THE MIDDLETOWN REFORMED CHURCH
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
APRIL 11, 2010, 10:30 AM
GREETINGS AND SALUTATION
When Jesus comes, when Jesus comes to his disciples after his resurrection, he finds them cowering behind locked doors. When Jesus comes to his disciples on Resurrection Day he finds them overwhelmed with fear. When Jesus visits his disciples on Easter Day they are in a state of shock.
They have plenty of reason to be afraid.
1. First of all they have reason to fear the authorities. Pontius Pilate, the Governor, was known for his brutality. If he could so casually crucify their teacher, their Master, what is there to stop him from coming after his disciples. They were afraid of the governor. And, I have no doubt that they feared the religious authorities as well. The leaders of the temple cult were undoubtedly delighted that both Jesus, and Judas, who betrayed him were out of the way. What is there to stop them from coming after them. They were scared. But there were other reasons for fear as well.
2. Secondly, they were anxious about their future without their Master. Groups tend to get anxious, rudderless, scared when they are without a leader. Where were they going to go? What was going to happen to them? They had no direction and were afraid. But there was another reason for their fear.
3. They had reason to fear Jesus. Just remember for a moment what had happened just days ago. They had abandoned Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. None of them, except for John as far as we know, were present when Jesus was hung on a cross to die. They were hiding. They were afraid. They were afraid of Jesus. What might he say to them? “Some group of disciples you are! You ran away and disappeared when I needed you. Peter, you bag of wind, claiming to be ready to die for me, and then deny you even know me. I had a pretty good view hanging there on Golgotha. I didn’t see any of you but John. You deserted me. You betrayed me.” Yes what was Jesus going to say to them?
But when Jesus comes to them hiding in the upper room, there is not one word of condemnation. When Jesus comes to them, there is no reprimand. When Jesus comes to them there is no rebuke. When Jesus comes to them he greets them saying, “Peace be with you.” As they stand there disbelieving, Jesus repeats himself, “Peace be with you.”
When Jesus comes there is no condemnation. When Jesus comes he comes to bring peace. When Jesus comes he greets his followers saying, “Peace be with you.”
Therefore it is entirely appropriate, no, to be truthful, it is almost essential, that when we gather to be with Jesus, I greet you in the name of Jesus and on behalf of God with God’s grace, God’s mercy, and God’s peace.
SERMON “Father, Forgive Them”
Texts:
Luke 23:33-34a
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."][
John 20:19
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
Prayer: from Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
When Jesus dies on the cross he said, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” It seems like a strange text for the focus of a sermon during Eastertide. It seems like a text for Holy Week, a thought for Holy Thursday, a reflection for Good Friday. Why are we dealing with words spoken from the cross after we have celebrated the resurrection?
These gracious words which Jesus spoke from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” have to do with his crucifixion, don’t they? They have to do with the people who killed him, don’t they? Jesus was praying for those who put him on the cross. Jesus was praying for the Roman and Jewish authorities who allowed it to happen, wasn’t he? Jesus asked forgiveness for those who whipped him, those who plaited the crown of thorns, those who nailed him to the cross, those who mocked him and made fun of him, wasn’t he? What does that have to do with Easter? What does that have to do with us?
Or perhaps our Lord’s prayer for forgiveness was a cosmic thing. Jesus was asking his Father to forgive this whole rotten world which was responsible for the corrupt, repressive, imperialistic, structures with cruel judicial systems that caused innocent victims to suffer and die. But what does that have to do with us?
I think it has a lot to do with us who are living on the Easter side of our Redeemer’s sacrifice.
The forgiveness for which Jesus prays on the cross is carried through his death, through his resurrection and the Risen Christ makes real and fulfills the prayer for forgiveness. In other words, Jesus acts out his prayer and answers it. When Jesus comes, when the Risen Christ confronts those disciples who abandoned and denied him, he greets them with grace, he greets them as already forgiven, “Peace be with you.”
What does it have to do with us? Everything! When Jesus comes to us he comes with grace in spite of who we are and what we’ve done, or not done, and says, “Peace be with you.”
Huston Smith, a scholar of world religions, gave a lecture a few years ago in which he characterized the most notable and peculiar aspect of each world religion. For Islam he said it was prayer. For Judaism it was family. For Christianity it was forgiveness. There are those who say that for them the main proof that Jesus was divine lies not in his resurrection but in his crucifixion. He is not like us. He is divine. Even from the cross he forgives.
Forgiveness is divine and Jesus carries it with him from the cross, to the grave, to Easter day, and it is central to the faith we hold and share.
Forgiveness is a difficult thing, but I think it’s most difficult in dear and important relationships. It is one thing to forgive a terrorist who carries out a bombing against some unknown civilians in a city far away. It is another thing to forgive your mother or father for abandoning you. It is one thing to forgive some dictator who causes hundreds of thousands of people to starve. It is another thing to forgive a son or daughter who has turned on you. It is one thing to proclaim pardon for some abusive criminal who has come to repentance. It is quite another thing to forgive a friend who has betrayed you. The more intimate the relationship, the harder it is to come to forgiveness. That is why it is such a remarkable, momentous, miraculous thing for Jesus to come to his fickle friends and say, “Peace be with you.”
Forgiveness is not an easy thing. It’s not just a matter of covering up and forgetting some wrongdoing. It’s not a matter of condoning inexcusable or hurtful behavior. It’s a matter of setting things right and working toward reconciliation.
Many years ago I counseled the mother of a young man who was a substance abuser. He was addicted to very expensive drugs and had committed many crimes to pay for his habit. He had done jail time. By the time I knew of the situation, he had robbed his mother over and over. He had stolen jewelry and appliances from her home. He had stolen her checkbook, forged and cashed fraudulent checks in her name.
During one session she said to me, “I find it so hard to forgive him, and as a Christian, I know I should forgive him.” I remember saying something like this in response: “What you’re talking about has nothing to do with forgiveness. There is no forgiveness if there has been no recognition of wrong. He has not indicated any sense of wrongdoing. There is no forgiveness if there is no repentance. He is not repentant. Your idea of forgiveness is a matter of forgetting what happened and enabling him to continue in his self-destructive course. Your idea of forgiveness will make sure that he will remain an addict and you will remain the victim, a doormat.” I don’t know if I was helpful to her. I know I was upset for her.
A pastor tells of a young woman who was being abused by her boyfriend. She said, “I’ve prayed to God for the strength to be able to forgive him.” Her pastor said to her, “No. First you tell him that he is wrong, that if he abuses you again, you are going to call the cops, have him thrown in jail, and then, and only then, if he stops, then we’ll talk forgiveness.”
Forgiveness is not cheap or easy. It’s not a matter of condoning, covering up, or forgetting. It is a recognition of sin. It involves contrition. It demands a change in behavior and results in reconciliation. It’s tough, and it’s even tougher when the relationship matters. And forgiveness is to be our hallmark as followers of Christ.
But when Jesus comes, it’s different. When Jesus comes, he comes with divine forgiveness, forgiveness from above and beyond. When Jesus comes, when Jesus comes to his disciples he comes saying, “Peace be with you.” When Jesus comesl he says, “Peace be with you,” even before Peter has a chance to say, “I’m sorry,” even before the disciples have a chance to say, “Oops, I’m sorry. You must be disappointed in us.” Before anything, “Peace be with you.” Jesus comes bringing peace, seeking to offer forgiveness, seeking reconciliation, seeking new beginnings.
And so Jesus comes to us. Jesus comes to us and greets us, “Peace be with you.” Jesus comes to us seeking to forgive. Jesus comes to us, not to condemn us, but for us to be reconciled to him, and to give us new and abundant life.