John 20: 19-23

The portion of the scripture we read this morning is called the “The Johannine Pentecost.” In John’s Gospel Jesus does not wait the Day of Pentecost to impart the Holy Spirit. In this private Pentecost, we do not have the violent wind blowing, or the tongues of fire. Neither we have people speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Here, the Spirit comes on Easter, during first post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples. The focus at this moment is more particular; “The Johannine Pentecost” is focused on the preparing, giving identity, and sending of a community.

Our Gospel says that “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked in fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” What amazing Rabbi Jesus is. Those were exactly the words the disciples needed to hear. Peace is exactly what they needed in that moment when their minds resembled the storms in the lake of Galilee. How you ever wonder how many questions the disciples had. They had questions like, what is going to happen to us? Who took Jesus’ body? Should we believe Mary? she said, she saw Jesus. Therefore, peace was exactly what their minds and hearts needed. And after they were at peace, Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit.

After this intimate and personal Pentecost, everything changed for them. Everything changed in their lives, all the questions they had were answered. The question of what are we going to do next? was answered right in that moment, rejoice! was the answer; the question of who took the body? was answered too, the answer was, nobody, He is alive; the question should we believe Mary? was answered with a big, yes, we will believe, its true she saw the Lord and we too have seen the Lord; He is alive.

To me, my sisters and brothers what John is sharing in chapter 20 is his account of a new creation, the creation of a new men and women in Jesus. John is telling us that after the risen Christ breathed the Holy Spirit on his disciples everything was new, a new community was born. A community no from the fallen Adam, but from the risen and triumphant Christ. To explain better what I mean, let me read Genesis 1:7, Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Before God breath into his nostrils, Adam was dead; after God’s breath on him Adam came alive, but in chapter three because his disobeying Adam died, and with him all his descendants; all humankind inherited the toll of sin, which is death. In John 20: 21 we find that Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit…”  Here John is describing the same action of breathing we find in Genesis. Except that here is not to a single man, but to a group of people. Seems to me that Jesus is telling them, as Adam was dead, you were also dead in your doubts, you were dead because of your attitude on Friday, you were dead in your fear, but now I am breathing on you the power to overcome all that. I am breathing on you the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit living in you, I will make a new people, a new creation.

Now, is John 20: 21 contradicting chapter 2 of the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit came over 120 who were in the Upper Room waiting for the promise? Not at all, what I think John is telling us is that what God wants to do with His Church, He will do it first with His leaders, and whatever God wants to do with the world, He will do it first with His Church. First the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples; in Pentecost the Holy Spirit was given to the whole community of believers, so, this community of believers could take it and share it with the world. Why do I believe this? Because only when we have experienced God’s presence in our lives, we can be His witness; only then we are able to be His messengers. Peter would never have been able to explain what was happening in Pentecost, if he would have not experienced first, his own and personal Pentecost in the Upper Room. Therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ will never be able to change the world if we do not allow God to change us first. This my brothers and sisters, is what I believed the message of the “Johannine Pentecost” has for us today.  

My brothers and sisters, what would you like to happen in our church? What would you like God to do in our midst? Whatever that it is, God wants to begin with you; God wants to make out of you, out of all of us channels of blessings. Remember the song Pass It On? “It only takes a spark to get a fire going and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That is how it is with God’s love once you have experienced it; you spread His love to everyone; you want to pass it on.”

If we want to have a church that freely, joyfully and without any shyness worship God, that kind of worship must begin with you and me. If we want God to open the doors for new ministries, all those ministries must begin with you and me; if we want to have a financially strong church, a church that does not have to beg every end and beginning of the year to pay for our past due bills, the practice of bringing to the Lord what belongs to the Lord must begin with you and me. Remember when God openly sent the Holy Spirit to the church at Pentecost, He begun with the leaders first in a little room somewhere in Jerusalem.

What kind of community would you like to have? Would you like to have a community that serves and obeys God? If it is so, we, individually must start serving and obeying God, only then we are going to have the spiritual authority that Paul had when he said to the Corinthians in his first letter chapter 11verse 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

This principle of One person first is found all over the Bible. God called Abraham. Abraham believed and was obedient to God and out of him, God made a nation and asked the nation to act like Abraham; God called Moses when he was alone somewhere in the wilderness and with him brought blessings and freedom and fulfilled the promise of a new land for Israel. In the New Testament in Acts 16: 30-31, we find the conversion of the jailer in Philippi. When the jailer asked: what can I do to be saved, the answer he received from Paul was: believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, -you and your household. Salvation began with him, then was extended to the household.

When we open the door of our heart to Jesus, we become doorways where Jesus can enter our family, our school, our church, our job, and our community. When we are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, we become holders of that transforming power and through us God can reach and transformed others too. Everything begins with me; great things begin with one person.

My brothers and sisters allow God to have a powerful church, by allowing Him to fill your life with His Holy Spirit, and remember, whatever you want to happen in our church, must happen in you first; whatever you want God to do in your church, you must allow him to do it in your life first. The greatest celebration in Pentecost is that all of us are, can be sparks God can and will use to set up a big fire in our church and in our community.

I will end my meditation with 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

Would you like to be the spark God will use to set this church in fire?