“Peace at Last!”

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-26; 15:10-12; 17:14-20; John 20:19-23
As we continue in our reflections on the impact that people experienced when Jesus revealed himself to them in those days between his resurrection and his ascension, today, we consider the disciples as a group, and why they struggled so in dealing with Jesus’ death and resurrection. We have to remember, that for the most part, these 12 men weren’t highly educated, they weren’t theological scholars, they weren’t even part of “polite Jewish society”. They were smelly fishermen, they were tax collectors, some were rebels who were dedicated to overthrowing their Roman oppressors, some were older men, and some were younger men - in general, they were far from being the elite of Israel.

But they were familiar with who Israel’s Messiah would be, and what he was expected to do for the nation, and Jesus didn’t seem to match the expectations! But to their credit, they had been trying to learn the new ways of Jesus – it just wasn’t all that easy! They were still connected to the law and to history, while Jesus was all about faith and the future. They trusted in the ways of earth, while Jesus doesn’t only trust in the ways of God, he IS the way of God.

They had so much to learn!

Read Matthew 16:21-26

For Jesus, the only way that he could walk was in the way of the Cross. And that included a great deal of additional suffering, some of which would be at the hand of the Sanhedrin – the religious court of Israel. The three groups that made up that body – the elders, chief priests, and the teachers of law – seldom agreed on anything, but when it came to getting rid of Jesus, they were solidly united.

The Lord was trying to prepare his followers for what would be, one day, the fulfillment of God’s plan. But this didn’t fit the model, it wasn’t what the disciples wanted, it wasn’t what made any sense if Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah. So Peter - bold, impetuous Peter - took it upon himself to chastise the Lord for even thinking the unthinkable. Death? They wouldn’t dare! But what Peter didn’t understand yet is that this divine sacrifice was the only hope that he and countless others had for salvation!

But he had to make that incredulous statement that Jesus’ teaching must never come to fruition. And Jesus, in reply, says “Get behind me, Satan”. Now a lot of folks think he was referring to Peter as Satan, but the truth is that he simply saw Satan at work through these words. During Jesus’ wilderness days, Satan had tried to convince him that none of this was necessary, that he could put all the pain behind him if he would just deny the Godly Plan, and put his trust in the easy way.

Evil will use any avenue, any person, any trick of deception to come between our comprehension and God’s intention. And it has come to realize that the most effective approach is to use, not the most ardent of opponents of Christ, but those who are on the inside, those who are working to become one of his faithful followers. Doubt and logic are his favorite tools, and ever since the encounter between humanity and evil in the Garden of Eden, this approach has proven to be highly effective. But on this day, Jesus was still far stronger than Satan ever could be, and he wouldn’t fall for the easy way out – he would remain faithful to the Plan that was quickly coming to the great conclusion.
“You are a stumbling block – you are only working in the ways of earth, and not in the way of God!”

But that isn’t where Jesus stopped – he turns to the future life of his disciples, for they, too, would “suffer many things” - at the hands of the Jews, as well as at the hands of earth. And the more that the Lord revealed to them, the stranger the teaching appeared to be.

Read Matthew 15:10-12

In making this statement, Jesus was denying the validity of about half of the Book of Leviticus! In one sentence, he wiped out every law regarding the law’s dietary requirements. Now understand that he didn’t say that we can eat anything we want to – there are some things that are not healthy or beneficial for our digestion. Should we eat tainted meat? Should we drink contaminated water? Should we eat anything that may be poisonous, or that we are allergic to? Of course not! The Lord didn’t say that we should eat anything and everything – he is simply saying that the things we eat have nothing to do with our righteous standing before Almighty God! And Jesus then goes on to teach what it is that does make our lives “unclean”, or unworthy of the Lord’s blessing – he says that evil consists of things like murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, slander, and so on. Unclean lives are based in our mind’s decisions, not in our heart’s conviction.

But the concern at work here is not as much in the new teaching, as it is in the disciple’s reaction to the teaching. Their fear is that the Pharisees, those teachers and interpreters of the Law, are not happy! Not an unusual reaction, certainly, but definitely one that is misplaced. The disciples are more worried about what the people of the world may think, than they are about accepting the true word of God in Christ Jesus.

This is the very issue that we are dealing with today; and we know it as universalism – the acceptance of whatever someone else believes as a real truth, regardless of what the Bible tells us. There are many, even some who are in the Church, who believe that individual truth resides in the heart and mind of each and every person, and that one person’s truth is just as valid as anyone else’s. But we all know that the only real truth comes to us from God, not from humanity. What did Jesus tell us? “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

The Pharisees would naturally oppose anything that Jesus taught, simply because his truth contradicted their teaching. True faith is never proven by the outward acts we perform. It is founded in the reasons that we do those things – it’s about the love of God that is working to the benefit of others, through us. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

The disciples had a lot more to learn about Jesus.

Read Matthew 17:14-20

The third issue that the disciples were tripping over wasn’t just that their understanding was misplaced – it was that their faith was too small, it was too limited, too restrictive. Remember the time when Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth, and began to teach in the synagogue? He could do very little for the people because they just would not believe in him. (Mark 6:1-5)
That was the problem with the disciples that day – they weren’t quite sure that they could heal the boy. It wasn’t the faith of the boy’s father that was the problem – he had faith that the healing power of Jesus could care for his son’s needs. The problem was with the disciples’ faith.

After all the time they had spent with Jesus, they still weren’t sure about who he actually was! Time and time again, we read of Jesus’ healing, and nearly every time, he attributes it to the person’s faith. And faith is never restricted to Jews only – Gentiles who believed in Jesus may very well have been the greater recipients of Christ’s blessings.

And here we have the recipients of Christ’s direct and constant teaching, his call into ministry, his empowerment to do all that he commands of them, and they still fall short.

And on that Easter morning, we find them cowering in a locked room, fearing for their lives, hesitating to believe what the women were telling them, that the body of Jesus is nowhere to be found! Even when Mary comes to them, revealing the fact that she had seen the Living Lord Jesus, that he had spoken to her, that he had given her hope again – even at that, they still couldn’t believe, they couldn’t remember that Jesus had told them that all of this would happen, and that there would be even more for them to see.

Fear had taken control of their lives, and it darkened whatever faith they might have had.

Read John 20:19-23

Jesus knew that they were terrified, and he was there to relieve that fear, and to replace it with a faith that would stand up to the most vile, the most hateful words and situations that they could ever imagine. And he does it in several ways.
First, he proclaims Peace upon them. This would be a peace that was more than just the elimination of trouble – it would be a promise that God’s goodness was now theirs.
Second, he shows them proof of who he is. They would no longer have to depend on the words of other people – they had seen the physical evidence with their own eyes, that this Jesus who had been dead, had cheated death on the cross, and was truly alive, standing in their midst.
Third, he tells them that they were being sent to the people of earth, just as he had been sent to them. The implication is that his mission was now becoming their mission, and as he had never been alone, neither would they be alone from this moment on.
Fourth, they received the breath of God, bringing new life and new faith to their mortal souls, just as life was breathed into created man (Genesis 2:7) and just as breath brought the dry bones of Ezekiel 37:1-10 back into the fullness of life.
And last, they were commanded to receive the Holy Spirit, that it would enable and empower them in the ministry that was about to continue through them.

And by faith, that same ministry, that same power, is available to all who are willing to receive the Life giving power of Jesus Christ. Are each of us prepared to also receive and use that power, or are we still uncertain that it is even possible for us to do these things of Jesus? After all, he has told us that we will - if we believe. (John 14:11-14)