19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
John 20:19-23

It’s the day of the resurrection – the first day of the week. And it’s evening. There is, among the disciples, a sense of wonderment. Some of them have seen the risen Master and the others are not sure what to think. But nothing is the same as it was before. It’s as though everything is becoming fresh and new. Whereas before there was nothing but despondency and defeat, a sense that the world was, after all, unchanged and everything had relapsed into the old status quo – now, there is wonder and anticipation.

To be sure they are still afraid that those who murdered the Master will now come after His disciples. But they have come together. Drawn by the news of Jesus’ resurrection, they have come together on this, the first day of the week – just as His Church has done ever since.

There’s a lot to remind us here of that other beginning – the creation account in the book of Genesis. It’s there where the week with its Sabbath came into being. God made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them in six days and rested the seventh day, wherefore He blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. And now this is the beginning of a new week in history, the day after that old Sabbath.

In the first beginning, in the garden, when God came looking for Adam (Genesis 3:8), he and Eve had shut themselves away out of fear too. But they were afraid of their Creator. They had covered themselves with fig leaves and hid from God Who came in the cool of evening. The Hebrew literally says He came in the “wind” or the “Spirit” of the day. It’s the same Hebrew word. And Adam and Eve had to be expelled from His presence.
The death and resurrection of Jesus have completely changed all that. Everything is made over anew. Adam and Eve had hidden themselves in the midst (literally) of the trees of the garden. Now, when God comes in the person of Jesus Christ, He comes into the midst of the disciples, but they are not hiding from Him, they are glad to see Him. They are not alienated from one another. They have come together. When Jesus comes, He does not expel them in judgement, He sends them out in peace and with peace to offer.

Just as in the garden, He came to Adam and Eve, now also Jesus comes in the evening. He comes in the Spirit of the Day. He comes with the Wind of His breath to breathe on them just as He breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7) and He makes new men for a new humanity in a new world.

“As my Father has sent Me, so I am sending you”, says Jesus. I’m sending you to do in the whole world, what I did in Israel. I’m sending you to be the wind of the Spirit, I’m sending you to be the lights of the world, I’m sending you to be living Words, I’m sending you to bring the Bread of Life. I’m sending you to lay down your lives in order to bless others.

They are given peace (verse 19) in order to give peace (verse 21). Jesus authorizes His Church to pronounce in God’s Name, and by His Spirit, the forgiveness of sins to all who, believing in Jesus, come into His new creation by baptism. And He authorizes her to withhold that forgiveness from all those who would rather remain in the old world; who would rather behave as though Jesus is not risen from the dead.

But He is risen. In this supper of bread and wine He comes to be with us and, by faith, we see Him and are glad. And He gives us His life and peace that we might take both out to the world.

Revd. Arthur Kay is Assistant Minister at St John’s with Trinity, Free Church of England, Tottington, UK.

Header painting by Paul Bennett.