- Bill Wilson, a Christian physician, is head of the psychiatric department at Duke University. One of his patients was a Vietnam veteran who had been non-functioning for years. In the course of his Vietnam duties this man had also been responsible for the deaths of many people. The hospital staff felt convinced that his illness was the result of his inability to forgive himself. One day Dr. Wilson came in and asked to see this particular patient. He went into this poor man's room, sat on the bed and said, "I want to tell you that your sins are forgiven." "What did you say?" asked the patient. Dr. Wilson continued, "I have the authority to tell you through Jesus Christ that your sins are forgiven." That exchange marked the beginning of healing for this guilt-ridden man. He is now back functioning in society. Dr. Wilson performed a miracle of healing, not as a psychiatrist, but as a follower of Jesus.
Not only do you and I have the responsibility to forgive sins, as representatives of the church of Jesus Christ we have the power to announce to people that their sins have been forgiven. Think about this for a moment. Your neighbor is pouring her heart out about a situation from long ago that still troubles her. She needs to get on with her life. She needs to let go of the past. As a follower of Jesus Christ you have the right, the obligation, the power, the authority to say to her, "Through Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven." Think what healing might take place if we took seriously this power that Christ gives us. (1)
In today's Gospel, Jesus appears to the apostles after he rose from the dead. His first words are "Peace." By this word Jesus forgives the apostles of all their sins--their unbelief, their flight during his passion, their amazement when the women told them he had risen from the dead. All is forgiven, Jesus is saying.
Jesus says this in particular to one apostle, Thomas, who was not with the eleven on that first Sunday. And Thomas found also that peace, forgiveness, comes with belief.
What had been the main emotion of the apostles on the occasion of the resurrection? If we are to believe the evangelist Mark, it was fear. In fact, Mark ends his gospel with these words: "So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."
What a way to end a gospel, we might think. And yet Mark was nothing if not an honest man. He told it like it was. And, truth be told, we probably would have been seized with fear also to find empty a tomb in which we expected to find a dead body.
Fear is a good start in the Christian life. C. S. Lewis says: "The Christian Religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in dismay, and it is no use at all trying to go on to the comfort without first going through that illusion and dismay." (2)
The apostles were afraid; Thomas was afraid. What did it mean for them that this Jesus, their leader, the one they had abandoned, had risen from the dead? Was he now come back to chastise them, to reject them, to choose another twelve? No, they found that all Jesus had for them was the peace and forgiveness that comes from belief in Him, now risen from the dead.
- "Scott Peck in A World Yet To Come tells of an experience in college. He thought the might want to transfer to another college but really felt quite confused concerning what to do. He went to his advisor who listened about five minutes and replied with something like, "You need to stay in school. You might not be the best student but a degree from here is worth a lot. Just hang in there." Then he went to the school president who listened about two minutes and stated very strongly something like this, "This is the finest college you could be attending. Now, buckle down and do your work." Finally, the young Peck went to a mathematics professor who was rumored to be brilliant if cold and emotionally unavailable. To his surprise he found the professor to be all ears! He listened for nearly 30 minutes! Then the professor asked if he could ask some questions about his situation. He listened another long length of time. Eventually, the professor said, "I don't know what to tell you to do. And in fact, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't know what to do." Peck writes that he felt understood and relieved that the brilliant professor did not know what to do either! He believes this experience to be one of the watershed experiences of his life. Sometimes a little doubt can go a long way. (3)
On that first evening Jesus did a new thing, something as new as creation itself. Jesus breathed on the apostles and said: "Receive Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; if you hold them bound, they are held bound." In saying "Receive Holy Spirit" instead of "Receive the Holy Spirit," Jesus is saying, " I am not bestowing on you the Person of the Holy Spirit Himself but the power and energy of which (S)He is the source.
Jesus gives the apostles the power to extend that same forgiveness he has just extended to them. And this was as new as the first day of creation itself where, in Genesis, we read that the Spirit brooded over all of creation, giving it life. Jesus was announcing a new creation here--the creation of his Church and the empowerment of his followers to forgive sins.
Some speakers make much of the proof of Jesus' resurrection, but no proof is needed except the actions of his followers. No one would give their life in service, unto death, for a man who had not risen from the dead.
- "Some years ago, speaking out at Concordia College in Minnesota, Pastor Willimon was asked by someone, 'What proof do we have of the resurrection?' [He says] 'I had just spoken during our luncheon with a young pastor who was struggling with a rural congregation in North Dakota. I therefore responded, "Proof? the only proof I have at the moment is that next Sunday, out in a remote crossroads somewhere in North Dakota, a young pastor will stand up and preach to about 30 North Dakota farm families. She will do so, despite the fact that her church is not growing, despite the fact that no one will thank her after the service, despite the fact that she receives a pitifully small salary for it and very little affirmation from he mostly passive and taciturn congregation. She and her sermon are the only "proof" we have.'" (4)
We say the peace and forgiveness Jesus breathed on the apostles had to be received with belief. The apostles were not big on faith right at that time. And Thomas especially, thank God, was a little short on faith.
Paul Tillich, the great Protestant theologian, said, "Doubt is not the opposite of belief, but without doubt there can be no belief. Faith is asking the tough questions. If we do not really believe but are only going on a "hand-me-down" faith from our elders, it will take its toll on our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual life.
Men approach faith differently than women. Thomas was concerned about the physical facts of the resurrection; the women, in Mary Magdalene especially, are concerned about the relational certainties. "They have taken my Lord away," said Mary, "and I do not know where they have laid him." But Thomas was concerned about putting his hand into the wounds of Jesus.
Why did the Father leave the wounds in the hands and side of Jesus? So that we might touch them and realize that no one comes to Jesus except through touching those wounds and having our own wounds thereby healed. The deaf language sign for Jesus' wounds is to take the middle of each hand and touch the palm of the other hand with it--indicating the wounds. A most precious symbol whereby to know Jesus.
- A saint was having an especially hard time. The devil was appearing to him in visions and telling the saint that he, the devil, was really Jesus. The saint thought about it and simply asked: "Then show me your wounds." The devil disappeared immediately, never to try that trick again.
Christ has his wounds even in heaven. If he lays such stock in them that he even allows them to show on his body in heaven, who are we to complain about our wounds? Hopefully we will be able also to carry our wounds to heaven and thank Jesus that he allows us to join our wounds to his and so to bring about his kingdom here on earth.
Forgiveness. This is the third week we have occasion to focus on this word. How important it is to Jesus' work and message to us.
- A soldier tells this story: "In World War I a fine lad in the battalion with which I was serving failed through illness in face of the enemy and was court-martialed and punished. All that the colonel said to me was, 'We must show him that we still trust him, or the lad will go to pieces.' And not once did he allude to the unhappy incident, but not only treated the boy with the old friendliness, but a few weeks later in a particularly tight corner put him in command of the very company with whom he had been when he made his slip. In a few days' grim fighting, the lad won honor after honor, and promotion for gallantry in the field. 'What else could I do?' he said to me. 'I failed him; and he trusted me.' We too have failed Christ often and wretchedly and without excuse. Yet he too somehow still dares to trust us. Are we big enough to respond to that call on our gratitude and manhood? (5)
And what is the fruit of forgiveness, both given and offered? Peace.
- "A priest says: When I knew him in the spring of 1983, Harry was about 60. Three of his six children had left the church and one of his sons had gone through chemical dependency treatment. Harry had lost his job six months before, and his wife was supporting him and one daughter by giving piano lessons in their home. Harry was very much down on his luck. "One morning at mass, we had a shared reflection in place of the homily. The gospel text was the one I just read. "Harry said, 'You know, for many years I thought that God had promised us happiness. I though that if I remained faithful to the church, read the Bible daily a and lived a good moral life, then God would give me happiness. "'As the years passed, though, I found little happiness. Our family had lots of struggles. At first I thought that something was wrong with me; then I began to feel angry with God. One day it struck me. After years of reading the scriptures, it struck me that nowhere does Jesus promise us happiness. I even looked again. Nowhere does Jesus promise us happiness. He promises us peace. My life has taught me that, even though I may rarely be happy, the risen Jesus does promise us, does give us, peace.' "I was captured by Harry's insight then, [the minister said] and I think that Harry's realization is just what the scriptures offer us today. The risen Jesus promises us, the risen Jesus gives us, his peace. Nowhere does Jesus promise us happiness." (6)
Today we have a feast of gifts: peace, love, forgiveness, belief. Let us thank Jesus, the risen Lord, and live his word in our life.
1) Bruce Larson, The Communicator's Commentary (Luke) (Dallas: Word, Inc. 1983), p. 109, as quoted in Dynamic Preaching(13): 26, "Bridges over the River Kwai,"
2) Martin B Copenhaven, Pulpit Digest(79):25, "Running away from Easter," 2/Easter/C, April 1998.
3) Martin BCopenhaven, Pulpit Digest(79):25, "Running away from Easter," 2/Easter/C, April 1998.
4) Martin B. Copenhaven, Pulpit Digest(79):25, "Running away from Easter," 2/Easter/C, April 1998
5) The Interpreter's Bible The Gospel of John, (Abingdon: Nashville) vol 8, pg. 797.
6) Celebration "Homily," 2/Easter/C, April 1998.
(Comments to Jerry Fuller at padre@TRI-LAKES.NET)