We Are Witnesses

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday of Easter, the 24th of April, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Family, today is the first Sunday after Easter, but let’s step back in time to that very first Easter nearly 2000 years ago.  Each of the four Gospel writers records the events of this day from a slightly different angle, giving us a fuller picture of all that happened.

Early in the dawning hour, the women went to the tomb and found it empty.  They ran back to tell the disciples what they had seen, a few of whom also went to look and verified what the women had said.  A little later in the day, while the disciples were hiding behind closed and locked doors, Jesus suddenly appeared to them, too.

At this point, the resurrected Jesus has been witnessed by the women who had followed Him from Galilee and by most of the disciples.  According to John’s account, Thomas hasn’t yet seen Jesus again, but the other ten have along with many other followers who had not yet fled Jerusalem.

But there is another appearance noted, and this time by two who had left the city in fear for their own lives.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded for us in chapter 24 of his Gospel account, verses 13 through 53, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing Him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

19 “What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and He was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed Him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified Him. 21 We had hoped He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

22 “Then some women from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said His body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, His body was gone, just as the women had said.”

25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if He were going on, 29 but they begged Him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So He went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, He took the bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared!

32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”

35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized Him as He was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus Himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

38 “Why are you frightened?” He asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at My hands. Look at My feet. You can see that it’s really Me. Touch Me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As He spoke, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He ate it as they watched.

44 Then He said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting His hands to heaven, He blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped Him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

--Luke 24:13-53 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us the gift of faith so that we might believe.  We believe in You as the one true God, all mighty, all powerful, Creator of all there is.  And we believe in Jesus Christ, that You sent Him to us as Your Messiah, our Christ, who came to us in the darkness of our sin to offer us salvation.  Thank You Father for showing us such mercy and grace and love.  Forgive us, please, when we fail to share how much this all means to us with others we encounter.  Please help us be braver, more courageous in witnessing to Jesus.  Help us openly and willingly tell how much He has done for us, and what He can do for others.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  We see You in everything we do, we feel You every second.  Help us share this with those who need to hear the truth.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Thomas Henry Huxley, a well-known agnostic, was with a group of men at a weekend house party.  On Sunday morning, while most of them were preparing to go to church, he approached a man known for his Christian character and said, "Suppose you stay at home and tell my why you are a Christian."  The man, knowing he couldn't match wits with Huxley, hesitated.  But the agnostic said gently, "I don't want to argue with you.  I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you."  The man did, and when he finished, there were tears in Huxley's eyes as he said, "I would give my right hand if only I could believe that!"

This is the kind of witness Jesus asks of us.  No fancy elocution, no well-rehearsed speech.  Just telling our own story of what Jesus means to us, of what being a Christian means to us.

We’re not all preachers, nor public speakers, nor great orators, but we do all have a ministry, we who call ourselves Christians.  Jesus gave us that ministry, that mission to tell all the world about Him.  Nothing fancy, no five-dollar words needed, just simply what this Christ means to us.

Our scripture reading this morning was long, but I think it covered some points that are very important for us to consider.  We start out with two of the disciples who had fled Jerusalem after Jesus’ crucifixion and were headed to the town of Emmaus.  We’re only given the name of one – Cleopas – so we know that these were not two of the eleven remaining of the twelve that Jesus personally chose.

So they’re walking along, sad and downcast, discussing the recent events, when Jesus came up and joined them, although they were not able to recognize Him.  Jesus asks what they’re talking about, why they’re so glum, and they tell Him everything that has happened, including how the women found the tomb empty.

I can just imagine that Jesus shook His head before asking, “Why do you people find it so hard to believe everything that the scriptures and the prophets said about the Messiah, about how He would have to suffer and die, and then rise from the grave on the third day?”  So He proceeded to tell them everything contained in the scriptures about Him, scriptures they should have known since these would have been Jewish men.

They knew all this, they just didn’t believe it.  In their heart of hearts, they just could not believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah as foretold by their own prophets.  So effectively, Jesus had to witness to Himself.  And then their eyes were opened and they recognized their Lord before them, and He immediately vanished from view.

Now even though it was late, and even though they might be heading to their own arrest, the two rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the other followers that they had seen and talked with the risen Jesus.  When they arrived, they were told that Peter had already seen Jesus, so they shared their story with the group.  And as they were telling what had happened, who should suddenly join them again but Jesus, who suddenly appeared in the closed room with the disciples.

Rather than being elated and excited, they were startled and frightened, like they had seen a ghost.  And again, it’s because they just couldn’t believe everything that had been foretold about the Messiah.  That, or they didn’t really accept that Jesus was the Messiah.  So again He had to witness for Himself.

“Look at my hands, my feet, that were pierced by the nails.  Touch me – am I not of flesh again?  When I was with you, I explained how everything written by the prophets regarding the Messiah, everything in the Law of Moses, everything in the Psalms must be fulfilled, and you can see it now fulfilled in Me.”

Then Jesus gives us a prelude of our mission when He notes that the scriptures also say that this message must be proclaimed in His name to all nations, to all people, starting in Jerusalem, that “there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent”.  And He adds, “You are witnesses of all these things.”

Those followers gathered there that day had walked with Jesus and witnessed the miracles He performed.  They witnessed His betrayal and execution.  And now they were witnessing His resurrection, there in the flesh before them.  “You have been told, you have witnessed, now go tell the world.”

Remember earlier I said that on the day of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to almost all of the disciples while they were still in hiding, but that Thomas wasn’t there that day?  Because he wasn’t there to see Jesus with his own eyes, he didn’t believe them when the rest said that Jesus lives again.  Which is how we got that nickname we attach to people when they don’t believe testimony someone gives – we call them a “Doubting Thomas”.

Well, Thomas got his chance after all.  Listen to what the Apostle John reported in chapter 20 of his Gospel account, verses 24 through 31…

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 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 20:24-31 (NKJV)

Thomas finally got the chance, like all the rest, to see the resurrected Jesus in the flesh, to touch His wounds, hear His voice, feel His love.  So he believed, just as all the rest.  But none of them really believed until they saw Jesus with their own eyes.  None of them fully trusted in the scriptures, or truly understood that Jesus was the Christ, not until He showed them.

Where does that leave everyone else?  What about all the people back then who didn’t see any of this, or all the people since that time who have not been fortunate enough to experience Jesus, the risen Jesus in the flesh?

Jesus answered that earlier, when He was talking to His Father God in prayer.  We looked at that a few weeks ago, in chapter 17 of John’s Gospel account.  Jesus prayed for His disciples, His apostles of that day, and He prayed for all of those who would come to believe because of the words spoken by those apostles.  He prayed for us, we who believe because of those words saved in our Holy Bible.

And then Jesus blesses us for our belief, even though we have not seen Him, either while performing all those miracles or after His death and resurrection.  We have not seen Jesus with our eyes, but we see Him clearly in our hearts.

We are witnesses.  And it’s up to us to proclaim to the world that there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.  This is our mission: to tell the world all about Jesus.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be eloquent, it just needs to be heartfelt.  We just need to tell others what it means to us to be a Christian, what Jesus has done for us, what He means to us.

Let’s be witnesses for our Lord.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, the universe bears witness to You.  Your eternal power and divine nature have been clearly visible since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.  We are witnesses to this, and to Your glory every single day.  Thank You, Father, for giving us this beautiful garden to live in.  And especially we thank You for the gift of faith so that we can believe, even in what we have not seen.  Father, sometimes we fail to be a good witness of all the wonders You’ve shown us.  We don’t take the time, or we’re too timid to share with others.  Sometimes we just worry that we won’t get the words right and say the wrong thing.  Forgive us, Father, for the times we don’t give You all the glory.  Forgive us when we hesitate to share our faith and belief with others.  Please help us be better servants.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, there was a time when You had to be a witness for Yourself, to remind others everything that had been foretold of the Messiah’s fate, and to show them how You fulfilled the prophesy of God’s Christ.  Even those who followed You struggled to understand, struggled to believe that You were, indeed, the Christ.  Thank You, Lord, for showing them the truth so that they in turn could influence so many others to come to believe, including us today.  And thank You for allowing us to carry on the work You began on earth.  Please, Lord, forgive us when we don’t enthusiastically do as You command.  Help us get put aside any doubts and fears and start spreading the Good News of salvation that comes only through You, and by this, show them Your love.  Remind us that this is the job You gave us.  Show us the lost that we might help them be saved.  And Jesus, please strengthen us through these very difficult times.  Heal the hurts that separate and divide us.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.