Scripture reading: John 20:19-31.

Sermon text: John 21:1-25.

Everybody needs grace, especially when you’ve really done something bad. We sometimes need grace simply because life throws us something we can’t handle, not because we’ve done wrong.

Two men in the Scriptures today really needed grace. Thomas needed grace because of unbelief; Peter, because of outright cowardice. Jesus’ response to each man tells us more about God’s love than we often see.

Most people have heard the phrase “Doubting Thomas.” Jesus had appeared to His disciples, but Thomas was absent. The disciples present had locked the doors “for fear of the Jews,” but Jesus “came and stood among them.” Jesus’ resurrected body recognized no obstacles.

I think you can surmise why Jesus told the disciples, “Peace be with you.” How would you have reacted if someone suddenly appeared in the room, someone you knew had died? The disciples needed peace to counter the pandemonium that ensued! Jesus then commissioned the disciples, including imparting the Holy Spirit on those present. Jesus would impart the Holy Spirit on all believers at Pentecost.

Now, imagine Thomas’ dilemma when the disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” Why would we believe anyone who told us they had seen a dead man? As I pointed out last week with Mary Magdalene: No one had ever risen from the dead as Jesus did. Thomas replied as I would have: “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.” I wonder what Thomas really expected to happen.

Whatever Thomas’ expectations, Jesus exceeded them. Again, the disciples met in a locked room; again, Jesus mysteriously appeared; again, He wished them peace. Then, Jesus turned to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas’ reply tells us everything: “My Lord and my God.”

Now, let’s turn to Peter. Thomas may have fled the Garden at Jesus’ arrest, but Peter blatantly denied ever knowing his Lord.

Jesus’ timing may puzzle you; it certainly puzzles me. Why didn’t Jesus simply settle accounts with Peter when He appeared to the disciples in the locked room? Regardless, Jesus waited until Peter took several of the disciples on a fishing trip.

The disciples may have wondered why they caught no fish; at least 3 of the men on the trip had once fished in the Sea of Galilee for a living. They may have wondered why some guy standing on the shore tried to tell them they’d thrown their nets on the wrong side of the boat. Any doubts as to His identity evaporated when the net filled with 153 “large fish.”

Peter recognized Jesus first. “It is the Lord!” Peter, true to his nature, threw himself into the sea and swam ashore, leaving the rest of the disciples to wrestle the net into the boat and then sail the boat to shore.

When they arrived, Jesus had already prepared breakfast for the hungry men. Jesus had prepared more than breakfast; He had prepared a special conversation for Peter.

Jesus questioned Peter 3 times, the number of times Peter denied Him: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter understood the significance of the triple question. “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”  After hearing Peter’s anguished declaration of love, Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.”

If you travel to Galilee today, you can visit a chapel on the site where Jesus restored Peter to his place of prominence among the disciples. You can also see a statue of a broken but hopeful man reaching toward a touch from Jesus Himself.

Two men, two different situations, both needing grace; in both cases, Jesus freely and fully restored the men. I believe we can expect Jesus to restore us today as well.

First, let’s talk about Thomas. How many of us find ourselves like Thomas: beaten by hopelessness, battered by shattered expectations, wondering why God would build our hopes only to dash them upon a cross? Thomas had apparently ignored every word Jesus had ever said about rising from the dead. When life crumbles around us, we, too, forget every word we’ve read in the Scriptures to assure us of God’s care for us. We, too, forget we have the strength of the Church and the presence of the Holy Spirit to bring us through the trials we face. We, too, like Thomas, need forgiveness and grace when we fall in our weak moments. And, as He did with Thomas, Jesus forgives us and restores us through His love for us. 

Then, we have moments when we more closely resemble Peter: Ready to proclaim our live and loyalty to Christ until threatened in some way. Perhaps, here in America, we’re facing ridicule for our faith. However, Christians overseas face far worse; they often face arrest, violence, and even death for their faith. Many believers in other nations would wonder exactly why we fear scorn or ostracism for our faith when they face far worse.

Regardless, Jesus knows your fears, and He offers strength to everyone facing persecution. In those times when you forget Jesus’ promises of strength and protection, He offers forgiveness and grace to those who repent.

How did Jesus’ forgiveness and restoration work for Thomas and Peter?

First, the Church recognizes a group of indigenous Christians in India who claim direct descent from St. Thomas, who carried the gospel to India and suffered martyrdom there. Secondly, the Church still counts St. Peter as the Rock on which Jesus founded His Church. St. Peter carried the gospel to the Gentiles when he visited Cornelius’ home  in Caesarea. St. Peter later suffered martyrdom under Nero in A.D. 67.

Two men fell; Jesus restored both. Here at New Hope, you’ll find fallen and forgiven people. St. Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24), In other words, you’ve already fallen; you already need Jesus’ forgiveness and grace. Call on Jesus, confessing you need Him; Jesus will restore you as well, if you’ll reach to Him and accept His forgiveness and love.