The Second Sunday of Easter Peace To You
Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!) In today’s Gospel, our freshly resurrected Jesus appears to His disciples and says to them, “Peace to you!” Three times our Lord repeats Himself to them, emphasizing the point: “Peace to you!” Dear Christian friends, Let’s begin by splitting hairs and straining gnats, so to speak: A very small word has been added to the translation of these Words from Jesus, “Peace to you.” As you read and heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus’ greeting of peace gets translated into English as, “Peace be with you” (ESV and others). This is not a terribly bad or unfaithful translation. Simply note that the little English word “be” has been added. More literally, Jesus only says, “Peace to you” or “Peace with you.” The English translation has good intentions for adding that little English word “be,” but there seems to be much greater force in the wording: “Peace to you” or “Peace with you.” • By adding that English word “be,” the Words of Jesus might run the risk of sounding a little too much like a Hallmark® greeting card, or a wish. Think about the example of someone who is leaving on a long road trip: You might say to that person, “BE safe.” With those words, you merely express a wish or a desire. When you say the words, “BE safe,” you are either telling the person how to behave, or you are expressing a hope and desire that your loved one will remain indeed remain safe while traveling. You are not actually giving safety to that person with your Words. • By contrast, Jesus gives peace with His Words! Appearing to them in the power of His resurrection, Jesus does NOT wish peace upon His disciples in today’s Gospel, when He says to them, “Peace to you.” Jesus NOT merely expressing hope or desire that the disciples will somehow find peace or finally achieve peace. Jesus actually and literally GIVES His gift and miracle peace to His disciples each and every time He repeats to them, “Peace to you!” or “Peace with you!” Think of the example of a man who goes to the coatrack, retrieves his wife’s coat, and holds it out toward her, saying, “Your coat.” IN THE SAME WAY, Jesus came to His disciples in today’s Gospel and said to them, “Peace to you.” With these Words, Jesus holds peace out toward them like the man holds the coat toward his wife; Jesus lays His gift of peace upon them in the same way that the man would place his wife’s coat around her shoulders. That is why I want to split hairs and strain gnats, so to speak. I do not say that it is wrong or unfaithful to translate Jesus Words in today’s Gospel as “Peace be with you.” I simply want you to taste and feel a bit more of the force or strength in Jesus’ Words, which that little English word “be” might partially hide: not so much “Peace be with you” as “Peace TO you” or “Peace WITH you.” “Peace TO you” is very good and beneficial FOR you because Christ is risen. (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!) By coming, speaking, and GIVING peace to His trembling disciples in today’s Gospel, the resurrected Jesus is also showing you several things that will prove to be a great help to your faith. 1. One minor benefit of today’s Gospel is that it gives you a way of thinking about your own pastor. Look at the condition of those trembling disciples. Not only were they feeling “fear of the Jews,” but each of these men was guilty of his own sin, having committed grave and serious sins against Jesus. Remember how St. Mark summarized the situation on Maundy Thursday: “They all left Him and fled.” The same Jesus from whom these men had fled now came back to them. You heard how the disciples felt joy and relief in today’s Gospel. Not JUST happy to see Jesus, part of the disciples’ joy and relief came from the fact that Jesus immediately announced the forgiveness of their sins. “Peace to you” is simply another form of “I forgive you.” Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace… with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace… with you.” Perhaps you do not find this amazing, but I certainly do: in today’s Gospel, those who given the job of speaking forgiveness ALSO RECEIVE for themselves the very forgiveness that they preach! • Stated another way, these disciples are sinners whom Jesus now sends out to sinners. Disciples, pastors, preachers of the church: they need for themselves the very same forgiveness from God that they must give to others. • The forgiveness from Jesus that you hear me speak and proclaim to you? It is the same forgiveness I deeply need, continually need, repeatedly need from Jesus. White robes do not display my holiness; white robes are simply the sack that holds the worms. What sin afflicts and tortures you that does not also afflict and torture me? There is no such thing! Jesus in today’s Gospel graciously and wonderfully demonstrates that we all together need AND RECEIVE God’s gifts! For me as well as for you, for disciples as well as for the whole world, Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!) Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace… with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace… with you.” 2. Today’s Gospel also gives you a very good way of thinking about your participation in Holy Communion, not merely today, but every Sunday. After the Words of Institution, just prior to distributing Christ’s Body and Blood for our forgiveness, we Christians pray together the ancient words of the Pax Domini, or, “The Peace of the Lord” (bulletin p. 10). Pax Domini P The peace of the Lord be with you always. C Amen. • Here is the first thing to bear in mind when you hear these Words: the words of our liturgy come from today’s Gospel, where Jesus does not so much say, “Peace be with you” as He says, “Peace to you” or “Peace with you.” That is to say, when you hear our Lord’s Pax Domini in worship, this is not merely a Hallmark® greeting or a wish for your peace. Rather, the Pax Domini, the Peace of the Lord, actually gives you Jesus’ gift of peace—in the same way that a man might give his wife’s coat to her, wrapping it around her shoulders. • Here is the second thing to bear in mind when you hear these Words: Jesus loves to repeat Himself. Three times in today’s Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, “Peace to you.” These Words are simply another form of Jesus’ forgiveness of sins. Over and over again, Jesus spoke and gave forgiveness to sinful, guilty people here in today’s Gospel! The same thing happens to us here in our liturgy. Here, Jesus repeats Himself. Here, Jesus never grows tired of speaking forgiveness to you. Invocation, Absolution, Sermon, Benediction, Pax Domini: these all have but one purpose and goal. These all speak and repeat Jesus’ forgiveness and peace to you, just as Jesus repeated “Peace to you” in today’s Gospel. • Third, when you hear Pax Domini in our liturgy, it would be very good for you to fix your attention upon the consecrated Bread and Wine, Body and Blood of our Lord, here on the altar. In today’s Gospel, when Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace to you,” He also “showed them His hands and His side.” Stated another way, Jesus pointed His disciples to the Body given for their forgiveness—the very same Body-joined-to-bread here for you. Jesus pointed His disciples to those places, His hands and His side, from whence His Blood was poured for their salvation—the very same blood of salvation poured out for you here, in Jesus-Blood joined-to-wine. Your Holy Communion here is nothing other than your own place in the Upper Room, where Jesus comes and bestows His resurrection forgiveness and peace upon you. These Words themselves carry forgiveness, even for those who might not yet commune. • Finally, when you hear the Pax Domini in our liturgy, bear in mind that the peace given here is for everyone. Even pastors get the forgiveness that Jesus brings! Even more particular for your life, you YOURSELF get the forgiveness that Jesus brings! You are forgiven all your sins because Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!) Because Christ is risen, there now is peace. The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list [email protected] http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
