“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book” (Jo. 20:30).
Easter is a season, not a day. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is such an earthshattering event that it cannot be contained by one day’s observance but spills over into more. Easter’s writ runs from the Day of Resurrection to the Feast of Pentecost: fifty days of celebration. It’s big because the resurrection is mind blowing. When it comes to Easter, “one and done” just won’t do.
Think for a moment of the different ways the gospels tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection. There’s a run on component to each account that underscores its unfinished nature; an open-ended quality to each telling of the story. Matthew may have the most polished wrap up, but even he ends with Jesus telling his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. Luke’s version actually tacks on a sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, instead of a conclusion; a sort of “stay tuned for more” that even the Marvel universe would envy. Mark’s gospel in its oldest form actually ends in mid-sentence, with the women at the empty tomb filled with terror and amazement at the angel’s words; a huge loose end if there ever was one.
John’s version which we’ve heard today has its own way of telling us that there’s more to the story. Students of the Scriptures will know that today we’ve heard the story of Jesus’ appearance to the apostles on the evening of Easter Day, and then his reappearance a week later to a group that includes the missing Thomas. You’ll also know that other appearances of Jesus are included in the following chapter (as we’ll hear next week): things that happen on the shore of the lake, while a group of the disciples are fishing. It seems like John’s gospel has a hard time wrapping up.
That, of course, is the point. As we heard today, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book” (Jo. 20:30). For John, there’s always more to the gospel story: more signs, more significance, more witness to offer. Miracle is stacked upon miracle; parable upon parable; teaching upon teaching. As he writes in the next chapter, after taking us with Jesus to the lakeside, “But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (Jo. 21:25).
John’s telling us that we can never exhaust the significance of Jesus Christ; we can never tell the whole tale; we can never come to the end of the story. Jesus cannot be comprehended or summed up; unlike the Easter basket, he can’t be packaged up with ribbon and bow. We can’t reduce him to a meme or a message. He’ll always outrun us and get there ahead of us. Like Aslan in the Narnia books, he’s not a tame lion.
Yes, there’s more to the story, and that’s on account of us. Again, as John says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book” (Jo. 20:30); then he adds, “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (Jo. 20:31). Part of the lose end quality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that it spills over into us, into believing, into new life. These stories are told so that we may believe and have new life.
We too stand in that place where Thomas stood. As Jesus says to him as he stands in the midst of the disciples, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen but have come to believe” (Jo. 20:29). Thomas’ exclamation, “My Lord and my God!” (Jo. 20:28) is the outward expression of belief, one of the most profound in the New Testament. We’re invited into that same space and that same expression of faith.
Today, members of the congregation will renew their baptismal vows and receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit: the same Spirit breathed upon the disciples on the evening of Easter Day. Our reaffirmation of faith is like Thomas’ own exclamation. The renewal of vows is our expression of faith in the risen Lord: a renewal that we are all invited to make today.
Faith is foundational: our trust in God, and our trust in what God can do. New life means transformation: a turning from the old way of life to the new. God is reorienting us through the power of the Spirit so that we can move from where we are to where we need to be. God raised Jesus from the dead, and he will raise us up with him.
Today, at St. Bartholomew’s Church, our own witness is being added to the witness of the apostles, as they moved out and brought the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to the whole world. We are part of that same movement. Our own actions, actions that God works in us, are being added to the story of what Jesus has done and continues to do. If they were all added up, as our Gospel writer says, there would not be enough time or space to record them. Because in the risen Lord, there is always more to the story.