Table Presence: Being Jesus

Introduction: Table Presence

You may have seen the story this week… hundreds of cars stuck on I-95 because of the snow in Virginia. Among those who were stuck in the snow were a husband and wife from Maryland. Casey and John had been sitting for hours, stranded on 1_95. Casey and John hadn’t eaten for 37 hours when they saw a bread truck among the vehicles stranded. Casey and John called the company’s customer service and asked if they could have some of the bread in that truck. They were surprised when they heard back from the company giving them the OK. When it was over, the bread truck driver and some other good samaritans emptied the truck and fed passengers in more than 50 vehicles stranded on their section of I-95. Bread for the hungry in the midst of a crisis.

Review: Seeing Jesus

We are spending the first three weeks in 2022 reaquainting ourselves with what it means to be the Table. What Casey and John are doing with bread on I-95 in the middle of a snowstorm is what we have been doing the past couple of years here in Los Fresnos. We are loved by Jesus for the love of Los Fresnos. As we think about 2022, we are entering our third year of existence. Two years of our existence has been in a pandemic. Right now, the numbers are off the charts again here in the RGV. And yet, Jesus has seen fit to bring us to this point. What will The Table be in 2022? What does Loved by Jesus for the love of Los Fresnos look like in 2022?

I began this last week. I want us to think in terms of Table Presence. What does it mean for the Table to be present in Los Fresnos in 2022? In many respects, the Table will continue doing what it has always done in connecting people to Jesus. So as we think about this, we find ourselves in the Gospel of John chapter 20. We read the text a few moments ago. Last week we suggested that Table Presence in 2022 begins with Seeing Jesus. When Jesus rises from the dead, seeing Jesus becomes a big deal. And it is still a big deal. Seeing Jesus in His Word, Seeing Jesus in His Sacraments, and Seeing Jesus in His people.

Seeing Jesus leads to Being Jesus

But there’s something else going on in this passage that we need to see. Again.. after Jesus rises from the dead, we find the disciples huddled together in Jerusalem behind locked doors. It’s not just the 11.. there are many followers of Jesus who are self-quarantining. They are sheltering-in-isolation because they are afraid. It’s been three days since their best friend was executed by the Roman authorities in Jerusalem. These men and women are in hiding. John goes out of his way to note that they are on lockdown because they are afraid that the same crowd that had executed their prophetic rabbi would be coming after them shortly. But there is come confusion and hope. 3 people in that room showed up with strange tales. Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ best friends, says Jesus is alive. She has seen him. Peter and John talk about seeing an empty tomb.

As they consider what these three are saying, their world is turned upside down when Jesus shows up in the room. Jesus shows them his hands and his side. And they believe. They have seen Jesus. Jesus is alive. but Jesus isn’t simply showing himself. He has come to instruct. One of the most fascinating things about this account of Jesus with his followers, there is no talk about how it all happened.

I love crime shows on TV. When I have time to binge watch, which is very, very little these days, I’m going to watch a crime show. I love the science and the forensics and the who done it stuff. But all good crime shows swing on the question of “how”. If Mrs. Peacock committed murder in the library, we want to know how. Was it with the rope? Was it with the candlestick? We’re never satisfied with the great questions in life unless we know “how”. There’s no discussion of “how” in John’s story. In fact, in the whole Bible, the discussion of “how” Jesus was raised from the dead gets very little space. Instead, the first words out of Jesus’ mouth are these:

Peace

John 20:19 Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

The first thing. And he repeats this after he shows them his hands and feet. Peace be with you. This is the main message of Christ’s appearance to his best friends. He's not simply giving them a greeting. This is the point. It's as if, in the midst of all of their joy, Jesus wants them to hear him say "Peace be with you." If you missed it the first time, in all of the hub-bub… please hear me say it again… Peace be with you.

It is very easy to look at this phrase in this passage and immediately see the Christian greeting. The other writers of the New Testament incorporate this into their greetings. But Jesus, throughout this story in John, has been talking about peace the whole time, especially in the last week. Before he died this is what Jesus told his friends:

John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”

Before Jesus’ resurrection he had promised them peace. Now, as they huddle in fear, his first words are “peace”. Jesus is giving them the peace that he had promised. It’s not as the world gives peace. The world gives peace with artifical truce. Jesus gives peace through saving sinners from their sin. Jesus gives sinners peace from the war between the Creator and creatures because of sin. Jesus gives peace in giving eternal life. These disciples are hunkered down in fear. They have self-quarantined, afraid that they are next on the hit list of the religious authorities. When Jesus appears, what is the first thing you want to hear from him? What is it that you need to hear from him before anything else is said? Peace. Peace. They need to hear that all is right with the world. Jesus is alive and he is bringing peace with him. His presence is peace. His word is peace. The context for what has transpired in the last 72 hours for Jesus' followers is violence. War. Darkness. And here is the One who is Crucified now standing among them and he is saying "Peace".

And the peace these followers receive becomes their message to other sinners. Peace is given to them. Peace is their message to a world that knows nothing of peace. In a world that is full of backstabbing and gossip and strife and bickering. What they have received and heard they are to spread to others. Peace, Jesus has given to them. They are to give to the world.

Forgiveness

But Peace is only the first part of the message that Jesus’ followers have for the world. Forgiveness is the second.

John 20:23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

We aren’t going to get into all of what this means today. This is the work of the church. But one thing we will say. The message of peace is never divorced from the message of forgiveness. How can there be peace wherever Jesus’ people find themselves? How is the message of peace made real? Forgiveness of sins. What Jesus has done for them, forgiving them of their sins, they are to do for others. The path to peace is through forgiveness. Wherever peace is proclaimed, there will be forgiveness. The forgiveness Jesus has given sinners, now becomes forgiveness for each other and for the world. The message of peace is a message of forgiveness. The gospel of peace is fueled by the forgiveness in the gospel.

It must be quite shocking for those disciples to heart his. They are hunkered down in fear. They have spent a bizarre 72 hours seeing their best friend, their teacher go through a sham trial and be crucified as a common criminal. And now here’s the risen Jesus talking about forgiveness. This is the time for protests and boycotts and trying to remove the evil religious leaders from power, is it not? Jesus is sending his disciples to them and to the world with a message of peace and forgiveness. Because what evil men need is the same thing that anyone of us needs at any given moment as sinners: forgiveness.

The Spirit

This kind of message is not natural. it’s not normal. We don’t tend to think of peaceful thoughts and forgiveness when the world presses in. When we are done wrong. We want a pound of flesh. The disciples are thinking the same thing. How is this possible? How will they be sent with such a subversive message of peace and forgiveness? They will be sent with the life-giving Spirit.

John 20:22 “After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Just as God breathed life into the first human, just as the Spirit gave breath to the valley full of bones in Ezekiel, Jesus breathes the life-giving Spirit into his followers. The very same resurrection life that brought Jesus back to life has now been breathed into his disciples. they have the same life that Jesus has. they have the same Spirit that Jesus has. And yes… in just a few short weeks, what happens to the disciples in that room happens to hundreds who have gathered at the temple for the feast of Pentecost. Life will never be the same for these followers. There’s no going back to the way it used to be. They are being sent in the Spirit with the life-giving message of peace and forgiveness for a world desperately in need of peace and forgiveness.

I want Jesus. I don’t want the church.

We have a culture that wants Jesus, but it doesn’t want the church. It’s that culture that desperately needs peace and forgiveness. How do we reach that culture of those who are still interested in spiritual things, but they don’t want the church? We’re going to talk a little more about this next week… but at this point we can say that it’s not a matter of trying to convince them that our church is different. They’ve heard that before. And it’s not a matter of doubling down on making the church experience better. Again, they don’t want the church. What John 20 is telling us is that what they need to hear and experience from us is peace and forgiveness. In their own life setting. Going to them. Where they are. With the message of peace and forgiveness for them. Just like these first followers of Jesus. Our community needs us to be peace and forgiveness. Be Jesus.

Moving toward our neighbors begins with us seeing Jesus in His Word. In His Sacraments. In His people. But it doesn’t stop there. We see Jesus in order to be Jesus for our neighbor in their neighborhood. In their context. It’s all about relationships. Seeing Jesus. Being Jesus. Proclaiming peace. Being peace. Proclaiming forgiveness. Being forgiveness. To the neighbor. Through the Spirit who gives all of us life.

Let’s Pray

Peace and forgiveness are here at this table. The life-breath of the Spirit is here at this table. It’s all here for you in the promise. The Promise of Jesus that he gives life in the bread and in the wine… in his broken body and his shed blood. His Promise to give you peace and forgiveness in his body and blood. All here for you. This morning. Believe it for you. Place your faith in Jesus this morning to give you himself here at His table.