Easter: Peace and Forgiveness

Christ is risen! We are celebrating this. So in our gatherings there is a lot of great music, there is a celebratory spirit, there is a lot of optimism, and there is so much joy.

However, this was not the mood on the first Easter. Instead of joy, there was a lot of chaos. There was a violent earthquake (Matt 28:2). The soldiers guarding the tomb were scared because they saw a man whose “appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (Matt 28:3). They were so afraid that they shook and became like dead men (28:4). Mary Magdalene was frantic that Jesus’ body was gone (John 20:1), so she ran to Peter and John who also did not understand what was going on (20:9-10). Mary felt extreme grief that she stayed in the tomb, and mistook Jesus as the gardener who stole Jesus’ body (John 20:15). The religious leaders became scared of the news of the resurrection, so they instructed the guards to spread false news that the disciples took Jesus’ body (Matt 28:11-15). Many the people heard the news of the resurrection, which was why the disciples asked the stranger on the road: “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:18).

Aside from chaos, there was a lot of fear. On resurrection day, the guards became afraid (Matt 28:4), the women who came to the tomb even trembled and remained mute (Mark 16:8). Even the disciples were afraid (Matt 28:10), and they have good reasons. For the disciples, the resurrection was not good news. It was bad news, particularly because the religious leaders accused them of stealing a dead body in order to propagate a story of resurrection! In the eyes of the religious leaders and the pious Jews who were so eager to have Jesus crucified, the disciples violated so many laws: touching a dead body, desecrating a tomb, teaching about resurrection (the Sanhedrin would have been furious), and spreading blasphemy. We must remember that Jesus got killed for blasphemy. The disciples were so afraid that they stayed together “with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19).

We are very spoiled today because we only face Easter with all its joyful and victorious overtones, but the early disciples were suffering. The resurrection for us today means life, but for the disciples, it meant their death. Whether the resurrection was true or false, it meant that they were doomed to be pursued by the religious leaders. For them, since dawn, they were feeling anxious about their life. The irony of all these is that Jesus allows them to experience such an uneasiness for the entire day! Jesus appears to them only in the evening. Let us read John 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus appeared to the disciples in the midst of their confusion and fear. I actually like this passage because I think Jesus was trying to re-orient them. So far, the resurrection was bad news to the disciples, but Jesus wants them to understand that the resurrection is good news! Instead of feeling confused and afraid, what they should experience is peace (John 20:19, 21). The disciples did not understand the resurrection, but Jesus wanted them to understand its meaning and significance in their lives.

So what is the resurrection about?

The resurrection is about Jesus’ PRESENCE

“Jesus came and stood among them” (John 20:19)

There is no greater comfort when we are faced with confusion, fear, or sorrow than God making Himself present beside us or among us. Most people, when suffering, feels abandoned by God. They feel as if God has left them alone. What they need is not entertainment that can drown their sorrow, or friends who can make them forget realities, or substances that can numb their emotions. What people need in times of fear is the presence of God Himself. And this was precisely what Jesus gave the disciples. I like the description about what happened to the disciples when Jesus showed up: “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20).

Depression is real. Fear is real. Confusion is real. The feeling of being alone is real. But God is also real. He never fails to show up in our deepest pains. He never fails to come to us when we need Him. It can be granted that sometimes Jesus can be late, like in the first Easter, but He will show up anyway. Easter is the assurance that Jesus shows up when we need Him the most.

… bringing PEACE

“Peace be with you” (John 20:19, 21)

What is peace? In Hebrew it is shalom, which means wholeness. Peace is the experience of comprehensive happiness, when everything is at the right place. It means that every aspect of our life is well. It does not mean the absence of pain or struggle; but it means contentment and happiness in the midst of struggle. It is the experience of satisfaction in life.

For sure, the disciples did not have peace. They were confused and terrified. They were anxious about their future.

But most of all, they did not have peace because they were so broken as a group and as individuals. Peace is possible only when we are right with God, right with others, and right with ourselves. Unfortunately, the disciples were not right with God because they knew deep in their hearts that they abandoned the Messiah, the Anointed One, right when He needed them. They disciples were not right with one another; in fact, the probably could not look at each other because they knew that each one of them failed. Maybe they were blaming one another. Maybe they were looking down at each other, particularly at Peter, who denied Jesus three times. They were not right with themselves, because they knew they have failed miserably.

The disciples were feeling condemned, accused, guilty, and ashamed. They did not have peace. But Jesus came to them precisely to offer what they needed. He said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19, 21) twice. The resurrection is about the coming of Christ to bring peace to our broken lives.

… as a result of PARDON of sins

“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven” (John 20:23)

We can experience peace—or wholeness—only if we experience forgiveness. Let us remember that the disciples felt guilt and shame before God for their sins. They also felt ashamed with one another, because they were not faithful to their Master and supportive of each other. They felt ashamed of themselves, because they were not able to live up to their own confessions. The night before Jesus was crucified, one of the conversations among them was this (Matt 26:33-35):

Peter said, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

³⁴ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

I am sure that this particular conversation was still fresh in the minds of the disciples. The memory serves as biting judgment against them. Judas hanged himself because of his guilt, and the disciples felt the same heavy guilt. So when Jesus came to them and said, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven” (John 20:23), he was offering them a way out. He is saying that He has already forgiven them, but they need to forgive each other and forgive themselves. They can only experience peace if they accept God’s forgiveness and if they also learn to forgive. 

Jesus did not only give them hope for themselves. Jesus has given them a mission to preach forgiveness and lead others to experience forgiveness. Our mission is to find others who have no peace, and lead them to experience the peace that comes from forgiveness. The resurrection is for us, but also for others through us. 

Conclusion

What is the resurrection for the disciples? It is about Jesus’ PRESENCE bringing PEACE that comes from PARDON of sins. My prayer is that at Easter, each one of us will experience this. May Jesus come and visit our homes. May Jesus come and manifest Himself today so that those who have no peace might experience peace, and those who need forgiveness might also be forgiven.