If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
There is a true story about a pastor named Jim. Jim was boarding a plane to fly coast-to-coast and sat next to another man. In response to the obligatory job question, Jim said, “I am a preacher of the Gospel.” The man next to him responded, “I’m not a believer!” Jim assured him that was okay, and they kept talking. Turned out that the man had been a soldier in Vietnam and ever since had carried with him all the awful things he’d seen and done there. As the plane flew the man dumped his entire story out into the lap of the pastor.
When he had finished, Jim asked the man, “Have you confessed all the sins that have been troubling you?” The man balked. “Confess? I haven’t confessed anything!” Jim unbuckled his seatbelt mid-landing and stood over the man. “Well, that’s quite all right,” he said. “Jesus says it’s what’s inside of you is the problem. I’m going to speak faith into you.” And he proceeded with the absolution: “In the name of Jesus Christ and by his authority, I declare the entire forgiveness of all your sins.”
The man balked again: “You can’t do that!” To which Jim responded, “I can! And I just did! And I will do it again!” And he did. The man began weeping uncontrollably until finally he began laughing uncontrollably, all the way down the tarmac to the gate. As the two men were grabbing their overhead luggage, Jim grabbed the man’s hand and gave him his card and said, “You’re likely not going to believe your forgiveness tomorrow or the next day or a week from now. When you stop having faith in it, call me and I’ll bear witness to you all over again and I’ll keep on doing it until you really do—trust and believe it.” The man did. He called Jim every day until the day he died, just to hear the declaration spoken over him in Christ Jesus. Surrendering to this absolution became something he couldn’t live without.
My questions for you this morning are: Is the forgiveness of sins really possible? How can I know my sins are forgiven?
Lucky for us, our reading from John’s Gospel this morning has the answer to our question. At this point in John’s gospel, the disciples are afraid. All of their hopes and dreams have crashed and burned. Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah – God’s anointed one who would conquer God’s enemies and usher in his kingdom But Jesus was dead now, and they didn’t know what they were going to do They were just followers of another revolutionary leader who had failed, so they hid, hoping that the religious leaders wouldn’t find them, because they knew they could be put to death. But… in the midst of their fear and hopelessness, Jesus came to them.
You see, Jesus wasn’t dead anymore. He had risen from the dead. Entering through a locked door, Jesus appears and announces peace. He had promised his disciples peace earlier, when he was on his way to be crucified, and now he is making good on that promise. This is the peace that only Jesus can give them.
It’s hard to imagine what the disciples were thinking. They were definitely not expecting this. Maybe they thought they were seeing things? Or Maybe they thought this was a ghost?
To prove it’s really him, and not a ghost, Jesus shows them the wounds in his hands from the nails, and the wound in his side from the spear. Jesus had resurrected in the same body he had before. Except he was more alive than ever. He had gone through death and come out the other side. Jesus had proven that he was God’s anointed one and was fulfilling his mission. The disciples were seeing God’s faithfulness before their eyes. Then Jesus tells them something surprising: “As the father has sent me, so send I you.”
To be clear, Jesus is not sending them to die and rise for the sins of the world. That was Jesus’ unique calling and only he could fulfill it.
At this point Jesus had announced his peace twice to the disciples – and for a reason: The mission, the calling, that Jesus is about to give the disciples is not the command of a controlling boss or a harsh dictator but a calling motivated by love for the world. In a way similar to his being sent by the Father, Jesus is now going to send his disciples. Then he breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” the comforter that he promised he would send to them.
Now you may be asking yourself: You keep talking about the disciples’ mission, but what has Jesus sent them to do? Jesus answers that question in the next verse: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
That’s a bold claim. Is this forgiveness really possible? Is it available to me and you?
Paul soberly tells the church in Corinth that if Christ had not been raised from the dead, then we are still dead in our sins and there is no hope for us. If this life is all there is, then forgiveness is not possible. All your guilt and shame, all the things you’ve done wrong, and all the things you should have done, will never be put right. It will all just die along with you, and that’s it.
If the resurrection is just metaphor, just a symbol of love, what are we doing here? Better to eat, drink, and party because all that’s left for us is death.
But, death is not the last word.
The Church exists because of Easter Sunday. The one who entered into death came out the other side and promises everlasting life to those who turn to him in faith. In announcing the forgiveness of sins, Jesus is announcing that the resurrection has changed human history. Jesus is telling the disciples that because of his sinless life, substitutionary death, and resurrection, the Church is free to pronounce the forgiveness of sins.
The reason the Church exists is to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. In the Nicene Creed, after confessing the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. In baptism, we are clothed with Christ’s forgiveness for us woven by his death and resurrection. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection become ours.
That same forgiveness comes to us through the preached gospel, and the absolution and remission of sins. The Sacraments, the Gospel, Absolution – all these are the ways God promises himself to us here and now.
They are like an anchor, that stabilizes us through the wind and waves of life. They are also like a lighthouse, because focusing on them keeps us from crashing on the rocks.
You see, it’s so easy to look at yourself, to see your doubt, your sin, the mess inside of you and to wonder if maybe the forgiveness of sins isn’t for you. Maybe you don’t have enough faith – and you probably don’t.
But faith isn’t about you, it’s about God, and his promise because God loves and cares for you, he pulls you outside of yourself and points you to Jesus.
Jesus says, I baptized you – do you think I’m going to let go of you now?
Jesus says, I forgive your sins – all you need to do is say, Amen! The same Jesus who rose from the dead comes to you and to me through his Church.
In the preached gospel, the absolution, the sacraments, Jesus comes to you and says:
Peace be with you.
Sermon preached by the Rev. David M. Svihel, Deacon.
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
2nd Sunday of Easter
11 April 2021