John 20:19-23 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”We do not observe the events of Holy Week without knowing the rest of the story. Even if we experience a significantly emotional Good Friday, we know that on the third day - on Sunday morning - everything will change. The old world will pass away. The resurrection marks a new beginning... nothing will every be the same.
Each of the gospels gives a particular account of the events surrounding Jesus' resurrection. Trying to reconcile them into one coherent timeline would prove frustrating and fruitless. So let us see the events through the eyes of John. On the night after they found the empty tomb, the disciples gather in fear. We can only guess what they were afraid of... fear of the future... fear of the Jewish leaders and Roman officials... fear of others in the world around them... fear of each other... fear of what they were to become.
And in the midst of that fear, Jesus appears with a word of instruction and inspiration... Peace.
What did "peace" mean to them? Was it absence of conflict or is it more? Was it calmness? Or inspiration? I imagine it was all of these things and more. But Jesus did not just give them a word... he gave them a promised gift. With a creative breath, he imparted upon them the Holy Spirit... the Advocate... the Helper, just as he promised. And he sent them into the world to continue his work in the world. These events are their defining story.
Their work is continued in us. The Holy Spirit breathes life into our work in the world. So the only question we ask this week is this: Is Jesus' resurrection our defining story, and if so, what does that look like?
Maybe for you it's a new beginning, a re-creation, a charge to go into the world, or a pattern for the way that you live your life. No matter how you define it, this is the work of our lifetime... to make Jesus' resurrection our defining story. Let the living begin.
---------------------------------
Thanks for joining us on this journey. I hope it has meant as much to you as it has to me.
Peace, Deb
No comments:
Post a Comment