Appearance to the Disciples

John: 20, 19-31

 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So, the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you feel about the power we’ve been given to forgive or hold others in their sins against us? (Not the same as absolution). Is forgiveness central in your faith life?
2. When have you had an experience of “love being stronger than death” in your life? Tell the story.
3. What are the things that keep you locked up and closed off from seeing and experiencing moments of resurrection
4. How does your belief in the resurrection influence your daily life?

Biblical Context

Patricia Datchuck Sánchez
John 20:19-31

 Easter’s living legacy is beautifully told in today’s Johannine Gospel. All is present there: peace and mission; a living, breathing Spirit; forgiveness and faith. Comprised of two resurrection appearances a week apart, John’s account differs from that of Luke, who separated the moments of the Christ-event (resurrection, ascension, gift of the Spirit) for pedagogical and liturgical reasons. John, however, coalesced the various facets of the Christ-event, and offers a more theologically accurate presentation. In the fourth Gospel, it was on an Easter night that Jesus bestowed the Spirit and mandated his own to continue his mission of forgiveness.

Although Jesus’ greeting of peace (Shalom) was the conventional Jewish salutation, in the context of his resurrection it took on an added significance. Peace and joy were signals of the messianic era begun in Jesus. The peace he had promised was now his to give in fulfillment of the prophecies of Joel (3:11) and Ezekiel (36:27). With the same Spirit who was breathed into sculpted earth and brought forth a living being (Gen 2) and the same Sprit who had anointed kings, priests and prophets, Jesus anointed and consecrated his own for service.

In keeping with all the accounts of the risen Lord, John was careful to establish the continuity between the earthly, crucified Lord and the risen Christ. Jesus’ wounds were clearly evident. Transformed and glorified, he was, nevertheless, the same Lord. This emphasis was intended to correct a certain gnostic element within the Johannine church that preferred to downplay the suffering and death of Jesus in favor of a wonder-working, divine-man Christology. Those who insisted on this incorrect view of Jesus eventually seceded from the community and prompted the Johannine letters in which this ancient author repeatedly appealed to those who had withdrawn to return to the faith and the community.

Having breathed his Spirit upon them, Jesus also endowed his disciples with the authority to forgive and retain sins. There is a nod here to the rabbinic practice of binding and loosing — that is, to admit or refuse someone admission to the community based on their sinfulness and adherence (or not) to the law. Later scholars find in this text the roots of the Christian sacrament of reconciliation. However, this later development should not eclipse this text’s primary message of mutual mercy and forgiveness.

Through the experience of Thomas, the Johannine author also addresses the place of doubt in the life of faith. Thomas is a source of encouragement for believers of all ages; he was a person who questioned and was reluctant to profess his faith without empirical proof, and then moved from doubt to firm faith. This narrative helped the early church to come to grips with an issue that became more urgent with the deaths of the authoritative eyewitnesses on whom they had come to depend: How could someone believe in the risen Christ without the witness of one who had seen him? After all, Thomas did not come to faith even when the others told him they had seen the Lord. Nor are we told that he did reach out and touch Jesus when he was invited to do so. Thomas, like us, was called to a faith that did not demand proof. Like us, Thomas accepted Jesus’ challenge: “Believe.” His profession of faith is ours as well: “My Lord (Kyrios) and My God (Theos).” Amen, so be it.

 Easter Unlocked and Open

Reflection
Fr. Michael K. Marsh 

Before Easter there was illness and death. After Easter there’s still illness and death. Before Easter there was pain and brokenness in the world. After Easter there’s still pain and brokenness in the world. The list of before and after comparisons could go on and on. Things today look a lot like they did before Easter. What do we do with that?

I know the usual answers. Jesus overcame death. Sins are forgiven. Love prevails. All things are being made new. Alleluia. Christ is risen.

I get that. And on most days, I believe it. I’m just not sure what all that means or looks like on a day to day basis. And I don’t think I’m the only one who struggles with that. I think we all do, and I think that’s why every year we come to this day – the Second Sunday of Easter – and hear the same gospel story. Today’s gospel is the same one we heard last year on this day, the year before, and the year before that. It’s the disciples’ story of uncertainty, fear, and struggle with what to do with Jesus’ resurrection. And it’s our story with those things too.

Jesus is free, but the disciples have imprisoned themselves. The tomb is empty, but the house is full. The stone has been rolled back from Jesus’ tomb, but the doors of the disciples’ lives are closed and locked. And they’re afraid of what’s on the other side of those doors.

That sounds a lot like life today. I wonder what doors of your house you’ve closed and locked. What are you afraid of? And what will it take to unlock the doors of your house?

I’m not asking about the house you live in. I am asking about the house of your heart, the house of your imagination, the house of your creativity. I want to know about your house of love, your house of compassion and empathy, your house of hope and courage. Tell me about the house of your marriage, the house of your parenting, the house of your forgiving. In what ways have you used or allowed guilt, regret, disappointment, anger, resentment, sorrows and losses, wounds and hurts to lock the doors of your life? What houses your deepest longings and desires? What houses your dreams, delights, and the things that enliven you and make your heart beat faster? What doors need to be unlocked and opened in order for you to live more whole heartedly?

As long as we remain behind the locked doors of our houses nothing will change. The world today and our lives will look the same as it did before Easter. If everything looks the same as it did before Easter, then you and I need to start looking for and unlocking some doors.

Every time we unlock and open a door in our house we step into our own resurrection. Easter makes a difference. And the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Easter is Jesus inviting, asking, calling, insisting, and wooing us into life and more life. It means the unattainable is within reach. The impossible is possible. The never before imagined doesn’t sound so crazy. And maybe there really are unicorns everywhere. Easter is Jesus’ promise that there is a future on the other side of our locked doors. But it’s up to you and me to unlock and open those doors.

Reflection excerpt from, Interrupting the Silence, Fr. Michael K. Marsh. Used by permission