Sermon Notes, April 28, 2019
Rev.
Garry McGlinchy
Pastor Garry’s sermon was titled “And
Then This Happened: In the Wake of the Resurrection.” The scriptural basis was John 20:19-31, the
story of the disciples gathered in a locked room for fear of the Jews, when
Jesus suddenly appears.
The disciples—more than the twelve, so
there was no room in the room—are hiding out with the doors locked. They are afraid that the Jewish leaders are
about to come and arrest them, and more than likely persecute or even execute
them. I can only imagine what must have
been going through their heads. I’m sure
there was a healthy amount of mourning, even wailing over the death of
Jesus. I’m sure many were sharing
stories to find comfort…”Remember that time when Jesus….?” Perhaps some were thinking of the things they
had hoped to accomplish and yet here they are at what seems to be the end of
their time on earth with those dreams unfulfilled. For some, simply being with the people they
love is comforting.
But there is this word that sticks out
that suggests there was something more going through their minds. In a way, it’s a word, in this context, that
seems to unite them all with one emotion.
Perhaps it was unspoken, and they all might have been at different
stages of it, but it’s there. The word
is FEAR. John the Disciple says in verse 19 that they were together with the
doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders.
FEAR: the word appears 174 times
throughout scripture. Phobos-fear; Panic. It’s something every person can relate to,
whether they care to admit it or not.
Even the toughest of the tough guys understands fear. Fear has the power to overwhelm a person and
cause them to go into the primitive state of fight or flight; a state of panic. Fear can also be amazement. Phobos,
Greek for fear, united the disciples in that room.
Can fear kill you? A story is told of a 26-year-old woman
trapped in an elevator for more than 30 minutes whose heart beat so rapidly she
died from cardiac arrest. Another story
is told of missionary David Livingstone who was attacked by a lion he’d shot. His body reacted as if he was dead, and the
lion left him and went after some other hunters. I don’t know if that’s the level of fear that
the disciples were experiencing as they awaited their fate locked in that room,
but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were getting close to it. The anticipation of who and when someone
would come looking for them must have had them on the brink of utter
panic. So when Jesus, someone they weren’t
expecting, suddenly appears before them, I’m sure they went on an emotional
rollercoaster like we couldn’t even imagine.
Jesus’ first words to them were, “Peace
be with you.” The disciples must’ve been
filled with both fear and amazement as Jesus suddenly appeared before them with
the doors still locked behind Him.
PEACE appears 292 times throughout
scripture. Peace; freedom from worry—Peace
is something we all have experienced as well.
“Peace be with you.” Jesus knows
that they are hiding in fear, so a peaceful greeting is welcomed. Jesus shows up and they are filled with fear
and amazement. Then He identifies
Himself, and much like He did with Mary Magdalene, He sends them out to begin
their work as evangelists. But before
that, He breathes on them? John says
that this is so that they can receive the Holy Spirit.
So, what does all this have to do with
us today?
We live in a society that is full of
fear. We live in a society that seeks everything else first, before they seek
Jesus. In fact many of the shows we
watch on TV, and even the news plays into that fear. But with Jesus, that fear is replaced with
peace. And even though spreading the
good news can cause a level of anxiety we can be assured that we have the Holy
Spirit with us!
The first person they tell—Thomas—who wasn’t
at the meeting where Jesus came in even with the doors locked—doesn’t
believe. Later, he does, when He sees
Jesus for himself. Jesus responds by
stating that those who believe without physical proof will be blessed.
There is no fear in Jesus Christ. Jesus breathed on them—a precursor to
Pentecost in 50 days. As we take steps closer to Jesus and the Holy
Spirit there is less and less fear.
The world will preach FEAR, but Jesus
will give us PEACE.
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