Elijah and Jonah, the Twelve, and us.
Of the house and line of David, David’s Son and David’s Lord, Christ Jesus is the Servant of the Lord, and upon the Cross He is the King of Israel. His reign is not one of tyranny and power. He does not rule by fear and coercion, but in love and forgiveness. Thus joy is found in His blessed scars, for they remind His disciples of what He had said earlier: I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33).
He has overcome death and hell and sin and fear. He is risen! Now through His tomb we have access back into the Garden of Paradise. That is, through His death, we are brought back; restored. And because He is the One who has come by water and blood and Spirit – He has authority over death and the grave. There is now peace between God and man. Peace between Christ and His disciples. Peace between God and you. Nothing to fear.
And so the Son of Man breathes on them. Do you see it? Just as Ezekiel prophesied over the dry, dead bones at the command of the Lord and gave them life by His Word and Spirit, so now He who was sent from the Father, breathes out the breath of the Life, and gives His people the Holy Spirit. He has entered this shadowy valley of death, and breathes the life-breathing breathe of Life into dusty bones. And their dry, lifeless bones begin to rattle. Sinew and flesh cover them, and they have Life in His Name.
They are now a vast army. And as the Father has sent Him, even so Jesus sends His servants, His undershepherds. And they go out in ranks, bringing this Life, enacting this covenant of peace to everyone whose sins they forgive. Whosesoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.
And according to these Words, by our Lord’s grace and Spirit, you believe that my forgiveness is Christ’s forgiveness; that the Pastor does not do for himself, he does not draw attention to himself and his own words. He gives the peace of Christ and directs your gaze to the blessed wounds of Jesus! See His hands and side! Be glad, for there is nothing to fear!
So come, you once dry, lifeless bones. For the Lord has breathed His Life into you. Come, you who have been slain by the sword of the Law. For the Spirit has raised you in Christ and in Him you live. Come, and have no fear of being loosed of your sins; have no fear of being set free in Christ. For here He shows you His hands and His side, His wounds, and He grants you His peace.
And bring all the Thomases; gather all those who missed out on last Sunday’s Easter joy, who hid away for fear of sin and guilt and shame, and bring them again to hear the testimony of God that He has borne concerning His Son; that is, hear the preaching of Christ the Crucified and live!
For here (pulpit) the Spirit breathes life into you. And there (font) the water testifies that there is life through death. And there (altar) the Blood testifies that He has brought peace; and these three agree – Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, believing in Him you have life in His Name.
There is nothing to fear. The Lord is King in His Promised Land and over His people once again. He has done it. The covenant of peace is everlasting. Your sins are forgiven. At the last He shall open your graves and raise you from your graves; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen,
For fear Adam hid in the Garden. For fear Elijah ran into the wilderness. For fear Jonah fled to Tarshish. For fear the disciples all fled that night. And now, for fear, they are locked away in the Upper Room.
Fear is a great motivator. It practically drives us to do everything we do.
We’re afraid of being disappointments, of letting our bosses, our loved ones, ourselves down. And so we either work ourselves to death or we never venture out to do anything for fear of failure.
We’re afraid to be alone, but we’re also afraid to be rejected. We’re afraid to let someone see us for who we really are, who we are at our core, with no shiny veneer to hide behind. And we’re afraid that they wouldn’t stick around it they did.
We worry about our status among others. We’re afraid of what they might think if . . . what he would say if . . . what she would do if . . . And so we lie. We lie about who we are. We lie to impress them, to hide from them, to make them think that we’re someone other than who we really are.
Because of fear we live for the approval, the affection, the attention, the love of others. And this drives us. It drives us to do outrageous things, to go to extreme lengths to get and to keep what we’re afraid of losing. Or to avoid that which we fear will ruin us.
Fear isolates us. Fear paralyzes us. Fear strangles and suffocates us. It drives us to despair. It drives us to idolatry. It drives us to death. Fear kills us from the inside out.
And because we fear all these things, we do not fear the Lord. For if we really feared the Lord, then we would not fear all these things. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Who is it that overcomes the world (and all its fears) except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
And so the disciples are locked away for fear of the Jews. They’re dead. No, not physically. Not yet. But they are spiritually dead; dry, lifeless bones; saying our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.
The Psalmist writes, Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! (139:8)
And so Jesus comes to bring them back to life; indeed to give them true Life! He comes to make them a vast army. He comes as He came to Adam and Elijah and Jonah – in mercy and in peace; to enact the already established everlasting covenant of peace upon them. And then, by and through them, for us.
This is what Ezekiel says following the text for this morning: The Lord says, “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. I will make with a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Ez 37:26-27).
The Lord shall restore His people who were under judgment. He shall indeed pour out His righteous anger, His wrath against sin and idolatry. But He shall rescue His people from exile and restore them to His Promised Land; even Paradise.
The covenant of peace is the end of God’s wrath and the re-establishment, the re-creation of His people as His people, in the Land He gave them. It is a full, comprehensive, complete restoration.
And so Jesus comes to the disciples who are locked away for fear of the Jews. He comes to give peace to His people; to those who are exiled and locked away for fear. And He enacts the covenant of peace right then and there, saying, Peace be with you.
And so they may know what He means, He shows them His hands and His side. For even more than proving that He is the same Man who was crucified, dead, and buried, three days prior, though they do that – His hands and His side, His holy wounds, show that He has taken into Himself the wrath of God. He has appeased the Father’s anger. He bore in Himself the chastisement due Adam and Elijah and Jonah, the Twelve, and us.
Of the house and line of David, David’s Son and David’s Lord, Christ Jesus is the Servant of the Lord, and upon the Cross He is the King of Israel. His reign is not one of tyranny and power. He does not rule by fear and coercion, but in love and forgiveness. Thus joy is found in His blessed scars, for they remind His disciples of what He had said earlier: I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33).
He has overcome death and hell and sin and fear. He is risen! Now through His tomb we have access back into the Garden of Paradise. That is, through His death, we are brought back; restored. And because He is the One who has come by water and blood and Spirit – He has authority over death and the grave. There is now peace between God and man. Peace between Christ and His disciples. Peace between God and you. Nothing to fear.
And so the Son of Man breathes on them. Do you see it? Just as Ezekiel prophesied over the dry, dead bones at the command of the Lord and gave them life by His Word and Spirit, so now He who was sent from the Father, breathes out the breath of the Life, and gives His people the Holy Spirit. He has entered this shadowy valley of death, and breathes the life-breathing breathe of Life into dusty bones. And their dry, lifeless bones begin to rattle. Sinew and flesh cover them, and they have Life in His Name.
They are now a vast army. And as the Father has sent Him, even so Jesus sends His servants, His undershepherds. And they go out in ranks, bringing this Life, enacting this covenant of peace to everyone whose sins they forgive. Whosesoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.
And according to these Words, by our Lord’s grace and Spirit, you believe that my forgiveness is Christ’s forgiveness; that the Pastor does not do for himself, he does not draw attention to himself and his own words. He gives the peace of Christ and directs your gaze to the blessed wounds of Jesus! See His hands and side! Be glad, for there is nothing to fear!
So come, you once dry, lifeless bones. For the Lord has breathed His Life into you. Come, you who have been slain by the sword of the Law. For the Spirit has raised you in Christ and in Him you live. Come, and have no fear of being loosed of your sins; have no fear of being set free in Christ. For here He shows you His hands and His side, His wounds, and He grants you His peace.
And bring all the Thomases; gather all those who missed out on last Sunday’s Easter joy, who hid away for fear of sin and guilt and shame, and bring them again to hear the testimony of God that He has borne concerning His Son; that is, hear the preaching of Christ the Crucified and live!
For here (pulpit) the Spirit breathes life into you. And there (font) the water testifies that there is life through death. And there (altar) the Blood testifies that He has brought peace; and these three agree – Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, believing in Him you have life in His Name.
There is nothing to fear. The Lord is King in His Promised Land and over His people once again. He has done it. The covenant of peace is everlasting. Your sins are forgiven. At the last He shall open your graves and raise you from your graves; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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