Second Sunday of Easter 2026

John 20:19-31

Revd. Neli Miranda

 

            The final two chapters of John’s Gospel (20–21) reveal how the first community of disciples lived, understood, and responded to Jesus’ resurrection. Mary Magdalene, Peter, the beloved disciple, and Thomas each embody distinct human paths for responding to and embracing the transformation God brings through the resurrection of Jesus.

            The first thing we notice in John’s account is that no one in the community expected Jesus’ resurrection. No one had fully understood his earlier announcements. It was the love, devotion, and service of Mary Magdalene—and the other women—that brought the great proclamation of life to the community. For where there is love and service, there is life and light.

            Mary’s devotion led her to become the first person to encounter the Risen Jesus on Easter morning. After this encounter, she is sent to announce the good news. For this reason, she has been recognized in Christian tradition as the first apostle of the resurrection (apostola apostolorum). Although her voice is scarcely heard earlier in John’s Gospel, in chapter 20 it resounds with clarity, culminating in her powerful confession: “I have seen the Lord.” Her proclamation continues to illuminate twenty centuries of Christian history.

            Yet, it seems that on that Easter morning, the other disciples did not believe her testimony. Immediately after Mary’s announcement, John takes us to the evening of that same day and shows us a community trapped in fear: “The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear…” (20,9). Fear confines, closing us off from seeing and hearing the good news of Life. And yet, Life is not contained by barriers. The Risen Jesus comes and stands among them, even in their confinement, and offers his familiar greeting: “Peace be with you.” This greeting dispels the darkness of that evening.

            Jesus does not appear as a triumphant hero displaying his power. Instead, John tells us that he shows his wounds—the marks of crucifixion. These wounds speak of suffering and death, but also of hope. They proclaim that Good Friday is not the final word, that pain and death do not have the last say. Moreover, his wounds reveal God’s solidarity with all who are wounded by the crucifying realities of injustice in our world.

            The presence of the Risen Jesus, bearing his wounds, fills the disciples with joy and reveals that the resurrection inaugurates a new creation—a renewed world in which the power of death has been overcome. In this light, Jesus repeats: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

            He then breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20,22). The verb “to breathe” recalls Genesis 2,7, where God breathes life into the first human. Now, in this new creation, the Risen Jesus breathes the Spirit of Life into his disciples, forming a living community sent to bring life and liberation to the broken world: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20,23).

            The terms “sin” and “forgiveness” can be read here in the light of this new creation and from a liberating perspective. The Greek word for sin, hamartia, can be understood not only as moral failure but as a condition of brokenness.  Likewise, “forgiveness” can be understood as release or liberation. Thus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the community of Jesus is entrusted with participating in God’s work of releasing the world from its brokenness.

            Can you today sense the Spirit of God leading you to proclaim this liberating grace in a wounded world?

            As we continue in John’s account, we encounter Thomas, who represents those in the community who need more time and a different path to encounter the Risen Jesus. He was not present at the first Jesus’ manifestation, and when the others told him, “We have seen the Lord,” he did not believe. He said he wanted to see and touch Jesus’ wounds. This is not mere doubt or morbid curiosity; Thomas seeks healing for his own wounds through the wounds of Jesus.

            Jesus does not leave him behind. A week later, he comes again and invites Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” (John 20,27). Encountering the wounded healer, Thomas responds with one of the most profound confessions of faith in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!”

            All the disciples came to believe through encountering the Risen Jesus and his wounds. Jesus’ words to Thomas, then, are not simply a reproach but a blessing extended to future generations: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20,29).         

            Can you encounter today the wounds of Jesus and find healing for your own? Can you hear Jesus’ words saying: “Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe”?

            With whom do you identify in John’s account—Mary Magdalene, Peter, the beloved disciple, or Thomas? Some encounter the Risen Jesus early in the morning, like Mary Magdalene; others in the evening, like the disciples; others later, like Thomas; and still others need more time. Whatever our path, we are invited to trust that we, too, are encountering the Risen Jesus and participating in God’s new creation.

Amen.