John 20:19-23

John 20:19-23

 

When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

 

So John believed. Peter may have believed. Mary Magdalene believed for sure. All of them had seen things that declared that Jesus had risen from the dead.

 

That evening, Jesus came and stood in the midst of the rest of the disciples. Of course, He did this when the doors were shut – John doesn’t tell us how. He just did. Jesus had already told Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples that Jesus would be ascending to the Father, so we know that Jesus is special. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but Lazarus didn’t rise up into heaven. Jesus would be rising into heaven to be with the Father – an indication that Jesus is God.

 

But here’s another indication. He comes in among the disciples after they have shut the doors. Yes, Jesus has risen from the dead, but not merely to live the normal earthly life we know. Jesus has risen from the dead to live the heavenly life He now offers to us. He is God!

 

What did Jesus say to His disciples? “Peace be with you.” How appropriate in so many ways. First, of course, He offers peace for the moment to calm them down after He has suddenly appeared in their midst. But also, peace sums up the very reason Jesus went to the cross and died. He bought peace for us all with His death on the cross. And so He offers that peace with Him – and therefore with God – to His disciples the first time He sees them all.

 

And He showed them His hands and side. He showed them His wounds, now healed. He showed them that He really was their beloved Teacher and friend, that He had really risen from the dead in a real body, that He was not just some ghost. So His disciples rejoiced. Yet again, on that first day there are many more eyewitnesses to verify that Jesus actually did rise from the dead. Many more disciples now believe because they have seen the Lord in person.

 

Jesus again spoke to his disciples. He again said to them, “Peace be with you.” This is such a blessing, and it’s so easy to take for granted. We actually have peace with God through Jesus Christ. He freely offers it to us because He died for us to reconcile us to God – even though we were sinners. We don’t usually think of ourselves as God’s enemies. But if Jesus hadn’t come and died, we would still be God’s enemies. Some of us still are God’s enemies. But Jesus offers peace. Specifically, there is peace for His followers.

 

It is important to note that it is after Jesus spoke to them again about peace that He followed up with the words and actions we have a harder time understanding. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” In other words, it is important that all these things are given to Jesus’ disciples, to Jesus’ followers, to those who are at peace with God. Not to others.

 

It is Jesus’ followers who receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (which actually takes place after Jesus’ resurrection – see Acts 2). It is only among those who are at peace with Jesus that there is forgiveness of sins. If a Hindu were to tell you that your sins were forgiven, he would be wrong, because he wouldn’t know to base your forgiveness in Jesus’ death. It’s the same with a Muslim. Or a Buddhist. Or even among those who call themselves Christians but tell you that your sins are forgiven when you do enough good works to cancel the sins out. But Jesus’ followers can be entrusted with forgiving sins, not because the forgiveness ultimately comes from them, but because they have a relationship with God Himself. They have received the Holy Spirit because Jesus has given them the Holy Spirit – Jesus, the one who died so that people’s sins can be forgiven. So as Jesus’ disciples, we who have peace with God are qualified to tell others that their sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ – and only in Him. This is how we see the apostles speaking about forgiveness as they talk to others (Acts 2:38; 5:31-32; 8:22; 10:43; 13:38; 26:17-18; 2 Cor. 2:10-11; Eph. 1:7-8; 4:32; Col. 1:13-14; 2:13-14; 3:13; James 5:15; 1 John 1:9; 2:12 – You can see it in all of these, but look especially at the bold references). They tell people who trust in Jesus that their sins are forgiven, and they tell those who do not trust in Jesus that their sins can be forgiven in Jesus’ name (implicitly telling them their sins are not forgiven outside of Jesus’ name).

 

Father, thank You that we have so many eyewitnesses to tell us that Jesus rose from the dead. Thank You that we have peace with You because of Jesus. Thank You that we also have the Holy Spirit. Thank You that we can proclaim forgiveness to people because of Jesus Christ. Thank You that we ourselves have received forgiveness.