Jesus unlocks 3 doors

The peace won by Christ’s death and resurrection frees us from 3 locked rooms:
Fear, unbelief and guilt.

Sermon for 11 April, 2010 Crows Nest Lutheran Parish (W.Logan)

John 20:19-31
(19)  It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. "Peace be with you," he said. (20)  After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. (21)  Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you." (22)  Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (23)  If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
(24)  One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. (25)  So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe." (26)  A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." (27)  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!"(28)  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" (29)  Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!"
(30)  In his disciples' presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. (31)  But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.

Lord Jesus our risen and living God, speak your life-giving word to us and set us free, according to your will. Amen.

Picture three rooms. One is called ‘fear.’ It’s locked from the inside.
The second is called ‘Unbelief.’ It isn’t locked, but the door won’t open because there are piles of boxes and other things in front of it.
The third room is called guilt. It is locked from the outside.

These three rooms are in our text, along with the good news about Jesus who has the power to unlock all three rooms for us.

The first room is ‘Fear.’

John 20:19 “The disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.”

There is such a thing as healthy fear. Fear based on a reasonable assessment of risk makes us take reasonable precautions. Fear of falling over a cliff makes us ( – at least those of us who are sensible! – ) stay back from the edge of a cliff. (To be more precise, we are afraid of what will happen at the end of our fall, that is, hitting the ground with life-ending force). There are reasonable fears. We lock the doors of our cars [at least in cities or unfamiliar places] and we lock the doors of our houses because theft happens. In this fallen world, there is potential danger from stalkers or intruders, and therefore locking our doors is a good policy. There are healthy fears.

But there are also unhealthy fears. Some people get into state of paranoia, and their fear stops them functioning in normal and healthy ways. Sometimes people lock themselves away from their families or from society, because of their fear.

Fear is a room locked from the inside.

The disciple’s fear may have been reasonable. Or it might have been exaggerated. Whatever the nature of our fears, they can paralyse our lives. They can keep us from opening our doors to new experiences, to new people, to new thoughts or activities. Is there some way that you are hiding behind a locked door of fear? It might be a reasonable fear. Some doors should probably stay locked. Such as doors to sin. But our fears might be crippling us, and stopping us from moving forward in our lives. People who don’t share our fears, or who don’t understand them, might shake their heads and think we are stupid. But Jesus doesn’t. What does he do?
What did he do for his bunch of trembling followers?
He came to them. He came to where they were, and he didn’t say, ‘Come on, pull yourselves together you idiots!’ No. He came and stood among them and said "Peace be with you."

Whether the fear is reasonable, or really a figment of our imaginations, Jesus speaks ‘peace’ to us.

In his grace he came to them. Our God, our Saviour, is a God who comes to us. In his word. In the sacraments. He speaks peace to us, and gives us the comfort and confidence to unlock our doors – maybe not all of them – but the doors that are stopping us from moving on and connecting with people he wants us to know, and relate to. Doors that are stopping us trying new things. Doors that, when opened by Jesus, allow us to enter the future he has prepared for us.

The peace of Jesus’ risen presence takes away our fear and enables us to live our lives with confidence.

The second door is the door of unbelief.
Thomas was not able to enter into the joy of his fellow disciples, because he could not believe the news that Jesus was alive. He needed proof. Many people are like this. “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me!" Jesus said. But in his kindness, he gave Thomas proof. All doubts were swept aside. Jesus cleared the obstacle, and Thomas gladly opened his door to faith, confessing, “My Lord and my God!”

There are many people today – you might be one of them – who have trouble believing in Jesus, or who have trouble believing that the Bible can be trusted. For many people, the door of faith is blocked by intellectual doubts of various kinds, or the belief in Darwin’s explanation of the origin of life as we know it, as the result of millions of years of chance random processes. God gave us our intellects. He has also given us people with the ability to explain things. Archaeologists who keep discovering things that support Biblical history. Scientists that have become convinced that the facts of scientific inquiry into origins fit better into a young-earth creationist perspective, and who can help us understand that the incredible design of our world emphatically supports belief in an intelligent designer. God has given us other intellectuals who can help us understand reasons for accepting that our current Bible has not changed over thousands of years. God has provided us with people who know about alternative religions, and who know about the Christian faith, people who can lead us to understand what we believe and why.

For some people there are genuine intellectual difficulties that block their way. God may not give them the kind of proof they want. But the fact that many intellectual people do believe, tell us that intellectual brilliance itself does not need to be a barrier to faith.
God has given us enough revelation. For us, it is relayed revelation, mediated through the writings of the prophets and apostles. But God the Holy Spirit works through his word, to bring us to faith.
John 20:30,31 “In his disciples' presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.”
Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word (or proclamation) of Christ.”
Isaiah 55:6-11
(6)  "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
(7)  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (8)  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. (9)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (10)  "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, (11)  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

To those who have intellectual doubts, Jesus says, ‘Peace. Hear me. Let my Spirit clear your doubts. It is safe to believe in me! I am the way, the truth, and the life.’

The third door is the door that is locked on the outside: the door of guilt.
Psychologists and others point out these days that much of guilt is self-imposed, and/or the result of taking onto ourselves the judgements and criticisms of others.

But there is such a thing as real guilt. Just as if we have broken the law of the land, when we go to court, there is objective guilt. And the penalties have to be paid.

Before God’s court, we all stand guilty. Because of our sins, the door into heaven was locked. But the good news is that Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins, and his death has removed our guilt. God himself, the righteous judge, has unlocked the door! And he has commissioned his church to go into all the world and tell people this good news!

(v21-23) "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you." (22)  Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (23)  If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

When are sins not forgiven? When people choose not to believe. The door is unlocked from God’s side, but people don’t believe the good news and think it is still locked. Many people think they have to try to unlock the door from their side, through being good, being religious and so on. But Jesus has come, he has paid all penalties and costs, and we are free to enter a new and happy relationship with God forever. Our sins are forgiven. Our guilt is gone. We are free!

Three rooms.
Christ’s death and resurrection unlocks each door. He calls us to freedom, joy and new life with him, forever.
Amen.