First, the disciples were afraid and locked themselves in a room. You might ask yourselves why. By now they had heard that Jesus was not in the tomb. You�d thing they would be so excited. But by now perhaps rumors were also already circulating including speculation that the disciples had taken the body as part of a hoax or an elaborate scheme. That would be reason to fear the authorities and hide until they were sure and until things settled down.
Many of us grew up in a time when most of the society around us accepted Christianity and going to church as a matter of course. It�s hard then to imagine a time when Christianity is scandalous or even illegal, but that�s the way it was from the time Christ rose on Easter until Constantine made Christianity legal a few centuries later. There have been times and places when Christianity had to go underground; one example is during the Cultural Revolution in China. What we are less likely to realize is that our culture today even in Western society is being compared by scholars to the early days of the church. We aren�t hiding in catacombs to worship, but neither can we assume that most of our neighbors are headed to a Christian church to worship on Sunday morning. The laws and rules we live with also reflect that shift. How will we respond? Will we hide in a room afraid to admit our faith out loud? We have to remember that while we live in a post Christendom era, it is still a post Pentecost age of the church. Our Lord is alive and has breathed His Holy Spirit into His people. We can proclaim His good news and live boldly in His name!
Second verse, Jesus was indeed alive, and stood in their midst in that locked room. Now they are happy! The contrast that stands out to me is the difference between living in fear while still in doubt and living in joy when Christ is present in our lives. The disciples needed reassurance, and Jesus� came to strengthen and encourage them. Jesus never asks us to go it alone on our own strength. The promise repeated throughout the Bible is the promise of God�s presence, �I will be with you.� (Genesis 26:3 and many more) �Lo, I am with you always.� (Matthew 28:20) But we have a choice; we have to choose to ask Jesus into our lives. There is no doubt that He will accept the invitation, but He always waits to be asked.
The reward is lived out on a daily basis. Allow me a personal example. I�m divorced. There are lots of things I am not good at or don�t know how to take care of from the house to the car and more. I admire couples who have camaraderie in their marriage to get the work done or relax together afterward. In the past year I have begun taking to heart the Biblical image of God as husband to His people in the Old Testament or Christ as the bridegroom in the New Testament. I realized that while I don�t have a marriage in earthly terms, I do have a God that I can depend on day in and day out for both companionship and to handle the things that are beyond my abilities. Christ is very real and present in the midst of my daily life, and that is a source of joy. �The joy of the Lord is my strength.� (Nehemiah 8:10)
The third part is a commissioning. It has three elements.
One, God sent Jesus; Jesus is sending them. There is a direct chain of command here. The disciples then and we disciples now go forth in Jesus� name to do the work God wants us to do. If you really think about that for a few minutes it is overwhelming. I have a bumper sticker that reads, �My boss is a Jewish carpenter.� That�s intriguing and exciting enough. But think about it, He is part of a family business. While Jesus is our supervisor, Daddy owns the company. �We work together with God.� (1 Corinthians 3:9) Our commissioning is to do great works for God.
Two, we can�t do that work without empowerment. Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit. It came that night as a gentle breath to sustain them through the next 50 days. On the last day, on Pentecost, it would come as a roaring wind with tongues of fire, with great power to do great things for God. We also need that empowerment. Some baptismal ceremonies include a prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to work in the life of the one being baptized. Jesus told Nicodemus that we had to be �born of water and of the Spirit of God.� (John 3:5) The Spirit may come as a gentle breath sometimes and with great power at others. The important thing to remember is that our power comes not from ourselves, not from our technology, it comes from the Holy Spirit. If you follow where Christ leads you, that power will be there. If you go off on your own agenda�.
Three, if we forgive others, they will be forgiven; if we don�t, they won�t. Now to be honest that�s a scary thought to me. But this is similarly expressed to Peter in a story yet to come, so it must be important! Jesus told his disciples that forgiving others was essential to their own forgiveness. That comes with the teaching on prayer. �14) If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. 15) But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.� (Matthew 6:14-15) Now Jesus is telling them, and us, that the forgiveness of others also depends on our forgiving them. For all the wonderful works Jesus did and all that He taught us, an essential core of Jesus� ministry on earth boils down to one word, �Forgiveness.� When He healed the paralyzed man, he said, �Your sins are forgiven.� (Matthew 9:2) When the sinful woman washed his feet, he declared, �Your sins are forgiven.� (Luke 7:48) Jesus died on the cross, that our sins might be forgiven! Jesus has then turned his ministry of forgiveness over to us. It�s an essential key to the reconciling ministry Paul proclaimed. ��God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people�s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.� (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
Just as He was with the disciples long ago, our risen Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit is with us every day of our lives. While Jesus does comfort and encourage us in our own needs, he also has an assignment for us. We are sent out as Christ�s ambassadors on a mission of compassion and forgiveness, so that others may come to know the joy of Christ as their personal Savior and His comforting presence in their lives as well.
