A Reflection for the Second Sunday of Easter

(Carved- Painted Frieze Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris)

We have a common saying that expresses our insistence on tangible proof of every faith claim: "I'll believe it when I see it."

And just when will that be? I ask myself, as I read this passage about Jesus' appearances to the disciples and then to Thomas. When will the moment come when we look up and really notice, really see the Risen Lord who stands before us in every room in our house, in every situation in our lives? He is, in fact, standing beside you right now as you read this. Have you noticed?

The disciples were, John tells us, locked in their room "for fear of the Jews." "The Jews" is John's label for those among the religious leadership of the day who opposed Jesus. And, probably, code for those who opposed his community at the end of the first century…

I don't take the disciples' fear lightly. There was danger out there. Who knew whether the people who had killed their leader would now come after them? (Jn. 15:18, 19) Or whether they would be accused of having stolen his body in some resurrection scam? They were locked in their room with their fear and their grief.

That was bad enough, but now Mary had to come and introduce a ridiculous hope into their grief: that she had seen him and that he had spoken to her. How could such a thing be true? If I had been there in that locked room, I would have been thinking "I'll believe it when I see it." But the fact that I was looking down would have made that impossible. I would have tried looking at the four walls and the locked door. But all they signal is fear and false security. I would have tried looking at my friends' faces. But all they signal is grief and confusion. So I would have been looking down, staring at my feet and at the floor, when the Risen Lord arrived.

There is so much we miss when we're looking down.

In these two scenes (Jn. 20:19-23 and 20:24-29) taken together, there are a couple of crucial things we would miss.

We would miss our Risen Lord's greeting.

And We would miss his good news.

We would miss the Risen Jesus' Greeting: "Peace be with you."

Jesus' greeting is not a statement of what Jesus wishes for his disciples. It is a statement of fact, of present reality. And he says it not once, but three times (Jn. 20:19, 21, 26). In early Christian worship services, the "passing of the peace" echoed this greeting of the Risen Lord whom they believed, as we do today, that he was in their midst when they gathered to worship. Worshipers greeted one another with the kiss of peace and the words "The Peace of Christ be with you." I always feel cheated when, in a worship service these days, we are told to greet one another and everybody goes around shaking hands and saying "Good morning."

"I hope you are having a good morning" is a far cry from "The Peace of Christ be with you." The former is wishful thinking. The latter is a statement of the way things are because the Risen Christ, present with us in worship, has brought us peace.

Jesus wasn't the first to use this greeting. "Peace be with you" is a greeting used by God in the Old Testament when God approaches humans and they tremble with fear of punishment. (See Jdg. 6:23.) It conveys that the divine manifestation will not harm the recipient.

In the Old Testament, peace is invoked, not only in greetings, but also in farewells. "Go in peace" (1 Sam. 1:17, 20:42; 2 Sam. 15:9; 2 Kgs. 5:19).

The psalms and prophets speak of the peace of God. Peace is God's gift of inner serenity to those who place their trust in God (Ps. 4:8; Is. 26:3, 12)…

This isn't the first time Jesus has uttered this greeting. "Peace be with you," is the fulfillment of a promise Jesus made to his disciples in chapter 14 of John's Gospel (Jn. 14:18-28). The disciples were afraid that they would be "orphaned" (14:18). Jesus assured them that the Father, in his name, would send the Holy Spirit to both "teach and remind" them of Jesus' message (14:26). He then promises them peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid . . . I am going away and I am coming to you" (14:27, 28).

Well, now he's back, as promised. Now here he stands in the midst of his disciples whose hearts are both troubled and afraid, reminding them of the gift of peace which he has already given them…

If there are places in your life and in the life of your community where troubled thoughts and anxious visions of the future have banished peace, you will want to make sure you are looking up this Easter Season. Make sure you're in a posture where you can see and hear the Risen Lord standing before you expressing the way things are now, not wishful thinking: "Peace be with you." The Risen Lord brings Peace.

That's not something we want to miss out on simply because we are looking down.

If we are not looking up, we might miss the Good News.

Both in this initial scene with the disciples and the one a week later with Thomas, after Jesus greets them with "Peace be with you," he shows them his hands and his side. In the second scene, he invites Thomas to touch his hands and his side.

Throughout the centuries the "Five Holy Wounds" of Christ have inspired Christians prayerfully to contemplate the sufferings of Christ. "I should be dead, but yet here I stand." Is that what the wounds say to me? In our world that teems with violence, despair, cynicism, and fear could easily overpower hope and faith if it weren't for the fact that, in Jesus' words, "The ruler of this world has no power over me" (Jn. 14:30). The wounds say that love is stronger than death, that the worst brutality of which human beings are capable is no match for the resurrecting power of God.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio (1571-1610)

If there are places in your life and in the life of your community where despair, cynicism and fear seem to rule, you will want to make sure you are looking up this Easter Season so you can see and touch the wounds of the Risen Christ, visible signs of the ultimate victory of life over death that strengthen us for the smaller battles that lie ahead.

"I'll believe it when I see it," we often say. "I'll believe it when I see and touch it," says Thomas.

You can't blame him. He wasn't there when Jesus made his first visit. He wants firsthand proof that what the others have reported to him is actually true.

So do I, but I'm not going to get it. For years, I've yearned for more direct evidence. If I could feel Jesus' arm around my shoulder, maybe. If I could hear him say some audible words in my ear. If, when I closed my eyes, I could see his face or, better yet, if, when I opened them, he would be right there in front of me . . . But all I have to go on is faith. Fortunately, it is enough to nourish and sustain me day by day.

I take some comfort in Jesus' chastisement of Thomas. "You have believed because you have seen me" (20:29). It leads directly to his blessing on you and me: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Heads up!

Adapted from Heads Up! Jesus Is All Around: by Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie 

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MAY GOD’S BLESS US TO GROW AND THRIVE – IN 2025!

May God Bless you and yours as we journey through this Blessed Easter Season…

As we see, appreciate and embrace the Great Gift of God with us

May God’s Spirit empower us to

“expect great things from God and to attempt great things for God”…

and

May God Continue to Bless Union Church!

-Pastor Mark