SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2023 | EASTER - Second Sunday of Easter (A)

Text

John 20:19–31 NRSV

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.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Disciples are in a bad place - probably not sure what to think: what has happened? What now? Phobon - phobia, fear, panic

Jesus poofs in and leads with peace - eirene - peace, welfare

Apostello - one of the first things on his mind is the mission - being send (apostles)

He confers holy spirit (hagion pneuma) for this task

Give the ability to forgive and retain sin

The apostles there are in awe, but Thomas was unimpressed - are they pulling my leg? What are they going on about? They were scared just a moment ago. Thomas was actually the brave one probably as he ran errands on the outside

He may have required to touch the wounds initially, but not really when he saw Jesus - that was enough! He was being hyperbolic - not really that surprising

John’s community is probably patting themselves on the back a little bit - we have not seen the Lord, but yet we believed! Apostles had it easy.. Generational gap there for sure

It opens the Easter season - the adrenaline is gone, so now what? It all just seem to distant - John’s community was probably quite a time elapsed since the events

When something exciting happens, there is this jolt of rejoicing and courage…but then that tapers of and it threatens it will fizzle out -> Jesus made sure that is not the case - there was a gap between resurrection and ascension for a reason, he wanted to make sure that the momentum of his movement will continue....and will not end up like many personality cults - once the person dies, it disintegrates

Jesus provides them with presence and miracles, but notes that to keep it going, they will have to move past that

Good morning on this second Sunday of Easter!

Most of the world has moved on after Easter egg hunts, creepy Easter bunny outfits at parties, and perhaps some alleluias....but our Easter journey continues for longer. Because, well…Easter is not just about the resurrection, but also the consequent appearances, last bits of teachings, and fellowship before Jesus ascends. I think without those, resurrection could just easily pass by and blend with the other stuff and that would be a big shame.

So let’s set the scene of today’s text. It’s a little time after the resurrection as it tacks on closely after Mary Magdalene had seen the Lord and announced it to the rest. It’s evening and the disciples are fearful as they probably do not know what to make of it all, like sheep without their shepherd. Into this comes Jesus, no invitation or pick locking needed, just appears in the middle of them and leads with peace - eirene - meaning peace or welfare. He then showed them that he is still indeed the very same Jesus with all his wounds - he is not some ghost, astral projection, or illusion, but truly their teacher and leader. For them that is all the proof they need to rejoice.

After that, Jesus goes straight to business and through the conferring of the Spirit, he makes his disciples/pupils into apostles, those that are being send. It is time to put away their “academic robes” and put on the service robes. They have the ability to forgive and retain sins. This much we know about this interaction.

Then Thomas returns and they tell him about the visit. He doesn’t believe them and requires:

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Fast forward to next week, he is actually with them, when Jesus appears…again, without knocking or opening the door, I guess being resurrected shifts your perspective and you care less about doors or invitations. And again leads with peace and then:

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

And Jesus tells him: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” And then, according to the authors, he did other signs.

A lot to unpack here, so let’s dig in. I think we pay too much unwarranted judgmental attention to Thomas - he is the one outside, unlike the other cowering apostles, probably on a supply run and I am not that surprised at his disbelief - anybody could wonder whether it was all true. And even though he had a little bit of a hyperbolic requirement to believe, in the end he just needed to see, like the rest of them!

But I think the real focus here is their reception of Holy Spirit and becoming apostles, no longer just pupils of their teacher. And yes, Jesus made sure that after the jolt of rejoicing after his appearance, it will not just fizzle out and end up like many personality cults - once the leader is gone, the cult disintegrates. Oh no, he wanted to make sure that he momentum of his movement will continue and that is why, I think, there is a gap between the resurrection and the ascension, so that his closest are strengthened and can carry on his witnessing work - after he ascends, he obviously cannot keep appearing to everybody, but rather the apostles will carry on the work with the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit!

I think it is more of a story of the “now what” for the apostles…and for everybody coming after them, including us. Jesus is like: hey apostles, you get this appearance and my presence for your strengthening, but it’s not gonna be happening always - you need to step up and keep it going. And that is where we are, too - keeping it going with God’s help!

In a world, where so much is coming down like a house of cards - financial systems, social safety nets, basic human decency to one another, weather patterns, etc., we ought to make a conscious choice to keep this Jesus movement going. I am not saying institutions or buildings as those will ultimately also rise and fall, just like the Jerusalem temple or the Holy Roman Empire, so sustaining those makes sense only as long as they are truly useful and relevant. No, instead it is simply about this idea that God is loving and caring and we know that because of this Jesus God sent that deeply cared and loved all the people, especially the outcasts and misfits, and even though the powers to be rejected him and killed him, he was risen again to continue a movement of love, care, and compassion towards all in the name of this God and while this Jesus, who is also God, is no longer here with us in the body, he left us with the Holy Spirit that empowers us and gives us inspiration as to how to best live out the coming kingdom of God in all its mercy and justice. A bold idea in a world, where thousands of people die every day just because they are “different” in some way; in a world, where “care only for your own” often seem to be norm; in a world, where the approach of “carpe diem” seize the day and don’t worry about consequences is rather popular... to instead say - I believe in God that is loving and one that cares about the wholeness of everyone and justice for all…and so do I and I choose to live and act according to that. Then, I believe, we are not only Jesus’ disciples, but also his apostles (those being sent) and Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is standing right beside us to continue the movement of love and justice. Amen.