Dear Christian friends:

When I was a Pastor at Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf, in Los Angeles, during the 1980's it was my custom to preach at the Goodwill Industries in Los Angeles once a year, usually during the week after Easter. They have a chapel each morning from 7:30 am to 8:00 am and invite various ministers in Los Angeles to conduct these services.

On one of these occasions, when it was my turn to preach, I asked the choir director if we could sing an Easter hymn before or after my message. He said, "Easter is past." I was surprised and shocked that he didn't want to sing anymore about Christ's resurrection. I thought, "How can Easter be finished, past?" For the Christian Easter is never finished. But many people, and, sadly, many church people quickly forget Easter.

We Lutherans have seven Sundays of Easter, almost two months. Why do we celebrate Easter so long? Because Jesus' resurrection is very important for the true Christian.

Our text, which is the Gospel Less for this Third Sunday of Easter, shows this. It shows that the resurrected Jesus keeps on giving and giving, one blessing after another. Unfortunately, we don't really appreciate these gifts and use them as we should. So, this morning I ask you to join with me in considering the topic:


The resurrected Jesus gives peace the moment He appears to the disciples. It was Easter evening. During Easter morning and afternoon the risen Jesus had appeared at various times and places to some of his disciples. Now, during the evening they have come together to talk about these amazing appearances of their Teacher who had been crucified, dead and put in a tomb. Our text tells us, "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." (Luke 24:36)

Apparently, Jesus anticipated their fright at seeing what they first considered a ghost. This greeting, "Peace be with you," contained two levels of meaning:

First, it was intended to allay their immediate fear, by telling them not to be alarmed. It was a common greeting used by the Jews, and also by Jesus. He greets them in the usual way.

Secondly, it was meant to give them that special blessing between them and God, which Jesus' recent death on the cross won for them and all people, namely, forgiveness of sins. The disciples had failed Jesus that weekend. (Explain) He would have been justified to forsake them and give-up on them. But that is not what He does. He says, "Peace be with you." What a Savior! What a Lord!

Sinners who have forgiveness of sins have peace with God. There is no greater gift than that! Having that peace we also have hope of the resurrection of the body and the hope of eternal life in God's new creation.

This peace which the world cannot give is based on the resurrection of Jesus. If he had not risen from the dead that morning, he could not have given them this gift of peace.

Immediately Jesus gives evidence that he has arisen, that he is no ghost or apparition. First, he gives empirical evidence. (Empirical evidence is based on experience or observation rather than on reasoning or theory.)

In our text we read:

"But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24:37-40)

The disciples still did not believe it, "because of joy and amazement." Frances C. Rossow, Professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis comments on this seeming paradox, "It's an unbelief that flirts with belief. It's not an unbelief that says, "It's not true," but, rather, an unbelief that says, "It's too good to be true." The disciples unbelief is far better than the unbelief that comes from intellectual doubts or human ignorance. Is it possible that, "believing not for joy and amazement" might be our first reaction on Judgment Day when we find ourselves truly risen from our graves, touching our bodies to assure ourselves that the incredible has occurred, and greeting old friends with surprise almost beyond capacity to bear?" (So far for Frances Rossow)

Since the disciples, and we ourselves often, are still in the twilight zone of unbelief and belief Jesus gives them and us further empirical evidence that he has truly risen:

"He said to them, “Have you any food here?”
So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
And He took it and ate in their presence." Luke 24:41b-43)

Having finished with the empirical evidence of his resurrection, Jesus now gives them the real, clinching evidence:

"Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:44-47)

Jesus makes plain to them that everything that has happened to him from the manger to the cross to the empty tomb, was foretold in the Old Testament. He is indeed the promised Messiah.

Actually, Jesus was doing more than matching prophecy and fulfillment. He was demonstrating that his death and resurrection were the culmination of a long-range plan of God going all the way back to eternity. More than scattered Bible verses were being fulfilled. The Scriptures (the sum total and the grand goal of the Scriptures) were being fulfilled.

But our Lord does more than give evidence, whether empirical or Scriptural, since we humans are unable to believe such incredible evidence, because it is supernatural. He gives faith to receive and trust that evidence.

The Holy Spirit is God's agent to transmit that faith. Evidence is necessary for faith, but we cannot by our own reason or strength believe the evidence. The Holy Spirit must give us the faith to believe the evidence. In our text Jesus says, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:49) The Holy Spirit is, "the power from on high." The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. All here in our text.

However, the Holy Spirit primarily comes to human hearts through means. He doesn't come when we are walking through the forest or twiddling our thumbs as some think or imagine. The Scriptures are the means through which the Holy Spirit creates faith in human hearts.

This implies that we read and study the scriptures, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

This implies that we hear the preaching of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name, mentioned in Luke 24:47 of our text. For this purpose Jesus has given us the holy ministry.

This implies that we partake of the bread and wine frequently at the Lord's Table, which our resurrection Lord has given us.

This implies that we daily remember our Baptism and its significance for our living the new life, another gift of our resurrected Lord.

Our Lord simply does not quit giving: First, He gives the peace which the world cannot give and the basis of this peace is His resurrection. Then He gives the evidence of His resurrection and the faith to believe the evidence. Then He gives the Holy Spirit, who is the agent of God to create faith. Then He also gives the preached Word and Sacraments, the means through which God's agent creates faith. Finally, Jesus gives the ministry to spread the Word.

Jesus gives a ministry to witness the Good News to others. He said to his disciples that first Easter evening:

"Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:46-49)

The Holy Spirit empowers those who witness with "power from on high." These disciples were the first witnesses. Therefore they are no more "disciples" but "apostles," which means sent ones. They were sent and empowered by their resurrected Lord. On Pentecost, fifty days later that power from on high came to them and transformed them and the whole world forever.

We are the "witnesses" today. We, too, may expect to receive this "power from on high" to empower us to be witnesses of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

We will not receive this power in the same way and measure as those first disciples did on Pentecost, but we will receive the power as needed when we obey Him, hearing His Word and then speaking it to others.

Not only will we ourselves be empowered by the Spirit, but what we witness, the Good News that we speak and proclaim is empowered also.

The Holy Spirit empowers what is witnessed to achieve, "repentance and forgiveness of sins among all nations." This has certainly been happening during the almost two-thousand years since the risen Jesus gave this command and promise. Today the name of Jesus is known and believed and worshipped on every continent and country on earth. Already in the Old Testament Scriptures Jesus promised:

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)

All we need do is faithfully speak His Word; then He will see to it that the Word we speak produces the fruit, repentance and forgiveness of sins.

This should certainly encourage all of us to be witnesses for our risen Lord and Savior to the others who do not yet know His name. Frequently we fail to witness because we fear that our witnessing will not be effective. Jesus promises that it will be effective. Either they believe or they don't. Leave the results to God!

The resurrected Jesus is a gift that keeps on giving. May He forgive us for when we have failed to receive and use these gifts and then inspire us and enable us to use them better in the future.

Amen.