Third Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 47

My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

 

The scriptures often use legal words to describe our relationship with God. He is the ruler who makes the laws, the judge who declares guilt or innocence, and the punisher who executes justice against the wicked and vindicates the innocent. 

In the New Testament, Jesus’s disciples witness – that is they see and hear -- his teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. And they witness – that is they declare what they saw and heard -- before kings, magistrates, judges, and large crowds of Jews and gentiles.

Expiation is another legal word. When someone has done harm to another, they should expiate, make amends, atone for; purge by sacrifice, make good what was wrong.  The word is akin to pious (faithful, loyal, devout) propitiate and appease. 

They should make it right.

We Christians believe that Jesus has expiated not only our sins but those of the whole world. He has made what is terribly wrong right.

Now this is more than a band aid over a cancerous sore. It is more than the healing of a broken bone. It is not simply a new start to a damaged relationship as if the past never happened.

When we look at the Risen Lord Jesus, we see the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. They are gaping and fresh. No one should ever forget his crucifixion like an irrelevant thing of the past. There is no past in God's world.  

But his wounds are beautiful to the eyes of faith. As soon as we found the opportunity to express our new religion in words and song, in paintings and sculpture, we described the beautiful, risen, wounded body of the Lord. We would not hide his crucifixion.

The expiation of Jesus goes far beyond a simple repayment, as if we could start again from where we were. If I stole ten thousand dollars from someone and then returned the same ten thousand dollars a month later, I would not expect that person to leave money laying around in my presence. I would not expect them to trust me with a loan. The money might be repaid but the damage to their finances, their credit, and their well being is not forgotten.

Through his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus has gone beyond simple reparation. He has brought us far beyond our natural capacities. His grace heals troubled marriages, restores the affections of parents and children, reunites siblings, friends, and neighbors. It bonds people of different races, sexual orientations, and political philosophies. We now enjoy a relationship with God more satisfying and wonderful than that of Adam and Eve in the innocence of Eden. 

This is one of those mysteries like Einstein’s relativity and quantum theory; it staggers the mind and yet we believe and act upon it. We believe the Lord has expiated our sins and we live in that knowledge with joy and freedom and great confidence. 

The Risen Jesus invites us to live boldly and give generously. As we share our resources we declare “There’s more where that came from!” When we fail, we get up and try again because the Lord’s mercies are not exhausted,

…his compassion is not spent;

They are renewed each morning—

great is your faithfulness!

The LORD is my portion, I tell myself,

therefore I will hope in him. Lamentation 3:22-24