John 20

Episodes

1. 11

   The Church in John 20

   Lord's Day worship sits at the very center of the church's life, and careful exegesis of John 20:21-23 grounds that claim rather than assuming it. The Spirit's work of judging sin, promised in John 16:8 and enacted in 20:23, gives the church real authority beyond any ceremonial function. In a…

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   Jun 2, 1996

   42m
2. 10

   East, West, and the Trinity

   The Eastern Orthodox Church's history, including three reasons for its break with Rome, sets Eastern and Western views of the Trinity side by side. Theosis, the deification of man, marks the sharpest point of difference. John 20's commissioning raises the question of what kind of union with God...

   May 26, 1996

   29m
3. 9

   The Church Fulfills Christ's Prayer

   Christ's high-priestly prayer in John 17 finds its answer in the church's later life, which fulfills his words, prayers, actions, and service. New birth from above, from God, qualifies the church to enter Christ's own mission. John 20:21 sends the church into that inheritance.

   May 19, 1996

   32m
4. 8

   Three Sayings of Peace

   Christ says 'peace' three times in John 20, and those words look back to his promises in 14:27 and 16:33, first given before the cross. The trial of John 18-19 connects directly to the resurrection of John 20. John 20 delivers heavenly peace, given through the risen Christ by the Holy Spirit, and...

   May 12, 1996

   41m
5. 7

   Two Dimensions of the Return

   John 20 belongs with the upper room discourse of John 13-17, and together they show two dimensions of Christ's return from the tomb. Jesus names himself teacher, Rabboni, even as he promises the Spirit who will teach after he goes. The already and not yet shows up again in that double promise.

   Apr 28, 1996

   32m
6. 6

   Abiding in the Risen Christ

   The Christ who spoke of abiding in John 14, before the cross, now stands risen among his disciples in John 20. The covenant language of abiding, we in Christ and Christ in us, makes the church matter as more than a gathering of people. That abiding ends in delight.

   Apr 21, 1996

   34m
7. 5

   A New Pattern of Worship

   The resurrection creates a new pattern of worship, and John's Gospel shows it through its double language of physical and spiritual meaning layered together. To miss that worship is to miss Christ himself, a far greater loss than skipping a religious observance. Only Christ himself can give true...

   Apr 14, 1996

   36m
8. 4

   No Resurrection, No Christianity

   Without the resurrection there is no Christianity at all. The power Paul describes in Ephesians 3:20-21 answers the darkness of John 20:1, and that power shapes a pattern of worship morning and evening. Mary calls the risen Christ 'Rabboni,' and there that power first becomes personal.

   Apr 7, 1996

   35m
9. 3

   The Second Adam Speaks Peace

   The disciples locked away in fear stand as heirs of the first Adam's failure, still in spiritual darkness, until the second Adam speaks a single word: peace. That peace commissions the church, echoing Psalm 122, to go back into the old creation and help order it, far more than personal comfort....

   Apr 7, 1996

   42m
10. 2

    David, Christ, and the Sabbath

    The Pharisees reach for the Old Testament itself to accuse the disciples of breaking the Sabbath, and Christ's response in Mark 2:25-28 uses deliberate hyperbole to assert an authority the Pharisees hadn't reckoned with. David's own example foreshadows Christ's Lordship over both law and Sabbath....

    Mar 31, 1996

    32m
11. 1

    Illumination From the Risen Christ

    John frames the resurrection appearances around the Lord's Day, repeated in 20:19 and 20:26, against the spiritual darkness of 20:1. Verse 19 uses the language of new creation, which Christ accomplishes by the Spirit. Real illumination comes only from the risen Christ, and the darkness supplies...

    Mar 17, 1996

    32m