BEHIND LOCKED DOORS

John 20:19-23
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We live in a time, in a society, where locking the doors is a practical necessity. Without the locks, the church would be easy picking for thieves and vandals. It has not always been this way. Time was that the church was respected as sacred ground and even thieves and vandals feared God. Today however, sometimes locks aren’t enough. Security guards and systems are also required.

The disciples had the doors locked, not from fear of thieves and vandals but from fear of those who had just crucified Jesus. They had witnessed the crucifixion and rightly so, feared the same fate. In the midst of their fear, Jesus shows up, pours out on them the gift of the Holy Spirit and immediately starts talking about forgiveness. The very ones who had carried out the sin against Jesus, the crucifixion, needed forgiveness. The disciples could not stay locked away behind closed doors. They had a mission to carry out. They had work to do. Jesus was sending them out with peace of mind, with forgiveness in their hearts and with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Are we locked away, behind closed doors? Do we fear those who look different … think different … act different … were raised in a different culture? Do we lock ourselves away physically … socially … emotionally? Do we build barriers between ourselves and those of other races or nationalities? Are we allowing our politics to be another wall of separation? If Jesus showed up in our midst, as He did with the disciples, wouldn’t His response be the same? “Go … take my peace with you … forgive.”

Let the Holy Spirit empower you as you, “… do what is right … love mercy … walk humbly with your God.” - Micah 6:8