Walk in the Light

April 7, 2024 homily on 1 John 1:1-2:2 and John 20:19-31 by Pastor Galen

Behind Locked Doors

The doors were shut and locked and the disciples were inside, hiding for fear that the authorities who had conspired to have Jesus arrested and crucified may be looking for them too. And now there was the added danger that they might be accused of stealing Jesus’s body. The women who had gone to the tomb earlier that morning had reported that Jesus’s body was not in the tomb. An angel appeared to the women and told them that Jesus was not there because he had risen from the dead, and Mary Magdalene even claimed to have seen Jesus for herself. But how could the other disciples know if it was true? 

And so the disciples sat there with the door locked, waiting, hiding, scared, alternating between hope and doubt, and between joy, fear, and disbelief. And then suddenly, there he was, standing in their midst. Jesus, in the flesh! There had been no knock at the door. No one had gone to the door to let him in. He simply appeared out of nowhere, right there in front of them. At first, they thought that he was a ghost, but then he showed them the marks on his hands where he had been nailed to the cross, and the scar in his side where he had been pierced with the spear. They realized that he was indeed alive, in the flesh, standing before them, and they were overjoyed.

And then Jesus proclaimed peace over them and breathed on them the breath of the Holy Spirit. He didn’t condemn them for their doubt or fear, or reprimand the ones who had deserted him when he was hanging on the cross. He didn’t scold Peter for denying that he even knew them. Jesus simply met them right where they were, in all their doubt and their fear, and he proclaimed peace to them. And he showed them his hands and his side, evidence of his overwhelming love for them and for all humanity.

The next week he appeared to them again, this time when Thomas was there. The Apostle Thomas had missed “church” the previous week and had therefore missed the opportunity to see Jesus in his resurrected body. He skeptical when he heard the other disciples declare that they had seen Jesus in the flesh, saying, “‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe’” (John 20:25b). Sure enough, when Jesus appeared to the disciples again, Jesus invited Thomas to see and to believe, and even to touch the marks in his hands and side. He met Thomas right where he was–in the locked room where he was hiding, and in all of his doubt and fear, and he invited Thomas to see and believe that he was and is alive, and had indeed risen from the grave. 

Background of 1 John

Fast forward several decades to when the First Letter of John was written. Once again, Jesus’s followers were wrestling with doubts concerning Christ’s resurrection and fears about what the future might hold. There was division among them, with some doubting certain aspects of Christ’s resurrection, while others believed. But this time, they weren’t wrestling with the question of whether Jesus had risen from the dead, but rather, whether he had ever actually truly lived on this earth in the first place! Some believe that Jesus was God but denied that he had ever became a man at all, thinking that while he was here on this earth he just looked like a human, while others argued (as we believe to this day) that when he was here on this earth Jesus was both human and divine.

In the intervening decades between Jesus’s resurrection and when this First Letter of John was written, Jesus’s disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit, had gone and proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s resurrection to any who would listen. Peter, Andrew, Matthew, and Bartholomew were said to have traveled to the region of the Black Sea [modern-day Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine] proclaiming the Gospel. Thomas, Thaddeus, and Simeon are said to have ministered in Parthia (modern-day Iran), and Thomas is believed to have traveled as far as India proclaiming the Gospel. John and Philip are believed to have gone to Asia Minor, Asia Minor–modern-day Turkey, which is most likely where John founded the community to whom this First Letter of John was written. (As a side note, we don’t know who wrote the Letters of First, Second, and Third John, since the author is never named in the Scriptures. It’s named after the Apostle John because of the many similarities to the Gospel of John, and most likely was written in the context of a church community that had been originally founded by the Apostle John.)

Most likely this community was made up of people who came from a wide variety of cultural and religious traditions, and it would have been tempting for them to try to view the stories about Jesus in light of their previous philosophical perspectives, which is probably where the idea came about that perhaps Jesus had only appeared to be human, and that he was solely divine. The First Letter of John was written in part to clear up this misunderstanding and to encourage the community about the new life we have in Christ, described here as having “fellowship…with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3), and “[walking] in the light” (1 John 1:7).

And so this morning we’re going to talk for a bit about why it matters that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, and how we too are to live in the light of Christ’s resurrection.

100% God, 100% Human

It’s a bit ironic that the question of Jesus’s humanity was being debated at the time that the Letter of First John was written, because today people usually try to argue the opposite perspective. Today many believe that Jesus was only human, and not divine. Or, some might think that Jesus was 50% God, and 50% human. But the truth revealed through Scripture and passed down through the ages is that when Jesus walked on this earth, he was 100% God and 100% human. Fully God, and fully a man. In Christ, we believe that God came down to this earth, took on human flesh, and walked among us. And although he laid aside some of his power and limited himself to the confines of a human body, he was still fully God, and fully human.

This is significant, because if Jesus had only been human, and not God, then he would have just been a good person who lived a good life, but he would not have shown us a clearer picture of who God is. If Jesus had only been human, and not God, then Christ’s death could not have reconciled us to God, and in his resurrection, Jesus would not have conquered sin and death. On the flip side, if Jesus had only appeared to be human, then we would not have the assurance that he knows and understands the pain and suffering that we endure. His death on the cross would have been nothing more than a theatrical show. And Christ’s resurrection would not have been a true bodily resurrection, but rather something more like a hologram.

And so, to contradict this false idea that Jesus was only God and not also human, the author of First John emphasizes in verse one, “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” (1 John 1:1), and then a few chapters later, in chapter 4, “Jesus has come in the flesh…” (1 John 4:2). 

From Generation to Generation

I love that in these first few verses of First John the author is declaring a truth that had been passed down directly from those who had spent time with Jesus while he was alive on this earth, and from those who had seen and experienced Jesus in his resurrected body. 

Even though the First Letter of John was written much closer in proximity to the time when Jesus walked this earth, the same is true for us today as well. The testimonies that we have about Jesus, the words that are written about him, have been passed down to us in an unbroken line from those who saw and experienced Jesus in the flesh. The Bible is not just a dusty old book that we found somewhere and decided to start believing. Rather, the Scriptures have been passed down faithfully from generation to generation. All throughout Christian history, there has always been a remnant of faithful followers of Christ who preserved Christ’s teachings and faithfully lived out Christ’s teachings. Sometimes those Christians had to go underground, and many risked or even gave their lives so that we could receive the truth of this message today. But if we go back through history to the time when this First Letter of John was written, we will see an unbroken line of faithful followers of Christ who have preserved and passed down this report. 

But we don’t only rely on the stories that have been passed down through the ages. Many of us today have seen and experienced God at work in our lives in real and tangible ways as well. Even though we haven’t seen Jesus in the flesh, we have very much seen his Spirit at work in our lives and in the world, bringing hope and healing, and redemption, and we have experienced this directly.

And because of this, we know firsthand that Jesus is alive, and we know that he can relate to us and that he understands our needs. This is what the author of First John describes by saying, “this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us–we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:2-3). Because of Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins and cleansed of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), and “we walk in the light as he himself is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

Walking in the Light

Now, “walking in the light” and having fellowship with God and with Jesus does not mean that we’re perfect, or that we never make mistakes. In fact, the author of First John says in chapter 1 verse 8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Rather, we’re told here that ”If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This is what it means to live in the light. It means we have nothing to hide. We can openly acknowledge our failures and mistakes, because in Christ, we have an advocate (1 John 2:1) who is described here as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). 

“Atonement” can be broken down here as “at-one-ment,” meaning that because Jesus gave his life for us on the cross, we can be made “one” or united in fellowship with God and with Jesus Christ. Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness, and through him we can be forgiven of all of our sins and mistakes. This doesn’t mean that we purposefully go out and commit sins, but rather that because Jesus came down to this earth and lived among us and experienced the temptations that we experienced, and experienced the sufferings that we endure, Jesus understands and can relate to what we’re going through. So we don’t need to hide or pretend that we have it all together, because Jesus sees, and he knows what we are going through.Like Thomas, and like the other disciples, we can even come to Jesus with all of our doubts and fears, know that because Jesus was fully divine and fully human, he understands our struggles, and he is right here with us, advocating for us, and helping us along. 

Conclusion

And so my prayer for us this morning is that we would hold on to this message of truth that has been passed down to us through the ages and that we would faithfully pass it on to the next generation. 

My prayer too is that we would live in the light, acknowledging our failures and mistakes, willing even to express our doubts and fears, knowing that Jesus sees, and and that Jesus cares, and that he understands what we are going through. 

May we “walk in the light as he himself is in the light,” and may we experience the richness of fellowship with God and one another, because the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins.

Amen!