Acts 2.14a, 22-32,1 Peter 1.3-9, John 20.19-31
The Second Sunday of Easter, 19 April 2020 - churches closed
They had locked themselves behind closed doors, isolating themselves through fear. The thing they feared was no more or less tangible than the virus which we fear, and keeps us indoors. The disciples feared retribution from the powerful forces who had so fiercely put an end - so they thought - to Jesus and his way. Not much peace of mind in that room; all sleepless nights and anxious moments every time someone knocked at the door, each disciple fearing who or what might come in.
So when Jesus came to them, the first words he spoke were “Peace be with you.” And however it happened, whether you take this gospel passage literally or not, there can be no doubt that Jesus did, somehow and concretely, come to them, and bring peace to their troubled hearts: for in a precious moment, through those few short words, the anxiety lifted from that room, the fear dropped away, joy filled the place. And something new was born in them: a living hope.
Hope is a precious thing. It’s special, and it’s fragile. Not everyone has hope, and at any given moment it can evaporate. Ask the young couple having recently bought a flat together, making a new start in life, making plans, full of joy and hope; suddenly both laid off as a consequence of the coronavirus, and now scrabbling around for the small scraps of welfare support which they justifiably fear will not be enough to sustain them. Who will show them Jesus at their door, lovingly telling them, “Peace be with you”?
We all know how fear and anxiety can turn relationships toxic; in this season of coronavirus, we lament what the secretary-general of the United Nations calls a “horrifying surge” in reports of domestic violence since the lockdown. [1] In the fevered atmosphere of their Jerusalem hideaway the disciples’ fear of harm from those who'd fatally wounded Jesus, was understandable. But fuelled by the teachings of Peter, John, and others, that fear developed into a general opposition to Judaism and that Christian distrust and hatred of Jews which led to centuries of shame and suffering. ‘Othering’, fighting our fears by blaming someone else for what harms us, is something we Christians have been doing to Jewish people ever since. [2]
In the Middle Ages, Jewish communities in Europe were blamed for the Black Death and attacked, just as in the United States in the 19th century, they were blamed for tuberculosis which people called the “tailor’s disease”. [3] As our Chinese communities today feel their neighbours turning against them over Covid-19, who will tell them, “Peace be with you”?
So whilst othering is likely in a time of pandemic, yet also hope is possible. For the power of the resurrected Jesus is at large in this world, in our lives, by his Spirit. ‘We should not forget that it was in the context of the Black Death, which had killed as much as one third of the population of Norwich, and perhaps even while she was in quarantine, that Mother Julian recorded those famous words: “I may make all things well, and I can make all things well, and I shall make all things well; and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of things shall be well.”’ [4]
Closing Reflection
What is it which makes you fearful today, that which brings you anxiety? Why not take a moment to hold that thing in your hands, in this room, as you picture Jesus coming, standing right here: and letting that thing go, as you hear him saying “Peace be with you.”
And do you live in hope today, what is it that you find hopeful in our world? Why not take a moment to hold that in your heart, as you picture Jesus coming, standing before you: and hear him saying “As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Notes
[1] Rebecca Paveley, Rise in domestic and gender-based violence presents ‘new Covid crisis’. Church Times, 17 April 2020.
[2] This troubled relationship is discussed in the Church of England Faith and Order Commission, God’s Unfailing Word, 2019 [pdf]. See also God’s Unfailing Word: key passages, Church Times, 21 November 2019.
[3] Emily Tamkin, Using military language to discuss coronavirus is dangerous and irresponsible – the US must stop. New Statesman, 1 April 2020.
[4] Joanna Collicutt, Global trauma: Made perfect in weakness. Church Times, 3 April 2020.
Comments