Week One: “The Upper Room” John 20:19-end
Introduction
This is the start of a new series looking at a number of descriptions of how Jesus appeared to His disciples after the astounding events of that first Easter weekend. We will note a number of similarities – for example the way in which the risen Christ simply appeared and then disappeared – and a number of distinctives.
This week we have two for the price of one! The first appearance is later on in the day of that first Easter Sunday. 10 disciples (12 – Judas and Thomas) are gathered behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Most of us will have no difficulty in imagining how they felt – the numb shock of grief. As we gather this morning millions of people around the world would have no difficulty placing themselves in that room. The entire Roman Catholic Church is mourning the loss of their leader. Whilst not wishing to equate the Pope with Jesus, his disciples still viewed him as their religious leader. Millions of others, especially those in Southern Africa who we have been recalling during Lent, will also have no difficulty in understanding grief.
We can imagine what they might have been saying before Jesus arrived. “If only…….” If only we had stopped him coming to Jerusalem… If only we had spotted what Judas was up to and stopped him……. If only we had armed ourselves properly we could have resisted the guards. Perhaps the only “If only” that really counts is: ”If only they had truly grasped who Jesus was. Perhaps the conversation moved on from “If only” to fond reminiscences. “Do you remember when……we were in the boat and he stilled the storm…..that amazing picnic……the way he had time for people. Whatever their conversation it is brought to an abrupt halt when Jesus appears.
He identifies himself interestingly by his scars – look at my hands and side. I have often wondered about this as we see scars as being signs of weakness and yet our resurrection bodies, as Paul tells us in 1Cor.15, are glorious, strong and indestructible. The hymn writer in one verse of “Crown him with many crowns” speaks of Christ’s scars thus” Those wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified” and goes on to imagine angels averting their gaze from such blazing mysteries. I am content to follow suit and treat the enduring scars as a mystery. What to us are signs of weakness and imperfection, in Jesus are marks of victory.
On recognising Jesus the disciples are filled with joy and can’t wait to tell Thomas when they meet him. However their joy seems to have been short-lived as one week on the doors are still locked. This time Thomas is with them and again Jesus appears and invites Thomas to do what he said and touch those mysterious scars. This draws out the wonderful response of faith, “My Lord and my God”. The whole point of these appearances is to stimulate faith.
There have been two widely-publicised deaths recently, that of the Pope and the lady in the States who had her food and drink withheld. In both cases despite the obvious Christian faith of the people involved there was very little sense of resurrection hope. We are so caught up in the day-to-day realities of our physical existence that we loose sight of the real world, the one currently inhabited by the risen Christ and which he invites us to share in.