Eastertide

May 27, 2023

Scripture Reading: 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.’

The Greek word translated here as retained is kratéō – to place under one’s grasp (seize hold of, put under control)

I am never sure what to say when the New Interpreter Bible Commentary begins the discussion of scripture by saying this is a very complex verse to interpret. I grabbed the Commentary because the scripture was a very complex verse for me to interpret. The Commentary introduces its comments by noting that the scripture is a form of the teaching about binding and loosing in Mattew 18:18, Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

I am uncomfortable with being assigned the job of forgiving others for their sins. I can and should forgive anyone who has harmed me in some way; however, taking on Christ’s role of forgiving sins takes on a whole different responsibility. I, first, must be cleansed of my sins. Yet, I am sure that there are issues and actions in my life that I do not even recognize as being a sin. How can I determine what sin is in another, much less consider what would make me refrain from forgiving someone’s sins?

The Commentary discusses this as a community action. We are each responsible for loving others enough to help them maintain a close relationship with God by helping anyone being separated from God by their actions or lack of actions to restore that connection. To do that, we must walk with them until they can receive the forgiveness that reconnects them with God.

Prayer: Lord, create in me a clean heart to enable me to love others as I love myself. Amen.

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.