05302020 – John 20. 19-23
The disciples were AFRAID. We get that. They were huddled together behind locked and closed-tight-doors. You might have called them “scare-D-cats!” And WE, unfortunately, can relate to their predicament! We have been scared, too!
They feared (not a pandemic) but rather, the Roman and religious authorities of their day. And they were probably VERY WISE to do so!
They too, were “safer” LOCKED UP, HUNKERED DOWN, and NOT venturing to go outside. Ever! EVER!
“Every passerby” would have been SUSPICIOUS. The “slightest of SOUNDS” would have sent them scurrying for COVER and protection. Every “FOOTFALL” – was a potential danger and disaster waiting to happen.
FEAR is always a POWERFUL adversary. It can be both an ENEMY and a FRIEND. It is sometimes “hard to discern” which-is-which.
It can take a “HUGE psychological TOLL” on even the STRONGEST and the BRAVEST and the MOST FAITHFUL, of persons.
Fear can stifle GROWTH and make one FREEZE “permanently in place.” Fear can become PARALYZING. Fear can actually DIVIDE and SEPARATE and even AID in conquering.
Our fears can even SPEAK to us. And trust me, they speak BOLDLY and LOUDLY…and FEED upon themselves.
Unfortunately, many believe EVERYTHING their fears tell them.
We believe “as gospel” …sometimes without questioning, what our FAMILY, FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS tell us.
We believe WHAT we HEAR. We believe what we WANT to believe. Sometimes we believe EVERYTHING we read…without questioning…or checking the sources.
You know, there was a time that we feared: THE Native American.
We feared the THRONE of England
We feared the RED-COATS army.
We feared the IMMIGRANT.
We feared the PERSON OF COLOR.
We feared the JAPANESE.
We feared the GERMAN.
We feared the CHINESE – Restaurant owner and HIS employees…his entire staff
We feared the GAY man or the Lesbian woman.
We feared the TRANSGENDERED person.
We fear the HOMELESS man or woman.
We fear the BEGGAR – panhandling for money. We feared “anyone and everyone” DIFFERENT from us!
We fear the UNKNOWN.
We live in and are or can be completely TERRORIZED by fear.
We can be UPTIGHT and SCARED, sometimes with REASON, sometimes WITHOUT reason. We can RELATE to THOSE DISCIPLES more than we WANT to admit to ourselves.
Speaking of recent events: You do KNOW that WE rioted and REBELLED, right? We marched.
You do know that we TORCHED THINGS and burned them to the ground.
We did not just throw TEA INTO A BAY and call it “a day.” We PROTESTED once…or twice…but a whole lot of us, just FOLLOWED along, SILENTLY caught up in our fears.
We did not say a word. We lived and resided with our fears, as our constant companions…
We have lived in fear A LOT. We have ALLOWED our fears to hold us BACK, just as the disciples did.
TODAY we would SCREAM and SHOUT at Jesus and tell him to KEEP HIS DISTANCE. GET BACK from us. Move away! We would look at him – with leery-angry-eyes. Are you kidding me?
JESUS put on a MASK! Jesus, did you WASH YOUR HANDS? JESUS do not breathe on me! JESUS, MUST you stand so close?
What are you TRYING TO DO to us? Are you trying to kill us? Send us out? Where? To whom? Are you CRAZY?
The SAME BREATH which ANIMATED Jesus in the tomb – is now breathed into his MOTLEY CREW of disciples HUDDLED-TOGETHER in fear and in trembling.
HE was sending them OUT into an even SCARIER and LARGER- UNKNOWN-WORLD. We RECOIL at the very thought of it and are afraid. Go WHERE, again?
It was after all PENTECOST; in their FEAR he came bearing PEACE…and he EMPOWERED them to do the UNTHINKABLE…to reach out to others.