This is the manuscript for the first sermon in the "Witness" series of sermons that will take us to Pentecost Sunday.
The word "witness" often carries heavy baggage. We think of courtrooms, legal depositions, or high-pressure sales pitches on street corners. But in the New Testament, a witness is simply someone who tells the truth about what they have seen and heard.
Being a witness isn't about having a polished script or a perfect life. It is about a continuous process of self-reflection and aligning our daily priorities with God’s will. It’s about moving from "knowing the facts" of the Resurrection to "living the reality" of the Resurrection.
Scripture:
John 20:19-31 NIV [19] On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” [20] After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. [21] Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” [22] And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [24] Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” [26] A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” [27] Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” [28] Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” [30] Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. [31] But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
For the blessings of this and all our days, we thank you, gracious God. Accept, we pray, not just this money but also our lives freely offered in gratitude for all you have done for us. Use them both, in this place and wherever you might take us. Amen.
Text:
John 20:19 NIV On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Introduction: The Anatomy of a Lock
We all know the sound of a deadbolt clicking into place. It’s the sound of security, of "my space," of keeping the world at arm's length. We lock our doors to keep out the things that go bump in the night, but we often carry a much more complex set of keys in our hearts.
We have "locked rooms" in our lives. There is the room of past regret, where we replay our mistakes on a loop. There is the room of current anxiety, where the "what ifs" keep us pacing the floor. And then there is the room of doubt, where we wonder if God is really who He says He is.
The problem is that while we lock these doors to keep the world out, we often accidentally lock ourselves in. We become prisoners of our own protection.
The Uninvited Guest
In John 20:19, our text, we find the disciples in a literal locked room. It was evening on that first Easter Sunday. The doors were bolted "for fear of the Jews."They weren't just mourning; they were terrified. They had seen what the world does to witnesses of the Truth, and they assumed they were next on the list. Afterall, Jesus had just been executed by the Roman and Jewish authorities. Naturally, as His followers, they believed they might be next on the list for arrest or persecution.
Although Mary Magdalene had already reported that she had seen the Lord, the disciples were still in a state of shock, grief, and confusion.
John 20:18 NIV Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Luke 24:10-12 NIV [10] It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. [11] But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. [12] Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
They weren't yet sure what the empty tomb truly meant for their own safety.
But notice something profound about this moment: the locked door was no obstacle for the Risen Christ. Jesus doesn't knock and wait for them to tidy up the room. He doesn't wait for them to "get their act together" or find their courage. He simply appears. He steps right through the barriers they built for their own safety.
"Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'" (John 20:19b)
We cannot out-hide or out-lock God. Even when we have shut ourselves in with our own mistakes, Jesus is already present in the chaos, patiently waiting for us to turn our gaze toward Him.
Peace as a Foundation
Before Jesus gives His disciples a mission, before He gives them a "to-do" list, He offers them a gift:
"Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.'" (John 20:19b)
In the Hebrew context, this is Shalom. It’s not just the absence of noise; it’s the presence of wholeness. It is a reminder that maintaining a strong foundation in faith begins not with our effort, but with accepting the peace He provides in our most fearful moments.
Our world tells us that peace is something we achieve once our problems are solved. Jesus shows us that peace is the foundation that allows us to face the problems in the first place. As He promised in
John 14:27 NIV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
If you feel you are behind a door of your own making, the world tells you that you can only have peace once you fix the mess and open the door. The world says: "Clean up the room, and then you'll feel better."
But Jesus says: "I am giving you My peace while the door is still locked and the room is still a mess." His peace isn't a reward for getting your life together; it’s the power that allows you to stand up and face the mess in the first place.
When Jesus appeared to His disciples that evening, He did something unexpected. He shows them His hands and His side. Why? Why would a resurrected, glorified body still carry the marks of the nails and the spear?
Why, because Jesus witnesses through His scars. A true witness doesn't pretend to be perfect. If Jesus had appeared with flawless skin, the disciples might have thought He was a ghost or a hallucination. The scars proved the reality of His sacrifice and the magnitude of His victory.
We often try to hide our "scars"—our past failures, our mental health struggles, our moments of weakness. But our greatest testimony isn't our strength; it’s how God has met us in our pain. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in
II Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV [7] And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. [8] Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. [9] And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Your scars aren't something to be ashamed of; they are the evidence that you have been healed by the Master’s hand.
The Sending: Forgiven, Not Fearless
Finally, Jesus gives the commission:
John 20:21-23 NIV [21] Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” [22] And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus returns the disciples to the very world they fled, but He doesn't wait for them to find their courage first. Our mission doesn't begin when we finally become brave; it begins because we are forgiven.
By breathing His Spirit into them—a kind of "divine oxygen"—He transforms their mess into a message and equips them to align their lives with the Father’s will. We are sent into our workplaces, our families, and our neighborhoods not because we have all the answers, but because we have been met in our own "locked rooms" by a Peace that transcends understanding.
We go out, not as experts in life, but as witnesses to His grace. The doors of our lives are no longer bolted from the inside by fear or shame; they have been thrown open by the simple, powerful reality of His presence.
What doors have you locked lately? What doors will you let Him step through this week? Ask God to step into those rooms and replace your "locks" with His peace.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You that no door is too heavy, no bolt is too strong, and no wall is too thick to keep You out. We confess that we often retreat into the locked rooms of our lives—hiding behind our fears, our anxieties, and the regrets that we think define us. We thank You, Lord Jesus, that You do not wait for us to find our courage or "get our act together" before You show up.
Right now, we invite You into those quiet, locked spaces. Step into our rooms of doubt and speak Your word of peace over our chaos. We ask that Your Shalom would become the foundation of our faith, anchoring us when the world feels uncertain.
Help us to stop hiding our scars. Give us the grace to see our wounds as You see them—as evidence of Your healing and witnesses to Your power. May we walk out of our "locked rooms" this week not because we are fearless in our own strength, but because we are securely forgiven in Yours.
Align our priorities with Your heart. As we practice self-reflection in the days ahead, let Your Spirit guide us and remind us that we never walk alone. We go now, sent by You, to be Your witnesses in a world that desperately needs Your peace.
In the name of the Risen Christ,
Amen.
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