John 20:19-31, Psalm 150, and Acts 5:27-32
What do you fear the most? Until a few years ago, I was most afraid of going to the dentist. But now, when a family member gets sick, sometimes when they need surgery, I feel afraid. Many children feel sad when their parents get older and need more surgeries. Why is that so? This is because we trust and rely on our parents. I am like that too.
The disciples here were in the same position. Jesus, whom they trusted so deeply, died helplessly and without any resistance. They expected that if we just went to Jerusalem, our Jesus would be crowned as the king of the world. However, in a legal trial and public opinion battle in front of the Jews and the Roman governor, he was sentenced to death. He died on a cross, which was considered the most humiliating punishment at the time. If events progress this way, what is the next step? Typically, political leaders seek out and arrest group members who follow the death row inmate. This is the regular order of punishment in cases. So, how anxious were the disciples’ hearts?
It is difficult to estimate how insecure a person is on the wanted list and running away, regardless of whether someone is guilty. I have met people like this before. If a person has to run away from the police, he or she has no idea how mentally depleted it is. As you know, Korea is divided into North and South. However, when I was in seminary, the police tried to arrest a seminary alumnus for violating the security law just by talking about the need for unification of South and North Korea. So, he spent several months running away to a student center and dormitory at a university larger than the seminary. One time, I called him, and he felt isolated. I asked him what he would like to eat. He asked me to buy him some Korean fried chicken and seasoned chicken. I visited him with them, and he was very anxious that someone might be around to catch him. It was a situation where I could suspect that the police might be tapping my phone or have him captured. When I finally met him, he had lost over 30 kg. If his body was like this, what was his mind like?
However, the situation of the disciples today is even more dramatic. Until yesterday, they had seen the amazing things Jesus had done. Maybe they were mistaken, like the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. ‘Everyone cheers for me. Everyone is worshiping me on a high level. Wow! I guess I have something amazing. I am in a similar social position to the point where I sit at the same table as Jesus. Or at least I will be closer to Jesus and have a more powerful position than those people there.’ So, they may have thought. However, Jesus gave death and despair to these disciples. To their horror, they were so threatened by other traditional Jews that they closed the door to the gathering place and were only focused on hiding.
The risen Jesus came to these disciples. He changed sadness and fear into joy. He transformed a place of despair into a gathering of hope. He showed them his nail-pierced hands and side and announced the news of the resurrection. Jesus became a joy to his disciples by being himself. It is resurrection. And we know this resurrection is not just a story that happened 2,000 years ago because we experience resurrection today.
Jesus is still resurrected and is with us in our lives today. If he had not been resurrected, it would be difficult for us, who don’t learn the great teachers and philosophies of 500 or 1,000 years ago every week, to be interested in what happened 2,000 years ago. We accept the Lord’s story as the truth. Why is that so? Because he was the Messiah. Because it was meant for us. Like Thomas, sometimes we may sincerely doubt all of this. However, we believe in Jesus. We receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “Stop doubting and believe.” We trust the words of Jesus. We decided to believe, gathered together like disciples, and like them, we carry the gospel and pass it on from place to place. These are all the life witnesses.
We believe in Christ, and He shows up in our lives. That is why we gather today as a church community and accept the Bible as the Word of God. The Holy Spirit made all of this possible, made us all meet, and continues to help us have bold faith.
Let’s see the changes in the disciples’ lives. In verse 19 of John’s Gospel, the disciples were afraid of the world’s threats and the Jewish leaders. They were hiding and cowering and unable to share the gospel. That’s what they did when they couldn’t meet the resurrected Lord. However, they changed after meeting the resurrected Jesus, as seen in Acts verses 27 to 29. “27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
The teachings of Jesus Christ were different from previous Judaism, and the disciples were in a situation where their lives were threatened because of this. But they were able to boldly testify the gospel. Why is that so? Because the disciples experienced Jesus Christ living again. We will be like this too. We know of a world of resurrection that goes beyond disease and death. Here is the testimony of the disciples. “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” What a moving testimony! Do you feel that trust, greater than fear, has taken root in the disciples’ hearts? I hope that the confessions of these disciples become ours.
The Lord appeared in our lives. That is enough. Let us live together as bold witnesses like disciples. The Holy Spirit will guide us. Amen.