Locked In!
John 20: 19 – 23
Rev. Peter R Green, Sunday morning, 27 April, 2003

THE DISCIPLES between Easter and Pentecost were just like us: locked in, fearful and ineffective. They needed to be rescued. So do we.
Baptists faithfully preach the resurrection of Jesus. That is great. It is one of the most vital tasks we can carry out. Preach Jesus: Jesus crucified, Jesus risen, Jesus returning.
But the sad fact is that few of us Baptists touch our world. It's that stark and that simple.

We've got the message, but we lack the power.

This morning we will look at five aspects of the life of those early Christians, caught between Easter and Pentecost. They were locked in. They were fearful. But then, they were accompanied. They were convinced. And, finally, they were empowered.
There’s a progression there. Jesus takes them from isolation and terror to where they had to be. And that’s how it has to be for God’s people whoever, wherever. We need to be freed and empowered and ready to take our place and play our part.

I mention Baptists because we deserve criticism. I know that some of you are not Baptists, but don’t worry: I’ll criticise everyone. You won’t be left out.
There are very few truly free Christians. Anxious Anglicans, bashful Baptists, cringing Catholics, through to petrified Pentecostals and unassertive Unitings. We’re so bound. Satan ties us in knots. What’s the way out?

Locked in.
On Crime Scene Investigation this week, they were looking for a woman who had been abducted and held for ransom. Something made the CSI team suspicious. They took a helicopter to where she might be being held, and scanned it with infra-red heat seeking gear. Finally, they picked up a moving body under the ground. They came down quickly and dug. They heard a woman’s screams. And there, buried in the desert gravel, was a large wooden packing crate, and the woman was inside it. She could not get herself out.

Sometimes a church gets so deeply hidden underground that it can’t get itself out, and no one can see it is even there, unless they have special spotting gear that will identify the tiniest spark of life.

The Jerusalem Church, in that first week after Jesus rose again, was a true underground church. It was even locked into that room for fear of the Jews.
In a way, the Jewish leaders had the Christians locked in. By sending Jesus to Pilate to be crucified, they also sent a message to Jesus’ followers: “You’ll be next!”
But it’s also true that they had locked themselves in. Ananias, the High Priest, didn’t hold the key. They chose to believe the threats and they locked themselves in.

No one locks Christians in in Marrickville. If we are locked in, it’s because it’s our choice.

For several months, we were operating on the streets in Marrickville. As often as I could, I wrote us a tract and we took it onto the streets. Paul, Beatriz, John and I did it. One time we gave away tetra pak drinks to demonstrate God’s grace. It had an impact.
Imagine if we were all out there every Sunday morning. Imagine if we linked up with the Café or brought a choir or gave away literature. There are many possibilities.
Is the gospel worth promoting? Then why don’t we do it? Why are we locked into our own upper room?

Fearful.
The answer is that we are every bit as fearful as the early Christians were. We are afraid that people will laugh at us. We are afraid that we will anger people. We are afraid that our friends will see us and stop being our friends. We have all kinds of excuses. But it’s simple to file them away.

I have a three drawer cabinet at work. It has lots of files in it. But it also has a pair of sneakers, filed under "S". That was an easy decision to make.
So what of all the excuses we make for not reaching out? File them under "F" for fear. And when you’ve got too much under "F" for Fear, you can’t have much “F” for vescence, not much bubbly life in Christ. There’s no room.

What are we afraid of? Or is it that we are afraid of the cost to ourselves in terms of time, money and involvement?
I can’t boast about much. I know my failures as Pastor. But if Paul could boast, so can I.
The cost to me of being a pastor has been far greater than I ever imagined. I know that others have given far more than they thought they could, too. But if you are afraid of the price you might pay, I’m saying, “Yes, there will be a price.” Superannuation. Leave entitlements. Home ownership. What would you pay to be a free Christian? Or will you forever remain fearfully behind locked doors?

Jesus said, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
Are we rich in friends, in reputation, in self-respect? Are we rich in money and time and resources? Is it our wealth that keeps us from effectiveness? And is it our wealth that is pushing us away from the Kingdom of God?
Jesus’ disciples were shocked when Jesus spoke so harshly about the rich. “Who on earth could be saved, then?” they asked.
Jesus told them that what is impossible with man is still possible with God. God can make a way where there never was a way.

Fearfulness is at the foundation of inertia. If you just can’t move, the first thing to look at is fear. If you can’t find a fear, then look for an anger, and under the anger you will find a fear lurking anyway.

It's like jealousy. Jealousy is a form of anger. Miss B is jealous of Ms A, because Mr C is spending more time with Ms A than with her. Miss B is afraid that Mr C will forget her and only have time for Ms A. Im certainly not saying that women are more often jealous than men. I just happen to be thinking of a situation I knew of.
Fear underlies all anger.

And fear, however it is expressed, cuts us off and severs us from doing the will of God.
Is it any wonder that today’s Christians, caught between Easter and Pentecost, are unable to turn the world upside down like Christians did in the first century?

Accompanied
Here’s where the change began happening. Not on the day of the resurrection. That was too soon. They needed time to take it in. What began making a difference for the disciples was when they discovered that they were accompanied. They were no longer alone.

In Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, Ko Ko, the Lord High Executioner, hasn’t executed anyone since he was appointed. The Mikado of Japan, the Emperor, has just arrived to ask how work is progressing. Ko Ko quickly makes up a story about how he has just recently carried out an execution. His friend, Pooh Bah, who is Lord High Everything Else, and Pitti Sing, a girl who has just finished school, agree they will all tell the Mikado about the execution, hoping he will believe them.
Pitti Sing says she gave support and comfort to the criminal in his last moments.

“When a man’s afraid
A beautiful maid
Is a touching sight to see...”

she tells the Mikado.
There’s a truth there. In fact, it goes a bit deeper. When a man or a woman is afraid, what touches them is to have someone safe alongside.That safety makes all the difference.

For the disciples, when Jesus appeared among them though the doors were locked, it must have been both a shock and a source of calm and of hope.
If there was one person the disciples trusted, it was Jesus. He had never let them down. He had always looked after them. They knew that he, of all people, was safe.

When we were struggling for a just solution to the brothels issue, we were isolated from the other local churches. Some pastors were aggressive in their opposition. One church that had never been involved in the fraternal before sent a senior minister to argue with me.
When I put our case in the Council meeting, one Councillor accused me of heresy, another brought in a gang of toughs to shout abuse at anyone who opposed them, and lies were told about my position on the issue. To make matters worse, the Mayor kindly defended me, so I couldn’t present our case properly.

At the end, I felt really defeated. And someone else had even taken my seat. So I just sat on the floor at the back of the room, with my back against a table leg. I didn’t want to get up or be seen. Then the assistant producer of the ABC documentary reached down, took my hand, and squeezed it. I knew I wasn't alone.

What a comfort! We'd only met briefly, we weren’t friends, but someone understood how I felt, and was there with me when so many were against me.

When we know Jesus is alive, we know that we have a Companion and a Comforter, someone on our side forever. He is our advocate with the Father. His five bleeding wounds, received at Calvary, pour effectual grace; they boldly plead for me.
Imagine the difference if all God’s people really knew, really believed to the depth of their being, that Jesus is alive. Imagine if he came and stood among us this morning, if I fell silent to let him speak to each heart. We would never be the same!

Convinced
But the disciples had to be convinced. It’s one thing to have Jesus among you, it’s another to be really sure. I think every culture believes in ghosts, and even here in secular Australia, when we are not being very rational and materialistic, sometimes ghosts can seem very real. There’s always that slight suspicion that there is something to the stories. Otherwise we wouldn’t be interested in ghost stories and in TV probes on hauntings and all that kind of thing.

In fact, even scientists sometimes puzzle about ghosts and wonder whether standing waves in the air in the hallways of old castles creates a ghostly illusion.

The disciples probably needed reassurance that they hadn’t seen a ghost. Even in those days, some people would have believed absolutely in ghosts while other people would wonder if there wasn’t another explanation for what seemed like a ghostly visitation.
But Jesus spoke the way he always spoke, he greeted them with his usual, “Shalom l'hem.” No hollow, ghostly sound, nor silently mouthed words. A real, human voice. And, to prove it wasn’t an imposter, Jesus showed them the crucifixion wounds, proof that he was who he seemed to be.

It was then that the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

To change someone’s whole life takes more than awareness and more than presence. It takes conviction. It takes being persuaded that this is real.

Empowerment
The last step in this progression from being locked in to being freed is empowerment.

Being empowered doesn’t always feel powerful. I knew a man who probably still doesn’t believe it that I said he is very powerful. But powerful is as powerful does. He is vey skilled at controlling people. I’ve seen him take full control of a roomful of people and lead them wherever he wants.
Sadly, he doesn’t always use his power very constructively, and can cause major disruption if he decides to direct a group away from where they should be going. For example, imagine a group of people coming together to plan how to minister to Cook Islanders in Marrickville. I’ve seen that man focus the group on some very telling examples of the needs of Cook Islanders in Marrickville. But I’ve equally seen him focus the group for half an hour on some obscure historical event, because that’s where the whim has taken him.

Most people have a great deal of power; but we need the power we have to be directed into constructive paths.

There are three factors in what Jesus does with his disciples, factors which give their power direction.
First, he directs them; second, he anoints them; and, third, he authorises them.
If you’ve ever seen the movie, The Blues Brothers, you will remember that it is a missionary movie. Or maybe you don’t know that that is what it is. After all, it’s noisy, always amoral, sometimes coarse, mostly very funny, often satirical and always over the top. But it’s the story of two brothers, raised in an orphanage, who learn that the orphanage needs money to stay open, and they go on what they describe as “a mission from God” to rescue the orphanage. It isn’t just something they decided to do. It is their calling, and they must obey.
No matter what twists or turns the plot takes, the Blues Brothers don’t let go of their mission from God. It is the controlling factor in their lives. And they achieve an enormous lot because they are focused and directed through this sense of mission.

Jesus says,

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

It’s a mission from God. We are here to continue what Jesus began.

Then he breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. All Jesus’ earthly ministry was performed in the Holy Spirit’s power. He imparts that power to us if we are willing to follow. It took the disciples nearly two months more before it all clicked on the day of Pentecost, but their spiritual power started here.

When we begin and trust the Spirit to be there with us, eventually we will find where he is at work.

Finally, Jesus authorised them. Their ministry was to be about dealing with sin. Jesus did many marvellous things. But our ministry is not about turning water into Jacobs Creek Shiraz. It’s about sin and forgiveness, and our authorisation from Jesus frees us to work without hindrance in that area.

Our companion and friend, Jesus — the one who convinces us of his presence by many infallible proofs — sends us, anoints us and authorises us.
How can we dare stay locked in and trapped by fear?