The disciples were afraid.
Who can blame them?
Their leader was dead.
Crucified, dead and buried.
But as bad it was, they were together!
They clung to one another.
They were not ready to let go.
That much they had learned from the Master.
Strength in the company of the faithful.
And now news from Peter - The tomb is empty!
Mary says, I have seen him!
Even as they talk, wondering what’s up.
The LORD comes to them.
In their bewilderment and doubt.
In their uncertainty and fear.
The LORD comes to them.
Not as a reward for faithfulness.
But as a comfort in the hour of need!
Peace be with you.
Wonderful peace.
Peace that surpasses all understanding.
Peace that only Jesus can give.
The peace of God.
That’s where many a Christian ends the reading.
Folks put a period, where God puts a comma.
Jesus says to the disciples a second time: Peace be with you.
And then adds: As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
Jesus breaths upon the disciples and bids them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
Remind you of anything in the Bible?
Two powerful stories come to mind:
1) Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel 37 … God commands the Prophet to call the breath, the wind, and the breath enters into the dry bones, and and they come to life and stand on their feet, defeated no more, but ready to move on.
2) And Genesis 2, the primal creation story … God takes the dust of the earth, blows the breath of life into it, and a handful of dirt becomes a living creature.
Jesus is the creator … a new creation … a new creature, to care for the world - no longer defeated, no longer just a fistful of dirt, no longer behind closed doors - to take up the mandate of creation - sent out as the Father sent the Son - to be bread for the hungry and living water for the thirsty, to be hope and peace for a weary world, to lift up and heal broken spirits and broken bodies - didn’t Jesus say that we would do his works, and even greater works [John 14.12]?
Jesus then reminds the disciples of what is prayed in the LORD’S Prayer ever day, all around the world: If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you don't forgive them, they aren't forgiven.
We cannot mistake the words of Jesus as if he were saying “forgiveness is an option.”
“Will I forgive, or will I not?” - forgiveness is never an option in the Kingdom of God. To forgive is divine; to fail to forgive is death.
Forgiveness IS the story.
Forgiveness IS the life and work of Jesus.
Forgiveness IS the heart and soul of the gospel.
Forgiveness IS the power of peace.
Peace with God.
Peace with one another.
Peace among the nations.
God did not fail in the work of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not an option for God.
As if God ponders the question:
Shall I forgive them or not?
Shall I release them from their sin, or shall I hold them accountable?
Shall I forget what they’ve done, so that we can all move on from here … or shall I wallow in my hurt and my pain, and constantly throw it in their face?
God doesn’t play games with forgiveness.
And neither must we.
But forgiveness always comes through the cross.
The New Testament is full of the language of the cross … our cross, our crucifixion, our death with Christ.
With Christ, our old instincts of violence and war are crucified, dead and buried.
The spirit of vengeance and grudge-holding that lurks in our heart …
Bitter memories that take up endless time and dominate our emotions …
We die with Christ on the cross.
So that the old can pass away, and we’re raised up with Christ, with something new at the center of our life, something new to give away, a better way to live and a better way to love.
God didn’t fail in forgiveness.
And neither must we.
If we fail to forgive, all that’s wrong with the world goes on.
If we fail to forgive, our soul is distressed and anxious.
If we fail to forgive, our relationships are poisoned.
We are sent into the world as the Father sent Jesus … to be emissaries of forgiveness, peace and hope.
Jesus says, I send you as my Father sent me.
Dare we understand how powerful these words are?
Dare we touch them?
Like the burning bush - take off our shoes and spend time with Jesus, there’s no going back, no retreat … only forward, with a great commission.
The same commission God gave to the Son.
The same task.
The same determination.
To face a world of sin and violence and offer the gift of peace.
One of the great challenges facing Christianity today is violence.
Violence of unprecedented scale - nations left destitute … whole populations decimated … violence despoils the environment and ruins the soul …
From the day Cain killed Able, humankind has foolishly believed that violence can bring peace, death can create life, war can resolve problems, stand-your-ground laws can make us safe.
Humankind foolishly believes that violence, wielded by the “right” person or the “right” nation, sooner or later, will bring about the better world.
But it never does.
It never will.
It’s can’t.
Violence is the script of hell.
Christians, too, have succumbed to violence, by misreading the the Bible … the violent parts of the Old Testament and a few verses ripped from the Book of Revelation … onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war.
1) Last year, a megachurch pastor walked onto the stage with a 50 caliber machine gun and ammo belts draped over his shoulders, like some kind of a Rambo or Terminator, and fired away - blanks, of course … but the point was clear: this was a demonstration of God’s fire-power.
2) Over the last ten years, John Hagee called for the bombing of Iraq and now that Iraq has been laid low, Hagee calls for the bombing of Iran … the man loves the smell of napalm in the morning.
Many a Christian pulpit - filled with violent words of hell-fire and eternal punishment, damnation and death, and that’s just for Christians, and even more violence for evil-doers and sinners.
Death, death, and more death.
Is this the way of Jesus? … … …
I think not!
He is the Prince of Peace!
Amen and Amen!
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