Easter 2, Year C
by The Rev. Ajung Sojwal

Sunday April 15, 2007

John 20:19-31

Our sixteen year old daughter has for sometime now been wearing a message button with the sign of peace on it, which became popular during the 1960s anti-war rallies, around the peace sign it says, “back by popular demand.” Peace as an issue always comes to the forefront in times of war. Our nations’ “war on terror” was initiated not only as retaliation for a grievous crime done to us, it also claims to be working toward bringing about a more safe and a more peaceful world. In the midst of civil wars, natural disasters, the chronic presence of crime, poverty, and injustice we enter into the season of Easter once again.

To believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and the implications of it are tremendous, involving nothing less than transformation. In order for us to understand something of what this transformation involves we must go back to where the disciples of Jesus were after His Resurrection.

The overwhelming feeling of the disciples after the crucifixion of Jesus was fear. They were so scared that they stayed behind locked doors. Not only were they scared that they too would be charged with treason and blasphemy like Jesus was, by evening of the first day of the week they also knew that Jesus’ body was missing. Furthermore, in all probability they had heard the rumor spread by the guards that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus in the night. What must it have been like for these simple and humble small town folk, who made up the bulk of Jesus’ disciples? They were in this big cosmopolitan city of Jerusalem right in the center of a crucifixion with highly charged political and religious underpinnings. What was there for the disciples not to be scared of?

As they huddle around each other, probably trying to find ways to flee from the city unnoticed, Jesus appears to them saying, “peace be with you.” Peace be with you or ‘Shalom’ is a very common form of greeting each other in the Middle Eastern culture even today. The disciples were of course filled with joy when they saw Jesus, and Jesus repeats his greeting of Shalom again, which under any normal circumstances is quite odd. But the Gospel writer is trying to make a distinct point here, which is the fidelity of Jesus to his word. Before His death, (in John 14:18) Jesus had made it very clear that he will not leave His disciples as orphans. Jesus had also promised to give them peace (John 14:27), joy (John 16:22), and the Holy Spirit (chapters 14, 15, and 16). After His resurrection, Jesus gives them all three as He had promised. The overall emphasis is clear, that Jesus had not abandoned them. Not only did He not abandon the disciples, they also see and understand the transformed nature of Jesus’ presence, His joy, and His peace in the power of the Holy Spirit given to them.

The description of joy given by Jesus before His death was that it would be complete, in other words, joy that cannot be affected by or dependent on external factors. There is also a similar quality to the peace that Jesus had promised them, peace that is distinctly different from what the world understands it to be. It is a peace that comes and takes root in the midst of conflict and threat, unlike the peace of the world that is defined by the absence of conflict and threat. And in verse 22, it says that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” These words are an echo of God’s creative act in Genesis 2:7 where it says, “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” The symbolism here is extremely important in understanding the significance of the resurrected Christ. The Resurrection is not only victory over death, it is not only the certainty of God’s presence, joy and peace for His children, it is also the promise and the possibility of a transformed life. Belief and hope in the Resurrection of Jesus must necessarily lead to a transformed life. The transformed life begins with forgiveness. Jesus tells the disciples, “…If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if your retain the sins of any, they are retained." This is not to say that the disciples have the power to forgive sins, rather Jesus is talking about the spirit and the act of forgiveness toward those that have sinned against us, not only as a virtue, but also as an integral part of our witness of God’s presence, joy and peace in us.

If you remember, last year, on the 2nd of October, a 32-year-old milk-tank truck driver, named Charles Carl Roberts IV, went into a one room Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, PA. He took hostages and eventually killed five girls (aged 7–13) and then killed himself. Shortly afterwards CNN reported that a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls said of the killer on the day of the murder: "We must not think evil of this man." Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts," he told CNN. The Amish community did reach out to the family of Charles Roberts.

The world was shocked by this heinous crime, but it was even more shocked by the forgiveness and embraces extended by the Amish community to the Roberts’ family. This is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he spoke about forgiveness. Humanly speaking any hatred and demand for retribution by the Amish community would have been totally understandable. If the disciples had gone on the warpath to avenge Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion the world would have found it justified. But instead we are left dumbfounded by such courage and love of not only the Amish community but also the tremendous zeal of the disciples to spread the Good News of Christ crucified and raised. The disciples instead of losing themselves in bitterness and vengeance become the apostles of the Good News of God’s love for the world in and through Jesus Christ. And even after 2000 years we are barely beginning to unravel the whole message of the Resurrection. But one thing we do know is that in the Resurrection of Christ we have our hope of God’s willingness to transform our world and us.

But wait; the story of the disciples’ encounter with the Risen Lord is not yet complete without the doubts of Thomas. Thomas is an example of how God meets us even in our doubts, in order for us to know that doubting is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to faith. Doubts that lead to a deeper search of God is what makes for powerful witnesses of God’s work amongst us. Thomas already had the faith, but the fullness of what he believed in unfolds only gradually. It is only when the Risen Lord appears to him, that everything falls in place for him, including the many other questions he had as he walked day after day with Jesus. The faith that had been growing in him all of a sudden makes total sense as he beholds the Risen Christ and he cannot help but confess to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” God is concerned about our genuine doubts, especially when we are called to stretch our faith beyond human comprehension. Jesus went back to Thomas knowing his doubts and met him where he was, and He will do the same for us. He will meet us exactly where we are in our faith in order that we may believe in Him and that in believing we may have the gift of a transformed life of witness. What God is calling us to do is to seek Him and He will find us. Alleluia! Christ is Risen!