Sermon on John 20:19-23

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

“Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

I’ve heard both of these verses from our Acts and 1 Corinthians readings used as litmus tests—ways to tell if people are really Christians, are really “saved.”

Then, our Gospel reading notes that the disciples had locked the door “for fear of the Jews,” even though they themselves were Jewish. The Gospel of John was written quite a few decades after the events it records—at a time when the movement of Jesus followers was trying to distinguish itself from the Jewish tradition it came from, instead of simply being a branch of Judaism. But it comes across as “us versus them.”

And then, Jesus told the disciples “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” That’s a lot of power for humans to hold, and it’s easy to read in a sense of either/or: either you’re forgiven or you’re not.

All of these bits of our readings sound exclusive. Either people are saved or they aren’t. Either they can say “Jesus is Lord” or they can’t, and therefore they must not have the Holy Spirit and aren’t “one of us.” And by “one of us,” we mean not part of the religious group we’re trying to distance ourselves from. And if you disagree with us, we won’t forgive you.

Christians have used verses like this to hurt people for centuries.

The early Jesus followers went from the lovely portrayal in the book of Acts that we read a few weeks ago about them selling what they had and sharing generously with each other so that none of them were in need…

…to becoming powerful and even deadly. Once Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity in 312 CE, Jesus followers went from being persecuted by the Roman Empire to having it on their side.

People have used verses like we read today to justify forcing people to convert to Christianity, killing them if they didn’t, taking their children to root out “pagan” cultures, enslaving people so they could be “saved,” legislating against people who don’t live according to whatever “Christian values” are in favor by people in power, and all kinds of other horrors.

The Crusades tried to “liberate” the Holy Land from the “heathens.”

Manifest Destiny justified land grabbing and genocide because “godless” people weren’t extracting enough profit from the land.

Fire and brimstone preaching has instilled fear into people’s hearts that they might not be “saved,”causing them to hate themselves for being gay or trans or for not wanting whatever life they’re feeling pressured to fit into. Or to inflict violence on others who don’t fit the mold of a “good Christian.”

Prosperity gospel, the popular idea that we can “name and claim” blessings from God and that God will protect us from anything unpleasant, has the shadowy underside that,when people aren’t cured of their chronic illness or a loved one dies or they lose their job or their spouse leaves them, they must not have prayed hard enough or in the right way or maybe God just doesn’t love them as much as other people.

The misuse of scripture kills people.

Christianity has become known for exclusion instead of for the peace Jesus brought to his disciples in our Gospel reading.

When faith becomes about deciding who’s in and who’s out, it’s no longer faith.

Fortunately, there’s more to our readings than just those misused verses.

Our Acts reading isn’t about who’s “saved,” but about God surprising us with who God abundantly includes.

When God sent the Holy Spirit, people from all over heardthe Good News of God’s love and new life in the language of their hearts. It was a miraculous sign of inclusion and the diversity of God’s Beloved Community.

And lest that sign be misunderstood, Peter got up and interpreted what had happened through the prophet Joel, who had said that when God brought the Holy Spirit, people of all kinds would prophesy, have visions, and dream: people of different ages and genders, both enslaved and free. And despite the scary things that would happen, God would save. It’s not about a litmus test to see who will call upon the name of the Lord, but a promise that God would save people, regardless of their “worthiness.”

In the same way, our 1 Corinthians reading isn’t about using “Jesus is Lord” as a litmus test to exclude people. It’s about the beautiful variety of God’s enormous family.In this section of the letter, Paul gave the Corinthians, who have been fighting among each other, advice about worship and community.

Because it’s Pentecost Sunday, our reading includes the second half of verse 3 because it mentions the Holy Spirit. Paul introduced the topic of spiritual gifts and wanted to help the Corinthians discern what messages were really from God. So,he reminded them that a message from God won’t say “Let Jesus be cursed,” and no one was going to say “Jesus is Lord” except through the Holy Spirit, because it was a political statement. It was a declaration of allegiance to Jesus instead of allegiance to Caesar by saying “Caesar is lord.”The Corinthians would be surprised by the variety of people saying “Jesus is Lord.”

Paul then went on to talk about the variety of gifts among the community of Jesus followers and how we need each other—all our gifts—to fully embody the Beloved Community.

This passage isn’t about turning away people who don’t say the specific words, “Jesus is Lord,” but about appreciating each other’s gifts as we make up the Body of Christ, which is larger and more beautiful than we imagine.

And our Gospel reading, despite the distance the writer of the Gospel of John wanted to put between his community and the wider Jewish community, is about Jesus bringing peace and forgiveness and hope even when we’ve locked ourselves away from the world.

The Gospel of John puts the giving of the Holy Spirit right after Jesus’ resurrection instead of at Pentecost, tying it narratively to new life.

Any fear Jesus’ disciples had that they might not have measured up because they ran away instead of staying with Jesus in his final hours were blown away with Jesus’ breath and the warmth of the Holy Spirit filling their hearts.

As for the part about forgiving and retaining sins, I’ll be honest that it perplexes me a bit. I believe God forgives sins, and it seems like too much power to be given to fallible mortals like us.

Perhaps it’s a teaching on the power of community—a community can inflict a scarlet letter that will be retained indefinitely or can offer forgiveness and bring someone back into the fold.

Whatever the case, it’s a responsibility not to be taken lightly. God offers us forgiveness and unconditional love, and that’s worthy of our gratitude every moment of every day.

That in itself is enough to show us that cherry picking the exclusive sounding verses from our readings isn’t life-giving.

God forgives, includes, and brings peace and community to the world. And as followers of Jesus, we get to use our varied gifts to show the world that love, forgiveness, and inclusion.

So, on this Pentecost Sunday, as we remember God pouring out the Holy Spirit onto the early community of Jesus followers, instituting the Church, full of fumbling, beloved people with all their gifts and failings, hold these questions in your heart:

1.    What are the prophecies, dreams, and visions the Holy Spirit brings us today?

2.    How can we be bridgebuilders with our siblings of different faith traditions and no particular faith tradition to bless the world with our varied gifts?

3.    How can we approach the world with peace and unity in our hearts?

4.    How can we let God breathe through us?

Beloved of God, take a breath with me: breathe in God’s love for you and breathe out God’s love for the world. Put your hand on your heart and feel the beat of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you.