“He spoke to them again and said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ Then He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.’”
- John 20:21-23
Today is no day for mourning! Today is the day for celebration! It is the day we commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the day we celebrate His victory over sin and death and as a result our rescuing from sin and death. It is the 4th of July on steroids and encompassing all peoples of all nations. It’s our liberation day. Further, this is Christmas 2.0 because instead of receiving the birth of the Savior, we now receive the Holy Spirit sent forth from the Savior! Today is a good and beautiful day, for our mourning and repenting is done this day and instead, we praise, we proclaim the glory, and live in peace for the first time in forever.
Oh, to be alive on that day and see all the events that went down, and to hear the rumors of it spreading throughout Jerusalem and the anxiety it would have caused all the officials. Jesus first appeared to the most faithful women who followed Him, asking them in one sense to be the first apostles, that is they were to run back to the disciples and proclaim that Jesus is alive. They follow through, they run back, they proclaim the Good News of the resurrection. Logically, the disciples do not understand it well.
So, then Jesus appeared to them, minus Thomas who just happened to have the courage to leave their safe house. Jesus showed them His hands and His side and then disappeared again until Thomas came back. This is when in John’s account we get the above verses. Obviously, Thomas isn’t going to believe what the disciples tell him, I mean Jesus, crucified Jesus, just happened to be back alive and appear to the 10 disciples while Thomas was running some quick errands? Really!? Eight days passed before Jesus appears again, shows the nail holes in His hands, and the hole in His side and Thomas is the first to exclaim Jesus as his Lord and God!
What is so powerful about this day, is Jesus’ charge to His disciples. That when we celebrate today, we remember what His resurrection means for us. First, we are now sent! His resurrection, and our faith in His resurrection, lead us out of ourselves and to others with the message of Salvation and Peace! God’s war against rebellion had been finished, and we can now have peace in Christ. Second, we are not sent alone, instead, God is still present with us via the Holy Spirit who empowers us and works to make us like Christ when we want to do our own thing. Third, we are to be people who forgive others, righteous people made righteous by Christ will be sinned against they those who do not believe, our task is to give grace and share the truth of Jesus Christ with them! So, on this beautiful Resurrection Day, may we remember this is the message of Hope we have to share with the world!
May the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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