Sermon - Quasimodo Geniti 2026 - John 20:19-31

Doubting Thomas, Peter Paul Rubens, 1615

Jesus Delivers His Peace through Pastors

1. Those who took hold of the horns of the altar, where blood for them was shed,  pleaded for grace in their need.

2. Thomas needed to take hold of the horns of the altar of Christ’s body, in order to find peace from His sins.

3. Since we cannot take hold of Jesus’ wounds,  Jesus sent Pastors to speak in His stead and by His command, so that we may have peace.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the Old Testament God had made a merciful allowance for accidental murderers, allowing them to flee to God for mercy by taking hold of the horns of the bronze altar outside of the tabernacle. The bronze altar stood directly outside of the holy place, and at this altar the sacrificial animals were burned up morning and evening, along with other sacrifices during the day. On the Day of Atonement the blood of the lamb would be placed onto the horns of the altar. So those horns for Israel were a place of refuge and safety, whereby the Israelites would flee to the Lord in their sins, and receive mercy from the Lord.

Nevertheless, this bronze altar was the closest man could come to the Lord. The golden altar of incense was inside of the tabernacle, and only the priests could go to that altar. The golden ark of the covenant, with its seat of mercy, was inside of the holy of holies, and only the high priest could enter there once a year. None could take hold of the ark at will without facing God’s wrath. So when Uzziah touched the ark because he didn’t want it to touch the ground, God smote him dead. Coming too near God was deadly for the holiness of God cannot abide with the sins of man. 

So when the Son of God entered into the womb of Mary, the very same Lord who dwelt in the holy of holies lived in the tabernacle of Mary’s flesh. For the Son of Man came not in wrath, but in mercy. He came as the Lamb that has been slain for the forgiveness of the sins of the people. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” So you heard during Holy Week that upon His death the veil of the temple, separating God from His people, was rent in twain from top to bottom, torn by the hands of God Himself. By the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world God’s mercy seat has been opened to all and the place of refuge to which we flee is now Christ Himself.

So when Thomas, a sinner, comes into God’s presence He longs to take hold not of the Bronze Altar, but of the altar of God’s flesh! He demands that he must take hold of wounds in Jesus’ body, and Jesus allows that request: Jesus gives His peace and instructs Thomas: “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side.” Through the holy wounds of Jesus God’s peace and mercy is delivered to His people.

It is as the prophet Isaiah declared: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are  healed.” And again the apostle Peter wrote: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” The blood of Christ is that which cleanses away all sins, and so the wounds of Jesus are the horns of the altar to which we must flee to rescue in our time of need.

While Thomas could cling to Jesus’ scars for mercy, we cannot. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas could literally take hold of Jesus, He could flee to the horns of the altar and take hold of Jesus’ wounds. We cannot. So Jesus blesses us: Blessed are you who have not seen and yet have believed. Nevertheless, Jesus knows that we are no stronger than Thomas and we long to be comforted with flesh and blood, so the Lord continues to send us flesh and blood; the Lord continues to send bronze altars with horns of comfort sinners can hold onto.

Jesus ordained the apostles, saying: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you… Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” The Lord Jesus sent His apostles and later sent His pastors so that there would be flesh and blood men, who stand in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver God’s peace to His people. We’re not stronger than Thomas or the other apostles. We’re not stronger than all of the Christians throughout the Old Testament. But we continue to need the comfort of physical means by which God’s mercy is delivered to us.

The Christians in the Old Testament needed a bronze altar they could touch. The apostles of Jesus needed Jesus flesh that they could touch. We today also need a physical object, and that is pastors. God gave us pastors so that we don’t just have to imagine that we’re saved, but that we may be assured of this through men whom God has called. It’s a common, but unfortunate, misconception that religion is completely a private affair, and that my religion is worked out entirely in my own mind. This privatization of religion makes pastors into little more than spiritual gurus and coaches, guys who provide tips and resources. 

This is what has led many Christians to think that they don’t need what is offered in the Divine Service. They can pray for forgiveness privately, and God will forgive them. They can read their Bible at home. No need to have a pastor forgive their sins! Afterall, no one can forgive sins but God, anyway!

While it is true that God does forgive the sins of all who cry to Him in their time of need, like when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses.” What you miss when you pray privately in your home is hearing the words of absolution. When you pray “forgive me” while you’re sitting alone at home, you never get to hear God say “I forgive you.” All you hear is silence and you must assume that God forgives you. Does God forgive you? Yes, but can you hear the comfort of that spoken word? No.

We need to hear the comfort of God’s forgiveness spoken directly to us. How many people live with loads of regrets? Sure, maybe you live by the motto “no regrets,” but when you stop lying to yourself there are plenty of stupid things you’ve done that you wish you could undo and do properly. If you’re left to ruminate on those blunders, dwelling on them and your sins over and over, it leaves you with a huge load of guilt and sorrow. This burden weighs upon you day after day, and when you listen to the scriptures you hear your sin condemned, and Satan throws your sin in your face, and perhaps in time Satan convinces you to despair and flee from Christ. 

So instead of fleeing from Christ, God has established a place of refuge to which you may flee for peace, He has established a bronze altar, His pastor who stands in His stead and by His command to perform His will. Pastors do not speak on their own authority, but they lift up their voices and the Lord fills their mouths, and Jesus says through His instruments: I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. You’re not left wondering, you’re not left hanging, but you can hear Jesus say: “Peace be with you.”

Thus, even though Jesus has already ascended to the right hand of the Father, and we cannot see Him right now, He is still speaking among us today through His servants in the Office of the Holy Ministry. These men are but the mouthpieces of God and they have been sent out to fulfill God’s will. Like the bronze altar, they’re not as good as the golden ark of the covenant, they’re not as good as Christ, but Christ sent them so that we could take hold of them and hear the comfort of God’s forgiveness. In the moments of your doubts, Christ comes to you through His messengers so deliver you His blood, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!