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. [John 20:19-20, NRSV]
Jesus’ entire public ministry, which the Gospels reveal as encompassing his significant life-works, discloses the way he defeats empty talks in faith life. From the mountain where he preached the greatest sermon ever (Matthew 5-7), to the other mountain called Calvary, where he was crucified, Jesus attested his talks by proportionate living, till death.
Peace from the Crucified and Risen Lord
Now, in his crucified and resurrected state, he comes to deliver yet another promise – his abiding peace after his death and resurrection. A few chapters earlier, Jesus had already promised his disciples this lasting peace which the world could not give.
- Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. [John 14:27]
- So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. [John 16:22]
Peter’s Pentecostal sermon offers a great deal for reflection, not least in the Christological clarity unequalled anywhere within the New Testament. There, Peter professed: “This Jesus whom you crucified, God has raised him up and made him both Lord and Christ” [Acts 2:36]. The man Jesus of Nazareth whom you crucified, is now the resurrected Christ. He is the crucified and resurrected Christ. Jesus is the Christ. The past, the present, and the future are now clearly clarified and distinguished, but also unified.
Now, after his death and resurrection, he looks for his disciples, and comes into their presence through doors that “were locked for fear of the Jews”.
Following the incredible blessing of his presence once again, which in itself is an implicit fulfillment of his earlier promise, the very next thing Jesus did was to explicitly bless the disciples with his peace: “Peace be with you.” Imagine the immense joy the disciples must be experiencing.
Pre-Easter and Post-Easter Presence
The disciples rejoice because of the peace-blessing and that the Lord is with them again, just as he had promised.
There are many reports of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, multi-locational and at times confusing to the early disciples and certainly to us as well. For us to begin to comprehend and digest them, one major difference in the pre-Easter and post-Easter appearances of Christ must not be overlooked.
- The pre-Easter Jesus entered through opened doors, as normal people do, but the post-Easter Christ is no longer restricted by his former physicality. Even though the doors were locked, he could simultaneously come into the presence of the disciples.
- He no longer appeared entirely in his outer form as he previously did and of which his disciples were familiar. On top of everything else, Christ came into the spiritual consciousness of his disciples who yearned for his presence.
- He manifested himself as a presence by simultaneously emerging from within and, with his appearance, he at once allayed their inner panic.
- From the first disciples on, adherents of a faith in Christ know it well: every time they experience a deep sense of peace in the midst of fear, they know that Christ is in their presence.
The precise message of the Raised-Up-Christ who is the Crucified and Risen Lord is that God is available everywhere, as his body moved beyond any limits of space and time. The human tendency is to keep God “elsewhere” or “just here,” where we can control God by our theologies, tabernacles, and services. We often tell God whom he can love or not love. Poor God must conform to our moral systems and judgments. Truly, we “have” the power to make God into our image! In religion, we do that all the time. It is a real temptation the Church community must always fight against.
Jesus’ Wounds
And yet, the link of the Crucified and Risen Lord to his former physicality is a fact which the Evangelists have taken pains to preserve.
Here in John 20, this physicality is preserved through the reality of Jesus’ wounds. The disciples rejoiced after Christ has shown them “his hands and his side” (John 20:20). A week later, Thomas who was absent earlier would rejoice as well, and be persuaded to make the double profession of Christ as “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28) precisely after he too has been shown Jesus Christ’s wounds in his hands and in his side.
- Wounds are an essential category for comprehending the immense significance of Jesus Christ being truly human. In his humanity, he suffered outer and inner wounds, and was in utter solidarity with suffering humanity. Our Lord understands wounds, both physical ones and the potentially more punishing inner ones.
- Christ has left us with a permanent image of scars in each hand to remind us of his time here, of his complete understanding of our pain, and of how he has absorbed them into himself as a lasting image of wounded humanity and cried on its behalf on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Mark 15:34]. He knows what life on earth is like. He has been here. His wounds and scars prove it.
Peace-Blessing and Mission Commissioning
John’s narrative speaks of a double peace-blessing. When Christ blessed his disciples with peace a second time, he linked it to the mission work to which the disciples were sent. Wounded and in hiding, the disciples experienced transforming grace through the presence and the blessings the Risen Lord bestowed on them. The Crucified and Risen Lord came into their midst as the Wounded Healer, blessed them with transforming power far beyond imagination, so that they too might go on to become wounded healers to a wounded world.
Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday on 3 April 2016, Pope Francis said: “Christ, who for love entered through doors barred by sin, death and the powers of hell, wants to enter into each one of us to break open the locked doors of our hearts.” Where people are wounded, fearful and uncertain, Christians are called to reach out with Jesus’ peace, mercy and healing power.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, April 2016. All rights reserved.
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