Acts 5:29–42
1 Peter 1:3–9
John 20:19–31
The joy of the Resurrection isn’t a message apart from this life. It’s the answer to it.
Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated our Lord's resurrection May by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever...
Christ Jesus Breathes His Spirit and His Life into Us by the Ministry of the Gospel
The crucified and risen Lord Jesus establishes the Ministry of the Gospel, in order to bestow His life-giving Holy Spirit and His peace upon the Church. To those who are called and ordained to this Office, and to those whom they serve in His name, He grants the Holy Absolution of all sins. By the fruits of His Cross He replaces fear and doubt with peace and joy, and thus gives “repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). Through the preaching of His sent ones He calls us to believe that He “is the Christ, the Son of God,” so that by such faith we “may have life in His name” (John 20:31). In His resurrection we have the “living hope” to which we have been “born again” and by which we are guarded “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3, 5). Until then, “though you have not seen Him, you love Him,” and by the mercies of God “you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
True Peace Created/Distributed
Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege
Peace be with you
John 20:19,20,26
When the resurrected Christ appeared to the Apostles in a “locked” room on two separate occasions, He spoke three times with the words, Peace be with you. On Easter Sunday, with Thomas absent from the locked room, Jesus twice spoke these words to the disciples. Then a week later, with Thomas present in the locked room, He echoed this statement of peace for a third time.
When the Prince of Peace spoke those wondrous resurrection-related words, Peace be with you, how could the Apostles “see” this peace; it is invisible, isn’t it? The words themselves have the power of the Holy Spirit to create peace in the hearts and minds of the Apostles, but Jesus knows they want (need?) physical proof. Thus Jesus immediately presents the visible proof of His assured peace: When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side [v 20]. Jesus had predicted that He had to give His life as a ransom for the many (Mt 20:28). Now, from the marks in His hands and side, the Apostles could see with their eyes the visible evidence that Jesus indeed gave His life. This is where they and we find peace, in the fact that He gave His life to ransom us; we are forgiven; our sins were carried in His body on the cross. Additionally, the dead Redeemer is now standing before the Apostles…alive! From the marks in His hands and side they know it is the same man who died, but now He is alive, He is risen! This then stands as the second assurance of peace, for because He lives we shall live also. Forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life now belong to the Apostles. But are they the only recipients of this peace?
After our Lord speaks His promise of peace for a second time, He explains, As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you [v 21]. The Church of Jesus would be built upon His Apostles, and from them the distribution of peace would proceed. As the Father sent His Son, so now the Son sends the Apostles, and from them come two words of peace. The first word of peace is the literal pronouncement of forgiveness: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them [v 23]. The Apostles henceforth are endowed with the gift of absolution, and from this powerful word believers would know both temporal and eternal peace; for where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation. They (and pastors who would continue to distribute the gifts entrusted to the Apostles) would give forgiveness through Baptism, through literally forgiving God’s people in the name of Jesus, and through distributing Christ’s forgiving body and blood in the Eucharist. Connected to the peace given by the absolution, Jesus adds another Word of His peace: …if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. Out of love, the Apostles (and later, pastors) would withhold forgiveness from those who publicly lived in unrepentant sin. What is the goal of such withholding of forgiveness? It is to get those living in unrepentant sin to realize their sin, so they can again in faith hear the absolution. The ultimate goal of withholding forgiveness is to bring the peace of forgiveness. Without the withholding of forgiveness, the unrepentant would die without Christ’s peace; with it, they are again enabled to realize His peace.
The resurrected Jesus gives His third promise of peace uniquely in the presence of “doubting” Thomas. Every Christian has times of doubt. Thus Jesus directs Thomas—and each of us—Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe [v 27]. How then do we doubters get to believe by thrusting our fingers and hands into the crucifixion marks of the resurrected Jesus?
We have something that Thomas did not have. We have the inspired Word of Christ’s commissioned Apostles. Thus the Apostle John explains to those reading/hearing His inspired written record: …these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name [v 31]. Truly we get to “touch” our crucified and risen Savior whenever the Gospel is proclaimed, and thus “touching” Him, our doubts are vanquished and we are empowered to believe, and, reinvigorated in our faith, our peace in Jesus is renewed.
John 20:19-29 -
Jesus appears to His disciples
19 - Οὔσης οὖν ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ [a]μιᾷ σαββάτων, καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ὅπου ἦσαν οἱ [b]μαθηταὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν.
being evening (Easter Evening) on the first day of the week, (the Sabbath) for fear of the Jews the door (keyed) were shut, Jesus stood before them and said peace to you all.
Thomas - John 11, 14,
Calvin said Jesus climbed through a window. Still deny the real presence.
The exaltation has a different nature...Jesus just appears...
Is this God's answer to Genesis 3 "where are you?"? In John Jesus is buried in a Garden, he comes in the "cool of the day" in the evening. He answers for Adam "peace to you"
:20 - καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν [c]ἔδειξεν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν [d]αὐτοῖς. ἐχάρησαν οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ ἰδόντες τὸν κύριον.
after saying this he showed them his hands and his side...
where we get pleurisy. Only John records blood coming from Jesus' side...19:34 Luke will say hands and feet. A reference to Eve created from Adam's side.
:21 - ἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν· καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέν με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ πέμπω ὑμᾶς.
Jesus said again, (because of his hand and side) "peace to you" as the Father sent me I send you.
Establishment of the apostolic ministry. Why the two verbs for send?
"ἀπέσταλκέν" sent with authority, the authority of Christ. ~ SEE John 13:20 Jesus sent to be Savior Apostles sent to be Preachers
:22 - καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον·
saying this He breathed and said to them receive the Holy Spirit.
:23 - ἄν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας [f]ἀφέωνται αὐτοῖς· ἄν τινων κρατῆτε κεκράτηνται.
Whomever sins you forgive they are forgiven whomever sins you retain they are retained.
Spirit is called the breath of God, see Ps. 33 and Ez. The breath is the speaking, spirit conveyed through the Word. "Now the keys belong to me" says Jesus. See Genesis 1, "He breathed on them..."
We gain more than what Adam lost.
:24 - Θωμᾶς δὲ εἷς ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα, ὁ λεγόμενος Δίδυμος, οὐκ ἦν μετ’ αὐτῶν ὅτε [g]ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς.
but Thomas one of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came.
Why called the twin? Because he had a twin. You are his twin...you are not there also. But we are there too. Thomas is Eeyore, "let us go with Him and die with Him" “It’s all for naught.”
:25 - ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄλλοι μαθηταί· Ἑωράκαμεν τὸν κύριον. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἐὰν μὴ ἴδω ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων καὶ βάλω τὸν δάκτυλόν μου εἰς τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων καὶ βάλω [h]μου τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω.
"by no means will I believe. Absolutely not!" The other disciples said, we have beheld the Lord.
:26 - Καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ πάλιν ἦσαν ἔσω οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ Θωμᾶς μετ’ αὐτῶν. ἔρχεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων, καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ εἶπεν· Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν.
After eight days (inclusive) He rises and appears on the eighth day...his disciples were again gathered Thomas was with them and door was shut and still being shut...
:27 - εἶτα λέγει τῷ Θωμᾷ· Φέρε τὸν δάκτυλόν σου ὧδε καὶ ἴδε τὰς χεῖράς μου, καὶ φέρε τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ βάλε εἰς τὴν πλευράν μου, καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος ἀλλὰ πιστός.
"see right before you" do not be faithless but faithful...do not be unbelieving but believing...
We touch the nails and thrust every time the word is preached and the sacraments administrated. We receive in the Sacrament the whole Christ.
:28 - ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου.
the Lord of me...the God of me...
Augustine qt. "Thomas saw and touched a man and confessed a God Whom he did not see or touch."
:29 - λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ὅτι ἑώρακάς με πεπίστευκας; μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες.
because you have seen me you believe blessed are those who believe w/o seeing.
Today we see with our ears.
:30-32 much many other signs on the other hand these are written...foundational confession - Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.
These are what got Jesus crucified...You are the Christ...you are the son of God. This is not blind faith. There is a promise to apologetics but a limit. It tears down only it does not build up. Even the demons believe and shutter. Saving faith come by faith...
The Risen Christ Breathes His Peace in the Holy Absolution
-The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software
-ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
-Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts, ‘The Resurrection of our Lord’© WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
-LCMS Lectionary notes © 2018
-Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing
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