The disciples were gathered in a room following the crucifixion and death of Jesus. As yet, many did not know the Resurrected Jesus. THE DOORS were LOCKED OUT OF FEAR. We have all been in that room. Fear of what has happened. Fear of what is about to happen. Fear of the unknown. Nothing is certain. Everything is in doubt. We don’t know what the future holds. For the disciples – will they be caught and crucified like Jesus? Yes, we all have been in that room. The room called regret. The room named remorse. The room defined as discontent. The room filled with failure and fear. The room on edge with alienation and permeated with self-pity. The room that could be the room any one of us occupies on whatever kind of terms life brings us – daily, occasionally or rarely. But it is a room that we all know. The room of shadows and despair…Who has not occupied such a room?

 

But there comes a time when we want to break out of the room– bust wide open the door – roll the stone back – we need some fresh air, some new life – the room stinketh!!

 

Marge was a good friend and had taken a directorship of an alcohol treatment center in Duluth. As months went by with her development of a program in treating chemically dependent people, she ran into constant clashes with the board as to how the program should be run. One day I received a call from her saying that she had been fired and she was celebrating by having a failure party. Marge could have held up in her apartment and wallowed in self-pity , but she decided to invite all her friends and celebrate. A real breakthrough. Totally unorthodox. But she moved on to a new life.

 

William Temple has pointed out quite accurately that the resurrection in John is not “a mighty act”, but rather “the quiet rising of the sun which has already vanquished the night” How true. Jesus comes among them. How, the text does not say – just that he is there, quietly, like the rising of the sun. In this moment this Easter moment lies the cosmic power to bind or to loose. The power to bless or to curse. The power to lift up or beat down.

 

And the resurrected Jesus empowers the disciples to forgive. Forgiveness in the Bible means “a return from exile”. It means to come home. Here forgiveness means returning from a radioactive room called regret and remorse to a new room – a room called resurrection.

 

Jesus, the promisekeeper, says “Peace” to this gathering And in that sacred peace which passes all human knowing, the disciples are taken to a different place, even though they never leave the room. They are taken to a room called Grace.

 

Easter evening reveals the offended calling the offenders home. To miss this point is to miss the Gospel. Just as Jesus had done with Lazarus when he had called him out of the room called death, he calls the disciples forth from an upstairs morgue into a light of new birth. He didn’t have to do it, but he did. That’s grace.

 

In the displaying of his scars, Jesus shows the disciples the incredible sign of the Resurrection – that the body that hung on the cross and the body that was laid in the tomb was the same body that was standing in front of them. It was not a hallucination; he was not an imposter. The crucified Jesus and the Resurrected Jesus are one.

 

Only once in the N.T. does the verb “to breathe” (emphysao) occur, and it takes place in this Gospel passage. Just as God had breathed into the first Adam in Creation, so now Jesus, the Spirit-giver, breathes out the breath of the second creation. And immediately after the holy air hits their lungs, the Apostle Commission is given. Empowerment is for a purpose – and what is the purpose?

 

An apostle hands over to someone else what they have received. And that is what Jesus commissions them to do:

They are to hand over Jesus to the world.

To express his life

To loose other from the bonds of fear and hell, just as he had done for them moments earlier.

Bring the exiles home to Abba in the power of the Spirit. Through forgiveness, the chasm between God and humanity has been bridged. The exile is over.

 

I enjoy listening to NPR, and one of their programs is Story Corps. They are human encounters, biographical briefs that are told in a recording booth, many of which are set up in public places across the country. They broadcast one a week and all are catalogued in the Library of Congress. This week was one that caught me. It was told by a Mexican-American in his 20’s who was coming home after work on the subway in NYC. He got off at the stop before his normal stop because he wanted to go to his favorite diner. 

 

As he walked up the stairs, a teenage boy approached him with a knife. He demanded money and the young Mexican-American handed over his wallet. He started running up the stairs. The young man yelled to him. “Hey, you forgot to take my coat. You might as well keep warm. The teenager looked at him quizzically, and said, “What do you mean. All I need is money for a meal.” “Well,” he replied,” I have this favorite diner just around the corner that I was going to have dinner at – why don’t you come and have dinner with me?” 

 

The teenager agreed to and they both went to dinner. While at dinner, the owner, the waiter, the dishwasher and various regulars came up to their table and talked to the young man. The teenager couldn't get over it. He finally said, “You know everyone, including the dishwasher.”   “Yes, I like this place; they are my friends.” “I don’t know anybody who speaks to even the dishwasher.” 

 

The Mexican-American finally asked him,.” What do you want out of life?” And he was silent. He decided not to push, but felt he had planted a seed. “Say, since you have my wallet and that’s the only money I have, you need to pay for dinner.” The teenager handed over the wallet, and he paid the bill and gave the teenager a 20. Then he said,” What are you going to give me?” And the teenager gave him the knife.

 

To loose others from the bonds of fear and hell. “Hey why don’t you take my coat?” “Come and have dinner with me.” “What are you looking for?” It has a familiar Jesus’ ring to it. Doesn’t it?

 

Jesus did many other signs, but these encounters are written and told so that you might have new life and give life in His name.