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John 20
I got hung up this morning on another one of those verses that we tend to just gloss over without stopping to really think about them. In John 20:23 Jesus told His disciples, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Wow – what the heck does that mean?!? I did some light research and found an array of thoughts on this verse. I also did some heavy thinking…and I’m not sure I like any of those thoughts.
A man named Vince Miller put out a short video on the subject that I thought was interesting. He didn’t address the issue of forgive and not forgive directly, but he did relate this entire incident of Jesus’ first resurrected appearance to His disciples back to His teaching to them in John 16. In that passage, Jesus explained that He had to go away so that the Advocate – the Holy Spirit – could come. I commented on this chapter a few days ago, noting that Jesus’ death and resurrection replaced His person as a go-between with the Holy Spirit as a direct connection to God. The conclusion I drew from that passage was that the Holy Spirit’s presence in us proves that it is faith in Jesus that removes the guilt of our sin, makes us righteous, and frees us from the judgment due those who belong to this world.
Here in John 20, Jesus gave His disciples their first taste of the Holy Spirit. Note that He breathed on them. I think that is very important to understanding the verse in question. I also think it is important that John noted the disciples’ fear. Jesus then greeted their fear with peace and countered it with the power of the Holy Spirit. All this while reminding them that His mission has now become theirs. So I see this as a passing of the baton, if you will. And verse 23 is part of that passing.
I still don’t understand the full meaning of this verse. I believe, however, that Jesus was explaining to them that the power of God – the very same power that existed in Him – was now in them. They carry the proof of God’s redemption in them and have the power to pass that redemption along to any who will receive it. The power does not come from them, but rather through them. The same is true of us. Because of God’s Holy Spirit in us, we have the power to offer God’s forgiveness to any who will hear our message. And if they reject God’s truth, they have condemned themselves because they did not believe.
2 Chron. 13-14
How can you rely on the Lord today when facing overwhelming odds? Pray Asa’s prayer in v. 11 over your battle. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33). That’s the verse that came to mind after reading this passage in 2 Chronicles this morning. Without ever having heard these words from Jesus, Abijah and Asa both led the nation of Judah in this mindset. They focused on serving God and not forsaking Him. So when trouble came against them, they knew the battle was God’s. When Israel fought Judah under Abijah, “the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the LORD” (2 Chron. 13:18b). Asa likewise relied on God and Judah was victorious over the Cushites as a result.
Both kings knew that they and their nation with them were seeking God. To me, that means they were being intentional about doing so. Therefore, when Abijah faced the Israelites he said, “People of Israel, do not fight against the LROD, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.” (2 Chron. 13:12b). And when Israel attacked, Judah cried out to God, who delivered them. Similarly, when Asa faced the Cushites he prayed, “LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.” (2 Chron. 14:11b). In both cases, Judah was hopelessly outnumbered by their opponent.
This life is not about the battles we face. It is about serving God and God alone. God has promised to be faithful to those who are faithful to Him. So if we seek Him first, we can cry out to Him with confidence, as both Abijah and Asa did, knowing that it is His name on the line because He has made a promise that He will not break.
Prov. 16
Choose one proverb that speaks to you and share it with a friend and explain what it means to you. “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” (Pr. 16:16). This proverb reinforces the truth we saw through Abijah and Asa. It is the same truth that Jesus spoke of many years later in Matthew. Wisdom and insight come from God. Thus, the only way to successfully seek wisdom is to seek God. Seeking after anything less, be it silver and gold, fame and fortune, peace and prosperity – anything – ultimately gains us nothing. But when we seek God first, He gives us what we need of the rest.