4th Sunday after Easter Sermon

4th Sunday after Easter

John 10: 22-30

"My Sheep, Hear My Voice"

22* It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem;
23* it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.
24* So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25* Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me;
26* but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.
27* My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
28* and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
29* My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30* I and the Father are one.”


Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the risen Christ. Amen

At first glance, our gospel lesson this morning seems out of place. This story takes place before the events of the Passion week, before Jesus' death on the gross, before his resurrection As a matter of fact, the events in this story lead to the events of the past several weeks. So why has this text been placed for us to study this fourth Sunday of Easter?

The last two Sundays we have been looking at the texts that tell us Jesus has risen. We have seen him appear to doubting Thomas. We have seen him appear to the disciples as he made them breakfast on the shore of the lake. The last two Sundays, we have seen that Jesus has indeed risen. We have seen that the promise he made that in three days he would rise had come true. The physical fact of the resurrection has been demonstrate very clearly these last Sundays.

So today we take a step further. We see how the risen Lord affects our lives. In todays text, we, see the consequences of the the resurrection. We see what the resurrection means for our daily living. And since Jesus spelled out very clearly during his three years of ministry on the earth the consequences of his resurrection even before it happened, we need to go back to those texts to see how his resurrection on affects our lives today.

Our text begins as Jesus is walking in the portico of Solomon in the temple in Jerusalem. It was a cold day as John says it was winter. Winter in Jesus' day meant that the wind came in from the east and it was raw and cold. He was walking in the part of the temple that was enclosed which sheltered him from the raw east wind. As he walked, prayed and meditated, a group of Jews came to him and asked him how long will he keep them in suspense? "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly". They wanted him to come right out and say who he was. But Jesus answers them by telling them he has already told them who he was, but they didn't listen too well. And if you do not believe my words, you don't even believe my works, for my works are done in my Father's name, says Jesus. If you cannot believe my words and if you cannot believe my works then you don't belong to me. Jesus says you are not one of my sheep. For if you were One of my followers, you would understand my words, you would see in my actions that I want to take care of you, that I want to give You eternal life, that I do indeed love you!

Jesus the shepherd wants to take care of his sheep like the shepherd in the following:

In the Highlands of Scotland, sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they couldn’t get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they can’t jump back again, and the shepherd hears them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass. The shepherd will wait until they are so faint they cannot stand, and then they will put a rope around him, and he will go over and pull that sheep up out of the jaws of death. "Why doesn’t the shepherd go down there when the sheep first gets there? You see they are so very foolish they would dash right over the high edge and be killed if they did!"1

Jesus understand how foolish we can be trying to save ourselves instead of listening to his words of salvation.

Jesus wants us to hear his words, he wants us to understand who he is for our lives. He wants us to know and believe that he is our shepherd and we are his sheep. He wants us to follow his voice, he wants us to hear his words of peace and comfort for our lives. But sometimes you and I have a difficult time hearing.
Jesus is like the shepherds in the following and we must be like those sheep.

Bob Crabtree, AG Superintendent of Ohio, tells while in the USSR, he saw two shepherds come together in the middle of the road. They had 300 sheep all become one group. He had to wait as the shepherds talked. Finally, Bob wondered how would they ever separate all those sheep. As the one shepherd was leaving, in a low voice he bade his sheep come. The two groups separated instantly and went their ways.

The sheep knew the voice! 2

One of the consequences of the resurrection that is pointed up in this text, one of the things Jesus is asking us to understand about our risen Christ, is that we need to hear his voice and follow it in this world.

But I think you and I are too easily distracted in the rush of the modern world. Maybe we aren't deaf to the words of Jesus, maybe we don't have a hearing problem as much as we hear what we want to hear and we tune out Jesus and tune in on all the sounds and words of the world as it rushes by. Maybe part of our problem, is we don't have a trusting relationship with him to listen intently to his words, and maybe the other part of the problem is we only listen to what we want to listen to, and far to much of our listening is centered on the world and not on Jesus.

The following story will help explain what I am,trying to say:

"Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men remarked, "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket," But the other man could not hear the sound. He asked his friend how he could hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of the traffic and the sound of the people. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature. He didn't explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, but instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a half-dollar coin, dropped it onto the sidewalk, and watch intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking around amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the crowded city living.

He turned to his friend and said, "We hear what we listen for."

Maybe that is our problem with the voice of Jesus as he is trying to get us to follow him, we hear everything else but him because we aren't willing to listen, We don't want to hear his voice, we tune it out instead of focusing our attention on it.

The Jews heard, but did not believe. They saw his signs, but did not get the message. We have heard his words down through the centuries through the Bible, through preaching, through the sacrament, that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Lord. We have seen his deeds as his Holy Spirit has worked in the lives of countless people, but still we don't believe. We have a difficult time centering our attention, our focus on this shepherd who would guide our lives. In one sense we have an advantage over the Jews of Jesus' time, we have the whole story. We have seen in the scripture the witness to the resurrection. We have seen these last two Sundays a powerful witness that indeed Jesus has risen. So we should be able to trust in him, to follow him, to believe in his Lordship for our lives with greater conviction that the Jews who approached Jesus in the temple.

But sadly, many people still doubt, many people still do not trust Jesus as their savior. Many people are still looking, still searching for meaning and purpose to their lives. Many people have found no one to help them with the burdens they carry. Many people are still wandering aimless in life, with no direction, no goal, no idea what to make of their life, what they want to accomplish with the God given gifts that have been so generously given to them.

I think one reason so many people are direction less, are aimless, are just wandering around with no purpose is because they have not let Jesus have control. They have not surrendered to him so that he can be the good shepherd, so that he can take care of them giving them guidance, peace, a sense of worth and direction.

Jesus wants us to ask him to help us with burdens of our lives. He wants us to surrender to him, and follow his voice so that we might have eternal life. Jesus wants to give us direction to our lives. Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd, he knows what is best for his sheep, and he can provide for them if only we will let him. If only we will hear his voice amiss the other sounds of this world If only we will focus in on that voice and tune out all the other voices that are calling to us.

Jesus was us to focus on him.

A closing story tells it well:


In his book, A Turtle on the Fencepost, Allen C. Emery tells of a night he spent on the Texas plains with a shepherd who was keeping two thousand sheep. The shepherd prepared a bonfire for cooking supper and providing warmth. The sheep dogs lay down near the fire as the stars filled the sky.

Suddenly Emery heard the unmistakable wail of a coyote with an answering call from the other side of the range. The dogs weren't patrolling at the moment, and the coyotes seemed to know it. Rising quickly, the shepherd tossed some logs on the fire; and in this light, Emery looked out at the sheep and saw thousands of little lights.

Emery writes, "I realized that these were reflections of the fire in the eyes of the sheep. In the midst of danger, the sheep were not looking out into the darkness, but were keeping their eyes set toward the shepherd."

We're to keep our eyes on our Shepherd, to be always looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. If a coyote is wailing within earshot of you, turn your eyes upon Jesus.3


Written by Pastor Tim Zingale April 23, 2007

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

1 Contributed by: Michael King as found at SermonCentral
2 Contributed by: Wade Hughes, Sr as found at SermonCentral
3 from PreachingNow (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 12-10-04)

3rd Sunday of Easter Sermon

3rd Sunday of Easter

John. 21:1-19

" A Myth?"


21:1* ¶ After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way.
2* Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
3* Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
4* Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5* Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.”
6* He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.
7* That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea.
8* But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9* When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
11* So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12* Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
13* Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
14* This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15* When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16* A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17* He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
18* Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”
19* (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

“The Easter story is nothing but a myth,” Tom’s high school teacher announced to his class a few days before Easter break. “Jesus not only didn’t rise from the grave,” he continued, “but there’s no God in heaven who would allow his son to be crucified in the first place.”

“Sir, I believe in God,” Tom protested. “And I believe in the resurrection.”

“Tom, you can believe what you wish to, of course,” the teacher said, “However, the real world excludes the possibility of miracles like the resurrection. The resurrection is a scientific impossibility. No one who believes in miracles can also respect science.”

Then the teacher proposed an experiment. Reaching into his refrigerator, he produced a raw egg and held it up. “I’m going to drop this egg on the floor,” he said. “Gravity will pull it toward the floor that the egg will most certainly break apart.” Looking at Tom with a challenge, he said, “Now tom, I want you to pray a prayer right now and ask your God to keep this egg from breaking when it hits the floor. If he can do that, then you’ll have proven your point, and I’ll have to admit that there is a God.”

After pondering the challenge for a moment, Tom slowly stood up to pray: “Dear Heavenly Father,” Tom prayed, “I pray that when my teacher drops the egg, it will break into a hundred pieces. And also, Lord, I pray that when the egg does break, my teacher will have a heart attack and die. Amen.”

After a unison gasp, the class sat in silent expectation. For a moment the teacher did nothing. At last he looked at Tom and then the egg. Without a word he carefully put the egg back into the refrigerator. “Class dismissed,” the teacher said, and then he sat down to clear his desk. 1

I told you that story, because our gospel lesson this morning is about Peter and his doubts, his misunderstanding, his disbelief of the resurrection of Jesus. The teacher in our story must of had some belief in Jesus and the resurrection that he dismissed class. Peter and the disciples must of had some belief in the resurrection, also, but not a sure confidence of it yet. Was it a myth?

Peter and the other disciples had been visited by the Lord twice, but it seems by this text they still didn’t understand or believe that he was alive, that he rose from the dead. They were still locked up in the upper room, they were struggling with their doubts, struggling with the appearance of Jesus, struggling with their thoughts of how can this be true. Life was changing too fast for them. They had spent three years of their life with this wandering preaching, giving up their homes, their security, their comfortable way of life, to live with this preacher from Nazareth who made their life - anything but comfortable.

They wandered around the country side preaching to all kinds of people, stirring up the religious leaders, he performed miracles that made them uncomfortable; he told them things that made them even more uneasy. Then in the last few weeks, things had gotten down right rough. The soldiers came and arrested him, he was given a very speedy trail, he was found guilty and then sentenced to death. He died on the cross, then when they thought it was all over, when they thought about going back to their old jobs, when the excitement, the hope, the glory, their dream had been put out by the cross and its horrible death, then, the ladies came and told them he was not dead, he was alive. The grave was empty. Life was changing too fast. They had not even had time to accept his death, now they were told he was alive. Then he, Jesus, came and appeared to them. He talked with them.

He spent time with them. Not only once, but twice. and he even said he was coming back again. But was it really him?? Could we have been dreaming, thought the disciples? Was it really Jesus? Yes, life was changing too fast for the disciples, they could hardly keep up with the changes.

So good old impulsive Peter suggests they go fishing. In this suggestion, Peter was saying: let us go back to something we understand, something we know, something we are familiar with. Let us go back to the security of our old jobs, the security of our families, the security of the familiar.

Some have suggested that in these familiar surroundings, the disciples could have struggled easier with their doubts, their uncertainty about the resurrection of Jesus. Some say they didn’t go fishing to abandon Jesus, but to get a handle on their fast changing lives.
Others say this was a move of open rebellion. They hadn’t understood what was happening. It had confused them so much that they decided it wasn’t worth the struggle any more. It was easy to go back to something they knew, something they were comfortable with, something they didn’t need to struggle with.

I happen to think it was a little of both. They needed to get out of the upper room. They weren’t used to being cooped up, there were outdoor men, men who were comfortable outside; who were used to making decisions outside. So, they went back to the familiar way to struggle with their faith, to struggle with their doubts, to struggle with the resurrection of Jesus. And maybe in their struggle, maybe in their fishing they were at a crossroads. Maybe this was for them a time to come to a commitment about this Jesus. It was a time as they struggled, for some to decide, to go home and some would decide to stick around a while longer to see what this Jesus was really talking about. This was, I think, no ordinary fishing trip, but this trip was going to have some life and death consequences about it.

A myth?

Now what happens. They go fishing at night as it was their custom. Remember these guys weren’t amateurs, they were professional fisherman. Men who had made their living by fishing. And as we can remember by their call, some of them were very successful because they had hired men helping them. They weren’t just working alone to support their families, but they caught enough fish to sell, to be in business of selling fish. So they got into the boat, and put out from the shore. They fished all night. It would really be interesting if our text had given us some thoughts these men had about that night when they caught no fish. They had been away from their trade for about 3 years, they come back to it hoping it would give them some confidence, a comfortable feeling, and they couldn’t even catch one fish. They probably were feeling even more upset now than before they started.

Then as they were ready to head for shore because dawn was breaking, a stranger calls to them, asked them if they had caught any fish. They answered no. Then he tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat.

The catch of fish is not the important part of the story. They cast their nets into the sea, and caught a whole bunch of fish. After the catch of fish, John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, recognized the stranger on the shore as Jesus. He tells Peter, and impulsive Peter, puts his clothes on, jumps into the water and swims to shore. There he finds Jesus who had breakfast waiting for him. There was some fish and bread on the fire and Jesus invites the disciples to join him for breakfast and add some of their fish to the meal. Peter drags the heavy net full of fish to the shore places his fish on the fire and they all sit down and eat with Jesus.

Now, this encounter with Jesus was very important for these men and it also tells us something about Jesus These men were making a decision. They were struggling with the resurrection, they were struggling with their faith, they were wondering if their experience with this Jesus was over or only just beginning as he had said. In their struggling, in their doubts, Jesus comes. He comes to them where they are. He comes to them in the ordinary common tasks of life. He meets them there. And notice, he doesn’t confront them, he doesn’t scold them for returning to something familiar like fishing. But he accepts them, and he invites them to share in a meal.

This meal is like the last meal they had together. It was a meal of reconciliation. It brought Jesus and the disciples together. Through the eating and drinking together, the bonds of trust, friendship, belief were made stronger. For the text says they didn’t have to ask Jesus if it were truly him, for they knew it, they knew in their hearts it was Jesus.

Jesus came to these men, he came not to scold, but to reconcile. He came to show them he had risen, he came because he knew they were struggling, he came to them where they were so that he could help them make a choice, a choice to follow him, to catch men instead of fish.

In that struggle, the disciples found their faith in the resurrected Jesus. It was not a myth, but a fact. They had a faint idea in their hearts about the resurrection, but now their faith was sure. They believed!

All of us at one point or another have doubts. We can be like the teacher at the beginning having some sort of idea that God and the resurrected Jesus exist. Or we can be like the disciples, have a faith that needs to be strengthen.

Frederick Buechner says; "Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving."

May our doubts strengthen our faith!

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale April 16, 2007

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

1 from a sermon by Don Schultz Easter – Fact of Fiction? The cure for doubt found at SermonCentral

2nd Sunday of Easter Sermon

2nd Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-31

"Peace Be with You"




"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John 20:19-31, RSV.

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen


An artist was commissioned by a wealthy man to paint something that would depict peace. After a great deal of thought, the artist painted a beautiful country scene. There were green fields with cows standing in them, birds were flying in the blue sky and a lovely little village lay in a distant valley. The artist gave the picture to the man, but there was a look of disappointment on his face. The man said to the artist, "This isn't a picture of true peace. It isn't right. Go back and try again.

The artist went back to his studio, thought for several hours about peace, then went to his canvas and began to paint. When he was finished, there on the canvas was a beautiful picture of a mother, holding a sleeping baby in her arms, smiling lovingly at the child.

He thought, surely, this is true peace, and hurried to give the picture to the wealthy man. But again, the wealthy man refused the painting and asked the painter to try again.

The artist returned again to his studio. He was discouraged, he was tired and he was disappointed. Anger swelled inside him, he felt the rejection of this wealthy man. Again, he thought, he even prayed for inspiration to paint a picture of true peace. Then, all of a sudden an idea came, he rushed to the canvas and began to paint as he had never painted before. When he finished, he hurried to the wealthy man.

He gave the painting to the man. He studied it carefully for several minutes. The artist held his breath. Then the wealthy man said, "Now this is a picture of true peace." He accepted the painting, paid the artist and everyone was happy.

And what was this picture of true peace?? The picture showed a stormy sea pounding against a cliff. The artist had captured the furry of the wind as it whipped black rain clouds which were laced with streaks of lightening. The sea was roaring in turmoil, waves churning, the dark sky filled with the power of the furious thunderstorm.

And in the middle of the picture, under a cliff, the artist had painted a small bird, safe and dry in her nest snuggled safely in the rocks. The bird was at peace midst the storm that raged about her. 1

Jesus came to the disciple in the midst of the confusion of the rumors of the resurrection. Jesus came to them midst of the chaos of their lives and said, "Peace be with you". Like that mother bird, Jesus came to the disciple while they were dealing with the stormy seas of doubt, the churning waves of hope, and said "Peace be with you."

Let's get a feel for the situation. The disciples were crowded into the upper room. They had heard word just that morning that Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb. The women had come to tell them he had risen. But they didn't believe. They had their doubts. John and Peter went and checked it out. Peter saw, but he couldn't put it all together. John saw and believed. So, I would imagine that he went back and spent the rest of the day trying to convince the rest that what he saw, the empty tomb, the folded linen clothes, the head piece sitting by itself, that this was all the signs that Jesus had indeed risen.

Can you imagine the conversation that took place during that day? They were too afraid of the Jews and the Romans to go out and see, or look for Jesus, so they sat in that upper room sulking, praying, arguing, discussing, pondering, recalling the words of Jesus. I can imagine that John was leading the conversation and Peter boldly trying to make sense of it. The women, especially Mary was trying to convince the rest of her conviction that Jesus had risen, because she had traveled the long road of doubt and despair and had come to the conclusion, the realization, the belief that Jesus had indeed risen.

So here they all were talking, praying, arguing, and then in an twinkle of an eye, in an instance, in a flash of a second there stands Jesus in the middle of them, and says "Peace be with you."

According to the text it says, "When he said this he showed them his hands and his side."

I would imagine they might have said, "Is it really you Lord?" "Have you really risen from the dead? Then to prove it was him, he shows them his hand, and his side. His hands that bore the marks of those cruel nails driven in, his side where the spear was thrust and water and blood flowed from it. Then the text says, "Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." They believed it was him. They celebrated. They were excited. I can imagine they danced around, hugged each other, had tears flowing from their eyes, they might have said, "Yes, John was right, Mary was right, He has risen. He was right when he told us after 3 days he would rise again." Can you imagine the joy, the excitement, the wonder, the thrill of these people. Here they were wondering hoping, but hoping with not too much hope least they be disappointed that he had not risen, here now in the middle of them was Jesus alive, risen from the dead, standing among them. Their reaction was joy, tears, happiness, excitement, a burden of despair had been lifted from their hearts and souls. The sorrow of the previous Friday had turned into excitement, joy and fulfillment of the resurrection promise.

Jesus came to the disciples and peace came over them. An exciting peace. A peace like a big breathe of air releasing from their lungs. A peace that said it is time now to rejoice. A peace that relived their grief, a peace that calmed their fears, a peace that was filled with joy and the fulfillment of the resurrection promise.

The disciples were now at peace with themselves. Jesus was indeed risen. They were at peace with Him and within their souls.

A story says:

Two painters were asked to paint a picture illustrating peace. The first painted a beautiful evening scene in the foreground of which was a lake, its surface absolutely calm and unruffled. Trees surrounded it, meadows stretched away to the distant cattle gently browsing; a little cottage, the setting sun-all spoke of perfect rest.

The second painter drew a wild, stormy scene. Heavy black clouds hung overhead; in the center of the picture an immense waterfall poured forth huge
volumes of water covered with foam. One could almost hear its unceasing roar, yet perhaps the first thing to strike the eye was a small bird, perched in a cleft of a huge rock, absolutely sheltered from all danger, pouring forth its sweet notes of joy.

It is the second painter who could describe the peace that passeth all understanding which is the Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God in the heart of the redeemed. One can only have peace with himself if he has peace with God. 2

Peace with one's self can only be acheived with one has peace with God through Jesus Christ. All the disciples had that peace now except Thomas. Thomas had not been with the other disciples when Jesus came, so he had not experienced that peace.

As the text says; But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."

Thomas was not at peace. He was struggling with his faith. He had questions that no one could answer for him.

Then as the text says; Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus came eight days later and gave that peace that passes all human understanding to Thomas. Thomas could now be at peace as he exclaimed that Jesus was his Lord and God.

Helen Keller wrote, "If we trust, if we relinquish our will and yield to the Divine will, then we find that we are afloat on a buoyant sea
of peace and under us are the everlasting arms."

Thomas relinquished his doubts, his fears, to questions to the Lord and he was at peace in the everlasting arms of his Lord and Saviour.

We need to be like Thomas. We can have peace in our lives, an inner peace if we surrender our will to Christ.

Jesus says "Peace be with you."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale April 9, 2007
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

1 Author Unknown
2 Author Unknown