2nd Easter
John 20: 19-29, adapted from Madsen
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| Tissot |
On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,
“Peace be with you!”
And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offenses.”
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”
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| Tissot |
Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”
2nd Easter
April 28, 2019
John 20: 19-29
Our breathing is in two parts: we inhale. We take in not only life-giving oxygen, but also moods, atmospheres, inspirations. And when we exhale, we add our own moods and inspirations to the atmosphere. Our spent breath nourishes the plants.
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| Sombart |
The disciples had been holding their breath in fear and sorrow. The locked door was an image of their hearts, closed in fear. But Christ enters anyway. He breathes on them. After his own ordeal, imprinted into his hands and his side, he exhales an atmosphere of joy and peace. His healing breath, the loving exhalation of his spirit, gives us the strength and power to work in a positive way with destiny. He gives us all the strength to do the work of repair.
Thomas is not wrong to want to experience Christ directly himself. Christ only warns him against being rigid of heart. When Thomas has satisfied his healthy skepticism, he opens his own heart, so that Christ’s healing, loving power can enter.
Since His resurrection, Christ’s power is available in every breath we take. For He inhabits the earth, the air, as His body. As the poet says:
It's not magic; it isn't a trick.
Every breath is a resurrection.*
* Gregory Orr, in Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved. Picture from the Egbert Codex – The Incredulity of Thomas.
