gShalom Peace, Forgiveness, Faithh
The Second Sunday of Easter
GOSPEL LESSON: John 20:19?31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, gPeace be with you!h After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, gPeace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.h And with that he breathed on them and said, gReceive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.h
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, gWe have seen the Lord!h But he said to them, gUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.h
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, gPeace be with you!h Then he said to Thomas, gPut your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.h
Thomas said to him, gMy Lord and my God!h Then Jesus told him, gBecause you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.h
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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And Jesus stepped into the midst of his disciples and said, gShalom.h
The disciples had gathered together on the evening of the first Easter and then again on the next Sunday. Perhaps they were in an upper room like our chapel. The doors were locked, but since a large rock sealing a tomb is no barrier to Jesus, neither are locked doors. Yes, it was Jesus, his pierced hands and side proved that.
His greeting was gShalom.h This word means gpeace,h but it was as common greeting, just as it is today in the Near East. Since it is a greeting, one Bible translation translates this way, gJesus entered the room and said, eHello.fh Perhaps, but when Jesus says gPeaceh he gives peace. Even our everyday greetings are really little prayers. gI pray that you will have a good morning.h gI pray/wish/hope that you will have a good day.h gI pray that you will sleep well and have pleasant dreams, good night.h
Jesus said gShalom Peaceh and gave that Shalom Peace to his disciples and he also gives it to us when he comes to us. Jesus gives peace just by his presence. When he is with the disciples or with us, we know that we are safe, we are calm, we are filled with well-being.
We have peace because Jesus continues his mission. gPeace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.h The mission of Jesus was to die on the cross to forgive our sins, and now that mission work is given to us. We do not die on the cross, but we bring the results of Christfs death and resurrection to others. He breathed on them and said, gReceive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.h To forgive sins, we need the authority and power of God, therefore Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit. We forgive sins when we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And if we do not proclaim the Gospel, people will not know the grace and love of God, and so they will not be forgiven. Forgiveness is important because it gives peace. Peace means we are not fighting. If we are fighting with God, we cannot come to him. If we are fighting with other people, we cannot share love and kindness with them. That is why forgiveness is so important. That is why it is the most important teaching of the Christian religion. The most important thing about Christianity is not the Ten Commandments; it is not the two Love Commandments: it is the cross of Christ, it is baptism, it is the Lordfs Supper, and it is the life of forgiveness as we live the life of the Lordfs Prayer.
The Shalom Peace of Christ brings mission, the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, and faith. Everybody loves the story of Thomas because in Thomas we see a twin of ourselves. He was called gDidymush which means gTwin.h We do not know who his twin brother or sister actually was, but we know that we are just like him in our faith life. We too have our doubts about Jesus. It may look like we are doubting Jesus, but often we are doubting ourselves, doubting our faith. gUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.h Do you know why this is so out-of-kilter? It is because it puts faith and salvation on what I do: gI see, I touch, I believe.h Our eyes are weak, our touch is feeble, our faith is doubting. And so the Easter Gospel is that Thomas can see and touch and believe because Jesus comes to him. He can see because he is shown, he can touch because Jesus lets himself be touched, he can believe and have faith because Jesus is the one who is faithful. He is faithful to his promises and faithful to those whom he loves. He loves Thomas and he loves you and me. Therefore today we are blessed. Jesus said to Thomas and to us, gBecause you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.h
But we believe for the same reason that Thomas did. Jesus comes to us and reveals himself to us in the Word, in Baptism and the Lordfs Supper. In the bread and wine he comes with his precious Body and Blood. It is something to see, to touch, and to believe. Christ comes to us, and the pastor says the blessing of Christ, gThe peace of the Lord be with you always,h and the congregation says, gAmen. May the peace of the Lord be with you also.h This is a holy moment. Christ is in our midst. We are blessed with the forgiveness, life, eternal salvation, and peace.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church