Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side.
The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."
Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"
John 20:19-23
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
What is the meaning of this last phrase about forgiving sins? Another version says, “if the sins are not forgiven, they are retained.” Is Jesus talking about something we do for others, or is he referring to something we do for ourselves?
The context is one of Jesus having been through the worst man can inflict on another. Many men would have been ready for revenge, to pick up the sword, or at least begin some insurgent type of movement to subvert those responsible.
Jesus disciples, elated at seeing their Messiah alive, now may be thinking the time for the sword has arrived, the time to overthrow Rome, the time to establish the Kingdom!
But Jesus greets them with “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” Jesus followers were to follow his example, his pathway. Did this mean humility, sacrifice and even death?
Then, in the next breath, Jesus talks about forgiveness. In the context, it is obvious who he is speaking about; all those responsible for his painful death: the religious leaders, the Romans, the population at large who turned their backs on the one who had fed them and led them with this new teaching.
“Forgive their sins, and they are gone for good.” The sins will no longer be festering, crying for revenge within the disciples’ hearts and souls. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ earlier teaching on prayer, that the basis of our forgiveness from God is our forgiveness of others. If we fail to forgive the sins of others, then their sin is retained. Retained where? In them, or maybe in us? Maybe this is referring to the memory of their sins abiding in our hearts, preventing us from finding forgiveness for our own sins, preventing us from finding the Peace that Jesus offers?
Happy Resurrection Day!
Dave Drozek
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