Eastertide
April 10, 2021
Scripture Reading:
John 20:19-31
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.’ –John 20:19-23
The above scripture follows the story of Jesus endowing the disciples with the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus is more concerned about the correct transmission of his vision than passing judgment on moral behavior. He is instructing his followers to stick to his teachings, the revelation of God in Jesus. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, these disciples were equipped with the ability to carry out what indeed must have seemed an impossible responsibility. That call extends to us today.
To have sin is to be blind to the revelation of God in Jesus. Jesus brings people to judgment by his revealing work and presence in the world. . .. The community is to continue what God sent Jesus to do*.
The New Interpreter’s Bible highlights the communal nature of the task set before the disciples. Our ability to be One in Christ and with the Holy Spirit is a powerful witness. Any failure to hold to Jesus’ example and teachings can be disastrous. Think about the Crusades, the Holocaust, crosses burning on front lawns.
My faith tells me that God is ultimately in charge. God elected to give us free will. God did that because he wanted us to choose the right path. In the meantime, we must invest ourselves in loving one another to the breadth and depths of Jesus’ love, so when we reveal the revelation of God in Jesus, we are displaying the right and just message.
Prayer: God of Love, stay close to us and keep us mindful and heart-full of your ways of sharing your path that leads to the Kingdom of God among us. Amen.
*The New Interpreter’s Bible A commentary in Twelve Volumes. Volume IX page 847
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.