One of the most central, marked, and these days controversial aspects of Christianity is its proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. It is central in that Jesus preached about it a lot and Christianity would be unrecognizable without it, marked in that it’s not a common theme in world religions so it stands out, and controversial in that we are in the midst of a graceless moment in which the right wants people punished and the left insists grace is incompatible with justice. Now, there’s a lot to be said about the importance of justice, rejecting any notion of what Bonhoeffer called ‘cheap grace’, and about what genuine repentance looks like. But it remains that Christianity is a religion of second — and third and fourth and fifth… — chances. We see this all over today’s Gospel reading, a jam-packed reading that includes Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in the upper room, the so-called ‘mini-Pentecost’, and the story of ‘doubting-Thomas’.
The reading begins with the disciples in hiding, huddled together for fear that either the conspiracy that killed Jesus or the mob that demanded Jesus be crucified would strike them next. The women who had gone to anoint Jesus’ body had found it missing and were spouting a crazy story about a resurrection. But then something unexpected happened:
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20.19b-23)
It’s important to remember here that most of the disciples had either denied knowing Jesus outright or had abandoned him over the course of his fateful final day. So seeing him here like this, would not have exactly been comforting. Was this an angry ghost coming to exact his revenge on them for their betrayal and inconstancy? But no, he says to them, “Peace be with you.” He repeats it, “Peace be with you,” and then commissions them to take on his mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” They have been forgiven. And in a classic example of what I’ve called ‘God’s economy’, as he has forgiven them, so are they to take on his ministry of forgiveness: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven ….” Of course, Jesus’ ministry was about more than forgiveness: he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, and so on. But forgiveness was always at the heart of things, so it makes sense for this to be his focus here. As former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams put it, “There is no hope of understanding the Resurrection outside the process of renewing humanity in forgiveness.” In order for there to be a second chance for all humanity (as Paul would put it, “as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15.22)), first the slate needs to be wiped clean so that we aren’t carrying around any guilt or shame that could trip us up. And so the disciples are given their second chance.
But as the story goes, Thomas was not among them in the Upper Room. To him, their claims that Jesus had appeared to them — not a ghost but raised from the dead — were just as outlandish as the women’s earlier claims. (Hope is hard on the heart, after all.) He says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” It isn’t until a full week later that this impasse is resolved:
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (20.26-29)
Here Thomas is given his second chance, or really even a third chance since he not only abandoned Jesus with the rest of the disciples but also refused to accept their witness to the Resurrection. But again, Jesus greets him with the words, “Peace be with you.” And he goes so far as to meet Thomas where he’s at, inviting him to touch his wounds.
Our God is a God of second chances. Our Good News is a message of second chances. A second chance for all humanity, including us. The world may define us by our failures or worst moments, but God does not. Now, God also wants us to do and be better, and the Scriptures are clear that we will be judged on our actions moving forward, but the point is still that we are forgiven. That is the beginning of everything else that follows. It was true for the disciples in the Upper Room and it’s true for us.
Matthew Root 