Our Advocate 1 John 1:1-2:2

Grace, mercy, and peace …

 Today we’re going to talk about what it means that Christ is risen to be our advocate.

Everybody needs a friend, someone to stand by them, to stand up for them. Jesus rose, he stood up in His tomb so that He could stand up for us, be our advocate.

Our first reading today, from Acts 4, jumps ahead a few months from Easter morning. This happened a few months after Jesus ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Acts 2 describes the fellowship that was formed on the Day of Pentecost when 3000 believed and were baptized. Our lesson from Acts 4 continues to describe it.

It tells us the people were close and united. Luke says, The full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Even deeper than heart and mind: heart and soul.

They shared everything they had so they would all be well taken care of, and no one would be missed. It says there was not a needy person among them.

This teaches us that when the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts at Baptism, with the power to trust Christ and follow His Word, it makes us more caring and concerned about the welfare of others, both their physical and spiritual well being.

Our lesson says that the apostles with “great power continued to give their testimony”. They continued to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus, accompanied by miracles, although they had been warned by the people who crucified Jesus to stop.

They didn’t stop sharing the gospel, nor doing miracles, because Jesus didn’t stop. Even after he was crucified he didn’t stop, but miraculously rose and appeared to the disciples and gave them his final instructions for them as they would become apostles, missionaries to spread the gospel around the world.

Our Gospel today is the miraculous appearance of Jesus to the disciples on Easter evening.

From Scripture we see that Jesus showed himself alive a number of times after he rose. He did that to help them with the transition, from him being with them every day, to Him being in Heaven, when they would see Him at all; and He did it to provide abundant proof of his resurrection.

His first appearance was probably to the angels at the tomb. We assume they would have been the first to see Jesus alive.

Next, as we mentioned last Sunday, Jesus showed himself alive to the devil, as he descended into hell, to make it clear that he had won eternal life for all who believe in him.

On Easter morning, before any of them saw Jesus, John and Peter saw that the tomb was empty, and the women saw the angels.

The first person Jesus showed himself alive to was Mary Magdalene right there in the cemetery on Easter Sunday morning.

Then on Easter Sunday afternoon, he showed himself alive to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As they walked, He explained the Old Testament prophecies to them about the death and resurrection of the Messiah.

When they got there, Jesus sat down to eat with them, broke the bread, and then their eyes were opened to recognize him; but he immediately left them.

Then, as we see in today’s Gospel, on that night, Easter evening, he showed himself to the disciples who were hiding in a locked room. He told them not to be afraid, that he wasn’t a ghost; and then He breathed the Holy Spirit on them, with the authority to forgive sins or withhold forgiveness. Then he left them to think and talk about it.

The next Sunday, he appeared to them again, this time when Thomas was there.

He showed his hands to Thomas, and said, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

That was a promise that many people in the future would believe in Him; not by seeing Him with their eyes, but by seeing Him through the testimony of the apostles in the Bible; and by believing though His blessing, that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit.   

A week later, 2 weeks after Easter Sunday morning, Jesus appeared to the disciples along the Sea of Galilee, where He did another miracle for them, filling their nets with fish.

Then ate breakfast with them, and then He restored Peter after His denial of Jesus, saying “Feed my lambs” -- I trust you to lead and care for my disciples, and for the many people who will soon believe in me.

Some time after Jesus rose and before he ascended, he appeared to his brother, James, and to 500 of His followers who had gathered together, probably for worship. So again it was probably a Sunday appearance, as they all seen to have been.

So, by faith, Jesus appears to us on Sundays as we worship Him. Through His Word, and as we celebrate His Sacraments, we see him not with our eyes, but with our hearts and our minds. 

Then Jesus appeared to His disciples one last time; this time on a Thursday, 40 days after He had risen. He gathered them on the Mount of Olives, and gave them the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations, and then ascended into heaven.

Jesus left us with all these resurrection appearances to assure us that God  accepted His sacrifice for our sins, and raised Him from death to life.

What this means is that we now have an Advocate on High, a friend standing up for us.

They say that it helps to have friends in high places. Sometimes that’s used in a bad way, a way that perpetuates corruption; but in this case it’s used in a good way, a just way.

John begins his first epistle by referring to the resurrection appearance of Jesus that’s recorded in today’s Gospel, that which we have seen with our own eyes… and touched with our hands. That’s Christ, who appeared to the disciples and told them to touch his hands, and see that he was real.

Then John refers to the power to forgive sin that Jesus gave to His disciples, and that he gives to the Church, If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Or as we say at Baptism, He washes away our sins.

John continues, But if anyone does sin, and we all sins every day, in the wrong things we do and think and say, and in the good things we fail to do or think or say, But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

He’s our friend in the highest place, an Advocate for us before God, to defend us when we sin, presenting His own righteousness to count as ours.

He won the right to do that by living a holy life, and dying for our sins. Or as John puts it, He is the propitiation for our sins. He has atoned for our sins, made things right with God for us; put us in good standing with God; made us friends with God.

Knowing that Jesus is our Advocate who defends us every time we sin, is NOT a  motivation for us to sin all the more, or an excuse to be just as selfish and worldly as we want. That’s not the kind of attitude that appreciates Jesus’ death for our forgiveness. That’s not being a friend to the One who befriended us with His life.

To be His friend is to love Him back, and respect His sacrifice by living a godly life.

It also means to be an advocate for others, to befriend others and help them in their times of need.

Most of all, to show them that they have a Friend who would always stand up for them; the Advocate we all need in the Highest Place, before the throne of God; a Friend who died to make things right for us with God; a Friend who rose to bring us into the presence God, to happy and comfortable before Him forever.

As Jesus is our Advocate and Friend in the Highest place, let us be His friends here below, and let us befriend the world by sharing the good news that… He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

As you share the good news that Christ is risen indeed, may the peace that passes understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, our Advocate. Amen.