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The Gospel: John 21:1-19
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me." Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: So, here we are on the 2nd Sunday of Easter. What a great celebration we had last week. The church and our hearts were full of God's blessing to us of his resurrection celebration. It truly was an amazing opportunity to be able to freely worship and praise the Lord together. So you might think that we would have a follow-up celebration this week. There is an element of that in our Gospel reading this morning. Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room. But I think more often than not most of us think of this Sunday as "Doubting Thomas Sunday." We are all familiar with the story, right? Thomas is not present and then he goes on to compound that error by telling the other disciples he won't believe unless he sees for himself. Much of what is taught and spoken about on this Sunday is what Thomas says and does. As I was preparing for this message I was struck by the thought: "I wonder what we miss if we concentrate on Thomas?" What does Jesus say and do in this passage in his relationship with the other disciples and with Thomas? I believe that he does two very vital things which are very easy to miss. He instructs and then he illustrates. Or on other occasions, he will illustrate and then instruct. I believe that this is a very consistent thing that Jesus does throughout his ministry. Let me see if I can draw this out a little more. In the Gospel reading this morning we read how the disciples have gathered and Jesus joins them. He appears and he blesses them. He goes on to give them two instructions. Then he illustrates those instructions. Here is a section of the reading from this morning: "Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Jesus gives the disciples a blessing of peace. Then he gives his first instruction: he tells them he is sending them as he has been sent. Next, he gives them another blessing by breathing the Holy Spirit on them with a very clear and precise set of instructions: "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." I am going to save the illustration part for later in the message. Because I think I can explain my reasoning by using another scripture that we heard very recently. I would like to take us back to the Maundy Thursday service. Now, this might be a little difficult to follow because this time Jesus gives his illustration, and then he gives his instruction. But I believe that the principle holds true in both cases. So, in the Maundy Thursday Gospel reading we hear this read: "And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him." Jesus illustrates humble, servant-centered leadership by washing the disciple's feet. He does this because he is the Messiah - the now and coming king - the savior of the world. This scripture says clearly: "knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God." Jesus has every right and opportunity to be the kind of leader he will face when he meets Ananias and Caiaphas, when he meets the Sanhedrin, when he meets Pilate, and when he meets Herod. But he chooses to be a servant leader and washes the disciple's feet. Then he gives his instruction: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." "Just as I have loved you." Jesus says it plainly he says it without equivocation. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Now if you think that instruction is difficult let's return to the one we received in today's reading: "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." I could speak on the topic of forgiveness for a long time this morning. What does it mean to forgive someone? How do we forgive those who have done horrendous things in our world? I want to suggest that forgiveness is an ongoing "work of sanctification." Perhaps it is something that we will be working on until that day we meet the Lord. I believe the essence of what Jesus is talking about in the scripture this morning is our responsibility with regard to forgiveness. We have the opportunity to set people free by our forgiveness. Did you catch the second part of the instruction: " if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Maybe I should just go straight to what I believe is the illustration of what Jesus is saying this morning: "Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus sets Thomas free by his forgiveness. After all, we all know that the opposite of faith is doubt right. Thomas is trapped by his doubt. He is unable to experience the fullness of his relationship with his creator, his father, his Lord because of his doubt. Jesus pronounces him forgiven and he is set free to proclaim: "My Lord and my God!" The SSJE Brother Give Us A Word Daily Meditation said it so clearly this week I want to share it in closing as our challenge for this week: Witness Proclaiming and receiving the one who is Truth is always interactive, reciprocal, and dynamic. The risen Christ in you is rolling away the stone for the risen Christ in me to step out into a larger world. The Spirit of Truth in our mutual witness will sustain us on the road we share to that broad, open place in the heart of God. -Br. Keith Nelson Society of Saint John the Evangelist "The risen Christ in you is rolling away the stone for the risen Christ in me to step out into a larger world." The Gospel: John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: One of the ways that I try to get past my tendency to slip into an automatic response when I hear the Easter story is to ask myself who do I identify with this year? If I can find someone to who I can say "ah yes, I understand that moment, and that reaction" then I can often increase my emotional intensity as I listen to the story." But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. "This year I particularly identify with Mary at this point in the Gospel story for this morning. This is the faithful Mary who has earlier in the day come to the tomb. Other writers tell us that she has come to anoint the body of Jesus. She is faithfully carrying out the necessary ritual processes at the time of death. It is really interesting to me that it is Mary and not Martha. After all, Martha is known as the practical one. I would expect that Martha would have the anointing on her agenda. But it is Mary who comes and desires to carry out this intimate task for her beloved master Jesus. Mary is more than likely processing through her own grief and desolation. She is probably seeking to find a way to normalize the situation. Doing something that will help her to reconnect with the ritual so that she can re-establish the routine of her life. All of that desire and hope is interrupted when she discovers that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb. I am sure that she is thrown into emotional turmoil. So much for trying to get back to normal. She reacts and runs to find help. Peter and the "beloved" disciple respond to the devastating news and they run to the tomb. I could say a whole lot about that event, but that is not what caught my attention today. So, let's just say that they get to the tomb, they go inside, and check what the situation is! Then they go home! Does anyone else find that odd? There is no indication that they said anything to Mary or that they came to any conclusions about what the empty tomb meant. They just went home. Mary is left standing outside the tomb, with no consolation, no reassurance. It is almost as though she has been abandoned, left to work out the situation, completely alone. There is little question why she is weeping. But then, in the midst of her desolation, in her standing alone, overwhelmed by her grief she looks into the tomb for herself and experiences the miraculous. Not only does she see angels, but in the next moment, Jesus himself is standing with her. In going through her grief, her suffering, and the utter desolation of being alone, she experiences something that no one else does. The next thing that happens is she is commissioned, she is sent, to tell the disciples what they missed because they went home. "But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her." Mary, in going through her grief and suffering, finds herself in a place to receive a blessing. Now, please don't hear me saying that we should seek out situations of grief and suffering so that we can be blessed. But I do identify with Mary more this year because there are some circumstances that I would rather avoid if I could. I would rather not find myself alone, desolate, and feeling abandoned. But some experiences are very common to human beings. Death and grief are among the most common. I believe we all can identify with Mary in some area of our life. Sometimes we can find ourselves standing weeping outside the empty tomb of our hopes and dreams, our failed relationships, or difficult health issues. It is only when we bend down to look into the tomb that we make the realization that there is more to this situation than we thought. Going through grief, isolation, desolation and being alone is sometimes necessary for us to discover the wonder of the resurrection. It may also be what is necessary for us to be equipped with genuine empathy for those with whom we get the opportunity to share the good news. Mary can speak out of her experience at the tomb when she speaks to the disciples about the promises Jesus makes. She can speak with confidence when she says "I have seen the Lord." I would like to close this morning with the words of the Collect For the Mission of the Church from the Book of Common Prayer Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
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