5-24-26 John 20:19-23. Acts 2:1-21-Pentecost
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Peace be with you! It is Jesus’ living word!
Jesus came to his council members, as it were, of this not yet a church. He lets them know it is really him! He realized that even his appearance among them did not erase their fear, uncertainty, and trepidation. The Easter resurrection was going to take a while to understand and appreciate. He pronounces peace upon them. They get all excited and rejoice. Thank goodness, thank the Lord, he is back; they think, now they can relax, with Jesus beside them they can turn the leadership back to Him. It is a good thing because they didn’t know what to do next, they didn’t even dare leave this room. Sure, Jesus had given them a few years of instruction, they had heard quite a few sermons, and had a few practices runs on their own. But they did not feel ready to stand up to the opposition with their small numbers. And how were they to go on from here?
Then Jesus commands their attention once again. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Oh, no! They are being sent out on their own. Each one is being given a commission. Jesus is here to give them His blessing and then it will be so long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, adieu! Jesus knows what His followers need and He does not leave without providing it. He is the Good Shepherd. He breathes on them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” The task of their calling, is to go out, leave the safe place, the protection of that locked room, and confront their neighbors and strangers. With the power of the Holy Spirit they can forgive sins, offer the grace of God to the people.
On that Pentecost day, as you were reminded in the first reading, there was a rush of a violent wind and tongues of fire appeared among them. Then the apostles spoke to the crowd and they were heard, speaking to them in their own languages, even though those apostles were from Galilee. Power it can come and be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. At Pentecost we find the use of both.
There is energy in 10 gallons of gasoline, which can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can which contains that gas. Or it can be channeled into the engine of your car and used to transport you for a few hundred miles. Explosions are spectacular, but a controlled burn will have staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways.
On Pentecost the Spirit explodes upon the scene with a mighty wind and fire. Thousands were affected by the burst of God’s power. Yet the Spirit also works through the church, the community of believers, tapping into that spiritual power for the long haul; through worship, fellowship, and service, by which believers are provided with staying power. Those first apostles utilized that power in both ways, as the Spirit descended again upon the earth.
You see this was not new. From the very beginning of time God dealt with us creatures by means of the Spirit. “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”(Gen 2:7) God breathed into the beings made from dirt and life began. This breath was the same essence as that mighty wind which blew through on Pentecost, the “ruach”, the Spirit. The disciples closeted behind locked doors had forgotten where life had initiated. And we too tend to forget, assuming we have independently made it happen. We forget we are God’s children, given purpose and a commission. Instead, we might hide away, as if there is no breath left to support our going out. For us to accept Jesus as Lord, is to have the breath of the Spirit within us. But there is a bit more. Jesus reiterated this when he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
If in this pulpit I stood on a thick mat of dry rubber, I could reach out my hand and touch a live wire carrying 1,000 volts of electricity and I would not come to harm. No, it is not because my faith is so strong that God would protect me from my foolishness! It is because electricity will not come into something unless it can also go out, the rubber closes the exit. The Spirit operates like that. The Spirit insists upon an exit so that divine power can be felt and used. As Peter reminded his listeners: The prophet Joel spoke of the visions and dreams, the prophecies that would flow from the sons and daughters, men and women, who were filled by the Spirit. Jesus told his disciples that he had sent them out just as He had been sent, for they had received the Spirit.
Occasionally in our practice of religion we get mixed up at this point. It can become solely a matter of personal spirituality. Practices of prayer, devotional reading, study, and meditation are part of it. Your own faith may be strong and nourished. But if that is all, then faith becomes self-centered and stagnant. The power that comes into you needs to go out, just like electricity. When Jesus gave the Spirit to those disciples he breathed on them. Breathing is something with which we are familiar; we do it about 16 times each minute. We take air into our lungs and then allow it to flow out. It is natural, we usually take it for granted. Unless we have asthma or a respiratory ailment, in which case we have a greater respect for breath. Breathing is a marvelous thing, taking oxygen where it needs to go throughout the body. We can’t live without it!
Jesus knew about the essential need for the breath of life! Afterall, He had been sealed away in a tomb but the power of life was too strong for death to hold him. He shares the news of that power with his followers. They had buried themselves inside that dingy room, nearly suffocating on their fear. So, Jesus goes to them bringing them peace. He breathed on them. As from the very beginning, breath is life. Life was restored to those lost and fearful souls.
Have you taken a deep breath and held it? You better do it if you go diving into the lake. But you can hold it only for so long and you must exhale. Children sometimes try to trick adults into getting their own way using the threat: “I will hold my breath until I explode!” They may make their face turn red to blue or even pass out. But a healthy body won’t let you be so foolish; the air will come rushing out. That is the rhythm of breathing, what goes in then comes out.
That is a demonstration of the task set before those disciples and before all Christians. It is like breathing in and then out. We have been given forgiveness and then it needs to be given out. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven. The breath of God brings life, Christ died to secure you that forgiveness. You take in that forgiven life and are made new again. The word of forgiveness you share is your exhale and that passes on life. Inhale, receive forgiveness; exhale, share that forgiveness. I suggest to you that retaining sins is like holding your breath. It is not healthy for you. It is like the child with a temper tantrum holding their breath to get their own way. Forgiveness is life-giving, it restores and refreshes, not only the one who is forgiven but also the one who has extended that forgiveness to another; they too are freed.
It is Pentecost. Let the life-giving breeze gently blow away the sin, allowing new life to replace it. Take a deep breath and hear that call of Jesus for you to go out and share it. You are sent, armed with forgiveness in your heart and on your lips.
Breath in - you are forgiven - come alive!
Breath out - forgive - life is shared anew!