The death and resurrection of Christ were not just objective facts which happened almost two thousand years ago, they are something which should be experienced by every Christian subjectively in his earthly life. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul meant when he said in Philippians 3:10*, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” In the same way, the passage as recorded in the Gospel of John 20:19-23 shows us how the disciples were transformed after experiencing the power of the resurrected Lord.

1. 1. Resurrection and Life

Initially, the resurrected Lord transformed the quality of the lives of the disciples: when the Lord first appeared to them, he said, “Peace be with you!’ (v. 19); and then we are told that “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord'(v. 20). In other words, the resurrected Lord brings two major ingredients to the quality of life-peace and joy.

When Christ was born in Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed the purpose of his coming: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men’ (Luke 2:14). Before his death, he once again promised joy and peace to his disciples (John16:24, 33). A life with peace and joy is an abundant life.

2. Life and Mission

After the resurrected Lord brought peace and joy into the lives of the disciples, he also promptly commissioned them: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (v. 21). Anyone who has experienced this abundant life brought on by the power of the resurrection also has the responsi-bility of sharing this gospel of peace and joy with those who have not. The Lord has already finished his task of providing salvation and passed on the responsibility of proclaiming this salvation to the believers. This is not only a responsibility but privilege as well, and has also become the reason for a believer to remain on earth. Christ’s purpose on earth was to “save sinners’ (1 Timothy 1:15) and give life (John 10:10). Likewise our purpose should be to preach the gospel and live the testimony — to become a witness in our contemporary world.

3. Mission and Power

After the Lord commissioned his disciples, he immediately breathed on them and told them to “receive the Holy Spirit”(v. 22). This is a foretaste of Pentecost. One cannot separate the ministry of the gospel and the power of the Lord. There is only one way for a person to be saved, and that is through the preaching of the gospel by men empowered by the Holy Spirit who in turn brings new life into that person. In other words, the pure mechanics of preaching he gospel is only a means and not an end to itself, for the gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). When Christ commissioned us to preach, he also has given us the power. What we need to worry today is not the hardness of man or our inability to preach the gospel, but our unwillingness to preach. Our responsibility is to sow, while that of the Holy Spirit is to give life.

4. Power and Authority

The power and authority of evangelism are inseparable: authority usually accompanies power and power comes with authority. As soon as Christ breathed the power of the Holy Spirit into the lives of the disciples, they received authority as well: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (v.23).Even though the absolute authority to forgive sins obviously belongs to God, the gospel itself has already stated the con-sequence and verdict of belief and unbelief (John 3:18), and the evangelist thus inherits this authority to forgive or condemn (Matthew 16:18-20; Acts 2:37-39; 3:19; 5:1-11;8:20-24). When God entrusted us with the gospel, we must also fully realize the authority which accompanies it, for a person’s destiny depends on us sharing this good news-a sobering thought which should compel us to re-evaluate our responsibility to spread the good news.

Conclusion

A Christian who continuously experiences the power of the resurrected Lord is one who maintains a life of constant growth and renewal. He knows’ his purpose and mission in life, and depends on the Lord’s power to witness and share the gospel.

*All scriptures are quoted from the New International Version.

原載於《建道通訊》71期，1988年3月，頁2。