Daily Bread 2011 - John 20
Daily Bread 2011 – John 20
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
What Does This Mean?
In yet another appearance of Jesus, we hear the words the church repeats every Sunday, “Peace be with you.” And the peace He was giving came through the agency or means of the Holy Spirit. Of course they were afraid for their lives so part of this peace was to calm their anxiety. But Jesus was also talking about a deeper peace, the peace Paul talks about in Philippians 4, as “the peace of Christ which passes all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
And then he says something that is basis for some contention in the Church. He says, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is one of the bases for the Catholic Church’s notion of confession and the power of the local priest to pronounce absolution for sins both corporately and privately.
If only God through Jesus can forgive, so in what sense does Jesus pass on this authority to the disciples and by application the Church? Lutherans understand this as the “power of the keys”, which is given to the Church. The church has been given the “keys to the kingdom” in that as it preaches the Gospel it is announcing forgiveness in Jesus’ name. As we confess our sins on Sunday in church corporately and trust in Jesus life, death and resurrection, the pastor announces to the congregation that their sins are forgiven because of what Jesus has done both in the Word preached and the Sacrament administered.
What Does This Mean For Us?
We can offer confession and absolution to each other, but this is not to be confused with the power forgive. We are not announcing our forgiveness but God’s in His Son in the power of the Spirit. That is the sense in which the book of James says, “Confess your sins to one another.” As we do that we experience a peace that the world does not know or understand, because it comes from God.
The Holy Spirit is the gift of God given to us as we trust/have faith in Jesus and are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of the greatest gifts of the Holy Spirit, also called a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is “peace”. Are you experiencing God’s peace today? When is the last time you have heard the Good News and received absolution for your sins? Of course you don’t need a pastor to confess your sins to God. You can do it anywhere and anytime. God hears the cries of His children for mercy and is ready to forgive in Jesus’ name.
God thank you for your mercy which you gave us at the cross. We believe we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves, but we trust in the grace and mercy you have given us through Your Son Jesus Christ to set us free to be the people of God! Amen.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
What Does This Mean?
In yet another appearance of Jesus, we hear the words the church repeats every Sunday, “Peace be with you.” And the peace He was giving came through the agency or means of the Holy Spirit. Of course they were afraid for their lives so part of this peace was to calm their anxiety. But Jesus was also talking about a deeper peace, the peace Paul talks about in Philippians 4, as “the peace of Christ which passes all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
And then he says something that is basis for some contention in the Church. He says, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is one of the bases for the Catholic Church’s notion of confession and the power of the local priest to pronounce absolution for sins both corporately and privately.
If only God through Jesus can forgive, so in what sense does Jesus pass on this authority to the disciples and by application the Church? Lutherans understand this as the “power of the keys”, which is given to the Church. The church has been given the “keys to the kingdom” in that as it preaches the Gospel it is announcing forgiveness in Jesus’ name. As we confess our sins on Sunday in church corporately and trust in Jesus life, death and resurrection, the pastor announces to the congregation that their sins are forgiven because of what Jesus has done both in the Word preached and the Sacrament administered.
What Does This Mean For Us?
We can offer confession and absolution to each other, but this is not to be confused with the power forgive. We are not announcing our forgiveness but God’s in His Son in the power of the Spirit. That is the sense in which the book of James says, “Confess your sins to one another.” As we do that we experience a peace that the world does not know or understand, because it comes from God.
The Holy Spirit is the gift of God given to us as we trust/have faith in Jesus and are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of the greatest gifts of the Holy Spirit, also called a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is “peace”. Are you experiencing God’s peace today? When is the last time you have heard the Good News and received absolution for your sins? Of course you don’t need a pastor to confess your sins to God. You can do it anywhere and anytime. God hears the cries of His children for mercy and is ready to forgive in Jesus’ name.
God thank you for your mercy which you gave us at the cross. We believe we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves, but we trust in the grace and mercy you have given us through Your Son Jesus Christ to set us free to be the people of God! Amen.
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