Scripture/Sermon of the Day

It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”

24 Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”

26 After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”

30 Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. 31 But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.

I. On the first day of the week after Easter the disciples hid behind doors bolted shut because they were afraid. They were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Even though they were Jewish. And Jesus was Jewish. The King James Version of the Bible actually says they were afraid of “the Jews.” Translations like that have caused a thousand years of antisemitism. To this day, people are still afraid of “the Jews.”

II. In August 2017, armed white nationalists chanted in a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia — because they were also afraid of “the Jews.” They shouted: “Jews will not replace us.” Men were afraid that, somehow, they were going to be replaced by people of the Jewish race. And millions of people still think this.

III. It’s become a big political issue. Millions of people are afraid they will be replaced, not just by Jews but by people whom they believe are not like them — people who may have a different skin color or who might speak a different language or worship a different God. Here in this country, many people believe that there is a movement to replace native-born Americans with immigrants and people of color. People, like the disciples on that first day after Easter — are AFRAID.

IV. One group in America of mostly white men — but there are women too — is called Groypers. They are growing in influence and power in America — their leader, Nick Fuentes, has even been a guest at Mar A Lago. And they are afraid.

“My ancestors came here on the Mayflower. They bled and died — committed genocides and fought wars. And what was the point of all that? So we could be replaced by Indians and Chinese people who don’t care about us? So we can get ruled by these insane leftists …who want …revenge against whites, or…. by these psychopathic Zionist billionaires?”

V. What’s incredible though is that many Groypers say they are Christian. They greet each other with the salutation “Christ is King.” YET they say terrible things about Jewish people, Muslims, people of color, and immigrants in general. BUT JESUS DID NOT TEACH THAT — WHY DO PEOPLE SAY THEY’RE CHRISTIAN BUT DON’T FOLLOW JESUS?

One attendee at a convention, a woman and who seemed have more compassion said, “We don’t want illegal immigrants to live in fear. We just want them gone.”

VII. At first, this is how leaders felt about Jesus. They didn’t want to kill him, at first — they just wanted him gone.

They were AFRAID Jesus would replace them — so they just wanted him gone. FEAR CAN MAKE US DO TERRIBLE THINGS. We are afraid that the people of Iran will make an atomic weapon, or, we are afraid that they will make our gasoline more expensive. So we say: “Give us your enriched uranium, and open the Strait of Hormuz, or “we destroy your whole civilization.”

VIII. Some of the worst human crimes are committed because of fear. Hitler was afraid of “the Jews.” The United States is afraid of Iran. Groypers are afraid of Jews and immigrants. They made a conspiracy to support their views, called “THE GREAT REPLACEMENT.”

IX. But bombs and weapons and violence and conspiracy theories won’t take away our fear — they will make us even more afraid — even more PARANOID. Even a 1.5 trillion dollar defense budget won’t save us from fear.

Jesus said ONLY FORGIVENESS AND LOVE AND FAITH — TRUSTING GOD — CAN MAKE US WELL — CAN MAKE THE FEAR GO AWAY. We believe the politicians, generals, and groypers, and choose fear — OR we can choose Jesus and believe in him, and keep walking with him on the path of love and forgiveness.