Through the locked door

John 21:19-23

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

The doors were locked, the disciples were hidden safely – they thought – behind the locked door. No one could get at them, and they had no intention of going out to be seen by those who were threatening them. But Jesus came through the locked door – Jesus made his own way to get into the room with the disciples – Jesus made a door.

Jesus said four things to the disciples. “Peace be with you” – which makes sense to say when the disciples have been terrified by someone who just walked through a locked door.

Second, Jesus said “you have been sent to go out into the world, just like I was sent”, which would have meant unlocking the door and going out to where the people who scared the disciples were.

But they do not go in their own strength – this is the third thing – they have been promised the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to them, “receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples are to carry out their mission in the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, the Holy Spirit will help them by offering forgiveness to others. They have been given a task that is desperately needed in this world – offering forgiveness to those weighed down by guilt and shame, weighed down with fear that they will be exposed as wrongdoers. This too meant going out through the door to offer forgiveness.

The risen Jesus comes to us, in the place where we are locked away, hidden, and says, “Peace be with you, I am here with you.” Jesus says to us, “It is time to go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and offer forgiveness to those who are burdened and weighed down. To offer forgiveness to those who have hurt you.” We are invited to go out through the doors that we use to lock ourselves off from the world, going out to live as the people God has sent into the world. Going in the power of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, give us the Holy Spirit that we might with courage unlock the doors and go into the world offering forgiveness to a fearful, angry world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.