Holy moley he did what? John 20:19-31 Holy Humor Sunday 08

Reader: Imagine, if you can suspend disbelief for a few minutes, two disciples of Jesus talking.

Disciple 1: Wait till you hear the latest! There we were- a bunch of Jesus’ followers huddled in fear in a locked house (to congregation let’s not call us wimps because I’m pretty sure YOU’d be right in there)—when through the wall comes Jesus!

Disciple 2: Holy moley, He did what?

1: Yup, right through that wall.

2: This is one of those “you’ve got to be kidding” stories, right? I mean, April Fool’s only a couple of days away.

1: No, he really did. One minute we’re all feeling miserable and guilty and scared because he’s dead and we abandoned him….the next minute, Ta-da! He’s right there in the room with us.

2. Oh my gosh. I bet he really let you have it for letting him down!

1: no he didn’t. He just said, Peace be upon you.

2: Holy moley, He did what?

1: Peace. Shalom. A greeting of love, and not an ounce of recrimination, or hurt or anything. If it had been me left to die by my friends I think I’d have said, “where the heck were you?”

2: Yes, me too. But remember how he never blamed people for things that other people would blame them for , and he forgave people’s sins, forgave us for not understanding him, even when we were pretty impulsive and stupid. And he was never one for violent words or actions. Revenge and recriminations are hurtful, so it fits that he wouldn’t use them.

1: I suppose you’re right. But I thought something like his awful death would change him. I felt so bad about his death, and I was so surprised when he came through the wall that my first thought was ‘uh oh, we’re in trouble now’ .

2: But it DID change him, or his resurrection did. I mean, he came through the wall for goodness sake!

1: But that wasn’t all. After the surprise of the wall, and the surprise of the blessing of peace, he says that he’s sending us out, just as God sent him, and to do God’s work we should take his Spirit with us…so he breathes on us.

2: Holy moley, He did what?

1: I know, weird, huh? Remember he talked about the wind being like God’s spirit? How we couldn’t see it but knew it was there and working when we saw what it did?

2: Ye…s. Oh yes, and I remember at the time we thought it was hilarious, because when we speak Greek, wind and spirit are the same word. We thought he was such a clever punny guy.

1: Well, it suddenly struck me, breath is the same word too! So his breath on us is like the wind, is like God’s own spirit… so we just need to breathe in, a good deep breath, and we can be filled up with the spirit of Jesus.

And if we’re filled with the spirit of Jesus, we are going to be able to continue to do his work, more and more like him. And if we’re filled with the spirit of Jesus, there’s less room for the toxins that we usually breathe in.

2: Toxins? Like what?

1: I was thinking about that. That night, we were afraid of the authorities; we thought we might be next to be arrested. We didn’t want to be associated with Jesus. We were ashamed to be thought of as one of his followers. We were full of the toxin of fear.

And we were there in a safe cocoon, behind locked doors, sticking together like rice, warm and cozy and, ironically, more comfortable than we were when we were out on the road with him. That’s the toxin of comfort that our lives are based on.

And remember Thomas? Well, he wasn’t there the first time, so he didn’t believe us. Lots of people don’t believe what they can’t see or prove, or say they don’t. But they believe in the wind, so I’ve never really bought their argument. Anyway, Thomas wasn’t having any of it. That’s the toxin of skepticism.

None of those toxins we breathe in leave much room for God to manoever.

2: Wait a minute. You said the first time—you mean it happened again?

1: Yup, one week later. And Thomas was there this time. We were still keeping a low profile. I think we hadn’t really practiced breathing in the Spirit. Still fearful, still safely comfortable, still skeptical. I think the business of belief and faith is a process that takes practice. I’m still working on it.

But I believe what Jesus said, that with his Spirit in us, we have the very power and presence of God within and around us, and the more we draw on it, the more we make a bit of God’s future real in the present moment. That’s what I think he meant about bringing about the kingdom of God here and now, on earth as in heaven. It’s our job to help make heaven and earth meet, as often as we can, so earth is touched by heaven more and more, and transformed. Just like Jesus was transformed. Just like Mary is being transformed – have you seen her lately? Wow, changed woman…. Just like I’m being transformed.

2: so it happened again? And Thomas got it?

1: yes, and it happened again and again. And it’s still happening. Jesus shows up in unexpected ways and in unexpected places. The more we’re filled with his spirit, breathing it in, the more we recognize him in others.

And his spirit is still at work, too….calming our fear, disrupting our comfort, reassuring our doubts…..and above all, sending us out to continue his work.

Both: Thanks be to God!