Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
April 14, 2024
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras

Easter 3B
Four Brothers

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47)

The four gospels are like four brothers.

They all carry the family traits. They look alike, sound alike, walk alike, talk alike and think alike. But not exclusively. Often, when it comes to their outlook on things, their opinions, their interests they can differ drastically. One may like, sports; another may be studious, another happy and outgoing, and another introverted.

But they are brothers proceeding from the same father and the same mother. And this is how it is with the four glorious gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ whose name are: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Last week we heard John’s account of the evening of the first Easter. We say “first” because in the church every Sunday is Easter where we commune with the Risen Christ at his altar. And because the final Easter, the resurrection of all the dead, is still coming: closer and closer every day.

If we listened carefully, and may we always, which is why we make the triple sign of the cross at the reading of the gospel. We sign our foreheads, lips and hearts, and by this liturgical gesture we pray that the gospel of Christ might be in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts at all times.

When a priest is elevated to Bishop in the Melkite Rite of the Byzantine church part of the ceremony is that his fellow bishops place the gospel book on his head, and hold it here for some minutes as prayers are offered, pleading that this bishop will be a walking talking gospel for the church.

But if we listened carefully last week we heard a different account of the first Easter evening than we hear today.

Last week only 10 of the apostles were present. Thomas was missing.
Last week Jesus gave bodily proofs of this resurrection, which assures our own. He showed them his hands and his side so that they might see those glorious wounds that still remained. Not because they could not be made well – but as an eternal reminder to us now, and an eternal reminder to us in heaven – just who it is that purified us from our sins, and gave the kingdom to us. And we will never leave that kingdom. We will never want to! Because as the 16th Psalm says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

In last week’s gospel Jesus celebrated a foretaste of Pentecost for the Eleven. He breathed on them, in-Spirited them, and thereby imparted the Holy Spirit to them. And by the power of that Spirit they were ordained to forgive the sins of penitent sinners so that they could be at peace with God; and to retain the sins of the impenitent so that they could languish in their guilt, shame, fear and uncertainty – with the hopes of course that the burning pain of unconfessed sins would become so overwhelming that they would seek forgiveness; which would not be withheld, but freely given to them.

John also notes that disciple Thomas was not there, and then goes into great detail about his incarnational and sacramental encounter with Jesus, when he installs faith into Thomas, so that from then on he would lack nothing.

Nor will we if we “fill up” on faith, hope and love, each week here at the wedding feast of the Lamb. As the Israelites of old had to actually eat the lamb and the unleavened Bread in order to energize them for the Great Escape; so we too are energized by eating Holy Eucharist, now able to conquer all sin, death and devils and find God’s way of escape for every test and every temptation.

This is what St. John means in today’s epistle when he says that “anyone who holds this hope purifies himself, even as he/Jesus is pure.” And Oh what a relief it is, what joy and peace it is, to be PURE?

There is nothing better than that!

But Brother Luke tells a different story. But before we hear it let us remember this – that Bible critics along with the unbelieving world wants to turn our “glory into something reprehensible.” (Ps. 4) One of the chief ways they do this is by showcasing all the contradictions in four gospels.

If one of the scoffers were to hear last week’s gospel from Easter Evening, and this week’s gospel, they would have a field day. But let us be clear on this.

That each of the four gospels stands on its own merit.
None of the evangelists was dependent upon the other.
None tries to imitate or learn from the other.
But each gospel stands on its own merit
and cannot be used to defame one of the others.

Think of the four brothers. They are unmistakably sons of the same parents: no genetic testing needed. They were raised the same, grew up the same, sat around the same family table. But as regards personality, interests and affections, you might not be so sure that they are fruit of the same tree.

But they are.

Moreover if you consider the possibility, perhaps probability, that the four gospels started their lives as the church’s first liturgies; that they were written possibly before Pentecost, or shortly thereafter; and that each evangelist wrote for his own diocese – where his gospel was read cover to cover every Sunday. Then the so-called contradictions mean nothing. Each gospel, just like each brother, is his own person.

And so if we hear the resurrection gospel from brother Matthew, or Brother Mark, or Brother Luke, or Brother John we are hearing it as the Holy Spirit gave it to each – and we are better and richer for it.

In Luke’s gospel all the disciples are gathered, all eleven which includes Thomas. But not, of course, Judas who gave his heart to Satan, and who chose to worship Satan, instead of Christ.

Also to be found in the upper room were the two Emmaus disciples who reported to the Eleven that they had seen Jesus; and recognized him in the “breaking of the bread,” (Lk 24:35) which is the only place one can know and recognize the crucified and risen Lord.

And so in Luke we have 13 men present. Again he shows them his hands and feet so that they might learn to love those wounds – by which we are healed, and obtain Jesus’ own life unto the ages of ages.

Again they are thrilled beyond words. But the Lord does something here that he does not do in John. He asks for food, and then eats, in order to demonstrated to them that he is not a ghost or an emoji. But the God/Man come back to life. Who has the flesh and bones of a true Man because he is the True Man, and who makes us True Men by his humanity and divinity.

Yes he died, so will we.

Yes he rose again, so will we.

Yes he has a glorified body, so will we.

It is as the Psalmist says, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep for you alone O LORD make me dwell securely.” (Psalm 4:8)

Pray that prayer every night until you wake up, not in your bedroom, or your sick bed, but in heaven where you will know, even as you are known by our God. Amen.