Second Sunday of Easter (A) 2017

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 20:23
Theme: The Mandate of Forgiveness




Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

The news reached the eleven disciples before Jesus Himself did. First, He walked the road to Emmaus. The disciples, meanwhile, had a few more hours to collect their thoughts before seeing Jesus face to face. Imagine the shame and regret they struggled through! They had abandoned Him in His hour of need. How would He respond to them now? Would He rebuke them? The disciples were huddled together with the doors locked. The risen Christ passed right through the locked doors into their presence. He greeted them with peace. What a weight was lifted from them! The risen Christ holds no grudges.

Thomas was not present that first Easter Sunday when Jesus appeared. His refusal to believe the others has been the focus of many sermons throughout the ages. He had to witness the scars firsthand. Jesus was risen. He still is. In response, Jesus commends the work of the Spirit. He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”1 The Holy Spirit grants such faith to us “Thomases”, who believe on the testimony of many witnesses, though we don’t feel the scars. Still, we taste, touch, and see His body and blood in Holy Communion.

But more happened in those first reunions than just dispelling the doubt of Thomas. Jesus immediately began to prepare the apostles to be sent out into the world. He would charge them with an awesome responsibility. The crux of the matter is stated like this by Jesus, “If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven: if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”2 He had taught them this before. In the preaching of God’s word unrepentant sinners must be warned their guilt remains unresolved before God, and repentant sinners but be assured, beyond doubt that their sins are forgiven. Christ established the Office of the Ministry for just this purpose.

God is in the business of forgiveness. Humans prefer the commerce of sin. The fact that we don’t see eye to eye on these matters necessitated the coming of Christ end encompasses the whole purpose of the Scriptures. The misunderstanding of sin is a condition of original sin. A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness from sin?" There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. "Sin," he said. Dear friends, we are often like the small boy than we’d like to admit. We easily suppose we have no serious sins that need to be dealt with. Those who don’t believe they are seek will not seek a doctor. Those who do not believe they are sinners will not seek a Saviour.

Dear friends, Jesus had said earlier to His followers, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, - and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him.”3 And do you know how the apostles responded to that? The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"4 They understood immediately how difficult and treacherous this business of forgiveness is. They knew, from experience, like we all do, that it is no easy thing. Remember, forgiveness is never earned. If we are waiting for the other person to merit forgiveness, then we really want is satisfaction or revenge. Forgiveness is always an extension of undeserved grace. God has extended it to us in Christ. We couldn't earn it from Him in a thousand lifetimes. But Jesus acquired it with the selfless giving up of His own life.

When human capacity reaches its limits- the ability to forgive or to turn the other cheek is exhausted- it's then that Christ carries us. It's then that the cross becomes real. It’s then that the rubber meets the road in baptismal living. When we stop looking for solutions that are really nothing more than veiled negotiations to get our own way, it's then that the love of Christ must do what no human effort or ingenuity can do. Reconciliation with those who have sinned against us is not easy. It mirrors the reconciliation between God and humans; that required holy blood to be shed. So, what is required for broken relationships that need to be mended? Well, more of the same. It requires the Holy Spirit, who convicts consciences and softens hardened hearts.

Acting like a doormat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Denial doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Claiming victory or admitting defeat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Forgiveness is not about winning, or dominating, or giving up. It is about believing what God has done for us in Christ and trusting it is valid also for our relationships with others.

The joy and struggle of forgiveness should be central to our prayer life, just as it sits right in the middle of the Lord’s prayer. “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”5 What does this mean? “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, not have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace…so we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.”6

And indeed, He does not deny us His grace because the atonement was already accomplished at the cross. The cross is not merely one illustration of sacrifice in competition with others. The crucifixion is the defining event of God's self-disclosure. In it we see who God really is. It is the one necessary redeeming event. The Bible says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”7 And again, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”8 The work is completed. The job is finished. We gather now, as we do every Lord's day, not to attempt again what Christ has already done, but to benefit from His perfect accomplishment.

We cannot truly forgive unless we believe we have been forgiven. The power is above and beyond us. Yes, we can forgive those things which we have already decided didn't really offend us. We've moved on and the relationship isn't compromised. But it's another story when the effect of the offence alters our attitude towards the person. We recognise the resentment lodged deep in the heart but our feelings cannot overcome it. We may know the person is genuinely sorry, but we still want them to feel our pain. At these times forgiveness relies on the truth of God's promise. We believe that Christ will resolve all imbalances and inconsistencies. His sacrifice was the atonement for all the injustices humans have perpetrated against one another. It doesn't mean our hearts will suddenly be at peace about something that hurt us deeply. Scars remain. Memories linger. But it does mean we can go forward leaving it in God's hands. We can treat the person as if the past has been forgotten.

Leaving the past behind is part of our Easter joy. The new life we have in baptism originates with the resurrected Jesus and is sustained only through Him. The Holy Spirit continually renews us in our baptism every time His forgiveness is received. That doesn’t mean we sit back apathetically and reflect on God’s blessings to us in the past (though we should always be reflecting on His blessings), it means we face each day renewed and equipped to mirror Christ’s love to others. We may be a dim reflection: We leave the perfect clarity to Him. He still bears the scars. Amen.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

+ In nomine Jesu +

Second Sunday of Easter
23 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 John 20:29
2 John 20:23
3 Luke 17:3-4
4 Luke 17:5
5 Luke 11:4
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Hebrews 10:12
8Hebrews 9:26