Wednesday of Trinity II - Devotion in semi-Exile

Lection for Wednesday after Trinity II 
Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33      John 20:19-31

Imagine the disciples’ conversation in that upper room.

“They killed Him! They finally went and did it! They’d been looking for a way to arrest Him and silence Him. They’d been talking about how they were going to do it for a while. Didn’t you know they were out to get Him? We warned Jesus not to come into Jerusalem, but He didn’t listen.”

“It’s been three days since He died, now! Yeah, John and Peter saw the empty tomb. Mary says she’s spoken with Jesus, that He’s alive. What about those who claim spoke with Him on the road to Emmaus, that He broke bread with Him. How can we be sure it isn’t a ghost, that it wasn’t some vision or wishful thinking?

“What are we going to do? Will the Sanhedrin come after us next? Will we be called before the High Priest? Will we be dragged before Pilate, flogged, beaten, crucified?”

“Hey, someone want to check and make sure those doors are locked one more time?”

So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

“‘Peace be with you.’” Did you hear what He said to us? We doubted the words of Mary, we didn’t believe our friends, and even worse, we doubted what Jesus Himself had told us – numerous times before it all took place. 

We sinned against our friends and against the Lord, and He said, “Peace be with you.”  In other words, I know how scared you are - be at peace.  I know how the things of this world have planted the seed of fear in your heart - be at peace.  And know that even for your lack of faith, I forgive you - be at peace.”

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

Jesus gave them a task - to forgive and to retain sins. He gave them the authority to forgive and retain sins, that is, to withhold forgiveness. We hear the instruction to forgive, be we tune out the second half of those instructions, the authority to retain sins. Both commands are there, and that authority has been given to Christ’s church, to forgive and withhold forgiveness.

Christ had said He would give them this authority, telling them that where they forgive sins or withhold forgiveness, the same will be true even in heaven, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) We call this the Office of the Keys, this authoricy it either opens or closes heaven.

We cannot take this command lightly. We need to ask, “how do we know when to use which key?”

Jesus does give instructions about it. “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:15-18)

Where there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness. And with repentance, comes the fruit of repentance, just as Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultery.  He did not simply say that her sin was forgiven, but instructed that her faith must continue, she must do works in keeping with repentance, “go and sin no more.” It has been forgiven is not a license to continue doing the same thing. (John 8:11)  Repentance includes the desire and effort not to continue in the same sin any longer.

This authority to withhold forgiveness is given so that the severity of sinfulness might be shown to the sinner. As one is brought to realize that sinfulness might keep them out of heaven, it is then that the stubborn sinner might be brought to see the error of their sin and repent. 

Why? For where there is repentance, there is forgiveness of sins. God desires all men come to repentance and be saved. So yes, there is a command to withhold forgiveness from the impenitent, for to be impenitent is to belittle and spit upon Christ’s passion.

Christ suffered for you, for me, and for all sinners – to purchase forgiveness for you. He rose on Easter so that forgiveness might be dispensed to you. What is to be proclaimed to you? What is of the most importance? What did Christ purchase and desire you to hear? That your sins are forgiven. It is a word that Christ commands to be spoken into your ear that you might hear it, in order that your sins might be removed from you as far as the east is to the west.

This Word of forgiveness comes to you in Baptism, that you might cling to it whenever you encounter water.

That you might know of your forgiveness, Christ commands His pastors to dispense it into your ear that you might hear and believe – both privately and in the Word preached and proclaimed to you publicly – cleansing you of your sin.

It is that Word of forgiveness which you ingest with the bread of His body, and the cup of His blood in the sacrament, eating and drinking for the forgiveness of your sins.

And where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.

You have gather in God’s house for a single purpose, that the Word of Christ might be proclaimed to you - a word of forgiveness - that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  Amen.

Imagine the disciples’ conversation in that upper room.

“They killed Him! They finally went and did it! They’d been looking for a way to arrest Him and silence Him. They’d been talking about how they were going to do it for a while. Didn’t you know they were out to get Him? We warned Jesus not to come into Jerusalem, but He didn’t listen.”

“It’s been three days since He died, now! Yeah, John and Peter saw the empty tomb. Mary says she’s spoken with Jesus, that He’s alive. What about those who claim spoke with Him on the road to Emmaus, that He broke bread with Him. How can we be sure it isn’t a ghost, that it wasn’t some vision or wishful thinking?

“What are we going to do? Will the Sanhedrin come after us next? Will we be called before the High Priest? Will we be dragged before Pilate, flogged, beaten, crucified?”

“Hey, someone want to check and make sure those doors are locked one more time?”

So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

“‘Peace be with you.’” Did you hear what He said to us? We doubted the words of Mary, we didn’t believe our friends, and even worse, we doubted what Jesus Himself had told us – numerous times before it all took place. 

We sinned against our friends and against the Lord, and He said, “Peace be with you.”  In other words, I know how scared you are - be at peace.  I know how the things of this world have planted the seed of fear in your heart - be at peace.  And know that even for your lack of faith, I forgive you - be at peace.”

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

Jesus gave them a task - to forgive and to retain sins. He gave them the authority to forgive and retain sins, that is, to withhold forgiveness. We hear the instruction to forgive, be we tune out the second half of those instructions, the authority to retain sins. Both commands are there, and that authority has been given to Christ’s church, to forgive and withhold forgiveness.

Christ had said He would give them this authority, telling them that where they forgive sins or withhold forgiveness, the same will be true even in heaven, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) We call this the Office of the Keys, this authoricy it either opens or closes heaven.

We cannot take this command lightly. We need to ask, “how do we know when to use which key?”

Jesus does give instructions about it. “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:15-18)

Where there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness. And with repentance, comes the fruit of repentance, just as Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultery.  He did not simply say that her sin was forgiven, but instructed that her faith must continue, she must do works in keeping with repentance, “go and sin no more.” It has been forgiven is not a license to continue doing the same thing. (John 8:11)  Repentance includes the desire and effort not to continue in the same sin any longer.

This authority to withhold forgiveness is given so that the severity of sinfulness might be shown to the sinner. As one is brought to realize that sinfulness might keep them out of heaven, it is then that the stubborn sinner might be brought to see the error of their sin and repent. 

Why? For where there is repentance, there is forgiveness of sins. God desires all men come to repentance and be saved. So yes, there is a command to withhold forgiveness from the impenitent, for to be impenitent is to belittle and spit upon Christ’s passion.

Christ suffered for you, for me, and for all sinners – to purchase forgiveness for you. He rose on Easter so that forgiveness might be dispensed to you. What is to be proclaimed to you? What is of the most importance? What did Christ purchase and desire you to hear? That your sins are forgiven. It is a word that Christ commands to be spoken into your ear that you might hear it, in order that your sins might be removed from you as far as the east is to the west.

This Word of forgiveness comes to you in Baptism, that you might cling to it whenever you encounter water.

That you might know of your forgiveness, Christ commands His pastors to dispense it into your ear that you might hear and believe – both privately and in the Word preached and proclaimed to you publicly – cleansing you of your sin.

It is that Word of forgiveness which you ingest with the bread of His body, and the cup of His blood in the sacrament, eating and drinking for the forgiveness of your sins.

And where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.

You have gather in God’s house for a single purpose, that the Word of Christ might be proclaimed to you - a word of forgiveness - that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  Amen.