Peace and Forgiveness – John 20:19-31

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Lectionary Readings for May 15, 2022                 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C
Psalm 148     v1 Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
Acts 11:1-18      v17 “If then God gave them (Gentiles) the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” ~ Peter
Revelation 21:1-6 v4 God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more…
John 13:31-35       v34 So I give you a new command: Love each other deeply and fully. Remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways.

But this week we’ll look at John 20:19-31 as we spend the Easter season exploring Jesus’ life after the resurrection.

Peace through Leadership Quotes

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”  ~ Dalai Lama

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”  ~ Francis of Assisi

I encourage you to start each day asking yourself…

  • What can I do today to help me be at peace with myself, with others, and with God?

  • Do I need to STOP doing or thinking about something? What can I release?

  • Do I need to START doing or thinking about something? What can I embrace?

  • We will more effectively share and nurture peace with others when we regularly tend our own inner gardens of peace.

Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.

Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading

This week we continue our Gospel-by-Gospel examination of what Jesus said and did between His resurrection and ascension because… if you had just returned from the dead and didn’t think you’d be around very long, wouldn’t you carefully choose how you spent your time and words?

Today’s reading occurs on Easter Sunday. Immediately prior to the verses we’ll hear, Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb, told the other disciples, Peter and an unnamed disciple investigate and, sure enough, despite being an emotional female prone to crazy ideas and unreliable reports (such was the stereotype of women back then), the tomb really was empty. The two disciples returned home, but Mary stayed at the tomb, grieving the loss of her beloved leader and friend.

Suddenly, Mary saw and spoke with two angels inside the tomb. She then saw but did not recognize Jesus standing in front of her. When Jesus finally calls her by name, she recognizes Him. Jesus then tells her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary then finds the disciples and proclaims, “I have seen the Lord!”

1 – It’s interesting how Jesus refers to God as “my Father and your Father.”
I take this as Him reminding us of the intimate relationship God invites us into.
2 – Also note, that according to John, Mary – a woman – is the first to see and proclaim a resurrected Jesus. Despite rejection, oppression, and outright abuse, women have continued being powerful witnesses of our faith for 2,000 years.

That’s a lot to happen between breakfast and lunch! Our story picks up later that same night.

Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as we hear Jesus’ last words in John’s Gospel.

 

Read John 20:19-31.

As much as I love other gospels’ heavy emphasis on Mary’s role in Easter Sunday, I also love the intimacy of John’s version of Jesus’ resurrection. In an outburst of relief, Mary tries to touch Jesus – likely a hug – but Jesus says, “Not now.”

Later, the disciples have regathered, sharing their collective fear with each other when… Jesus simply appears without warning. They don’t hear a distant, spooky voice or see a mystical vision that could be dismissed as a mirage. Jesus is there, so close they could feel his breath on their skin. Think about that. Think about how close you must be to feel someone’s breath. That’s a degree of intimacy that’s either treasured or detested. Jesus’ appearance was yet another miraculous sign John presented as proof of Jesus’ nature and authenticity.

Naturally, Jesus’ opening line needs to be words of comfort, “Be at peace.” Easy for Him to say! The last three days have been anything BUT peaceful. And now You’re… back! Jesus then says He is “sending” the disciples. We’re seeing a consistent pattern in the Gospels. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said “Go… Teach…” and in Mark 16:15 He said “Go… Proclaim…” Now in John, Jesus says He is “sending” the disciples. Clearly, Jesus is using His limited time back to emphasize the importance of an active and inter-active expression of our faith.

True to John’s enigmatic writing style, Jesus’ next words of blessing and empowerment should cause us to pause and ask, “What is Jesus actually declaring here, and how should we receive this blessing today?” I love how The Voice translation we just heard interprets Jesus’ words:

1 – “Receive the Holy Spirit of the living God.”
Wait… doesn’t that happen at Pentecost? Yes, and with a group of 120+ people including women (Acts 1:13-15, 26). Which brings us to a 2,000-year-old debate: Is the Holy Spirit always present in every human being (and possibly in ever living creature) from birth until death? OR… Does the Holy Spirit wait until you invite It into your being? If you’re undecided on that question and want to dig into it more, let me know and we’ll meet for coffee and a potentially long and lively conversation one day.
Regardless, as professing Christians, we believe the Holy Spirit is alive and active within each of us. OK, great! Do you, each of you, today, feel like the Holy Spirit is inside you? Do you sense the Holy Spirit in you as regularly and intimately as you sense your heartbeat surging life-given blood throughout your body? OR… Is It more like your taste buds and you only notice God’s Spirit when It responds to what we bring into our lives?
How do you understand the idea that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in YOU?

2 – “You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness.”
God’s mantle?!? God’s authority?!? I could have a dozen PhD’s, but I would never feel like I’m qualified or responsible enough to possess even the smallest bit of the Creator of the Universe’s power or authority. And yet, that’s exactly what Jesus confers upon the disciples (and by way of Pentecost, on each of us today). Before they could ask, Jesus offers a one-sentence explanation of this extraordinary power.

3 – “As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins, or to withhold forgiveness.”
You are able… this is a life-giving power you can freely share. Notice there is no quid-pro-quo with sharing God’s forgiving grace. God demands no payment nor proof of conversion or goodness before forgiveness is offered. And we can choose how to use this power; this is perhaps the greatest expression of the power of our free will.
On the one hand, we can forgive our own flaws and failings as well as that of others. Each Sunday we hear quotes about peace and talk about working towards a more peaceful world. How often have each of us experienced incredible peace when we forgive ourselves, when we forgive someone else, or when someone forgives us? What a liberating power! And it’s ours to use as often as we like – without cost, without limits!

On the other hand, we can choose (as people too often do) to withhold forgiveness from ourselves or from others. Sadly, the natural consequence of withholding forgiveness is misery – mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical misery for ourselves and for others. How many of us have suffered under the burden of carrying a grudge against someone for years or even decades? How many of us beaten ourselves up for our own flaws and failings – something God never asked anyone to do! Yes, we can and should learn from our failings so that we (and others) can become better, more whole precious children of God.

Forgiveness is the path that gets us to wholeness… to shalom (peace with God, ourselves, and others). In these handful of verses, Jesus lays out both the power we have and the opportunity at our fingertips to create peace… or not. If we’re paying attention, we’re reminded of this gift and opportunity each week when we say the Lord’s Prayer. Heads up… to bring our attention to this, I’ve translated the word “trespass” in today’s Lord’s Prayer to “failings and hurts.”

If we can do the culturally hard work of embracing the forgiveness that God so freely offers us and encourages us to share with others, we will naturally be happier, healthier people who will, as a consequence, naturally bring joy and peace to others. Forgiveness is a critical way we expand the Kingdom of God and bring life-giving change into our homes and our community. Isn’t it worth the effort?

Amen? Amen!