Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial in - John 20:19-30 (Ep. 53)

Episode Date: July 16, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John. In this episode, Jonny covers John 20:19-30For more information on Jonny Ardavanis and Dial In visit: https://www.jonnyardavanis.comTo watch the video series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGB5fYWHTNemqp9aZC232egEnjoy!

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. In this episode we're in John chapter 20 verses 19 through 31. These are the words of God. Let's view them as such in Dial In. John chapter 20 verse 19 through 31. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked 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 am sending 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 them. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. Now Thomas, one of the 12 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 mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them.

Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your fingers here, and see my hands, and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. 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 me and yet have believed. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these things 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. In our previous episode, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, and this was his first appearance since his resurrection. Jesus then instructs Mary to go and tell his brothers that he is alive. And this is exactly what Mary goes to do. She would have been thrilled and rushed to the house where the disciples were hiding in fear of the Jews, banged on the door and said, open up, open up. And they would have opened the door and said, Mary, what on earth is wrong with you? And she would have announced Jesus is alive. Luke 24 10 gives us the scene. Mary tells the disciples that Jesus is alive. And the other women that were with her came and declared the same thing. And how did the disciples respond

by believing? No, Luke 24 10. But these words appeared to the disciples as nonsense and they would not believe them. The disciples did not believe in a resurrection. They didn't even believe Mary, someone they knew well, who had said, I have seen the Lord. Now this is important because the disciples were not duped into believing that Jesus was alive. They were skeptical. All of them were skeptical. And not only were they skeptical, they were trapped, imprisoned by fear. We find them in the 20th chapter of John locked in a room with the door barred for fear that they were going to be arrested with the possibility of execution.

The last thing the disciples are expecting right now is a resurrection. There had to be something then that transformed their lives. These once fearful men would, over the course of the following years, be beaten, tortured, and executed for proclaiming what? That Jesus was alive. But initially, they were so averse to the idea of a resurrection that they wouldn't believe the most credible person in their circle of human relationships. But we pick up that same evening in verse 19 of chapter 20. It says on the first day of the week,

that Sunday, the doors were locked and the disciples were hiding for fear of the Jews. And Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, peace be with you. I love this. And it says that when Jesus appeared to them, he showed them his hands and his feet and his side and said to them, Jesus is wonderfully gracious. Let's not miss the obvious here. Jesus enters their fearfulness and gives them peace. And in their cluelessness and their confusion about what is going on, he gives them comfort.

And in their emptiness here, he gives them strength. Think about this. Use your imagination here. The disciples are huddled in a little room. The door is locked and they're hiding because they don't know if they're next. They knew that since their master had been executed as a criminal, they could be next because of their association with him. They are in fear. They are terrified. They are locked up in a room and Jesus shows up and doesn't slam them saying, how dare you be so weak in your faith?

Shame on you. No, he says, peace be with you. This is how Jesus operates. This isn't a ghost they're witnessing. This isn't a figment of their imagination. It was the real physical body of Jesus. And these previously skeptical disciples are now observing the wounds, scars, and gashes of their formerly murdered master. Even in heaven, Revelation tells us, Jesus will still bear these scars. Now, verse 20 says that the disciples were glad when they saw Jesus. What an understatement here. They must have been ecstatic. All of their doubts evaporate as Jesus shows up and gives them peace. Their attitude changes not only

when he arrives, but when they receive their mission from him. Here is the disciples initial commission. Verse 21, as the father has sent me, I am sending you. Jesus was sent into the world to seek and save lost sinners. And here Jesus gives his disciples and for all of us today who follow Christ that same mission. But in order to complete that mission, they would need supernatural power. So verse 22 tells us that when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. As God the Father empowered Jesus with the Holy Spirit, Jesus empowers us today with that same Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised in John 14, 15, and 16. The Spirit that would lead them to the truth would convict the world of sin and give

them power to complete their mission for their master. This would have been an incredible moment. But there is an asterisk in verse 24 that tells us that Thomas wasn't with the disciples when Jesus came. The peace that had been transferred to the others is not given to Thomas. And Thomas arrives, and the disciples tell him, We have seen the Lord. But Thomas doesn't buy it because he hasn't seen Jesus himself. He's a skeptic. And I like Thomas because I can resonate with this guy.

He says, unless I see his hands, the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side where the spear was thrust, I will never believe. I will never believe, he says. His universe is still collapsed. He wants to examine the evidence for himself personally. Thomas asks the questions that are maybe on your mind as well. And he seems to have a habit of communicating his own confusion to Jesus. He never pretends to believe something that he doesn't believe or quite comprehend. He asks tough questions. In verse 31 of chapter 20, John gives us his thesis for the entire gospel. He says, these things have been written so that

you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and in believing you may have a life in his name. John wants us to believe. And the Christian belief, and I've said this before, is not merely a mindless leap into the dark. It is an acquiescence unto the truth. And Thomas, he doesn't just believe. He has doubts and he has unanswered questions. He is skeptical and he says he would never believe unless he sees Jesus. Some of you who are listening to this may have questions or doubts in regards to

even the foundation of your own faith. Maybe your faith is kept buoyant by the faith of your parents or experience or family or environment. But in the quietness of your own bedroom at night, you wonder, am I truly saved? Do I truly believe? But John wants you to believe personally. The gospels were written so that you might truly believe. Jesus isn't trying to cram truth down our throats. He wants the truth to be a catalyst for saving faith. And there is evidence here and testimony here for why we should believe. So in verse 26, eight days later, Jesus shows up amongst them and Thomas

sees his risen Lord for the first time. And Jesus doesn't shame him. This is tender. He says, come here, Tom, put your finger here. You see my hands, put your hand here and place it in my side. Believe. And Thomas responds and says, that Jesus appeared a second time. It was for us. It was for all those who would ever read this account. It was for me, a doubting skeptic. Jesus is alive and shows us his nail-pierced hands in his word. Mere men do not rise from the dead, travel through locked doors,

or speak peace into our hearts. But Jesus does because Jesus is God. Stay dialed in.