Behind Closed Doors (No More)

John 20:19-31

Intro

Last Sunday, on Easter, we talked about what we know, in regards to the resurrection account, to be true. Today we’re going to talk about what it takes to take what we know to be true and apply it to our lives so that we are living as God would have us live, carrying the crosses of responsibility that God has given us as believers in the risen Christ, and carrying them all the way to the end.

Because here’s the thing, living as God would have you live can be an extremely hard thing to do…especially when the weight of the cross that you carry is burdening you to the point that you don’t know how you could ever get to the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. When we are in that particular mindset, the light at the end of the tunnel becomes akin to a dog chasing its tail: you see what you want…but you just can’t quite get there.

For many of us, we get into that sort of wheel-spinning situation, where it feels like one step forward and two steps back and we just stop doing anything and everything, becoming like that bump on the log, apathetic to how God would have us move.

After reading the passage for this morning, I don’t think that this is a new state of affairs. Instead, I think that it is an illustration of how broken by sinfulness each of us can become.

This morning’s reading picks up where the resurrection account in the Gospel of John concludes: Peter and the disciple Jesus loved have seen that the tomb is empty; Mary Magdalene has seen the risen Christ and been told by him to go and tell his disciples that he is alive. These things happened in the morning. Our story picks up that evening, after Mary’s proclamation to the disciples.

What I want you to pay particular attention to is where these events take place and then ask yourself how such a location lines up with what Jesus says to his followers; to his friends. The scripture reads this way.

John 20:19-31

¹⁹ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

“Behind Closed Doors (No More)”

Most people look at this passage and the person that they become transfixed upon is Thomas. His, “I won’t believe anything until I see it with my own eyes” approach to life for which he received the moniker of ‘Doubting’, certainly deserves the attention that it has received.

However, when I started looking at these verses and what the Spirit was saying through them I couldn’t help but think that Thomas is not the only one who is teaching a lesson for all of Christendom: so are the other disciples.

So, using the springboard question that I mentioned earlier: did you happen to catch the setting for the two scenes that play out before us? If you say an unidentified house, you are absolutely correct. But did you notice that in both scenes the disciples are behind closed doors with the first setting having those doors locked because they were ‘afraid of the Jews’. I firmly believe that the author of John did not include these facts by mistake. Something was trying to be said.

Now again, the first time that Jesus appears, is on the evening of Easter. Two disciples have seen the empty tomb and they have received a report from Mary saying that Jesus was alive. They know that something is going on and they are behind a locked door! They are so burdened by the world as they see it that even with light beginning to break into view, they cannot move.

Now I can almost give the disciples a pass in regards to the events of the first night of Easter. After all, at that point, while they do know that something is going on, they don’t know what exactly.

But by the time that we get to the events of ‘a week later’, the disciples know what’s going on. Ten of the eleven of them have seen the risen Christ. They have been told by Jesus, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. Basically, ‘go and feed my sheep. Proclaim the truths that you have learned so that all people might know, so that all people might have the opportunity to believe.’

Think about that for a second, someone who was dead three days before is standing in front of you very much alive and has just told you to go forth and do as he has done. What are you going to do? In our mind’s eye, most of us would think, “I would head out of the unidentified house and tell everyone who I knew what was going on. And more than that, I would tell a whole lot of people who I didn’t know too!” Formally dead person stands in front of you and that’s what most of our mind’s eye tells us to do.

So why is it that a week later still finds the disciples behind those closed doors. It wasn’t just Thomas who was having a hard time believing. At least Thomas had an excuse. He hadn’t seen. The other disciples had…and they’re still stuck behind the doors, still waiting to fully implement the charge that had been placed before them to go and do as Jesus had done. Thomas may have doubted: the other 10 disciples didn’t move, or at the very least move as much as they should have. They were, in way too many ways, apathetic to the call that was placed before them.

This is not to say that they didn’t have legitimate reason to be concerned (they knew that the society around them was not going to receive their message all that well), but when the one you recognize as savior appears before you, you get off your duff, and carry that cross that is before you, regardless of how burdensome that cross may be.

Now I am sure that the disciples were concerned that moving out into the world would only lead to their demise. I am sure that as they went to bed that night, not only was there the excitement and wonderment of Jesus being alive, but also that voice of doubt that was whispering, “How are we supposed to do this? How are we supposed to move beyond these doors when the world outside doesn’t want to hear what has to be said through our lips?”

From a worldly perspective that is a legitimate question. From a perspective of faith, however, that question is but an impediment to the call that has been placed before you. The call before you is to move beyond those closed doors and push forward, living as God would have you live.

Why? Because that is what the risen savior has called for you to do. That is what the risen savior did in his life, even to his death on the cross. That is what we must do as well. Apathy, inaction, and fear to move beyond the doors in our lives is not acceptable. We must pick up our cross and move knowing that God will direct our steps even in those areas that lack any sort of sure footing. You’ve got to push on, no matter what. That was the call of the disciples: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That is our call as well.

So individually, what might that look like? A few different examples: let’s say that you’ve been diagnosed with a disease or a disorder that is debilitating in some way. You get tired, you can’t walk, you’re mentally not as sharp as you would like, you’re not able to work, you need to be on a med that has more side affects then the disorder itself (sound like anyone that you may know?).

There are a whole lot of folks who when faced with this situation feel like they are worthless, and they act that way, falling into a depression, shutting themselves off to the world because they feel like they have nothing left to offer.

To you I say, pick up your cross and be behind closed doors no more! Jesus has called you to serve in the world! Might that service be in the way that you once were able to serve. No! But that does not mean that your service will not be valuable. Write a service person, call a friend or family member, see if the church needs help in any way. No matter how difficult your physical state may be, you are valued by the Lord, and amazing things can be done in and through you! Are you willing to move beyond those closed doors in your life? Step forward in Christ no matter the circumstances.

Another example that is happening more than anyone would like to admit: downsizing and job loss. Each of us knows someone who is facing this in some way. The question is, do we approach this state of affairs in such a way that we give up? Or do we move forward, doing the work that is there as well as we can? Do we just throw in the towel and become the bump on the log bemoaning how life isn’t fair? Or do we pick up our cross, showing the world that despite the cross that we are carrying we are still able to be kind and compassionate, caring and trustworthy? No matter how difficult your employment situation may be, you are valued by the Lord, and amazing things can be done in and through you! Are you willing to move beyond those closed doors in your life? Step forward in Christ, no matter the circumstances.

And this call to Spirit led motion is not just in terms of the individual, it is absolutely at the family of faith level as well. Too many of us hear the announcements before worship in such a way that it sounds like white noise, something for someone else to hear, but not for us, because we don’t have the time or the talent. As a congregation we have been called by Jesus to not just serve one another behind the doors of faith, but to go beyond those doors. That call is for all of us!

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That was the call before the disciples. That is the call before us as well. The only way that we are going to be able to answer this call is by picking up our cross and taking one step at a time, both as individuals and as a congregation. You are valuable and you have been blessed. Now step out in faith as you have been called!

I got to this point in the sermon and an idea. Stepping out in faith as you have been called is a scary thing, but you do not go alone. One of the best ways that I have experienced to be reminded of this fact is by having others pray for me, and even receiving a laying on of hands.

So that is what we are going to do this morning. So I need all of you to introduce yourself to the person to your left. So stand up and say ‘hi’. Now place one of your hands on one of their shoulders. If you happen to be on the ends, you may need to use both of your hands so that the person in front of you is able to be prayed for (one of those days when sitting in the middle was the smart choice!). Now as you are prompted, I want you to silently pray for that individual by name. We have been called. Now let us pray for the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit to step forward in faith, even as we carry the cross that is upon us.

After Sermon Prayer

Holy God, You have called us, each of us, to go out and serve. God it is hard; it can be scary; but still the call remains. Lord, hear our prayers as we lift before you by name these individuals whom we touch now. Allow Your Spirit to flow through our simply hands so that we might be able to shake off that apathy, pick up our cross and step forward in faith. Lord, hear our prayers, as we pray for these your servants. Equip them, empower them, help them to know how worthy they are so that they too might allow Your message to be felt all throughout this world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.