You may have heard that before. The quote has
been attributed to Buddha, Nelson Mandela, Anne Lamott, and Carrie Fisher.
Whoever said it first, there does seem to be some truth in it.
And Jesus, I think, knew that truth.
When Jesus was arrested and executed, his
disciples fled. They denied ever knowing him. They were afraid that their
association with him would cost them their own lives.
Several days later, they were still hiding, in
a locked room, living in fear.
Jesus was dead. Rome did not tolerate
revolutionaries and rabble-rousers. Rome
always came down hard on such movements. There are records of as many as 2,000
people being crucified at one time. Would the disciples be next?
Fortunately, the movement Jesus led was a nonviolent movement. Mass crucifixions
were for armed rebellions. For
non-violent uprisings, Rome only went after the leader.
Usually.
That may have provided some comfort to the
disciples. But not enough to unlock the doors, or walk freely in the streets.
Do you think maybe their fear underwent a
sudden seismic shift? Do you think maybe, in that instant, they went from fear
of Rome to fear of this supernatural being who they had deserted and denied?
Rome was out
there, but right here, in their midst, was a man who had just come back
from the dead! What’s more, they had turned their backs on him; how would he
respond to that?
Have you ever had anyone turn their back on
you? Throw you under the bus? Stab you in the back?
What was your reaction?
Jesus spoke. He said: “Peace be with you.”
Jesus showed them
his hands and his side, the places where his body had been pierced as he was
crucified.
There was no anger in his voice. No
resentment. No condemnation or judgment. Only forgiveness and love.
How liberating was that love!
How life-giving was that forgiveness!
It made possible what came next. Jesus said,
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you…” The Father had sent Jesus to love,
to forgive, to open the way to life and wholeness. The disciples were now
called to do the same.
Then Jesus breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.” The word for spirit is the same as the word for
breath. “Receive the holy breath of God.”
Forgiveness comes as a breath of fresh air. In
that room, with the doors locked, with fear all around, I doubt the disciples
were breathing much. Just short little tense breaths.
Now, for the first time, they could breathe…
freely… and deeply……..
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you. If
you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.”
Do you think it was easy for the disciples to
show the same love and forgiveness that Jesus showed them?
If I were a disciple in that locked room, I
imagine I would be a little too eager to say yes… “Yes, Jesus, I’ll forgive.
I’ll forgive just like you forgave. Who should I start with?”
And perhaps Jesus would say, “How about the
family that disowned you when you chose to follow me? How about the religious
leaders who want to kick you out of the church? How about the Romans who
crucified me, the Romans from whom you are, at this very moment, hiding in
fear?
“Start by forgiving them.”
And I’d respond, “Oh. I didn’t realize you
wanted me to forgive them. But they
haven’t asked for forgiveness. They don’t deserve
forgiveness. Can’t I just hold on to my anger toward them a little longer?
“Besides, they probably won’t accept my forgiveness.
They won’t even let me get close enough to them to express forgiveness…it won’t
do them any good.”
And maybe Jesus would respond, “Perhaps not.
But it will make all the difference
for you.”
It happened like this. Esau and Jacob had
grown up; Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a
quiet man, living in tents.
Esau was his father’s favorite, but Jacob was
his mother’s favorite.
Already, it sounds like an episode of the TV
show Empire, doesn’t it?
One day when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau
came in from the field, and he was starving.
Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that, I’m starving!”
But Jacob said, “First, sell me your
birthright.”
And because Esau was so hungry, he did.
Later, when their father Isaac was old and
near death, he said to Esau, “My son, my death is near. Now then, take your
weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for
me. Then prepare for me a delicious meal, and bring it to me, so I may bless
you before I die.”
Rebekah, their mother, heard this. As soon as
Esau went to the field, she said to Jacob, “Quick! Get two young goats and
bring them to me, and I’ll make a delicious meal that you can take to your
father. He’s practically blind, he won’t know it’s you, and you will get the
blessing.”
But Jacob said, “My brother Esau is a hairy
man, but my skin is smooth. What if my father hugs me and feels my arms,
realizes what’s happening, and gives me a curse instead of a blessing?”
His mother said, “Don’t worry about it! The
curse will be on me. But just to be safe, we’ll cover your arms with the goat
skins, and that will be enough to fool your father.”
So Jacob went to Isaac and said, “I’m here,
Father!”
Isaac said, “Who are you?”
Jacob said, “I’m Esau!”
Jacob presented to his father the meal his
mother had prepared. His father Isaac asked, “How did you do this so quickly?”
Jacob replied, “God helped me.”
Isaac said, “Let me feel you, so I know it’s
really Esau.”
Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt
him (or, to be more precise, felt the goat skins), and said, “Huh. You sound
like Jacob, but feel like Esau. Are you really Esau?”
Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”
And Isaac gave him the blessing.
As soon as Isaac finished, Jacob left, and
Esau arrived, and presented his meal
to his father. Isaac was both confused and frightened, and said, “Who are you?”
Esau answered, “I am Esau, your firstborn
son.”
Isaac then said, “Who was it that was just
here? I gave him your blessing!”
And Esau, realizing what had happened, cried
out, “Nooooo! Bless ME, Father!”
Isaac said, “It’s too late! I’ve already given
your blessing away.”
And Esau cried out, “Nooooo!”
And Esau was filled with anger, resentment and
hatred, and began plotting revenge against his brother.
Well, Jacob ran away. He ran away. Got
married. Twice. Had lots of kids. Became the head of a huge household. Met an
angel. Wrestled with God… For the sake of time, all this takes place during a
musical montage that spans many years. Feel free to hum “Hakuna Matata” if you
like… And then read the book of Genesis later for all the details.
And yet, Jacob is afraid.
Like Jacob, Esau has become the head of a
large household. Each household was an entire community, really; almost like a
mini-nation or tribe. If Esau still harbored his anger and resentment, the
result would be even bigger than the feud between my ancestors the Hatfields
and the McCoy family.
It would be war.
Jacob sent messengers bearing gifts to his
brother Esau. He divided his household in half, figuring that if Esau attacked
one half, at least the other would be able to get away and survive. Jacob also prayed
to God.
Finally, after days of preparation, Jacob
looked up and saw his brother Esau arriving with four hundred men. His heart
pounding in his ears, Jacob walked forward, bowing himself to the ground seven
times, until he came near his brother.
How liberating was that love! How life-giving
was that forgiveness!
Jacob took a breath…….
Esau looked and saw all those who were with
Jacob, especially the women and children. “Who are they?” he asked.
Jacob said, “These are my children.” Then all
the maids and the children and Jacob’s wives bowed down, and Jacob offered
gifts, and said to his brother, “Seeing your face like this is like seeing the
face of God.”
The Bible doesn’t tell when it was that Esau
decided to forgive his brother Jacob. How did it happen? What happened to all
of Esau’s anger and hatred?
I don’t know. But it seems likely that, at
some point, Esau grew tired of holding on to anger and resentment. He was tired
of drinking the poison, and waiting for his enemy to die.
Perhaps there was a time when his anger and
resentment were making things unpleasant for his own household, his own family,
and finally he realized that, to have peace in his own life, he just needed to
let it go.
After his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus
came speaking of peace… and forgiveness. It seems that, to find peace, you must
forgive.
Is there someone who has hurt you? Someone you
love? Someone who just thinking of them gets you angry?
Take a deep breath……
Breathe in the Spirit, the Holy Breath of
God……
Speak softly to your anger. Speak gently,
kindly…
If you want to show forgiveness and love to
someone else, you have to start by showing forgiveness and love to yourself.
Speak kindly to yourself. Take care of your
anger. Ask God to help you transform that anger into compassion, forgiveness,
and love.
And hear these words of Christ:
Peace be with you.
Peace be with you.
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