Life in His Name

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31 ESV) He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! We are people of the “eighth” day who live in the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus. Today at International Lutheran Church, we live in the “marks,” the “wounds” that testify to us that our Savior Jesus lives. Just as Thomas looked with new eyes of faith, we too are shown a new reality today that changes our lives eternally.

The Easter events and the account of the disciple Thomas who doubted the news of Jesus’ resurrection is the focus of the first week after Easter. We sometimes call him Doubting Thomas because of his insistence on empirical evidence. He had not seen the Lord, and he would not believe until He did. Thankfully, our Lord does not reject him, but in this exchange blesses all who believe without seeing. But how are we to believe something that we haven’t seen? This was not just a problem for Thomas, but for all of us. And yet, this is the very nature of our faith to believe things that cannot be seen in any kind of normal way. In fact, the resurrection changes everything into “not normal.

Even the day is numbered in a new way by John as the “eighth” day. In a way, John’s Gospel tells us that we are now people of the “eighth” day – the Day of Resurrection. What was once the beginning of the new week and the first day of creation now has become the Lord’s Day that is devoted to God’s recreative and resurrection power displayed in Jesus. This is the beginning of something entirely new. The day that once focused on our work and our activity, is now focused on Jesus and His work. He is the One who stands in their midst and reveals to them the new life in His very wounds.

Our Lord does not reject Thomas and his desire for concrete evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. Instead, Jesus gives to Thomas the very thing that he sought – a glimpse into the mystery of life in Jesus. In doing this not only does Jesus prove His bodily resurrection to Thomas, but He also blesses us who believe without seeing. This is the very definition of faith – trusting God and taking Him at His Word and promise. If He says to us, ‘You are baptized, and it is no longer you who lives, but Christ who lives in you,’ then this is true – even when I don’t see it or feel it. Our faith is not a trust in our own ability to believe but rather trust in what God has done and said about our new condition in Jesus. This is why John concludes his account of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection, with the summary verse that these things which he has written are the basics of what our life in Jesus’ name now means.

This is not necessarily easy. Our life here and now is often filled with the reality of how fragile our lives are in themselves. Often the things and people we love slowly ebb away from us and it is not easy to witness. In fact, it is as if the very opposite of everything we would hope for is more real or what we are constantly experiencing. Locked doors and fear are not just a New Testament experience. We experience them, too. Yet here in this time is also something precious, even the moment when everything is stripped from us and we feel hopeless. This is when we remember that our faith holds on to Him who held on to us through His Cross. His very wounds heal us! The very marks in His side and hands open for us a new way of seeing and living as He fills us with the eternal life in Him that not even death can wrench from us. We have Life in His Name, and because of this everything is new! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Pastor Carl