Jesus’ story continues as He writes us into it, giving us the Holy Spirit to continue to spread the forgiveness of sins in the proclamation of the Gospel.
Can you ever have too much gospel? Well, the answer from the risen Lord in our reading from the gospel today is a resounding, “No!” John’s gospel is just bursting with good news! Jesus walks out of the tomb, and He just cannot stop Himself from handing over the gifts of the resurrection! The first words out of His mouth to this cowardly bunch of deserters? “Peace to you!” It is the gospel of reconciliation; a greeting soaked in forgiveness! He then shows them the source of that forgiving peace: The wounded hands and side! He follows it up by breathing the Holy Spirit upon them, letting the forgiveness loose, equipping His forgiven people with absolution power and giving the Church the keys to the Kingdom! And if that were not enough, He then seeks out the lost sheep, our unbelieving (NOT doubting) Thomas. He gifts Thomas with faith by presenting those same, ever-present wounds. Finally, Jesus seems to break the fourth wall and look at you and speak this glorious benediction: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”
I might suggest this week, however, you focus in on the final verses of our pericope: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not in this book; but 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” (John 20:30-31).
I like this as a starting point because John is being honest about his agenda in writing this account. He is telling this story for a reason. The moments of Jesus’ life, passion, and resurrection which John records are intentional. He is convinced that by telling you what he saw Jesus do and what he heard Jesus say, you will be brought to believe Jesus is the Son of God who has done the will of God in dying and rising for your salvation. He is convinced this faith alone comes with the promise of eternal life in Christ’s name.
John believes the story he tells is the only one that can save us. The history of the crucified, risen Jesus is the only story that can give us hope in this world of sin. Everyone’s life is driven by a story, or as it is trendy to say these days, a narrative. Everyone orders their lives on narratives that they believe are, on some level, true. And, if true is too strong of a word, at least they operate with stories we think are useful for daily life.
I would preach this Sunday about the futility of the dominant narratives either the world tells us or that we tell ourselves. Then proclaim the hope and joy that are found in the story John tells us, or better, the narrative Jesus speaks to us into when he says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”
You could bring up the big narratives that form much of our world. For example, you could talk about the modern creation myth of Darwinian evolution. Show how a story that removes God from creation informs a life story we call “survival of the fittest.” All that matters is survival, power, and personal achievement. But, if we are all a cosmic accident, there is no inherent meaning in the universe. We do not actually matter because we are nothing more than matter.
There is nothing but to make your own meaning, to author our own stories. Thousands of movies and pop songs have been made emphasizing this story. “Don’t waste your life!” “Live your life to the fullest!” “Follow your hopes and dreams and don’t let anyone stand in your way!” In this story, you are the hero and anyone who gets in your way is the enemy. This is the “You Only Live Once” story. But such a life that you must build for yourself is a horribly crushing burden. In this story, we are, to use Oswald Bayer’s striking phrase, “condemned to success.”[1] He says, “An enormous burden is then laid upon us. This is the law under which we live. This law forces us to be the Atlas, who, like the figure in the Greek myth, bears the whole weight of the world on his shoulders.”[2]
But Christ comes into that story of unbelief with His marvelous, “Peace be with you!”
Such an amoral narrative only creates despair. This is powerfully demonstrated in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment. He tells the story of a certain Raskolnikov who has bought into the Nietzschean lie which says all that matters is power. To exercise this philosophy, he sets out to murder a woman. He does so and, because he loses control of the circumstances, murders another. The novel follows Raskolnikov’s guilt induced psychological breakdown. His only saving grace is a prostitute named Sonia. One night, as the two are visiting in her apartment, the crazed atheist begins to press Sonia on religion. He sees her as his moral equal as he is a murderer and she is a prostitute. But she has a bible and attends church. Raskolnikov demands she read to him the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. As she reads, she seems to experience an ecstasy that comes from the hope the story gives her, the story, she hopes, that might break Raskolnikov’s heart. It is a remarkable scene. “The candle end was flickering out in the battered candlestick, dimly lighting up in the poverty-stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book.”[3]
This narrative of hope, read from the lips of such a sinner as a harlot, has a significant impact on the murderer. In what I see as an effort to protect his vain narrative, Raskolnikov cries out, “Freedom and power, and above all, power! Over all trembling creation and the ant-heap... That’s the goal, remember that!”[4]
Here, the two narratives compete. Resurrection worked by a miraculous love outside of ourselves versus the will to power.
The modern narrative is that “I” am the center of “my” universe. This means it is up to me to make all things right in my world. I must justify myself, to myself, through my achievements at home, work, in the community, online, wherever. Living as if God did not matter and I mattered most (Lutheran Service Book, page 292) has led us into a story that looks like freedom, like we can be our own gods, only to drive us to a world that is self-serving, suspicious, and defeating. And, in despair. I cannot possibly live up to my own standards. Being my own hero, my own god, in my story is a tragedy.
But John tells us a better story. Better, because it is true! Better, because it is soaked in the good news of a resurrection outside of ourselves! Jesus brings us right into His story where He has taken on our foes. Our story begins in a place of fear, where we join the disciples behind the locked doors in disappointment and uncertainty. But Christ comes into that story of unbelief with His marvelous, “Peace be with you!” This glorious gift is an announcement from outside of ourselves, spoken by One apart from us who has control and power over us. One who, in this story, we have offended in our sin, rebellion, and attempts to self-narrate our lives. One who rightly should condemn us for condemning Him. But, instead, He shows that, in His story, forgiveness triumphs over justice and sins are lost in the wounds He displays for you to see.
Jesus’ story continues as He writes us into it, giving us the Holy Spirit to continue to spread the forgiveness of sins in the proclamation of the Gospel. It comes even to those who have bought into the false narratives of this world. People like Thomas who bought the false narrative that says the grave has the last word, who would not believe until he saw the wounds. Christ changed the story entirely for this unbeliever, placing on Thomas’ lips the greatest confession in the history of the world, “My Lord and my God!” My hero!
The story of Lazarus’ resurrection marks a turning point for Raskolinkov. He finds love with Sonia and ultimately confesses his murders. He is sent to prison, but there behind bars, he finds true freedom in the new story he has been written into. Under his pillow lies the Bible Sonia read to him. He wonders, with hope, “Can her convictions not be mine now?”[5] The will to power has died, and Raskolnikov has been raised to a new life. This resurrection story brought new life to Raskolnikov.
This week, show your congregation how the resurrection of Jesus tells us a better story. A story that does not depend on us, but on the God who created all things and is making all things new. The best part? This story is true, the life it gives is promised freely, and it is for you!
God bless your preaching!
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on John 20:19-31.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching John 20:19-31.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] Oswald Bayer. Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification. William B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2003. 38.
[2] Bayer. Living by Faith. 18.
[3] Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment. Bantam: New York, 1987. 306.
[4] Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment. 307.
[5] Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment. 505.
