Sunday's Message - The Other Pentecost Story

Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale on Pentecost Sunday, May 31.

John 20:19-23

Now while it was early evening of that first day of the week and the doors were locked where the disciples were because of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace to you.” And after he spoke, he showed [his] hands and side to them. Now the disciples rejoiced because they saw the Lord. Now he said to them again, “Peace to you. Just as the father sent out me, and I'm also sending you.” And after he said this, he breathed and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you might forgive the sins of any, then the sins have been forgiven them. If you might retain [the sins of any], then [the sins] have been retained.”

The Other Pentecost Story

Of course, as we’ve been talking about, this morning is Pentecost, the one Sunday a year we remember and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now, that’s something we know, right? What most Christians may not know is that there are actually two Pentecost stories, one in the Gospel of John and the other in the book of Acts. Of course, it’s the story from Acts that generally comes to mind when we hear the word Pentecost and think about the coming the Holy Spirit. This was how the Evangelist Luke described it: “On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.” [Acts 2:1-4, CEV] Now that’s the story most of us know, and I’ve got to tell you, that includes me. I mean, since 1997, I’ve preached this passage eleven times. Man, that’s a lot of sermons based on the same story.

But that’s not the only story about the coming of the Holy Spirit. You see, the other one is in the passage we read just a little while ago from John. And even though it’s usually not the one we use on Pentecost, I think it can offer us a lot of information about Jesus and the Spirit that we might miss if we focus only on Acts. And so this morning, we’re going to talk about this other Pentecost story and we’re going to see three things we might otherwise miss, in other words, three truths in this account that can really influence how we feel and what we do.

I mean, just think about what the Evangelist John wrote. First, I believe this story is about a promise, and I’m talking about a promise from Jesus to his disciples. For example, the Evangelist was very clear in what he said about the disciples. Man, they were also in a shut-down mode, but not because a virus. Rather, they were behind locked doors, because they were afraid, weren’t they? They were afraid of the Jews. And why wouldn’t they be? They’d pretty much put all their eggs in the Jesus basket, and what happened? According to John, the Jews had him nailed to a Roman cross. Let’s face it, the game was over, and in their minds, the only thing left was to hid out until the heat was off, and they could slink back to their lives. Take it to the bank, they were scared, and I’ll tell you, rumors about Jesus walking around after they put his body in a tomb probably didn’t help. And you know, because of that, I think what Jesus told them was really important. Remember, after he appeared to them, he said, “Peace to you.” And I’ll tell you, I think this was more than just a “hi, how are you.” A few days earlier, Jesus had said this: “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” [John 14:27, CEV] And a little later, he said, “I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.”[John 16:33, CEV] Now that’s what he said. But I’ll tell you, Jesus did more than just keep his promise and give his disciples peace. He also showed them his hands and sides, just so they would know it was him. And if that wasn’t good enough, he said “Peace to you” again. You see, according to this story, that’s what Jesus offered his scared disciples. He fulfilled his promise to them. He gave them peace. And you know, it must have worked because John wrote that “...the disciples rejoiced because they saw the Lord. ” [John 20:20b]

And I don’t know about y’all, but there are times when I need to hear that same promise myself, but don’t we all? I mean, aren’t there times when we all feel afraid, afraid of a doctor’s report, afraid for our children and grandchildren, afraid that the world is never going to return to the way it was and that we just might get lost in the shuffle? And doesn’t that fear lead to some confusion (I know it does for me), and we end up feeling like we’re just running around with no real focus and not at all sure where we should go next? I’ll tell you, I think there are times we all feel afraid and confused, in fact, we may be feeling it right now. And that’s the reason we need to hear Jesus say to us, to you and to me, “Peace to you” and to trust that it’s being offered by the one who was lifted up on the cross and who was raised from the dead and who, right now, speaks for us when we speak to him. I’m telling you, when we feel frightened and confused, I believe we need to remember the promise found in this passage. But that’s not all.

Second, I think it’s also important to see the very real presence in this story. And for me, that’s grounded in what Jesus then said and did. Remember, after offering them peace the second time, this happened. Jesus said, “...Just as the father sent out me, and I'm also sending you." And after he said this, he breathed and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit....’” [John 20:21b-22] Now I think this breathing business is a big deal. I mean, do you remember another story, maybe from the Old Testament, where someone breathed and something happened? Well, let’s see if this jogs any memories: “The Lord God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.” [Genesis 2:7, CEV] And you know, that’s exactly what Jesus did for his disciples. I’m telling you, just like the Lord God breathed life into that lump of clay, Jesus breathed life, new life, eternal life into the disciples. And that breath was the Holy Spirit. Of course, those disciples were no strangers to who that Spirit was and what it would do. I mean, right at the beginning of the gospel, John the Baptist said, “I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him. Before this I didn’t know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” [John 1:32-33, CEV] And Jesus had already said, “But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.” [John 14:26, CEV] And so, even though Jesus wasn’t going to be around anymore, at least not physically, the disciples were going to be filled with a presence that would enable them to remember everything he said.

And brothers and sisters, that same presence is alive and well and living within us right now. You see, Jesus has already breathed on us, and we know that because we’re here. He’s already breathed on us, and we’ve been filled with new life. I mean, just think about it. Without our permission or help, Jesus has already said to us, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And with that Spirit has come everything we need in order to believe, everything we need in order to trust, everything we need in order to understand. In other words, the promise Jesus made to that woman at the well has become a reality for us. “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.’” [John 4:13-14, CEV] Believe me, we’ve been given the fountain. We’ve received the Holy Spirit. We’ve felt the breath of God. You see, this story is about a presence that fills us right now, and that’s something else we can take from this story.

And finally, this story is also about purpose, about the reason we’ve been filled. Remember, right after Jesus breathed on the disciples and told them to receive the Holy Spirit, he said, “If you might forgive the sins of any, then the sins have been forgiven them. If you might retain [the sins of any], then [the sins] have been retained.” [John 20:23, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus said, but before we assume that he was telling the disciples that they could arbitrarily forgive and retain the bad stuff that other people had done, it’s important to understand what the word “sin” means in the Gospel of John. You see, sin isn’t about running around, doing naughty things. Instead, it involves what you could called self-imposed blindness, you know, voluntary ignorance, in other words, the unwillingness to recognize that Jesus actually is the revelation of God. That’s sin. And I’ll tell you, we see it in this encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. “Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see,” your sin remains.’” [John 9:39-41, NRSV] You see what I mean by blindness? And that understanding of sin also explains why Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” [John 15:22-24, NRSV] And so, in the Gospel of John, sin really wasn’t about what a person did; it was about what a person believed. And how might a person believe? How might a person understand that the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son? In other words, how can a person move from sin to trust? They’d need to hear the story, right? They’d need to hear the truth, to hear the words of Jesus. And thanks to the presence of the Spirit, who are the only people who can share this message? Those who’ve been inspired and empowered by that same Spirit. But if those folks say nothing, what are they doing to their family and friends? Those silent disciples are ensuring that everybody with whom they could have talked remain ignorant, that they remain blind, that they remain in sin. But what if disciples speak, if they announce, if they share, and people believe and they understand and they trust? Well, their sins are forgiven. Therefore, what is the purpose of spirit-filled disciples? It’s to share, just like the Evangelist John did when he wrote this book. In describing his gospel, he said, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” [John 20:30-31, NRSV] You see, when he wrote the book, he claimed his purpose.

And brothers and sisters, so can we. I’m telling you, we’ve heard the promise and we’ve received the presence, now it’s up to us to claim our purpose. And even though it probably doesn’t involve writing a new gospel, it may involve inviting a friend or neighbor to church some Sunday and working as hard as we can to make what that person hears in this place as inviting and as clear as it can be. That’s one way. Or it may mean showing what Christian love is all about, that it’s not about what we get but about what we give. And it’s not about what we want but about what others need. In fact, it’s not about us at all, it’s about them. You see, that’s another way to share the good news. And of course, I’ve only mentioned two; there are others. But what’s really most important is that we, and I’m talking about us together, that we do something, because if we do, we’ll be doing what Jesus Christ himself did when he was here. We’re giving folks the chance to experience real forgiveness by pointing them toward the one who came to forgive. You see, that’s our purpose, something else we can take from this story.

Of course, I expect that great winds and tongues of fire, man, I think that’s always going to be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Pentecost. But having said that, let’s also keep in mind what John wrote, because in it, we can find a promise that comforts and a presence that empowers and a purpose that just might inspire us to do great things as disciples of Jesus Christ. And I’ll tell you, that’s possible when we remember this other Pentecost story.