Easter 2

John20:19-31 - Quasimodogeniti - April 3, 2016
He Is Not Here — He Is Here

Jesus was crucified for all to see.  For us, his death is depicted in the preaching of the gospel, as St. Paul writes to the Galatians, “before [your] eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified” (Galatians 3:1).  He who knew no sin of his own became a sin offering for us by bearing the blame of our sin in himself (2 Corinthians 5:21).  By his bitter death, he satisfied the wrath of God against the sin of all men (Isaiah 53:11).  On the cross we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  The Bible tells us to “[look] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  This is what we see.  This is where God’s word directs our faith.  God urges us to behold him who sits at the right hand of the Father where he exercises all authority in heaven and on earth.  Yes, but so that we might behold him there, so that we might know that he intercedes for us there as our Mediator, we are first urged to behold him by faith in the image of his crucifixion. 

We see the image of God and worship him not in our lofty thoughts of his majesty, but where the image of man is treated shamefully and dies.  We see our sin in this gruesome image of God and Man, to be sure.  But we also see innocence endure our sin’s just reward until there is nothing left to endure.  Thus we see God’s mercy and pardon. 

When Jesus commended his Spirit to the Father, he thereby asserted that all sins were punished in him and so shall not be punished in you.  When the Father raised him to life, he thereby asserted that he was fully pleased with the holy sacrifice of his Son and that he no longer counts your sin against you.  When the Holy Spirit quickened his lifeless body, he thereby asserted that he also quickens you by working the faith that clings to Christ alone.  And when Jesus rose again also by his own divine power as the Son of God, he asserted thereby that he himself has power over your death as well.  Jesus has the authority to forgive you your sins.  The dying Jesus labors under the demands of the law and pays God what you owe.  He dies for you.  The risen Jesus delivers the receipt of all that his death has purchased.  He lives for you. 

When Jesus rose on Easter Sunday, he demonstrated the purpose and accomplishment of his Good Friday death.  He died in order to take into himself our death and, by suffering the curse of God against our sin, to remove the curse from us (Galatians 3:13).  And so just as his resurrection proves that he truly died not for his own sin, but for ours, so also his resurrection proves that our sins have no more power to condemn us.  They were already imputed to Jesus who suffered the full penalty in our place.  Jesus satisfied the wrath of God as our holy Substitute.  And having thus been satisfied, God raised him who died.  God is reconciled.  He is at peace with sinners.  Jesus rose not to speak doom, saying, “Look at what your sins have done to me.”  Rather, Jesus rose to speak forgiveness and give eternal life, saying, “Look at what I have done to your sins.” 

This is why Jesus breathes his Holy Spirit on his chosen disciples – in order that, through the message his wounds have proved, the Holy Spirit might also persuade us that everything Jesus did he did for our everlasting benefit. 

Early Easter morning, the women were looking for death.  They were looking for death in the body of their Lord.  They would not find it there.  He is risen!  God wanted them to know that they would not find death in Christ, but only life.  God wanted them to know that they would not find curse or accusation in Christ, but only blessing and forgiveness.  God wanted them to know first where they were not to search for Jesus ever again.  They were not to seek the living among the dead, as the angel said (Luke 24:5).  So what did God do?  He had his angel roll the stone away that closed the tomb (Matthew 28:2).  He rolled it away so that they could see that Jesus was not there. 

This is an interesting thing.  In order to demonstrate where Jesus was not, God rolled away a stone that would have required several men using levers and counterweights to move.  A miracle to be sure!  But that evening, in order to demonstrate where he was, the Lord Jesus stood in the midst of a closed room with a locked door.  The door was shut.  It wasn’t cemented shut.  It could easily have been opened by somebody on the inside.  All the more could it have been opened by an angel making way for the Lord to enter in.  Either the unlocking from within or the blasting from without could easily have done the trick.  But no.  Jesus stood in their midst without such flare.  And all of this was to demonstrate where Jesus was – where he would continue to be found accessible for all future generations, as he himself promised, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). 

We are to expect the presence of the living Lord not where he bursts in and makes himself known in great pomp and power.  Nor are we to expect the presence of the living Lord where we unlock and open the door to let him in.  No.  We are to expect the presence of the living Lord simply when and where he chooses to stand among us and speaks his word of peace.  What a wonderful lesson!  He moves mountains, so to speak, to show where you are not to find him.  But to show you where you are to find him, he does no such thing.  He simply tells his disciples that whosever’s sins they forgive are forgiven and whatever sins they retain are retained. 

Jesus’ presence in this Easter evening absolution is not less miraculous than the rolling away of the stone.  In fact, it is even more profound a miracle.  Jesus does not remove obstacles when appearing to his disciples.  Instead, he simply treats the locked door as it really is – no obstacle at all.  He mocks all obstacles that would hinder his living presence by nonchalantly coming through them in order to deliver the peace that he died and rose to win.  In the same way are we to look at the obstacles to our Lord’s presence among us.  What obstacles are there?  Where does he promise to be? 

In the Sacrament of the Altar, it is the last will and testament of our Lord Jesus that we receive his body with the bread we eat and his blood with the wine we drink.  In order to be present for us here, he does not destroy the bread and turn it into his body, as the Roman Catholics teach in their doctrine of Transubstantiation.  No.  It remains bread and wine while at the same time it is his body and blood.  His miracle, while more subtle than a full-out transformation is actually much more profound.  It is a union.  As surely as the human nature was not destroyed when God became Man, so the bread and wine are not destroyed when they become the body and blood of Jesus.  The bread is his body, and the wine is his blood.  Just as he did not remove the door or even open it to stand in the midst of his disciples, so Jesus permits the elements to stand.  And yet he himself also stands, giving himself as true food and himself as true drink. 

We eat this bread and drink this cup,
Thy precious Word believing
That Thy true body and Thy blood
Our lips are here receiving.
This word remains forever true,
And there is naught Thou canst not do;
For Thou, Lord, art almighty.

The fact that Jesus was able to stand and speak peace to his disciples despite the doors remaining locked demonstrates that he is able to be present as a true Man – not merely as true God, but also as true Man with his flesh wounds still visible — this demonstrates his ability and willingness to disregard normal physical limitations in order to be with us.  He doesn’t undo these limitations.  He just ignores them as obstacles, and invites us to ignore them as well.  As another stanza of the same hymn puts it:

Though reason cannot understand,
Yet faith this truth embraces;
Thy body, Lord, is everywhere
At once in many places.
How this can be I leave to Thee,
Thy word alone sufficeth me,
I trust its truth unfailing.

When Jesus promised to remain among us, he was not merely promising that his divine nature would abide, while his human nature would be in heaven.  No. Jesus is true God and true man.  He did not borrow his human nature.  It is not a cloak that he might take off at will.  He assumed our human nature to redeem us, and so remains forever both God and Man even as he delivers what only he who is both true God and Man could purchase.  He did not leave his body in the grave.  Much less should we expect him to confine his body to heaven as though it were merely some physical place somewhere else.  As we sing:

Yet, Savior, Thou art not confined
To any habitation,
But Thou art present everywhere
And with Thy congregation.
Firm as a rock this truth shall stand,
Unmoved by any daring hand
Or subtle craft and cunning.

As surely as the price he paid to redeem us was a price that God paid with his own blood, so surely is the peace that he now speaks to us in the absolution and Sacrament the peace that our Brother spoke when he appeared to Thomas in the upper room.  What he pleads before the Father in heaven is what he gives to us poor sinners below.  This is of great comfort.  We speak of the message of the gospel.  And indeed it is just that – a message.  It is delivered through messengers.  You cannot see or feel Jesus as Thomas could.  But blessed are you who believe without such an experience. 

And so, though you do not see, yet this also will not be too tricky an obstacle for our Lord.  Does he not promise to be with us?  Does he not promise that he is here where we gather in his name?  Yes.  The absolution you hear is not a mere relaying of good will.  It is the bestowal of peace as surely as when Jesus breathed on his disciples.  And so it pleases our Lord through the breath of a forgiven sinner, a lowly servant riddled with the same doubts and pride as Thomas once was – it pleases our Lord to stand and speak peace to you.  But since you cannot see him.  He tells me to stand here.  And because you cannot hear him, he tells me to speak his word.  “In the stead and by the command,” I say.  It is not my forgiveness.  It is Christ’s. 

To deny the objective value of the absolution is not merely to take issue with a church rite.  The reason it is objected to is not merely because it seems a bit odd to hear a man speak words as from Jesus himself.  No.  The real issue goes deeper.  The real issue touches on the question of whether or not you might know and be certain that your sins are truly paid for.  Are they?  Is not your sin the greatest obstacle to the Lord’s presence and to his current pronouncement of peace?  And what an obstacle! 

But our Lord does not merely ignore this obstacle.  He does not treat it like a closed door.  This obstacle is what Jesus overcame when he bore your sin on the cross.  He rent the curtain in two and abolished the division between God and man.  This is the gospel.  The gospel does not tell you what Jesus did and then leave to you to hope that he did it for you.  The gospel does not teach you to look for evidence in your own faith to ascertain whether your sins truly were borne.  No.  Jesus breathes his Holy Spirit when he gave peace, because the Holy Spirit bears witness of what Jesus has done for all men.  This is how he made Thomas believing even as he invited him to touch his hands and side.  And so this is how he teaches you to believe.  He speaks what is true.  And from what is true – even quite apart from you – your faith is engendered and strengthened.  Because your faith is not an exercise in removing obstacles such as doubt and sin.  No, your faith is a gift from God that stands firm.  As surely as the stone was removed, so your sin has been fully paid for.  As surely as the door once remained unopened but could not keep Jesus out, so also let your eyes remained closed and let reason remain unsatisfied.  Jesus speaks.  His Spirit makes not propositions.  He makes pronouncements.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing.  In repentance embrace your Lord and God.  He is your peace and health. 

And so, though heaven remains to appear closed, though the way of escape from temptation, pain, sorrow, remain fastened shut, yet Jesus remains with us this side of Paradise.  Such obstacles that block our vision he mocks.  If he is with you here, you shall be with him there.  He is your peace and rest.  Amen.