John tells us that on the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors of the house where the disciples met were locked for fear of the Jews. Imagine their frame of mind. Their leader and friend had suffered a hideous death. Their hopes were crushed. They were overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and shame because they had each denied or deserted him. And if he really had risen, where was he? Why hadn’t he come to them? And if he did come, would the authorities follow and arrest them too?

Let’s use our imaginations to revisit that scene. It is late at night. Ten of the eleven disciples are gathered behind locked doors, their palms are sweaty with anxiety and they are caught up in a violent storm of emotions. The death of Jesus has been a cruel blow. Not only have they lost a friend, with Jesus’ humiliating defeat, all they have lived for and hoped for has crumbled beneath them. Oh, they have heard the rumors rumbling through the city streets, the story of some of the women that Jesus has risen from the dead, but "it seems to them an idle tale." A couple of the disciples had verified that the tomb was indeed empty, but that only confused and unnerved them even more. If Jesus had risen, he surely would have come straight to them, to his disciples, his closest friends. And to make matters worse, rumors are circulating that the Jewish leaders have ordered the arrest and death of all the disciples so that this religious menace can be put to an end once and for all. Imagine the disciples, pacing nervously, checking the lock on the door and perhaps even on the windows.

There is probably not much conversation. Each is imprisoned by his own thoughts and fears, his own guilt and shame. One part of them prays that the rumors are true, that the resurrection of Jesus is real, that he somehow escaped that hideous death, while the other part is filled with fear. Would they dare to look him in the eyes after failing him so miserably? If he came, what would he say to them? What would he do? They may even have wondered if he would return to them at all, or if he would perhaps simply go elsewhere in search of new disciples, of some who would truly believe.

Then suddenly, without fanfare or warning, silently, forcefully, Jesus appears in the middle of the room, despite the locked doors. So much for their security precautions! He utters four words. They are surely not the words which the disciples expect, not words of reproach, not words which reflect his disappointment in their lack of faith. He utters four words: "Peace be with you." No words could have meant more for the disciples; no words packed more power for healing and wholeness. The reasons they were huddled there behind locked doors, paralyzed into inaction were many. Jesus knew them all, and Jesus knew also how to minister to their innermost needs. Those four words went to the heart of the matter and ministered to their insecurity and loneliness, to their overwhelming guilt, their sense of despair and the great fears which had immobilized them.

That powerful word of Christ spoke also to the enormous burden of guilt they bore. They had not only deserted their Lord and Master, but had also denied him, failed him. Not only had their faith proved inept and powerless and their resources of courage been woefully inadequate, but they had shown themselves to be utterly shameless. Why if it hadn’t been for Joseph of Arimathea, his body would still be hanging on a tree, being devoured by the birds. They had in faithless fear abandoned the Lord’s body to be ravaged and mutilated, desecrated. No wonder they hid behind locked doors!

Jesus takes all this into account and more when he utters those four incredible words of grace and forgiveness, "Peace be with you." Knowing their doubts and their fears, Jesus hastens to show them the nail holes in his hands and feet. John writes, "Then the disciples rejoiced." And again Jesus says, "Peace be with you." But this time he doesn’t stop there, he adds, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." It’s time for them to unlock that door and to move boldly into the world proclaiming the resurrection and bringing to the world God’s message of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Out of mourning there blossomed rejoicing. Where once ambitious visions lay crushed, now exciting new possibilities are born. Out of fear and depression spring happiness and hope. Guilt and remorse are forgotten in forgiveness and the disciples revel in the warmth of reconciliation.

But one of the disciples was not behind the locked door that night. Thomas was not with the fearful group and thus did not see Jesus or hear his words, "Peace be with you." Despite the witness of his friends, he stubbornly refused to believe in the resurrection. "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." Thomas, though not physically behind that locked door, remained imprisoned by his doubt and fear and shame. He simply could not believe, nor could he feel the forgiveness or share the joy until a week later, when Jesus once again appears to them. "Peace be with you," he says, and then to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." To which Thomas answers, "My Lord and my God!"

At that moment Thomas experienced the wonder of forgiveness. All his shortcoming, sins and failures were incapable of stemming the flood of God’s grace which Jesus poured out upon him. Even his persistent doubt was not held against him. Though he was faithless, God remained faithful.

In the evening of the first day, the disciples hid behind a locked door, prisoners of guilt and shame and fear. It was not the door which prevented them from carrying on their commission as disciples of Jesus. It was the fear and the shame, the doubt and the guilt. We, too, sometimes hide behind locked doors, doors which prevent us from reaching our potential as disciples and as children of God. We become prisoners of patterns of abuse or addiction. We put up defensive walls when we’ve been hurt, and we lack the courage and the conviction to take the first step toward forgiveness or reconciliation. Low self-esteem keeps us from believing in ourselves, from trying new things, from answering God’s call to teach or to preach or to heal. Ego prevents us from admitting fault or accepting blame when something goes wrong. Fear prevents us from reaching out to the stranger or to someone in need. Fear of alienation from our peers may prevent us from taking a bold stand for justice, or standing up for ethical practices in the workplace. Failure to struggle dynamically with faith issues impedes our ability to articulate our beliefs and thus to witness for Christ.

Jesus can come through our locked doors. He offers us the same four wonderful words, "Peace be with you." Into our doubts and fears, into our weakness and guilt, Jesus comes with words of forgiveness and reconciliation. He said to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." That’s the bottom line isn’t it? Can we believe without seeing for ourselves? In Hebrews it is written, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." If we are people of faith, we don’t pack the message of Easter away with the Easter baskets. We read the scriptures, we hear God’s word, we believe, and then we act.

In our reading from the book of Acts this morning, the disciples are dragged summarily before the high priest. No longer bound by fear or guilt or shame, no longer cowering behind locked doors, they have been teaching and preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. And the high priest and the Sadducees are filled with jealousy. When the high priest addresses them, it is to say, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching."

Emboldened by their faith, strong in their beliefs, confident in Christ, Peter and the others reply, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." Then, not content to merely defy the high priest and Sadducees, they go on to witness to them: "The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." They are quick point out that their religious leaders share the responsibility for crucifying God’s Son.

Easter has made the disciples bold in their witness. The power of God’s grace and God’s love, Jesus’ assurance of forgiveness and reconciliation, unlock forever those doors which imprisoned them. And so it should be and can be for us. We don’t need, as Thomas did, to see the imprint of the nails or the hole in his side. We have heard the witness of those who were there. It is a compelling witness, one which calls us to be strong in our own faith and witness. Jesus says to us, "Peace be with you." Let go of your fears. Trust me. Believe in me. Receive forgiveness for your sins. Do not be ashamed of who or what you are. Proclaim God’s love. Practice forgiveness, don’t be afraid.

Jesus gives us the keys to unlock the chains which bind us and the doors behind which we try to hide. Jesus died in order that our sins might be forgiven and God raised him from the dead so that he could barge through locked doors, dispel despair, erase doubt and deliver forgiveness and reconciliation. We each have our own set of locked doors. Jesus calls us to unlock them and come out, to be faithful followers and bold witnesses. "Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have come to believe." We say those words, "I believe..." But do we really? Do we believe enough to live the gospel which we read and study? Do we believe enough to trust God with our fears and our doubts? Do we believe enough in God’s love to accept ourselves just as we are, just as God accepts and loves us? Do we believe enough in God’s forgiveness, in the core message of Easter, to forgive ourselves?

When the disciples huddled behind locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them, offered them his peace, and breathed into them the Holy Spirit. He sensed their fear and doubt yet didn’t reject them, knew their deepest needs and ministered to them. If we have heard the Easter message, if we believe in the resurrection, then we can trust Jesus to come to us in our times of need as well. We can be reassured that God loves us and forgives us even when our faith waivers, even when we feel inadequate or ashamed. Whatever locked doors we hide behind, Jesus has given us the key to unlock them, and he calls to us to come out and become faithful followers. God loves us enough to send his Son to die for us. God loves us enough to accept us as we are, to forgive us when we need to be forgiven, and to use us to usher in his kingdom on earth.

Let us, as part of our ongoing Easter celebration, acknowledge our imperfection, seek and accept God’s forgiveness, and throw open those doors which separate us from the love of God and the Christian witness to which we are called. Jesus says, "Peace be with you. As my Father has sent me, so I send you." Let’s take that personally. Let’s do more than shout "He is Risen!" Let’s be strong in our faith and faithful in our witness. Amen.