Thursday after Quasi modo geniti
Posted on April 28, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. John 20:19-23 (NKJV)
20:19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Devotion
Our verses for today present a remarkable contrast between fear and boldness. The disciples are huddled together, hiding out in fear of what the Jewish rulers and powers might do to them. And our risen Lord appears to them, showing the terrible wounds He endured on the cross, to prove that it was really Him. And He calls them to be his Apostles, who would boldly go forth into the world to preach His Word.
Our Lord does not condone or excuse their fear, but He gives them a commission: He formally institutes the Office of the Ministry by giving them the authority to forgive and retain sins. This authority is from Jesus Himself. In His words, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you,” and in breathing on them and invoking the Holy Spirit, we see the love and provenance of God in giving the Ministry to the Church. That Ministry continues today, and it strengthens and builds Christ’s Church. According to Christ’s commission, sinful men preach Law and Gospel, and administer the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. May we ever be found to be faithful stewards of that Ministry–faithful and bold teachers of the Church, and faithful and diligent hearers of God’s Word.
Prayer: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s Resurrection, may, by the help of Thy grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conversation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
