The gospel reading is the same every year on the Sunday after Easter. We hear that the disciples are locked in a room out of fear for their own safety (their leader has just been executed by the state – at the urging of the religious leaders; they’ve got plenty of reason to be fearful), and Jesus appears to them. He says “Peace be with you” twice and sends them as the Father has sent him. His instructions? “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
We learn that one of the 12 closest disciples is not there. Usually, we focus on the second part of the passage, exploring Thomas’ reaction to the news, Jesus subsequent return, and their interaction. I wrote more about faith and doubt in that part of the passage in this post, but I’m going a different way this week. Thomas eventually receives the same proof the others have received and declares his faith in Jesus with the words, “My Lord and my God!” History has called him doubting Thomas, yet by the end of the passage he is anything but a doubter.
Most of the time, I rush through the first paragraph and get wrapped up in Thomas’ part of the story. His questions and insistence, his close connection with Jesus, and his change are engaging and compelling – and can remind us of the ups and downs in our own lives of faith. However, the first encounter there in the locked room, is also compelling. Jesus sends his followers as the Father has sent him, charging them with the responsibility to forgive sins or not forgive them. Forgiveness. Of all the things Jesus could have sent them to do, he begins with forgiveness. Forgiveness is about reconciliation, about healing, and about transformation. On the other side, not forgiving is about continued struggle and brokenness. Jesus is clear that forgiveness may not be possible in every situation, yet the power and possibility of reconciliation and new life are terribly important.
Consider your own experience. Are there times you have been forgiven? Are there times you have forgiven someone? What was that like? How did it affect the relationship? How did it affect you going forward? Are there times forgiveness has been withheld? How did that affect the relationship? How did it affect you? Since we are humans and we are not perfect, we are continually in situations where we can offer or withhold forgiveness (or have forgiveness offered or withheld from us). After Jesus’ resurrection, the first thing he reminds his followers of (after offering them much needed peace) is forgiveness. Forgiveness is at the core of who we are as a community that follows Jesus.
Peace,