John 20:11-23

For Mary Magdalen as she weeps outside the tomb, wondering what has happened to Jesus, there is a wonderful revelation. The presence of the two angels in the tomb tells us he has not been stolen; this is a divine intervention. In turning to leave she comes face to face with Jesus who, for some reason, she does not recognise until he calls her name. In the surprise she must have tried to hold on to him, but John tells us this is not right, she has a job to do, to go and find the disciples and tell them that he is going to his Father.

That same evening, he appears to the disciples. The tension of the times they are in is indicated by the locked door and their fear. The resurrected body of Jesus is no longer held by physical constraints and, all of a sudden, he is there. Convinced it is him they rejoice. Jesus speaks his peace over them and commissions them to go and continue the ministry. He breathes the Holy Spirit over them, giving them authority to forgive or not forgive a person sins. This is not dissimilar to Matthew 16:19, 18:18, but in this gospel the non-forgiveness of sins is related to people not believing in Jesus. The tense used here is passive implying that they are declaring what God does; He alone can forgive sins.

It is hard to imagine the emotional rollercoaster the disciples have been on in a few short days, but this encounter and those to follow will convince them of the truth of the resurrection in such a way that they too will be willing to suffer and die for the gospel.

Response: Choose a word, phrase, idea or action that strikes you as significant at this moment in your life and spend a few minutes reflecting on it.